How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Colorado (2026 Guide)
Ready to get your real estate license in Colorado?
If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, want to be your own boss, and are looking for unlimited earning potential, real estate could be your ideal career path.
We’re going to walk you through everything you need to know to get started. Just keep in mind that Colorado is a single-license state—so instead of becoming a “real estate agent,” you’ll earn your license directly as an Associate Broker. Let’s walk through the simple steps to get you licensed.
Now let’s jump in! We will cover:
Steps to Get a Real Estate License in Colorado
The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) requires that in order to become a licensed real estate agent / broker in the state of Colorado, you must be at least 18 years old and have a social security number. You do not have to be a resident of Colorado to get a license but you do have to follow a few simple steps:
STEP 1 | Pre-License Real Estate Course
- Complete 168 hours of DORA-approved college-level real estate courses and pass a course exam.
STEP 2 | Background Check
- Submit your fingerprints to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a state and national criminal history record check. You can have your fingerprints done at Colorado Fingerprinting, FBI Fingerprint Card or IdentoGO. We recommend doing this as soon as you start your course, as you may not receive a clear background check report for several weeks.
STEP 3 | Register and Pass State Exam
- Once you have successfully completed the 168 hours of coursework, you will receive a certificate from the real estate school so that you can schedule the state licensing exam with PSI. The exam fee is $44.95 and you’ll need a minimum score of 75% to pass.
STEP 4 | Choose a Real Estate Broker
- In order to activate your Colorado real estate license and start selling homes, you’ll have to select a real estate brokerage to work for. Learn more about what to look for when shopping for the best real estate broker below.
STEP 5 | Apply for Your License
- Once you’ve found your new brokerage, you can apply for your license with DORA by following the application instructions. When you submit your application, you’ll also include your Background Check report, proof of Errors and Omissions Insurance, brokerage firm signature, as well as a check for $83 to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. It typically takes about a week or two for them to review your application. Once approved, your license will be sent to your new brokerage and you can officially start selling homes!
Timing: Planning for the Time it Takes to Get a Your License
Once you’ve made the decision to become a real estate agent in Colorado, you’re probably excited and want to get started ASAP. But before you leave your current position, it’s important to understand how long the licensing process can take in Colorado. Often it’s 3 to 6 months. Here is what an average timeline looks like:
- 4 to 16 weeks to complete your 168-hour pre-licensing course
- 2 to 6 weeks to get your background check report
- 1 to 2 weeks to get your national and state exam scheduled
- 2 to 4 weeks to research, interview and choose a real estate brokerage
- 1 to 3 weeks for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies to process your license application
While this timeline may seem a bit daunting, there are a few ways to expedite things. First, your real estate course online is the way to go. Instead of attending scheduled in-person classes a few times each week, you can learn at your own pace online. Requesting your fingerprint / background check early and interviewing brokers while you are finishing up your coursework, will also help move things along. If you are able to complete your 168 hours of DORA-approved college-level real estate in 4 weeks, it is definitely possible to become a real estate agent in Colorado in about eight (8) weeks.
Cost to Get a Real Estate License in Colorado
There are several fees involved when working to become a real estate agent in Colorado…
- Pre-License Real Estate Course – $375 to $1,200
- Fingerprinting – $25 to $50
- Background check – $40 to $50 (depending on vendor)
- DORA License Application Fee – $83
- State Exam Fee – $44.95 (plus $42.50 if you have to retake the exam)
- State exam prep courses or materials – $25 to $150 (optional)
** Total Cost to Get Your License = $568 to $1,428
More Expenses to Expect as a Colorado Realtor
Getting a license is just the beginning! What many aspiring Realtors don’t realize is that there are several other costs to consider when becoming a real estate agent. Whether you’re building a new business and opening a dance studio, coffee shop, or starting your real estate empire, keep in mind there are always start-up costs involved.
Here are some of the most common expenses:
| Expense | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Colorado broker license renewal | $252 |
| Local, state, and national REALTOR® associations | Costs vary considerably by location and organization. See examples below. |
| Multiple Listing Service (MLS) | Approximately $150–$175 per quarter |
| Application fees for a local REALTOR® association or MLS | Approximately $0–$600 |
| SentriLock or Supra eKEY access | Approximately $100–$150 per year |
| Brokerage joining fee | Typically $0–$500, with approximately $250 being common |
| Monthly brokerage fees | Approximately $0–$350 per month |
| Business cards and signage | Varies based on the brokerage and the materials purchased |
| Marketing and advertising | Varies based on how the agent chooses to promote their business |
Examples of Colorado REALTOR® Association Dues
| Association | Estimated dues |
|---|---|
| South Metro Denver REALTOR® Association | Approximately $711 per year |
| Denver Metro Association of REALTORS® | Approximately $1,200 per year |
| Vail Board of REALTORS® | Approximately $2,000 per year |
| Boulder Board of REALTORS® (BOLO) | Approximately $670 per year |
Estimated Total Cost
When you combine the expenses required to earn your license with the initial costs of officially launching your real estate business, you should plan to spend approximately $1,400–$3,000.
Total estimated cost to become a real estate agent in Colorado: $1,400–$3,000
Learn more about costs to become a real estate agent in Colorado:
Find the Top Ranked Real Estate Schools
To get your real estate license, you’ll have to attend a school that’s approved by the Colorado Real Estate Commission. There are at least a dozen approved real estate schools throughout the state. Some are online, others in person, and a few do a combination of the two. Please note that a few of the schools are our affiliate partners, so we may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you.
Here are a few of the most popular:
- Colibri Real Estate — online, exam prep options
- The CE Shop – online with exam prep
- Kaplan Real Estate Education – online with instructor support
- Colorado Real Estate School – video on demand classes
- A Plus Real Estate School – online / video courses
When shopping for the best online real estate schools, you’ll want to compare pricing, but there are a few other things you will need to consider:
- Does the school share their state exam “pass rate”? This will tell you what percentage of their students passed the state exam on the first try.
- Does the school offer any guarantees if you don’t pass? For example, one school will pay the fee for you to retake the state exam.
- Are practice tests given to the students or is there an additional charge?
- Do they offer a separate exam prep course or a weekend cram course?
How to Choose a Real Estate Broker
In Colorado, you must affiliate with a real estate brokerage in order to apply for your license and actively help home buyers and sellers. This is often referred to as the “sponsoring broker” or “managing broker.” Picking the right brokerage to work with can be key to your success as a newly licensed agent.
Since Colorado licenses everyone as an Associate Broker rather than a traditional agent, use your waiting period between the state exam and license activation to talk to a few current associate brokers about their experience, sit in on two or three brokerage interviews, and see what other agents are saying in Colorado real estate Facebook groups before you sign on.
When researching and meeting with different brokerages, keep in mind that many are independently owned franchises. So one Coldwell Banker or Keller Williams office could be completely different from another that’s just 10 minutes away. The culture, training, support team, and sometimes even the fees and commission splits can vary from franchise to franchise.
There are also some very popular real estate brokerages that don’t have physical office space but offer world-class training, mentorship and great commission splits. Even as a new agent there are many perks for this kind of work environment.
Focus on What’s Most Important: SUPPORT
Because every Colorado license is technically a broker license, it’s easy to assume you’re on your own from day one — but you’re not. Rank commission splits #2 or #3 on your list when shopping for a sponsoring broker, and put support first: ask about their formal training program, whether you’ll have at least three people to call with questions, and what their mentors actually do for new associate brokers day to day.
Becoming a Colorado Realtor: Commonly Asked Questions
Most agents will describe the Colorado real estate broker licensing exam as “not easy.” There are 154 multiple choice questions for both the state and national portions of the exam.
National Section – This includes 80 multiple-choice questions. You’ll have to answer at least 60 correctly for a minimum score of 75%.
Colorado State Section – This includes 74 multiple choice questions and you must answer 53 correctly to get a minimum score of 71.6%.
You have to take the test in person, it is not open book, and typically you cannot bring anything with you to the PSI testing center. If you’d like more info about the exam, visit PSI Exams to download the latest Candidate Information Book as well as practice exam
You will have a total of just under 4 hours to complete the exam. They allow 120 minutes for the national portion and 110 minutes for the Colorado state portion of the real estate exam.
It’s not uncommon for people not to pass the exam on the first try. They make it fairly simple for you to retake the exam, you just need to reschedule with PSI exams and pay the re-take exam fee of $42.50.
Please note that if you fail all or part of the exam, you only need to retake the failed portion of the exam. Your passing score for that section (state/national) is only valid for one (1) year for your broker license application. Those who pass one part of the exam and not the other, need only to retake the portion they failed.
After passing the Colorado state real estate exam, you’ll have one year to activate your license with a real estate brokerage.
Having a criminal record doesn’t automatically disqualify you. Most non-violent offenses are reviewed on a case-by-case basis as part of your background check. If you’re concerned about how your specific record might be viewed, Colorado offers a “preliminary advisory opinion” — a free, non-binding review DORA will give you before you invest in the 168-hour course, so you know where you stand before spending the time and money.
Real estate income in Colorado varies enormously by market — a broker working the Denver metro area, the mountain resort towns like Vail and Aspen, or Colorado Springs will see very different numbers, since home prices and commission dollars per sale differ so much by region. As with any commission-based role, your actual earnings depend heavily on your transaction volume and where you choose to focus your business.
In most states, there are real estate sales or salespeople and they work for a broker. In Colorado, it is a single license state, so everyone is a broker. The person who runs the brokerage firm is called the Broker or Managing Broker. All of the licensed real estate professionals in the office are referred to as Associate Brokers.
If you are a licensed agent in Florida or California, for example, and would like to get your license in another state, many US states have a “reciprocity agreement” with one another. This means that you don’t have to attend any additional classes, you just have to pass the state portion of the exam to hold an active real estate license in that state.
The good news is that Colorado has reciprocal agreements with all states! You also do not have to be a resident of Colorado to get your real estate license.
Colorado requires 24 hours of Continuing Education (CE) every three years. Twelve (12) hours are elective, meaning that you can select whichever CE course you’re interested in. The remaining 12 hours of coursework need to be from the list of Colorado Real Estate Commission Annual Update Courses.
We talk with hundreds of newly licensed Colorado agents every year, and the jump from passing the exam to actually running a business catches most of them off guard. Read more about how we help new agents succeed.
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