Joining REAL Originate as a real estate agent is actually much easier than you think and can be done in less than a month!
In this article, I’m going to break down the exact steps needed to acquire your Loan Officer license and join the REAL Originate program by One REAL Mortgage so you can add the three additional streams of income to your business.
If you want to see a full explanation of REAL Originate and it’s benefits, check out my article REAL Originate Fully Explained.
Step 1: Get Your NMLS ID Number
The first step to joining REAL Originate is registering with the State Mortgage Registry and being issued an NMLS ID number. This step is easy and will only take about 5 minutes to complete.
Go here > NMLS Portal
Click “Log into NMLS” → “Need an Account.” Select Individual as your account type. Complete the form with your legal information, and verify your email to receive your unique NMLS ID number.
You’ll use this ID to register for pre-licensing education, schedule your SAFE MLO exam, and apply for your state license.
Pro Tip: You will receive multiple emails in this process. I recommend creating a folder to start saving these emails in.
You’ll receive 2 emails, the first one has your NMLS number in it and your NMLS Account Username.
The second email will have a temporary password and a link to log in and then change your password.
That’s it, step one is completed!
Pro Tip: I also recommend you join REALOriginat.app, this a program in partnership with One REAL Mortgage to help agents get their Loan Officer licenses, build a network, and track their earnings.
Step 2: Sign Up & Complete The 20 Hour SAFE Course
Now that you have your NMLS account number, you can sign up and complete the 20-hour SAFE Course and any additional courses your state may require.
I will tell you, there is a lot of overlap between what we are taught as real estate agents and what is in this course. So this course is very easy for agents to complete and can be done 100% online.
You can complete this course with any SAFE-approved vendors. I personally used The CE Shop. Click here to sign up The CE Shop
Select your state.
Select “Pre-Licensing“
Click Find Course.
On the next screen, you have three options for the course. I chose the “Standard” on the right for $275 with this coupon code “CLEANPRE”.
This package includes the required 20-hour course, the 5-hour class required by my state, and exam test prep.
These courses are 2 weeks online, and you can not complete the course until the end of those 2 weeks. There are 11 sections and then the final exam. So you could simply do 1 section a day, or do a few sections at a time.
The course pages have a minimum amount of time you need to spend on each page, so much of the course is simply waiting to be able to go to the next page of the course.
Pro Tip: Install the Read Aloud: Text To Speech Chrome plugin for your browser. This plugin will read the text of the course out loud for you. They have a free version, but I paid for the upgraded AI voices. This helped A LOT and allowed me to digest the information on one screen, while doing on work on my other computer screen.
Pro Tip: ChatGPT is a fantastic resource for learning this material as well. You can verbally ask it questions or even take screenshots of questions, which it can read and answer for you.
Step 3: Pass the SAFE Exam
The next step to joining the REAL Originate program is to study for and pass the NMLS SAFE Exam. You can schedule this through your NMLS Portal. Sometimes, the next available exam is not for a few weeks out, so I recommend scheduling this while you are taking the course.
You will get your results immediately, and you need a 75% or greater to pass. If you fail it, you will have to wait 30 days to take it again. If you fail it a second time, you will have to wait another 30 days. If you fail it a third time, you will have to wait 6 months to retake it.
Pass your Safe Exam On The First Try
There are a few strategies to passing your SAFE exam on the first try. First thing to know is that studying the 20-hour SAFE course is NOT the best way to prep for the exam. The reason for this is that the course covers many topics that are not tested on the safe exam.
The 120 questions on the SAFE Exam are broken down by the following topics:
Federal Mortgage Related Laws 24%
Uniform State Content 11%
General Mortgage Knowledge 20%
Mortgage Loan Origination Activities 27%
Ethics 18%
The best way to prepare for the SAFE exam is to study exam-specific prep materials and take a practice test.
Watch videos like this going over key terms you should know for the exam.
Schedule Your Safe Exam
You need to schedule your SAFE Exam through your MNLS Portal. It can take 2-3 weeks for an open test date at your local facility, so I recommend scheduling this test while your still taking the class. First, log into your NMLS Portal. Click Testing Home icon Then Pay For Test Then National Test with UST Follow the instructions to pay for the test. I recommend using a credit card, as it’s going to be faster. After you pay, it may take a few minutes to update.
After a few minutes go to the MLO Testing & Education Home tab, click Schedule Test Center. Follow the instructions then select the date range you want to search for available test dates and you should be able to choose form any available testing centers in your area. 
After you pass the test, it can take 1-2 days to see the update in your MNLS Portal. This does not mean you are licensed yet, just that you are eligible to move forward.Step 4: Get Your Licence & Join REAL Originate
Now that you passed your test, you can officially join REAL Originate. You should inform your REAL Originate sponsor who will help you get an offer letter from One REAL Mortgage. This will start the onboarding process Now that you have finished your course and passed your test, you’ll see other task you need to complete open up in your NMLS Portal. You’ll also need to ensure you have finished all other required actions in your NMLS Portal. Such as:- State specific requirements
- Completing your background check
- Completing credit check
- Scheduling finger prints
