TREC Web Site

License Verification

Renew License

About the TREC

About Jim Gibbs

 What are my education requirements?

Unless your license is "grand fathered" or in a “retired status” both Affiliate Brokers and Brokers are required to take 16 hours of continuing education every two years to be completed before the expiration date of the license.

Of  those 16 required hours, 6 hours must be for a MANDATORY "TREC Core Course" and the remaining 10 hours of electives are your choice.  

At the top of our web site is a link License Verification or type into your browser https://verify.tn.gov/ and search for your license and see all education that you have ever taken.  The most recent records may take a day or two to appear, but you will be given credit for the course on the day that your turned in your final quiz.

You can also see your personal records with a FREE Basic CE Broker account which allows you to see your education history.  CE Broker claims it is doing a service to you that it makes it absolutely clear what is required and what you need to complete to renew your license.  I personally disagree!  The required continuing education to renew a Tennessee Real Estate license is not difficult to understand. None the less, I can't believe a paid employee of CE Broker in Florida has a better understanding of your renewal needs than your Principal Broker or the staff of a Tennessee real estate school including myself with 27 years experience as a principal broker in Tennessee and over 20 years operating the Career Institute. If you have questions about your education, please call me. My cell phone is 615-904-4750.

What CE Broker is attempting to sell, with the help of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, is your public information right back to you. They didn’t want your broker to see it at any cost nor would they allow schools to see it. In fact, we post the records and maintain evidence that your records were posted but, if it was up to CE Broker, we would not be able see and verify that those records have been properly recorded.  Verifying information, or verifying posted records has been our hallmark and is something the Career Institute always did in the past free of charge for our students. While the CE Broker will allow you to access to your records for FREE (and you should take advantage of that offer) CE Broker is hustling you to purchase either a Professional Account  for $39.99 a year or a Concierge Account for $124.99 a year. We don’t recommend either!

As previously mentioned, at the top of our web site is a link License Verification or type into your browser https://verify.tn.gov/ and search for your license and see all education that you have ever taken.

When you take your education through the Career Institute, you are emailed a certificate of competition and, if you took your exam online, you will receive notice that you passed the exam.  The Career Institute reports all completed education to the TREC several times every day.  After you have completed all 16 hours, and that is especially so if all were done through the Career Institute, all you have to do is PAY YOUR RENEWAL FEE. That can be done by clicking here.

The links on this page will open the Comprehensive Online Regulatory & Enforcement System  (CORE)  Your user name is your name as it is on your license. If this is your first renewal, you'll have to associate your real estate license with your newly created account.  Return users, will then click through the a few pages which verify your name and personal details, and your contact information.  A page will ask you to upload your continuing education certificates. Accept under unusual circumstances DO NOT UPLOAD ANY CERTIFICATES!  Evidence of your completed continuation is reported by the schools. Typically, the TREC will not accept certificates from you.

The next page is very important, especially if you completed your courses through the Career Institute and have received email conformation via exam results or a certificate as proof of your education. You will be asked:

Did you complete your require continued education?    ------------------------------------  ANSWER  YES

Did you compete the required 6 hour CORE course?     ------------------------------------ ANSWER  YES

Do you attest that you have completed all require continued education?  ------------ ANSWER  YES

Are your aware that failing to complete all required continued education could result in your license status being changed to expired?   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER  YES

Once those question are answered with YES, Click NEXT and you will be forwarded to a page called CE Broker Check.

The wording on this page says -- Before submitting this application you must review and acknowledge your Continuing Education Status.  Firstly, let’s make it perfectly clear that when you submit your answer sheet to the Career Institute you will be emailed an acknowledgement that you have completed the course. Once you have completed all 16 hours that are required YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR CONTINUING EDUCATION regardless of what CE Broker reports. While the Career Institute submits all course completions daily, Tennessee Real Estate Schools are not required to submit any records for 10 days after completion (TREC Rule 1260-05) .  Therefore, you may have completed all of your continuing education requirements and CE Broker may just not be aware of  that fact.

Since this  page has been added it has caused panic among licensees. Just click the box "I understand and acknowledge my Continuing Education Status"  and click next  then click SUBMIT  and attest that it is your licence and click SUBMIT for a Fee and Summary Report  --- the fee should be $75. Click PAY NOW and it will accept all major credit cards.

Just a note:  Make sure you are in a private situation as your credit card information will be visible on the screen as you checkout.

        Once paid, your license expiration date should change by adding two years

The Real Estate Commission’s explanation of the requirements on the Comprehensive Online Regulatory & Enforcement System  (CORE) during the first four years of a NEW BROKER’S LICENSE is a little confusing. Most specifically it says: “Please be aware, your license cannot be renewed until all requirements are met.”  THE ONLY EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS for a new Broker’s License during the first 4 years are actually due on or before the 3rd anniversary of the license.  That requirement is 120 hours of continuing education. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE LICENSE HAS TO BE RENEWED ON THE 2ND ANNIVERSARY.  On the 2nd anniversary the renewal fee must be paid,but no education is required. Again, the 120 hours of continuing education is required on the 3rd anniversary and there are heavy penalties if they are not completed on time.  The license will once again have to be renewed on the 4th anniversary, but only the renewal fee needs to be paid as the only continuing education requirements were satisfied on the 3rd anniversary (The 120 hours).

RETIRED LICENSES
If you wish to stop practicing real estate for any reason, but do not want to give up your real estate license, you may place your license in retirement. In order to retire your license you must complete a TREC Form 1 and submit it to TREC along with any fees ($25). While in retirement, you cannot participate in any real estate transactions; and you are not require to take any continuing education. YOUR RETIRED LICENSE DOES HAVE TO BE RENEWED EVERY TWO YEARS BY PAYING THE RENEWAL FEE.

REACTIVATE A RETIRED LICENSE
If you wish to reactivate your real estate license from an inactive or retired status you must complete a TREC Form 1  and mail it to TREC with the appropriate fee ($25). You must obtain the required E&O coverage before your change to active status will be approved. So if you have it, Include Certification of Coverage Form or Alternate and Equivalent E&O Insurance Coverage Form with the TREC Form 1.

You must complete the required continuing education for the current licensing period which under most circumstances will be a total of 16 hours of which 6 must be the mandatory TREC Core Course..

The Career Institute has two Core courses. One is directed towards residential practitioners and the other is commercial. One or the other can be taken and is not advise that both be taken in the same licensing period. We have had experiences where the TREC refused to give credit for both The Residential Core and the Commercial core in the same licensing period.

The Department of Commerce and Insurance recently changed the Internet portal used to renew your license. Any person that had gone through the renewal process in the past had an account. Meet the new CORE (Comprehensive Online Regulatory & Enforcement System.  All CORE users must re-enroll. Click Sign In,  then Sign Up. The graphic below displays the sign in button in the upper right hand corner.To maintain your current license information, use the same email address as you used before. The system will send you a verifying email before you can access the account. One nice feature is the SUMMARY as it allows you to see your education history. The actions TAB is where you should start your renewal process. Although I don’t know for sure, but in the past you will not be allowed to pay your renewal fees until you are within 60 days of your expiration date.