North Carolina Real Estate Postlicensing FAQs

In North Carolina, both a Provisional Broker and a full broker hold a real estate broker license. The main difference is whether the broker has completed the required Postlicensing education.

A Provisional Broker is a newly licensed broker who has not yet completed all 90 hours of Postlicensing education. To practice real estate on active status, a Provisional Broker must be affiliated with and supervised by a Broker-in-Charge.

A full broker has completed POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303, which removes the provisional status from the license. A full broker is no longer subject to the supervision requirements that apply specifically to Provisional Brokers.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, our Postlicensing courses are designed to help new brokers complete the 90-hour requirement while building practical skills they can use in real-world brokerage.

Removing provisional status means you have completed North Carolina’s required 90 hours of Postlicensing education and are no longer classified as a Provisional Broker.

The 90 hours include:

• POST 301: Broker Relationships & Responsibilities
• POST 302: Contracts & Closing
• POST 303: NC Law, Rules & Legal Concepts

If you complete all three courses within 18 months of your initial license date, the North Carolina Real Estate Commission will automatically remove the provisional status from your license.

Once provisional status is removed, you become a full broker. You are no longer required to work under the supervision rules that apply specifically to Provisional Brokers, although other license status and firm affiliation requirements may still apply depending on your situation.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 are designed to help you complete the education requirement while building practical knowledge you can use in real-world brokerage.

If you do not pass your Postlicensing final exam on the first try, you have another opportunity.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, you may retake the end-of-course exam one time within 7 days of the last scheduled day of the course. The retake uses a different exam form and is offered at no charge during Ignite’s regularly scheduled retest time. A different testing time may involve a monitoring or administration fee.

You must earn at least 75% on the final exam to successfully complete the course and receive credit.

If you complete the course requirements but are unsuccessful on the exams, Ignite allows you to retake the Postlicensing course within six months of your original enrollment for $200.

Our advice is to use the time before your retake to focus on the topics that gave you the most trouble and reach out to your Ignite instructor if you need help.

Yes. Each North Carolina Postlicensing course has a required end-of-course exam.

That means POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 each have their own final exam. You must successfully complete the exam to receive credit for the course.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, we prepare you throughout the course with explanations, examples and practice so the final exam is not a surprise. Our goal is to help you understand the material and feel prepared before test time.

NC POST 303: NC Law, Rules & Legal Concepts is a 30-hour North Carolina Postlicensing course that focuses on the laws, rules and legal issues brokers need to understand in everyday real estate practice.

Topics include:

• General North Carolina licensing requirements
• Brokerage compensation issues
• The North Carolina Real Estate Commission disciplinary process
• Specialized types of real estate
• Property management in North Carolina
• Other North Carolina laws and legal concepts that affect brokerage practice

The course goes beyond the basic legal concepts introduced in Prelicensing and helps brokers better understand how North Carolina laws and Commission rules apply to real-world situations. Ignite’s POST 303 course follows the required North Carolina Real Estate Commission Postlicensing curriculum.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, POST 303 is designed to help brokers recognize legal and regulatory issues, understand their responsibilities and reduce risk when working with clients, customers and properties.

NC POST 302: Contracts & Closing is a 30-hour North Carolina Postlicensing course that takes a deeper look at contracts, due diligence, closing procedures and settlement.

Topics include:

• Basic contract law concepts
• Preparing real estate sales contracts
• Sales contract procedures
• Buyer due diligence
• Closing preparations and procedures
• The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)
• TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure requirements
• Settlement and closing statements
• Contracts for deed and options
• Selected license status and education issues

The course builds on the contract and closing concepts introduced in Prelicensing and focuses more closely on how brokers apply those concepts in actual transactions. Ignite’s POST 302 course follows the North Carolina Real Estate Commission’s required Postlicensing curriculum.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, POST 302 is designed to help brokers better understand the contracts they work with, the due diligence process and what happens from contract formation through closing.

NC POST 301: Broker Relationships & Responsibilities is a 30-hour North Carolina Postlicensing course focused on agency relationships and the responsibilities brokers have when working with clients and customers.

Topics include:

• Agency relationships in residential and commercial real estate
• Property management agency relationships
• A broker’s legal duties to clients and customers
• Working with sellers and buyers throughout a transaction
• Broker responsibilities during active transactions
• What happens to transactions when a broker leaves a firm
• License status and education requirements

The course builds on what brokers learned in Prelicensing and takes a more practical look at how agency and brokerage relationships work in real transactions. Ignite’s course description follows the North Carolina Real Estate Commission’s required Postlicensing curriculum.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, POST 301 is designed to help new brokers better understand their responsibilities to clients, customers, firms and other brokers while developing skills they can use in everyday brokerage practice.

No. You must first receive your North Carolina real estate broker license and license number before beginning Postlicensing education.

Once your license has been issued, you may begin POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 even if your license is still inactive and you have not yet affiliated with a Broker-in-Charge. The North Carolina Real Estate Commission specifically notes that a newly licensed broker can begin and even complete all 90 hours of Postlicensing education without activating the license.

The important deadline is that all 90 hours of Postlicensing education must be completed within 18 months of your initial license date, whether your license is active or inactive.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, students are welcome to register for POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 once they have received their North Carolina broker license number.

No. You do not have to take POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 from the same North Carolina real estate school.

You may take the three required Postlicensing courses from different North Carolina Real Estate Commission-certified Education Providers, as long as you successfully complete all three courses within the required timeframe. The Commission maintains listings of approved Postlicensing providers and courses.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, you can take one, two or all three Postlicensing courses with us. We offer POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 in flexible formats, so you can choose the courses that best fit your schedule.

Yes. You do not have to take your North Carolina Postlicensing courses from the same school where you completed Prelicensing.

You may complete POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 through any North Carolina Real Estate Commission-certified Education Provider that offers the courses. The Commission provides lists of approved providers and scheduled Postlicensing courses.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, students are welcome to take Postlicensing with us even if they completed their 75-hour Prelicensing Course somewhere else. Ignite offers POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 in multiple formats so you can choose the option that works best for your schedule.

Yes. You can complete all three North Carolina Postlicensing courses online through an approved Education Provider.

North Carolina allows Postlicensing courses to be offered through live online instruction or self-paced distance learning. The three required courses are:

• POST 301: Broker Relationships & Responsibilities
• POST 302: Contracts & Closing
• POST 303: NC Law, Rules & Legal Concepts

At Ignite School of Real Estate, all three Postlicensing courses are available online. Students may choose scheduled live virtual classes or complete POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 through Ignite’s self-paced, on-demand courses. Ignite also offers a 90-hour self-paced package containing all three courses.

Each self-paced Postlicensing course must be completed, including the end-of-course exam, within 180 days of enrollment. Provisional Brokers must also complete all 90 hours of Postlicensing education within 18 months of their initial license date.

Yes. North Carolina’s three Postlicensing courses can be taken in any order. You do not have to complete POST 301 before taking POST 302 or POST 303.

The three required courses are:

• POST 301: Broker Relationships & Responsibilities
• POST 302: Contracts & Closing
• POST 303: NC Law, Rules & Legal Concepts

The important requirement is that a Provisional Broker successfully complete all three courses, for a total of 90 hours, within 18 months of the initial license date to remain eligible for active license status.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, you can choose the Postlicensing courses that best fit your schedule and complete POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 in the order that works for you. Ignite offers the courses individually as well as a package that includes all three.

Yes. A North Carolina Provisional Broker can practice real estate before completing all 90 hours of Postlicensing education, but the license must be on active status and the broker must be affiliated with and supervised by a designated Broker-in-Charge.

Most newly licensed Provisional Brokers begin with an inactive license. Before performing brokerage activities, the broker must activate the license and affiliate with a Broker-in-Charge. Once the required activation and affiliation are completed, the Provisional Broker may begin practicing under the BIC’s supervision.

Even if you begin practicing right away, you must still complete POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 within 18 months of your initial license date. If you miss that deadline, your license will be placed on inactive status until the applicable requirements are satisfied.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, we recommend beginning Postlicensing early. The courses are designed to help new brokers build practical skills they can use while working with real clients and transactions.

If you do not complete all 90 hours of North Carolina Postlicensing education within 18 months of your initial license date, your real estate license will be placed on inactive status. North Carolina does not allow an extension of the 18-month Postlicensing deadline.

While your license is inactive, you cannot perform brokerage activities, including making referrals for compensation.

To reactivate a license that became inactive because of incomplete Postlicensing, you must complete all three Postlicensing courses within the two years immediately before requesting activation, satisfy any applicable Continuing Education requirements and complete the Commission’s activation process.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, we recommend completing POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 well before your 18-month deadline so you have time to finish all course requirements and exams without risking inactive status.

North Carolina Provisional Brokers must complete 90 hours of Postlicensing education within 18 months of the date their real estate license is issued.

The 90-hour requirement includes three 30-hour courses:

• POST 301: Broker Relationships & Responsibilities
• POST 302: Contracts & Closing
• POST 303: NC Law, Rules & Legal Concepts

The 18-month deadline begins when your license is issued, even if you leave your license inactive or wait before affiliating with a real estate firm. The North Carolina Real Estate Commission does not extend the deadline simply because your license has been inactive. (bulletins.ncrec.gov)

If you do not complete all 90 hours by the deadline, your license will be placed on inactive status until you satisfy the applicable requirements to regain active status.

At Ignite School of Real Estate, we recommend starting Postlicensing well before your 18-month deadline. Ignite offers POST 301, POST 302 and POST 303 to help new brokers complete the requirement and build practical knowledge they can use in their real estate careers.