Oregon Principal Brokers to be Required to have a High School Diploma

On Broker, Principal Broker, and Property Manager License applications received by the OREA on or after January 1, 2010, applicants must certify that they have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) Certificate. This applies not only to new licensees but also to current broker licensees who want to become licensed as Principal Brokers. In turn, any broker wanting to become a Principal broker after December 31 st., 2010 will have to take and pass a new, additional, state exam to obtain their new license. For those wishing to become Principal Brokers, now is the time to obtain the Principal Brokers license before the new laws go into effect.

New CE Rules for Washington and Oregon Brokers

The new Continuing Education rules will limit the sharing of CE credits for a broker licensed in Oregon and Washington. If the Oregon Broker takes any Washington CE courses after January 1, 2011 the Washington course provider must also be an OREA CE certified provider. The course must also be pre-approved by the Agency and meet core credit requirements. CE taken before next year and approved by a principal broker will still be accepted for credit.

New Continuing Education Rules

There has been some confusion about the new regulations relating to Real Estate Continuing Education. To simplify, all CE approved by your Principal Broker prior to December 31, 2010, can count towards your license renewal even if you renew in 2012. For example, any CE taken before the end of 2010 could count towards your renewal even if you were renewing in June of 2012. Any courses taken after December 31, 2010 must meet the new OREA standards. The new regulations state that only Core CE registered with the OREA and delivered by an OREA Certified Continuing Education Provider will count towards license renewal. A licensee will no longer have to receive the approval of their Principal Broker before taking a class. As of January 1, 2011, licensees must keep track of their own CE hours and report them to the OREA.