Earning a Illinois real estate license can help start a lucrative and exciting new career of selling and leasing a variety of properties.
Most people end up completing the entire process of earning a Illinois real estate license from beginning to end in about 6 to 9 months, and at a cost of around $1,000.
Earning a Illinois Real Estate License
Note that this can vary depending on how quickly you go through training coursework, and what training course you take. An expedited option with less study and test prep perks will make the process shorter and cheaper.
In Illinois, these are the requirements that must be met to earn a real estate license:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a high school diploma, or a G.E.D. certificate
- Have a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
- Complete and pass a 75 hour pre-licensing training course
- Take and pass the Illinois real estate license test
- Join a brokerage and find a managing broker sponsor
- Complete and submit a licensing application, along with the required fee, to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)1
Illinois Professional Real Estate Agent Requirements
Illinois has specific but streamlined requirements for individuals wishing to become professional real estate agents in the state.
The following sections will outline what each step requires, how to meet it, what to expect, and resources for completing the step.
Required Age and Elementary Educational Stipulations
To earn a Illinois real estate license, individuals must be at least 18 years of age.
A high school diploma is required. If a high school diploma has not been obtained, a G.E.D. certificate will also be accepted in place of a diploma.
Compulsory Educational Duration for Licensing
The first step in earning a Illinois real estate license is to sign up for and successfully complete an approved 75-hour pre-licensing course and pass the final exam.2
The pre-licensing course is designed to help prepare people to take and pass the Illinois Real Estate Broker exam, and to become a great real estate agent.
This course must be taken with a licensed education provider in Illinois and can be taken either in person or online.3 Self-study and flexible options are available to fit all schedules and lifestyles.
- Online, Self-Paced: This will be self-paced and the most flexible option. Online courses take about 2 to 3 weeks on average to complete, but this will vary depending on each student’s unique circumstances.
- Online, Live Instructors: Will have scheduled online sessions that are led by live instructors. Hours for these courses are usually from 9 am to about 4:30 pm. This format usually takes on average about 3 to 5 weeks to complete.
- In-Person, Classroom: Will be held at classrooms throughout Illinois and usually take about 3 to 5 weeks to complete.
- Hybrid Options: Will have a self-paced online component as well as in-person classroom meetings usually one or two times a week. This option combines self-guided online learning with live instruction from a teacher. Most classes meet once or twice a week and will take on average about 6 to 9 weeks to complete.
The course is divided into a 60-hour section on real estate topics, and a 15-hour section on applied real estate principles.
Some topics covered during the first 60 hours of the course include the following:
- Federal and Illinois state law
- Seller and buyer relationships and conduct
- Appraisal and market analysis
- Financing
- Contracts and title transfers
- Leasing and property management
The final 15 hours of the course is interactive and includes the following:
- Role-playing and case studies
- Demonstration examples
- “What if” situation examples
Price of Real Estate School Pre-Licensing Program
Real estate school pre-licensing programs cost on average between $250 and $600, depending on the options selected.
Some programs offer perks that increase the cost, such as a guarantee of passing, and study tools like flashcards, ebooks, and practice exams.
Real Estate Background Verification Conditions (Fingerprinting Locations)
Background checks are usually required as part of the Illinois real estate license application. Fingerprint-based background checks must be done at a licensed live scan fingerprint vendor in the state.4
Here is an alphabetical-by-name list of fingerprinting vendor locations that are approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR):5
| License Number | Vendor Name | Phone Number | Address |
| 262.000007 | # 0 A BIOMETRICS FINGERPRINTING U S PHOTO INC SHREYAS SHAH |
312-782-8144 | 210 S Clark St Chicago, IL |
| 262.000120 | #1ST CHOICE LIVESCAN FINGERPRINTING INC CARRIE MCGOVERN |
708-697-3131 | 4701 W MIDLOTHIAN TPK CRESTWOOD, IL |
| 262.000130 | 0 ABBOTT BIOMETRICS LLC NICOLE LOZANO |
773-654-1956 | 2958 W Belmont Ave Chicago, IL |
| 262.000142 | 123 FINGERPRINT ME, INC BEN BRYANT |
708-898-0365 | 21141 Governors Hwy Ste 208 Matteson, IL |
| 262.000149 | 1ST MOBILE FINGERPRINT PLLC Thatsarin Lieberstein |
815-630-7204 | 14855 S Van Dyke Rd Unit 634 Plainfield, IL |
| 262.000095 | 312-IL LLC-On Q Biometrics FRANCESCA RIVERA |
773-697-4249 | 3004 W BELMONT AVE CHICAGO, IL |
| 262.000156 | A TOP 5 PERCENT FINGERPRINTING PLLC Ezra Tillman |
866-760-5155 | 121 Springfield Ave Unit 110 Joliet, IL |
| 262.000078 | A+ SECURITY AND SAFETY TRAINING INC | 773-260-0247 | 11933 S Pulaski Rd Alsip, IL |
| 262.000029 | A-D BACKGROUND RESOURCES | 847-767-7402 | 103 N 11TH AVENUE ST CHARLES, IL |
| 262.000148 | AA GILGABS CORP DBA ARTEMIS BIOMETRICS AND SECURITY |
– | 4006 N Milwaukee Ave Ste 205 Chicago, IL |
| 262.000052 | ABOVE BIOMETRICS JAY SWIDLER |
224-286-4595 | 1363 Green Knolls Dr Buffalo Grove, IL |
| 262.000016 | ACCURATE BIOMETRICS INC PEGGY CRITCHFIELD |
773-685-5699 | 500 Park Blvd Itasca, IL |
| 262.000103 | ACME FINGERPRINTING LP ALAN ZIELINSKI |
815-656-4777 | 9515 TURNBERRY TRL Village Of Lakewood, IL |
| 249.000880 | ADRIAN J WRIGHT | 312-725-2249 | 5211 S Wabash Ave Chicago, IL |
| 262.000128 | ADVANCED SECURITY SOLUTIONS INC | 847-299-0210 | 1645 Birchwood Ave Des Plaines, IL |
| 262.000135 | ALPHA TRAINING & BIOMETRIC SOLUTIONS LLC | 708-737-7280 | 16743 Oak Park Ave TINLEY PARK, IL |
| 262.000056 | AMERICAN HERITAGE PROTECTIVE SERVICES INC | 708-388-7900 | 5100 W 127th St Alsip, IL |
| 262.000031 | AMERICAN SECURITY SERVICES, LLC
JAMES P NEWSOME |
708-383-6969 | 1515 S HARLEM AVE UNIT 2 FOREST PARK, IL |
| 249.000822 | ANSON B SHAREEF DBA PRIDE EYE |
708-754-7753 | 20200 Governors Dr Ste 201A Olympia Fields, IL |
| 262.000020 | AP PRIVATE DETECTIVE & SECURITY AGENCY LTD LEE W LONG |
708-335-3500 | 17084 WINCHESTER AVE Hazelcrest, IL |
| 262.000055 | ARGUS SERVICES INC ROBERT KURZ |
312-377-9441 | 2605 W 22nd St Ste 38 Oak Brook, IL |
| 262.000134 | BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | 312-207-5607 | 560 W Lake St Fl 5 Chicago, IL |
| 262.000023 | BIG RIVER INVESTIGATIONS | 217-228-9114 | 437 N 9th St Quincy, IL |
| 262.000039 | BIOMETRIC IMPRESSIONS CORP JAMES E WILLIAMS JR |
833-424-6467 | 188 W Industrial Dr Ste 214B Elmhurst, IL |
| 262.000138 | BIOSCAN TEK INC MARYANN KAVADIAS |
630-890-7108 | 2100 MANCHESTER RD WHEATON, IL |
| 262.000159 | BLIND JUSTICE INVESTIGATION AND SECURITY SERVICES, INC. | 630-229-6920 | 1650 N Randall Rd Ste 103 Aurora, IL |
| 262.000006 | BUSHUE HUMAN RESOURCES INC TRAVIS J BUSHUE |
217-342-3042 | BUSHUE BACKGROUND SCREENING EFFINGHAM, IL |
| 262.000017 | C BLOCK INC CHARLES T BLOCK |
815-282-2822 | 631 N LONGWOOD ST STE 102 ROCKFORD, IL |
| 262.000163 | Carol’s Medpro Services, LLC DBA MedPro Testing |
312-618-6494 | 2347 E 71st St Chicago, IL |
| 262.000110 | CHOICE BIOMETRICS LLC Jeff Copeland |
312-964-5205 | 939 W North Ave Ste 750 Chicago, IL |
| 262.000127 | CITY OF ALTON JARVIS SWOPE |
618-463-7059 | 101 E THIRD STREET ALTON, IL |
| 262.000076 | D.M.G. Security INC | 773-233-6023 | 11828 S Western Ave Chicago, IL |
| 262.000036 | DIGBYS DETECTIVE AND SECURITY AGENCY INC | 312-326-1100 | 2850 S WABASH AVE STE 201 CHICAGO, IL |
| 262.000089 | DMAZ CORPORATION DMAZ Corporation |
224-534-7665 | 7301 N Lincoln Ave Lincolnwood, IL |
| 262.000061 | ETHOS TACTICAL LLC LISA PRICE |
309-340-4266 | 601 Kingwood Dr El Paso, IL |
| 262.000067 | ETS INTELLIGENCE LLC DAVID RATKOVICH |
847-886-2455 | 869 E SCHAUMBURG RD STE 319 SCHAUMBURG, IL |
| 262.000012 | FACT FINDERS GROUP INC Kenneth M Webb Sr |
708-283-4200 | 4747 Lincoln Mall Dr Ste 300 Matteson, IL |
| 262.000102 | FLAWLESS BIOMETRICS LLC LUCAS ATWOOD |
217-474-7491 | 702 Bloomington Rd CHAMPAIGN, IL |
| 262.000099 | FMJ BIOMETRIC SERVICES LLC JAMES M FALKMAN |
708-357-0580 | PO BOX 210 PARK RIDGE, IL |
| 262.000011 | FUTURES IN REHABILITATION MANAGEMENT INC DBA FIRM SYSTEMS |
866-721-1203 ext 105 | – |
| 262.000125 | GLENBARD SECURITY INC ERIC M HAIMANN |
844-427-7233 | 205 E Saint Charles Rd Villa Park, IL |
| 262.000146 | GoPrintz Biometrics | 708-613-4048 | 1100 Lake St Oak Park, IL |
| 262.000018 | HOMELAND PROTECTION MANAGEMENT INC | 708-898-2111 | 14532 Ash St Orland Park, IL |
| 262.000122 | IDENTI-CHECK, INC | 217-753-4311 | 3 N Old State Capitol Plz Springfield, IL |
| 262.000116 | IHA HUMAN CAPITAL SERVICES INC Gary Drain |
877-746-0643 | 1151 E Warrenville Rd Naperville, IL |
| 262.000108 | INGRAM SECURITY & DETECTIVE SERVICES LLC DBA INGRAM FINGERPRINT WADE INGRAM |
773-316-4050 | 115 N Damen Ave Chicago, IL |
| 262.000136 | Intelligents Employee & Tenant Verification LLC | 708-534-3994 | 2555 LINCOLN HWY OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL |
| 262.000022 | JK GUARDIAN SECURITY SERVICES INC | 708-385-3300 | 3300 w 127th st Blue Island, IL |
| 262.000113 | JMD DEFENSE & INVESTIGATIONS LLC JAVONDLYNN DUNAGAN |
773-217-0488 | 46 E 26th St Chicago, IL |
| 262.000119 | JURIS BIOMETRICS LLC Cheryl Amuzu |
708-799-6944 | 18237 Kedzie Ave Homewood, IL |
| 262.000157 | K Security & Investigations Inc d/b/a 2nd City Fingerprinting In | 773-913-0009 | 1820 Ridge Rd # 218 Homewood, IL |
| 262.000004 | KANE COUNTY REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION PHIL MORRIS |
630-762-2179 | 28 N 1st St Geneva, IL |
| 262.000024 | KATES DETECTIVE AND SECURITY AGENCY INC William J Kates |
773-436-3788 | 7810 S Claremont Ave Chicago, IL |
| 262.000005 | KELLERMAN INVESTIGATIONS LTD GREG KELLERMAN |
618-288-6662 | 60 S Main St Glen Carbon, IL |
| 262.000015 | KENTECH CONSULTING INC KENNETH COATS |
312-780-0470 | 200 N Green St Chicago, IL |
| 262.000010 | KEVIN W MCCLAIN INVESTIGATIONS LTD KEVIN W McCLAIN |
618-532-1152 | 202 S Broadway Centralia, IL |
| 262.000115 | KRIMSON SECURITY RYAN P KERN |
847-672-8854 | 15 S Cass Ave Westmont, IL |
| 262.000081 | LA THOMAS SECURITY CORPORATION ANTHONY D THOMAS |
630-962-8558 | 757 Lenox Ave Bolingbrook, IL |
| 262.000106 | LET’S GO BABY LLC DBA SECOND AMENDMENT SPORTS |
8153855522 | 3705 W Elm St McHenry, IL |
| 262.000028 | MADISON COUNTY REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION 41 | (618) 296-4530 | 157 N Main St Edwardsville, IL |
| 262.000072 | MONROE-RANDOLPH ROE | 618) 680-0154 | 134 N Main St Red Bud, IL |
| 262.000112 | MONTERREY SECURITY CONSULTANTS INC Juan Gaytan Jr |
7738430434 | 2232 S Blue Island Ave Chicago, IL |
| 262.000158 | MPSI SECURITY INC WILLIAM D BANKES |
8155305505 | 26345 W SILVER STREAM DRIVE CHANNAHON, IL |
| 262.000137 | NORCOMM PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS INC MICHAEL G TILLMAN |
6309032419 | 395 W LAKE ST ELMHURST, IL |
| 262.000054 | ON-LINE SECURITY SYSTEMS LLC DBA METRO ENFORCEMENT |
8157032585 | DENNIS A WYSONG ROCKFORD, IL |
| 262.000087 | PAGE SECURITY INC Henry J Page |
7739889414 | 9453 S Ashland Ave Ste 7 Chicago, IL |
| 262.000049 | PER MAR SECURITY AND RESEARCH CORP DBA PER MAR SECURITY SERVICES |
563-326-6292 | 5424 Tremont Ave Davenport, IA |
| 262.000161 | Protected Biometrics, Inc. | (708) 586-8422 | 930 E 162nd St Ste B South Holland, IL |
| 262.000091 | PROTECTIVE SERVICES GROUP INC CYNTHIA ROLFINGSMEIER |
6183101700 | 144 LINCOLN PLACE CT STE 4 BELLEVILLE, IL |
| 262.000150 | Prudential Home Health Services Corp | (708) 709-0709 | 4440 W Lincoln Highway Ste 205 Matteson, IL |
| 262.000145 | R & L BIOMETRICS, PLLC | (708) 392-9281 | 15525 S Park Ave Ste 111 South Holland, IL |
| 262.000021 | REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION 1 | 2172772080 | 507 Vermont St Quincy, IL |
| 262.000152 | Rescue 8 Special Events & Training Inc | (773) 669-8872 | 12915 S May St Calumet Park, IL |
| 249.000331 | RYAN P KERN | (630) 697-1427 | 15 S Cass Ave Westmont, IL |
| 262.000141 | SAFE HIRE USA CORPORATION | (800) 833-9224 | 15774 S La Grange Rd # 111 Orland Park, IL |
| 262.000082 | SANGAMON COUNTY REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION | 217-753-6620 | 2201 S Dirksen Pkwy Springfield, IL |
| 262.000160 | Sanstrom Biometrics, Inc | (217) 837-2001 | 112 S Broadway St Newman, IL |
| 262.000143 | SAYF CONSULTING PLLC | (312) 285-0187 | – |
| 262.000086 | SCHOOL ASSOC FOR SPECIAL ED IN DUPAGE CO
Julie Grohn |
6309558109 | 2900 Ogden Ave Lisle, IL |
| 262.000075 | SCOTT G HAACKER | 8477515000 | 202B S. Randall Road #6131 Elgin, IL |
| 262.000079 | Secureone Inc DBA SECUREONE SECURITY SERVICE |
7086876018 | – |
| 262.000047 | SECURITAS SECURITY SERVICES USA INC | 6304329536 | 1333 Butterfield Rd Ste 410 Downers Grove, IL |
| 249.001140 | SHELONDA BUTLER DBA Butler Mobile Notary and Fingerprint |
6303625853 | 240 Oakridge Ct Bolingbrook, IL |
| 262.000147 | SHIPPTEAM CORPORATION DBA DISTINCT BIOMETRICS |
(708) 996-4611 | 4143 Sauk Trl Richton Park, IL |
| 262.000063 | SHOOTER’S FIREARMS & INDOOR RANGE INC ANTHONY J CAITO |
6182816393 | 310 Bb Rd Columbia, IL |
| 262.000162 | Sure Biometrics PLLC | 708) 251-5065 | 3436 Ridge Rd Lansing, IL |
| 262.000002 | TRACE IDENTITY SERVICES INC ROSALIND A CALDWELL |
(708) 754-2900 | 222 Vollmer Rd Chicago Heights, IL |
| 262.000126 | TRU BIOMETRICS LLC JASON T VANDIEN |
2245520808 | 28835 N HERKY DR LAKE BLUFF, IL |
| 262.000133 | UNITED SECURITY SERVICES INC | 3129228558 | 3622 S Morgan St Chicago, IL |
References
1State of Illinois. (2023). Division of Real Estate. Idfpr.illinois.gov. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from <https://idfpr.illinois.gov/dre.html>
2Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (2020). BROKER 75-HOUR PRE-LICENSE CURRICULUM Course Goal. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from <https://idfprapps.illinois.gov/Forms/DRE/Real%20Estate%20Broker%2075-Hour%20Pre-License%20Curriculum%20Final%20Jan%201%202020.pdf>
3York, A.. (2023, December 7). Best Online Real Estate Schools in Illinois (2023 Updated!). AgentAdvice.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from <https://www.agentadvice.com/school/illinois/>
4State of Illinois. (2020). Fingerprint Based Background Checks . Isp.illinois.gov. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from <https://isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification/Fingerprint>
5State of Illinois. (2023). Fingerprint Vendors List. Idfpr.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from <https://www.idfpr.com/LicenseLookUp/fingerprintlist.asp>