Keep Me Certified’s Code of Ethics Course and NAR
This article was written to respond to our students inquiring about their Code of Ethics course credits and the NAR Ethics course requirement.
Important background information:
Keep Me Certified is a real estate school that is fully approved by the state real estate commission to offer continuing ed credits to licensees that satisfy the state’s education requirement to renew an active real estate license.
Who is NAR?
NAR is the National Association of Realtors, a trade organization that does not directly regulate or enforce each states license laws. Not all real estate agents/brokers are REALTORS. In fact, this is a common misunderstanding amongst consumers. If a licensee is not a member of the National Association of Realtors, they cannot refer to the themselves as REALTOR.
What is the NAR Ethics requirement?
The National Association of Realtors requires all of its members to complete a 2.5 hour (minimum) course about its Code of Ethics. They publish a curriculum for this course on the NAR website. The most current requirement for REALTORS is to complete a Code of Ethics course by 12/31/24. The next NAR deadline is 12/31/2027 – unless NAR changes it.
Does Keep Me Certified offer a Code of Ethics course?
Yes. We produced our Code of Ethics course using points from the NAR curriculum to guide our conversation around ethical business practices and scenarios licensees may find themselves in. Our course takes between 2.5-3 hours to complete. Depending on the state where it is offered, our Code of Ethics course may be approved for two or three credits. In some states (eg Massachusetts), their real estate commission only approves continuing ed courses for two hours, even if it’s a three hour course.
Is Keep Me Certified’s Code of Ethics course approved by NAR?
The short answer is no, but please read this entire paragraph (and article). Keep Me Certified is not affiliated with NAR, however, nearly all local associations have accepted our course to satisfy the NAR Code of Ethics requirement. Most of the time a representative from a local association will reach out to request our course outline, learning objectives and sometimes access to review the actual course. We accommodate this request and welcome the opportunity to have a dialogue. More than 9 times out of 10 our Code of Ethics course is accepted by that local association for credit towards the NAR requirement. Importantly, each local association, in its sole discretion, has the ability to accept or reject our Code of Ethics course.
What do I need to do next?
If you are a member of the National Association of Realtors through one of their local associations/boards and you completed our course, typically the first step is for you, the licensee, to provide your association with a copy of your certificate. If that does not automatically suffice, and only if that does not suffice, then please introduce us to the individual at your board by cc’ing Keep Me Certified’s support email. To avoid spam we decided not to publish our email here, but you have it if you have reached out to us or received any email from us – that is the address you can use.
Did Keep Me Certified submit my credits?
If you are licensed in a state that requires us to submit your credits to the state regulatory entity, then yes, we have submitted all of your completed credits, typically the Monday after you completed them. Not all states require we we submit credits to them (eg Massachusetts, Colorado, etc.). We are a state approved/regulated school and report only to state regulatory authorities. We do not submit completed credits to NAR, private trade organizations, or any other type of third-party. If you are a member of NAR or affiliated with a local REALTOR association, you can download a copy of your certificate and submit it via email to your local association to see if they will accept our course for credit towards their separate Code of Ethics education requirement. Again, NAR’s Code of Ethics requirement is separate from any state requirement that allows you to renew your real estate license.
How do I access my Ethics certificate?
It’s quick and easy to access and download copies of each certificate you earned with us. Login to your Keep Me Certified account, then click your name (or the green box on a tablet) in the top right corner of the page. Then click “view my profile”. You’ll see a link to download each certificate you earned from us on that page.
What is Keep Me Certified?
Keep Me Certified is a fully approved online real estate school offering the mandatory and elective credit courses that licensees need to obtain and renew an active real estate license. To learn more or enroll and start one of our online real estate courses, visit us at keepmecertified.com
