Q: I was wondering on how to get all the necessary information about getting a real estate license.
Who should I contact? Thanks.

A: If you want to be a real estate agent, you should start by contacting the commission or agency in your state that licenses and regulates real estate agents. In California, it’s the California Department of Real Estate (dre.ca.gov). In Illinois, it’s the Office of Banks and Real Estate (obre.state.il.us). You can go to Google.com and look up the name of the office that regulates real estate agents in your state or go to your own state’s website homepage.

Typically, to become a licensed real estate agent you’ll need to take some classes (around 30 hours’ worth) and then pass an exam. To activate your license, you will need a real estate broker to "hold" your license. After a year, or whatever the time requirement is in your state, you can take the broker’s exam and hold your own license.