Have you thought about becoming a real estate agent but is just unfamiliar with the process of getting a real estate license? In this article, we will give you an easy step-by-step guide to becoming a real estate agent in the Philippines.

According to Republic Act 9646 or The Real Estate Service Act of the Philippines, real estate agents or real estate salespeople are “duly accredited natural person who performs service for, and on behalf, of a real estate broker who is registered and licensed by the Professional Regulatory Board of Real Estate Service for or in expectation of a share in the commission, professional fee, compensation or other valuable consideration.”

additionally on the Real Estate Service Act, real estate salespeople do not have to take any qualifying examination from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to become an agent. Instead of a qualifying exam, the real estate sales agent has to be accredited by the PRC or the board provided. To be accredited, the sales agent has to meet the necessary qualifications and follow and submit the list of requirements provided by the board.

QUALIFICATION

1. Filipino citizen.

2. Must have completed at least two (2) years or 72 units of college.

3. Must be of good moral character and must not have been convicted with any crime involving moral turpitude; and

4. Must have undergone training and seminars of at least twelve (12) credit units in real estate brokerage.

REQUIREMENTS
  • Original and Photocopy of NSO Certificate of Live Birth / Birth Certificate
  • Original and Photocopy of NSO Marriage Certificate / Contract (For married female only)
  • Original and Notarized Certificate of Educational Attainment on the Completion of at least two (2) years of college. If Transcript of Records has official seal and signature, then no need to notarize to an attorney.
  • Original NBI Clearance
  • Original and Notarized Certification of twelve (12) credit units on Real Estate Brokerage. (The Board released a memo on February 18, 2019, declaring that aspiring Real Estate Salesperson should attend a Real Estate Brokerage seminar for 12 hours as an entry requirement to be an Accredited Salesperson.
  • Photocopy of Broker’s PRC License with 3 signatures (the supervising Real Estate Broker’s PRC ID validity must not be less than 6 months upon application of salesperson’s application or renewal)
  • Duly accomplished application form.
  •  Passport size photo on white background, with name tag below showing complete name.
  •  Government Issued ID and/or any valid ID both original and photocopy
GUIDE AND STEPS

1.    Have your Certification of twelve (12) credit units on Real Estate Brokerage and Certificate of Educational Attainment on the Completion of at least two (2) years of college (if needed) notarized by an attorney. Some PRC offices have their own Legal Division where you can easily notarize but has a higher price. Please ask your local PRC office for this service.

2.   Fill-out the application form together with the required documents for pre-evaluation to the Application Division. In Cebu, the application division for new real estate salesperson is located in PRC’s satellite branch in Robinson’s Galleria and not in the main branch. The main branch only handles the renewal of licenses. Please ask the PRC office in your respective provinces to know where the application division is.

3.   Proceed to the cashier for payment of the 450 pesos fee.

4.   Proceed to the Customer Service Center for documentary stamps.

5.   Submit duly accomplished application form and requirements to the Application Division.

6.   Verify status of application at the PRC website: prc.gov.ph (news & event). This can take a month or two before results are shown.

LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS OF A REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON

According to Republic Act 9646, Real Estate Salesperson shall be under the supervision of a Real Estate Broker. A Real Estate Broker, in the Philippines, owns a brokerage firm and is responsible for the management of ventures and activities that include writing contracts, managing a back-office, supervising financial transactions, hiring, and accepting salespeople or agents to represent buyers and sellers of real estate. Real Estate Brokers are more experienced as they can directly transact with the buyers and sellers and have undergone a licensure exam at PRC.

Being under the supervision of a Real Estate Broker, the Real Estate Salespeople as per RA 9646 have the following limitation and restrictions: 

  1. Real Estate Salespeople cannot by themselves be signatories to a written agreement involving a real estate transaction unless the real estate broker who has direct supervision and accountability over them is also a signatory thereto.
  2. No real estate salesperson, either directly or indirectly, can negotiate, mediate, or transact any real estate transaction for and on behalf of a real estate broker without first securing an authorized accreditation as a real estate salesperson for the real estate broker, as prescribed by the Board. 
  3. A real estate broker shall be guilty of violating this Act for employing or utilizing the services of a real estate salesperson when he/she has not secured the required accreditation from the Board prior to such employment. 
  4. No salesperson shall be entitled, to receive or demand a fee, commission, or compensation of any kind from any person, other than the duly licensed real estate broker who has direct control and supervision over him, for any service, rendered or work done by such salesperson in any real estate transaction.

Violation of the provision shall be a cause for cancellation or suspension of the certificate of registration of the real estate broker unless:

1. There was actual knowledge of such a violation.

2. The broker retains the benefits, profits, or proceeds of a transaction wrongfully negotiated by the salesperson.

I hope this article clears up your questions on becoming a real estate sales agent.