How to become a real estate agent in Washington
Washington State Department of Licensing licenses agents here. The entry license is called the Broker. Washington has no salesperson license; the Department of Licensing issues the entry-level real estate broker license and partners with PSI Testing Excellence for broker exams.
- Entry license
- Broker
- Exam vendor
- PSI
- Verified
- Official source
Start at the source
Washington State Department of Licensing is the authority. Its site, dol.wa.gov, carries the current candidate handbook, approved education list, and application. Hours, fees and requirements change; the commission's version is the one that counts.
The path in Washington
- Pull the candidate handbook from the commission above; it names the education hours, the application steps.
- Complete pre-licensing education with an approved provider.
- Pass the exam, administered by PSI: typically a national portion plus the state-law portion that catches candidates who studied only national material. The exam guide covers how to split your prep.
- Choose your sponsoring brokerage deliberately: the questions to ask matter more than the recruiting pitch.
- Before any of it, read the honest decision guide. The license is easy; the career is the decision.
Other states
| West Virginia | West Virginia Real Estate Commission |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (Real Estate Examining Board) |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Real Estate Commission |
| Alabama | Alabama Real Estate Commission |
| Alaska | Alaska Real Estate Commission (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development) |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Real Estate |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Real Estate Commission |
| California | California Department of Real Estate |
The licensing roadmap, free
The universal path from pre-licensing to activation, the exam's two portions, and the brokerage questions, on one printable page. Enter your email and we will send you straight to it.
No spam. One useful sheet and occasional notes.