Why My Real Estate License Expired Ten Years Ago

When I was just out of high school, I got a real estate license and it was great. Unfortunately, ten years later, when I took my real estate examination, the same thing happened to me. My license was to expire on Dec. 4th, 2021. So I started looking for ways to take my examination.

I went to the local real estate office and asked for an extension, but they said that they would contact the board of examiners to see if I qualified for an extension. Three months later, they called and said that they could not find any information on why my license had expired. The whole process just baffled me. So, I went back to the local real estate office and asked for a new license.

Then I found out that there are some simple things that you can do that will renew your license without having to pay any fees. I still did not know what to do so I took a few minutes to think about it. Here are some things that you can try.

I took my current test and my examination fee. I then went to my local library to find out how to renew my license. I found out that you only have to take the exam for three years. So I went to my local library and looked up three years worth of sample questions. I printed out a bunch of those questions and then went to take my renewal test.

When I went to take my renewal, I asked my secretary if I could take a break and go to the library and take the test again. She said no, but that she would look it up for me. About a week later I was calling her to find out if the license had expired. She said it had and that she could not find it. So I called the librarian and told him that I was just curious as to why I had my license expire so early.

The librarian told me that another question on the same test had also expired and that the question had been taken just a few weeks before the date. That question was, “How many houses do I sell in one year?” The question was also a multiple choice. So I went online to find out how many questions were on that test. It turned out to be thirty-three.

Now here’s the thing. That test was taken over a year ago. By that time, I had bought my home. So my real estate question was a little silly. Who really has time to learn about real estate market cycles and the vagaries of an economic calendar? If I had taken a licensing class, at least I would have learned from the guy who gave the exam.

One last question; if my license expired when it did, why did the librarian to tell me that it never expired? It’s not like he was giving me a piece of news. He was just repeating information that I already knew. You see, there are real estate agents who never take their licenses to renew because they believe that they’ll never need it. Then, all of a sudden, a real estate downturn happens and they suddenly find themselves in a real estate crisis.

When this happens, the librarian tells them that their license was valid only during the period they held it. Then they discover that they need to take a new licensing examination after five years, because now their license is expired. And the only way for them to bring it back is to take the exact same licensing test they took when they were holding their license. It’s funny, but that’s how many people operate.

There’s another question that should be asked if anyone is thinking about buying a foreclosed property. How long did they stay in it? If they’re thinking about flipping it, they’re going to need a lot of time to figure out how to make it into a hot deal. This is why I say that if you’re thinking of buying a foreclosed real estate property, buy it before you lose your nerve.

Why did my real estate license expire? It took some time for me to figure it out, so don’t let it get you down. Get started on your next property and then maybe you’ll have some more luck.