A. The Board may do all things necessary and convenient for carrying into effect the provisions of this chapter and may promulgate necessary regulations.
B. The Board shall adopt regulations establishing minimum educational requirements as conditions for licensure. Board regulations relating to initial licensure shall include the following requirements:
1. Every applicant for an initial license as a real estate salesperson shall have:
a. At a minimum, a high school diploma or its equivalent; and
b. Completed a course in the principles of real estate that carried an academic credit of at least four semester hours, but not less than 60 hours of classroom, correspondence, or other distance learning instruction, offered by an accredited institution of higher education, high school offering adult distributive education courses, or other school or educational institution offering an equivalent course.
2. Every applicant for an initial license as a real estate broker shall have:
a. At a minimum, a high school diploma or its equivalent; and
b. Completed not less than 12 semester hours of classroom or correspondence or other distance learning instruction in real estate courses offered by an accredited institution of higher education or other school or educational institution offering equivalent courses.
3. Every applicant for a license by reciprocity as a real estate salesperson or real estate broker shall have:
a. Completed a course in the principles of real estate that is comparable in content and duration and scope to that required in subdivision 1 or 12 semester hours of classroom or correspondence or other distance learning instruction in real estate courses that are comparable in content and duration and scope to that required in subdivision 2; and
b. If currently licensed by another state as a real estate salesperson or broker, passed Virginia's examination.
C. The Board may waive any requirement under the regulations relating to education or experience when the broker or salesperson is found to have education or experience equivalent to that required. No regulation imposing educational requirements for initial licensure beyond those specified by law shall apply to any person who was licensed prior to July 1, 1975, and who has been continuously licensed since that time, except that licensure as a salesperson prior to such time shall not exempt a salesperson who seeks to be licensed as a broker from the educational requirements established for brokers.
D. The Board shall establish criteria to ensure that prelicensure and broker licensure courses meet the standards of quality deemed by the Board to be necessary to protect the public interests. For correspondence and other distance learning instruction offered by an approved provider, such criteria may include appropriate testing procedures. The Board may establish procedures to ensure the quality of the courses.
Noncollegiate institutions shall not be authorized to grant collegiate semester hours for academic credit.
The specific content of the real estate courses shall be in real estate brokerage, real estate finance, real estate appraisal, real estate law, and such related subjects as are approved by the Board.
E. The Board may establish criteria delineating the permitted activities of unlicensed individuals employed by, or affiliated as an independent contractor with, real estate licensees or under the supervision of a real estate broker.
F. The Board may take a disciplinary case against a licensee under advisement, defer a finding in such case, and dismiss such action upon terms and conditions set by the Board.
Code 1950, § 54-740; 1974, c. 663; 1977, c. 3; 1980, c. 571; 1981, c. 117; 1984, cc. 201, 283; 1985, c. 116; 1988, cc. 9, 765; 1989, c. 244; 1991, c. 576; 1992, cc. 65, 446, 624, 717; 1995, c. 125; 1996, cc. 890, 903; 1997, c. 389; 1998, c. 268; 2000, c. 759; 2003, cc. 998, 1027; 2006, cc. 61, 627; 2007, c. 809; 2010, cc. 373, 637; 2012, c. 750; 2016, c. 334; 2019, cc. 179, 395.
Structure Code of Virginia
Title 54.1 - Professions and Occupations
Chapter 21 - Real Estate Brokers, Sales Persons and Rental Location Agents
§ 54.1-2101. Real estate salesperson defined
§ 54.1-2101.1. Preparation of real estate contracts by real estate licensees; translation
§ 54.1-2103. Exemptions from chapter
§ 54.1-2104. Real Estate Board; membership; chairman; seal
§ 54.1-2105.01. Educational requirements for all salespersons within one year of licensure
§ 54.1-2105.02. Regulation of real estate education providers and courses
§ 54.1-2105.03. Continuing education; relicensure of brokers and salespersons
§ 54.1-2105.04. Education requirements; reactivation of licenses; waiver
§ 54.1-2105.1. (Effective until January 1, 2023) Other powers and duties of the Real Estate Board
§ 54.1-2105.1. (Effective January 1, 2023) Other powers and duties of the Real Estate Board
§ 54.1-2105.2. Cease and desist orders for unlicensed activity; civil penalty
§ 54.1-2106.1. Licenses required
§ 54.1-2106.2. Certification of audit on renewal of firm or sole proprietorship license
§ 54.1-2107. Certain action to constitute real estate broker or salesperson
§ 54.1-2108. Protection of escrow funds, etc., held by broker
§ 54.1-2109. (Effective until January 1, 2023) Death or disability of a real estate broker
§ 54.1-2109. (Effective January 1, 2023) Death or disability of a real estate broker
§ 54.1-2110. Resident broker to maintain place of business in Virginia
§ 54.1-2110.1. Duties of supervising broker
§ 54.1-2111. Consent to suits and service of process by nonresidents; manner of service
§ 54.1-2111.1. Voluntary compliance program; real estate brokers
§ 54.1-2113. Establishment and maintenance of fund, duty of Director, assessments of regulants
§ 54.1-2114. Recovery from fund generally
§ 54.1-2116. Limitations upon recovery from fund; certain actions not a bar to recovery
§ 54.1-2117. Participation by Board in proceedings
§ 54.1-2118. Payment of claim; assignment of claimant's rights to Board
§ 54.1-2119. Revocation of license of regulant upon payment from fund
§ 54.1-2120. No waiver by Board of disciplinary action against regulant
§ 54.1-2131. Licensees engaged by sellers
§ 54.1-2132. Licensees engaged by buyers
§ 54.1-2133. Licensees engaged by landlords to lease property
§ 54.1-2134. Licensees engaged by tenants
§ 54.1-2135. Licensees engaged to manage real estate
§ 54.1-2136. Preconditions to brokerage relationship
§ 54.1-2137. Commencement and termination of brokerage relationships
§ 54.1-2138. Disclosure of brokerage relationship in residential real estate transactions
§ 54.1-2138.2. Duty to disclose ownership interest in specific real property
§ 54.1-2140. Compensation shall not imply brokerage relationship
§ 54.1-2141. Brokerage relationship not created by using common source information company
§ 54.1-2142. Liability; knowledge not to be imputed
§ 54.1-2142.1. Liability for false information
§ 54.1-2143. Real estate board regulations to be consistent
§ 54.1-2144. Common law abrogated