Like resident North Carolina real estate brokers and salesmen, persons with North Carolina licenses who reside in other states must satisfy the basic continuing education requirement of eight classroom hours per year in order to renew their licenses on active status. However, because the Commission is aware that many of its nonresident licensees reside a great distance from North Carolina, and that many are already subject to continuing education requirements in their home states, the Commission offers nonresident licensees three options for satisfying our continuing education (CE) requirement.

A nonresident licensee may fulfill the CE requirement exactly like a resident licensee by taking CE courses that are approved by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Under this option (which is recommended for licensees who live close to North Carolina), they would complete the four-hour Real Estate Update course and four hours of approved elective courses. The course sponsor would notify the Commission upon completion of each course.

A nonresident licensee may fully satisfy the CE requirement by completing eight hours of courses which are approved for CE credit by the real estate licensing agency in the licensee's resident state, (even if the courses were taken in another state). For example, if a Tennessee resident who is licensed in North Carolina completes a course in Tennessee which is approved for CE credit by the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, the course may be applied toward satisfying North Carolina's CE requirement.

Another example: A North Carolina licensee who lives in Georgia may complete a CE course in Florida and apply it toward satisfying the North Carolina CE requirement if it is approved for CE credit by the Georgia Real Estate Commission.

This option (available only to nonresident licensees), may be the best choice for licensees for whom it would be very difficult and costly to come to North Carolina to take CE courses.

To exercise this option, a nonresident licensee must submit to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission official verification (usually a copy of the course completion certificate) of completion of at least eight hours of continuing education approved for CE credit by the real estate licensing agency in his or her resident state. The official verification must clearly indicate the date the licensee completed each course. It must also verify that each course is approved in that state for at least the number of hours of CE credit for which the licensee requests credit in North Carolina. To expedite processing, the licensee should also provide his or her North Carolina real estate license number.

Nonresident licensees may formally request the Commission to evaluate and award continuing education course credit for a course not approved by the Commission or the licensing agency in their resident state, or for some other real estate education activity (e.g., teaching or developing an approved continuing education course, writing a text or published scholarly article on subject matter acceptable for purposes of continuing education). These courses and education activities must be found by the Commission to be equivalent to North Carolina's continuing education requirement. Each request must be submitted on a form prescribed by the Commission accompanied by a $50 nonrefundable fee.

Like resident licensees, nonresidents who apply to renew their North Carolina licenses will have their licenses placed on inactive status if they have not completed their continuing education. Their licenses will remain inactive until they make up the CE hours necessary to change their status back to active. Detailed information concerning the amount and type of CE required to change an inactive license back to active status will be presented in the next issue of the Real Estate Bulletin.

To renew your license on active status, beginning with license renewal in June 1995, you must complete each year eight classroom hours of approved continuing education - -a four-hour Real Estate Update Course, and four hours in elective courses. Active status is required if you wish to engage in (and receive compensation for) any activity requiring a license, including referrals. To renew your license on inactive status, you do not have to satisfy the continuing education requirement. If your license is on inactive status, you may retain your license but not engage in (and be compensated for) any activity requiring a real estate license.

To change your license from inactive to active status, you must show that you have obtained continuing education specified by the Commission. This could range from 0 to 20 hours, depending on the length of time your license has been inactive and any approved continuing education you may have completed since the beginning of the preceding license period.

To qualify for credit, your continuing education must have been completed since the July I preceding license renewal. No courses will be offered between June I I and June 30 to afford the Commission time to process license renewals; therefore, the last day classes will be offered each year is June 10.