Document Diligence: Safeguarding Your Transactions
A veteran broker once said, "No one ever failed in this business because of the paperwork." It's true: Real estate is a relationship-based business. However, to protect consumers and yourself, knowing how to manage the paperwork--whether it's cotton bond and ink or bits and bytes--is integral to your role. Maintaining detailed and organized records, even for transactions that don't close, not only satisfies regulatory requirements, it also protects your license. It proves you did what you were supposed to do when you were supposed to do it.
We can't do anything about paper cuts, but if you're ready to become more comfortable selecting and using documents to ensure on-time, accurate, and litigation-free real estate transactions, let's do this.
Course highlights include:
- Typical transaction documents
- Standard clauses, addenda, and contingencies
- How to practice within the scope of your license (but avoid unauthorized practice of law)
- How to field and manage multiple offers
- Managing signatures, notarizations, and identification
- Best practices in transaction management
- Best practices in document retention
- Keeping documents secure, both hard copy and digital
- Wire fraud prevention
State Requirements For Illinois
Illinois State Requirement Details for Real Estate Broker Continuing Education
The Illinois Division of Real Estate has implemented new education requirements to reflect recent changes to the Illinois Real Estate License Act of 2000. The 2026 Broker Renewal deadline is April 30, 2026. The 4-hour Core course, if completed prior to June 30, 2025, will satisfy the Core requirement for this renewal. However, the Division strongly recommends completion of the 6-hour Core course, which includes at least 2 hours of fair housing training, to satisfy the Core requirement for this renewal.
Renewal Date: April 30th of even-numbered years
Hours Required by the State: 12 hours
- 6-hour core course (or 4-hour core course if completed prior to June 30, 2025)
- 6 hours of elective courses (or 8 hours of elective courses if the 4-hour core course was completed prior to June 30, 2025) including
- 1-hour course in Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Note: Brokers receiving their initial broker license are required to complete the 45-hour post-license education during their first license term and are not required to complete any other CE during that license term.
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Division of Real Estate
Street Address: 320 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Springfield, Illinois 62786
Mailing Address: 320 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Springfield, Illinois 62786
Telephone: (800) 560-6420
Email: fpr.realestate@illinois.gov