4 Types of Georgia Real Estate Licenses: Requirements, Difficulty & Career Paths

If you’re thinking about a real estate career in Georgia, you actually have multiple paths—not just “real estate agent.” The Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) recognizes four main license types:

1. Salesperson license
2. Broker license
3. Community Association Manager (CAM) license
4. Instructor license

Each one leads to different daily tasks, income potential, and level of responsibility. Let’s break them down in plain English—and then we’ll compare how hard each one is.

Quick Overview: Georgia License Types at a Glance

• Salesperson:
  An beginner license for helping clients buy, sell, and lease property as an agent under a broker.
• Broker:
  An advanced license that lets you open or manage your own brokerage office, supervise agents, and take on management roles.
• Community Association Manager (CAM):
  License for managing condo and HOA communities—budgets, dues, maintenance, and day-to-day operations.
• Instructor:
  Approval to teach Georgia real estate courses and train the next generation of licensees.

1. Georgia Salesperson License: The Classic “Real Estate Agent” Path

When most people say “real estate agent,” they’re talking about a licensed salesperson.

What You Can Do as a Salesperson

Under the supervision of a broker, a salesperson can:

• Represent buyers and sellers in real estate transactions
• List homes for sale and advertise them
• Show properties and write offers
• Help with leases and rental listings through their brokerage
• Earn commissions by helping clients buy, sell, or lease property

You must hang your license in a Georgia broker office.  It can be a big-name brokerage or a smaller independent firm.

Basic Requirements for a Georgia Salesperson License

You must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Complete a 75-hour Georgia Salesperson pre-license course at an approved school
• Pass the State exam
• Submit a background check
• Join a licensed Georgia broker to activate your license

All new agents start here. It’s the fastest way to begin helping people buy and sell homes in Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Macon, and more.

Who the Salesperson License Is Best For

• You want to work directly with buyers and sellers
• You like sales, people, and flexible hours
• You’re okay starting with the guidance of an experienced broker
• You want the “agent” experience and income path

2. Georgia Broker License: Upgrade Your Career

A broker in Georgia can do everything a salesperson can—and more.

What You Can Do as a Broker

With a broker license, you can:

• Open and run your own brokerage
• Supervise salespersons and associate brokers
• Manage trust accounts and office compliance
• Earn higher commission splits
• Continue directly working with buyers, sellers, and investors

Some brokers stay very active with clients; others focus heavily on running the office and leading a team.

Basic Requirements for a Georgia Broker License

You must:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Have 3 years of active licensure as a salesperson within the last 5 years
• Complete a 60-hour Georgia Broker pre-license course
• Pass the Georgia Broker state exam
• Submit the broker application and background check

Who the Broker License Is Best For

• Experienced agents who want more freedom and higher earning potential
• People who enjoy company leadership, systems, and compliance
• Agents who want to build their own team or open their own firm

If you’re already picturing your own logo, office, or virtual brokerage, this is your lane.

3. Community Association Manager (CAM) License: Managing HOAs & Condos

Not everyone in real estate wants to do commission-based sales. That’s where the CAM license comes in.

A Community Association Manager focuses on managing condominium and homeowners’ associations rather than representing individual buyers and sellers.

What You Can Do as a CAM

Typical CAM responsibilities include:

• Managing HOAs and condo associations
• Collecting and tracking association dues
• Handling the association’s operating and reserve accounts
• Coordinating maintenance and repairs in common areas
• Working with committees on budgets, reserves, and rule enforcement
• Communicating with homeowners about community issues

CAMs are often employed by association management companies that handle multiple communities all across Georgia.

Basic Requirements for a Georgia CAM License

You must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a high school diploma or equivalent
• Complete a 25-hour CAM pre-license course
• Pass the state CAM exam
• Apply for your license with GREC within 12 months after passing the exam

You don’t need prior real estate experience, which makes CAM a solid starting point if you prefer operations over sales.

Who the CAM License Is Best For

• You’re more interested in management, budgeting, and operations than sales
• You like structure and working closely with committees and residents
• You enjoy solving problems on a community-wide level

If you know property management or HOA administration, CAM is a natural fit for you.

4. Instructor License: Teaching Real Estate in Georgia

Finally, there’s a path for people who want to teach real estate—either instead of practicing full-time or alongside it. 

Georgia has specific requirements for instructors who teach pre-license, post-license, and CE courses.

What Real Estate Instructors Do

Approved instructors may:

• Teach salesperson, broker, or CAM pre-license courses
• Offer post-licensing and continuing education (CE) courses
• Develop education materials, outlines, and tools
• Train new agents and prepare them to pass the exam and launch their careers

Most instructors are experienced agents or brokers. They enjoy mentoring and explaining complex concepts in simple terms.

Basic Requirements for a Georgia Instructor License

Georgia's rules for instructor approval can include:

• Being an experienced licensee
• Completing required instructor training as directed by GREC or approved providers
• Being individually approved to teach specific course types for an approved school

Schools list their instructors when seeking course approvals, and GREC makes sure that they all meet the standards.

Who the Instructor License Is Best For

• Experienced licensees who love teaching and mentoring
• Brokers or top producers ready to give back and guide new agents
• People who enjoy public speaking, course design, and classroom energy

If you’re the one everyone turns to when they need something explained, this could be the perfect path for you.

How to Choose the Right Georgia License Path

Here’s a quick decision guide:

• “I want to help people buy and sell homes.”
  → Start with the Salesperson license.
• “I want to run my own office and lead a team.”
  → Start as a salesperson, then move up to Broker.
• “I like management, budgets, and community operations more than sales.”
  → Consider the CAM license.
• “I love teaching real estate to others.”
  → Build experience first, then pursue Instructor approval.

Many people start as a salesperson and later add Broker or Instructor as they gain experience. CAM is a great alternative if you’re drawn more to operations and association management.

Which Georgia Real Estate License Is Hardest to Get?

Let’s be real. Not all Georgia real estate licenses are equally difficult to get. Each one requires a different mix of education hours, exam prep, and professional experience.

Here’s an easy way to think about them from easiest to hardest in most cases:

1. Community Association Manager (CAM) – Quickest Entry

If you’re measuring difficulty by time and requirements, CAM is usually the easiest path:

• Shorter course: 25 hours of pre-licensing instead of 75+
• More focused content: HOAs, condos, budgeting, managing documents, and operations
• No prior experience required

You still need to study, but compared to the others, CAM is often the quickest path from classroom to license.

2. Salesperson – The Standard Baseline

The salesperson license is the main starting point and a step up from CAM in terms of work:

• More education: 75-hour pre-license course
• Broader exam: National and Georgia-specific real estate law, contracts, agency, finance, and math
• High pressure: This is the license most people go for, so test anxiety is common

For most people, this is a moderate difficulty license. It’s very achievable with consistent study.

3. Broker – Significantly Harder

The broker license is more challenging for two big reasons:

1. The exam is more advanced
2. You need experience just to qualify.

You’re expected to learn:

• Brokerage management and supervision
• Trust account handling and compliance
• Risk management, policy, and office systems

On top of that, you need 3 years of active license status before you can even take the broker exam. Most agents agree the broker route is much tougher than the salesperson license.

4. Instructor – Highest Professional Level

The instructor approval and license process is usually the most demanding. It's about your professional background, not just passing an exam.

• You’re expected to have strong experience in the industry
• You may need specific instructor training and GREC approval
• The real test is being able to teach clearly, answer questions on the fly, and stay current on law and practice

So while the process can vary, becoming an instructor is typically the highest level because you’re now responsible for preparing others to meet the state’s standards.

Reality Check: It Also Depends on You

Difficulty is also personal:

• If you’re good at studying and test-taking, the salesperson license may feel easier than it looks on paper.
• If you have experience in property or HOA management, the CAM content will feel familiar.
• If you already manage teams or businesses, the broker material will make sense to you pretty quickly.

But as a general rule of thumb:

CAM = quickest entry
Salesperson = standard baseline
Broker = significantly harder
Instructor = highest professional level

Use this simple guide when you’re deciding where to start and what you want your long-term path to look like.

FAQs: Georgia Real Estate License Types

1. If I have a salesperson license, can I work as a CAM in Georgia?

In most cases, yes. With a Georgia salesperson license, you can do any real estate work that your broker offers—including community association management.

A CAM license is more limited: CAMs can handle HOA/condo association work but cannot do sales and listings. With a salesperson license, you don’t need a separate CAM license, but you do need proper training and your broker’s approval.

2. Do I need a college degree to get any of these licenses?

No, you don’t. For the salesperson and CAM licenses, you only need a high school diploma or GED and pass the pre-license course and exam.

For broker and instructor licenses, your college coursework can sometimes substitute for certain courses, but a degree is not required.

3. Can I start with CAM and later become a salesperson or broker?

Yes. You can start with a CAM license if you’re focused on property management, then later complete the 75-hour salesperson course and exam to expand into sales.

Your CAM experience can be very helpful.

4. Can I hold more than one Georgia real estate license at the same time?

You typically have one primary practice license as a salesperson or broker. However, you can also be approved as an instructor, which is more of an added role than a separate practice license.

In real life, most people choose one main license for daily work and add instructor approval on top once they’re more experienced.

5. Do I need experience before getting a Georgia salesperson or CAM license?

No prior real estate experience is required for either. You just need to meet the age, education, and exam requirements.

You will need experience before becoming a broker or an instructor.

6. What’s the best license if I’m mainly interested in investing in real estate?

Most investors start with the salesperson license because it gives you:

• Access to MLS (Multiple Listing Service) data
• A deeper understanding of contracts and negotiations
• The ability to earn commissions on your own deals and clients

If you manage many condo or HOA units, joining a brokerage that offers CAM/management services, can also be an advantage for your business.

Final Thoughts 

Georgia’s four license types give you a lot of flexibility in how you build your real estate career:

• Face to face client sales
• Brokerage leadership
• Community management
• Classroom teaching

Quick reminder: licensing laws and requirements can change, and this blog is for educational purposes only—it’s not legal advice. Always check the latest requirements with the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) before you enroll in a course or apply for a license.