What the New York 77-Hour Real Estate Course Covers

The official course-hour table totals 77 hours of instruction. It also lists a separate three-hour examination. The Department of State FAQ confirms that the school-administered proctored exam is required in addition to the separate New York State salesperson examination.

Here is what the official curriculum expects a student to learn and how the pieces fit together.

Official source map

The primary source for this guide is the New York State Department of State Real Estate Salesperson Syllabus currently linked from the Department's salesperson page. The current linked PDF is labeled 2022 and remained the Department's published 77-hour curriculum when checked on August 27, 2026. The Department's salesperson page confirms the approved 77-hour education requirement and links to approved schools. Its FAQ confirms the separate school-administered proctored examination. Real Property Law section 441 supplies the statutory qualifying-education framework.

All 19 subjects and their official course hours

These numbers are course hours. They are not a state-published distribution of questions on the licensing exam. The Department's current exam page says the state test is based on the 77-hour curriculum, but it does not publish a subject-by-subject question allocation.

The syllabus also says approved schools have discretion over time allotment where a subject's hours are not already predetermined. A provider may arrange lessons and subtopics differently while still teaching the required scope.

1. License Law and Regulations: 3 hours

This subject explains why New York licenses real estate activity and how Article 12-A structures the profession. Students distinguish brokers, associate brokers, and salespersons, then connect each license category to its duties and supervision.

The syllabus includes activities that require a license, exemptions, license maintenance, pocket cards, branch offices, changes of association, termination, renewal, continuing education, advertising, unlicensed assistants, common violations, penalties, and Department of State disciplinary cases. It also identifies property-condition and uncapped-natural-gas-well disclosures within the licensing-law unit.

The useful question behind the chapter is: who may perform the activity, under whose authority, and what record or disclosure is required?

Study the full License Law and Regulations guide.

2. Law of Agency: 11 hours

Agency receives the largest course-hour allocation. Students learn who the licensee represents, the difference between a client and customer, and the fiduciary duties owed to a principal. The syllabus identifies loyalty, confidentiality, full disclosure, obedience, reasonable skill and care, and accounting.

It then covers how agency is created and ended, seller and landlord agency, buyer and tenant agency, broker's agents, subagency, dual agency, designated sales agents, informed consent, undisclosed dual agency, and New York's agency-disclosure forms under Real Property Law section 443.

The chapter also includes antitrust concerns such as price fixing, group boycotts, market allocation, and tie-in arrangements. A separate hour addresses employee and independent-contractor status, written agreements, compensation, supervision, records, and the difference between the label in a contract and the reality of the working relationship.

The recurring decision is: who is the principal, which duties follow, and has the relationship been disclosed and consented to correctly?

Study the full Law of Agency guide.

3. Legal Issues: 10 hours

The legal-issues block contains four parts with their own hour allocations.

Estates and interests covers real and personal property, the bundle of rights, freehold and leasehold estates, severalty, tenancy in common, joint tenancy, tenancy by the entirety, life estates, trusts, business ownership, and ownership concepts for cooperatives and condominiums.

Liens and easements covers voluntary and involuntary liens, general and specific liens, lien priority, subordination, deed restrictions, easements, dominant and servient tenements, encroachments, party walls, and methods of creating or ending an easement.

Deeds covers the parties and elements of a conveyance, legal descriptions, granting and habendum clauses, limitations and reservations, signature, delivery, acceptance, acknowledgment, recording, and common deed forms. It also introduces transfers after death.

Title closing and costs connects the deed, recording, chain of title, title search, title insurance, liens, mortgage funding, commission, closing statements, buyer and seller costs, and prorations. Students should be able to tell a title concept from a financing or possession concept and place each item on the correct side of a closing adjustment.

Study the full Legal Issues guide.

4. The Contract of Sales and Leases: 3 hours

This subject is divided into one hour each for leases, contracts, and contract preparation.

The lease section covers leasehold estates, the parties to a lease, rent and term provisions, permitted use, assignment, subletting, security deposits, possession, habitability, renewal, and termination. The contract section covers formation, valid-contract elements, offers and counteroffers, contingencies, remedies, the Statute of Frauds, purchase agreements, installment contracts, options, rights of first refusal, listings, and other agreements affecting brokers.

Contract preparation focuses on the information behind the document: prior deeds, title records, surveys, certificates of occupancy, tax records, property descriptions, financing contingencies, down payments, riders, disclosures, signatures, and delivery. It also raises the boundary between gathering transaction facts and giving legal advice.

The practical goal is to recognize whether an agreement was formed, what condition still must occur, and which party or professional handles the next step.

Study the full Contract of Sales and Leases guide.

5. Real Estate Finance: 5 hours

Finance covers the mortgage lien, the note or bond evidencing debt, the roles of mortgagor and mortgagee, repayment, foreclosure, deficiency judgments, discount points, recording, and what happens when mortgaged property is sold.

Students compare fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, balloon, graduated-payment, open-end, blanket, wraparound, bridge, purchase-money, construction, home-equity, reverse, and other loan structures. The curriculum also identifies conventional and government-backed financing, FHA, VA, Rural Housing Service, SONYMA, the primary and secondary markets, private mortgage insurance, Regulation Z, lender evaluation, loan-to-value calculations, borrower qualification, and predatory lending.

The central skill is not memorizing a list of products. It is identifying who owes the debt, what secures it, how payments or rates can change, and which consumer-protection rule applies.

Study the full Real Estate Finance guide.

6. Land Use Regulations: 3 hours

Land use explains how private restrictions and government powers limit or shape property use. The official scope includes deed restrictions, covenants, environmental review, building and fire codes, local zoning, comprehensive planning, subdivisions, site plans, planned unit developments, and development controls.

Students distinguish the legislative role of a city, town, or village from the functions of a planning board, zoning board of appeals, building department, health department, courts, and professional advisers. The curriculum also compares use variances, area variances, special permits, nonconforming uses, building permits, certificates of occupancy, and enforcement.

The decision pattern is: which body has authority, what approval is requested, and is the restriction public or private?

Study the full Land Use Regulations guide.

7. Construction and Environmental Issues: 5 hours

The syllabus assigns two hours to construction and three to environmental issues.

Construction introduces plans, permits, codes, certificates of occupancy, site requirements, drainage, wells, septic systems, foundations, framing, roofs, insulation, ventilation, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical systems, energy efficiency, and new-home or home-improvement warranties.

Environmental issues include water quality, septic systems, wood-destroying insects, asbestos, lead, radon, indoor air quality, PCBs, underground storage tanks, mold, wetlands, and environmental assessments. Students consider testing, remediation, disclosure, due diligence, and the broker or salesperson's role without pretending that a licensee is an engineer, inspector, or environmental specialist.

The syllabus itself notes that environmental rules evolve and directs instructors to consult current regulations. That warning should apply throughout the course: learn the framework from the curriculum, then use current law and agency guidance for changing standards and procedures.

Study the full Construction and Environmental Issues guide.

8. Valuation Process and Pricing Properties: 3 hours

This subject separates appraisal, valuation, evaluation, comparative market analysis, value, price, and cost. Students learn types of value, market-value concepts, highest and best use, site valuation, and the sales-comparison, cost, and income approaches.

The salesperson-focused work is the comparative market analysis. The syllabus emphasizes data collection, recent sales, current competition, expired listings, property advantages and drawbacks, market conditions, adjustments, documentation, communication, and a supported pricing range. It also warns that a CMA is not an appraisal.

The key habit is to name the assignment correctly and support the conclusion with relevant evidence.

Study the full Valuation Process and Pricing Properties guide.

9. Human Rights and Fair Housing: 6 hours

Fair housing covers the history and purpose of federal, New York State, and local protections; protected classes; exemptions and exceptions; prohibited conduct; advertising; recordkeeping; anti-bias training; and the responsibilities of brokers and salespersons.

The syllabus identifies steering, blockbusting, redlining, refusal to deal, unequal service, misinformation, discriminatory advertising, fair housing office policy, testing, cease-and-desist lists, and nonsolicitation orders. It also includes the Housing and Anti-Discrimination Disclosure Form and the Reasonable Accommodation and Reasonable Modification Disclosure Form.

Students should practice applying the same service standards, property criteria, information, and follow-up regardless of protected characteristics. A request from a client or customer does not excuse unlawful conduct.

Study the full Human Rights and Fair Housing guide.

10. Real Estate Mathematics: 1 hour

The dedicated math unit covers percentages, commissions, simple interest concepts, appreciation and depreciation, discount points, area, perimeter, irregular lots, acres, hectares, price per square foot, basic mortgage qualification, transfer tax, mortgage recording tax, and real property tax rates.

Only one hour appears as a separate math subject, but calculations also appear inside finance, closing costs, taxation, valuation, and commercial investment. Treat math as a skill used across the course, not as an isolated one-hour chapter.

Study the full Real Estate Mathematics guide and use the math tools.

11. Municipal Agencies: 2 hours

This subject matches local boards, departments, and officials to their functions. The syllabus includes elected legislative bodies, planning boards, zoning boards of appeals, architectural review boards, conservation or wetlands bodies, historic-preservation commissions, building departments, planning departments, tax assessors, tax receivers or treasurers, municipal engineers, and county health departments.

Students should be able to route a problem to the correct office. A variance, subdivision approval, building permit, property-tax record, landmark review, and septic approval do not come from the same decision-maker.

Study the full Municipal Agencies guide.

12. Property Insurance: 1 hour

Property insurance introduces why owners and lenders require coverage, the difference between agents, brokers, and insurers, package and monoline policies, common homeowners and tenant forms, property and liability protection, actual cash value, replacement cost, deductibles, flood coverage, commercial and umbrella policies, cancellation, nonrenewal, and cost.

The licensee's role is limited. A salesperson can explain why coverage matters in the transaction and when a buyer may need it, but the insurance professional and policy documents determine coverage.

Study the full Property Insurance guide.

13. Licensee Safety: 1 hour

The safety unit addresses office access, alarms, lighting, working alone, meeting unknown people, vacant properties, driving, open houses, home offices, online information, cybersecurity, client data, identity theft, incidents, injuries, and office policy.

This is operational knowledge, not a vocabulary exercise. Students should think in advance about check-in procedures, meeting locations, personal-information boundaries, exit routes, incident reporting, and broker-approved safety practices.

Study the full Licensee Safety guide.

14. Taxes and Assessments: 3 hours

This subject explains why real property is taxed and how assessed value, market value, assessment ratios, budgets, tax rates, exemptions, special assessment districts, liens, foreclosure, and taxing jurisdictions relate.

The curriculum also covers assessors, grievance boards, residential small-claims assessment review, commercial challenges, factual errors, unequal assessment, and evidence used in a challenge. Students perform tax calculations and distinguish an assessment from the tax produced by applying the rate.

Study the full Taxes and Assessments guide.

15. Condominiums and Cooperatives: 4 hours

Students compare condominium real-property ownership with cooperative shares and the proprietary lease. The curriculum covers offering plans, sponsors, boards, bylaws, declarations, common elements, certificates of occupancy, common charges, maintenance, financing, closing costs, title, rights of first refusal, house rules, alteration agreements, board packages, interviews, subletting, and recognition agreements.

The useful comparison is not simply condo versus co-op. It is what the buyer owns, which governing documents control, how financing is secured, which recurring charges apply, and what approvals are required.

Study the full Condominiums and Cooperatives guide.

16. Commercial and Investment Properties: 10 hours

This block begins with risk, liquidity, and leverage, then surveys land, office, residential, mixed-use, retail, industrial, warehouse, and other investment property types.

Students reconstruct income and expense information, distinguish gross income from net operating income and cash flow, and use capitalization concepts such as income, rate, and value. The syllabus also covers rentable and usable area, loss and add-on factors, gross and net leases, percentage leases, break-even concepts, lease clauses, escalation methods, proportionate shares, tax stops, operating costs, debt service, and cash-on-cash return.

The most useful study sequence is income first, permitted operating expenses second, net operating income third, and financing or tax consequences after that. Mixing those layers is a common source of wrong calculations.

Study the full Commercial and Investment Properties guide.

17. Income Tax Issues in Real Estate Transactions: 3 hours

The income-tax unit introduces basis and adjusted basis, gain and loss, capital gains, principal-residence concepts, investment property, depreciation, recapture, points and closing costs, deductible interest, and like-kind exchanges, including boot, qualified intermediaries, and identification and closing periods.

Tax rules change and outcomes depend on a taxpayer's facts. The course gives a salesperson enough structure to recognize an issue and avoid casual tax advice. Current tax law and a qualified tax professional should control an actual transaction.

Study the full Income Tax Issues in Real Estate Transactions guide.

18. Mortgage Brokerage: 1 hour

This subject distinguishes a mortgage broker from a mortgage banker and places the mortgage broker in the transaction. It covers responsibilities, prequalification, preapproval, application and fee agreements, commitments, rate locks, underwriting, nonconforming loans, lender rebates, and dual-role disclosure when a real estate broker also performs covered mortgage-brokerage activity.

Students should keep real estate brokerage, mortgage brokerage, and lending roles separate. Similar words do not create identical licenses or duties.

Study the full Mortgage Brokerage guide.

19. Property Management: 2 hours

The final subject covers when property-management activity requires a license, what a management agreement creates, and why the property manager acts as the owner's general agent within the granted authority.

The syllabus includes budgets, rent rolls, marketing, leasing, reporting, accounting, maintenance, building systems, landlord-tenant relations, risk management, staff supervision, purchasing, construction, codes, owner objectives, management fees, and termination. It also compares office, retail, residential, condominium, and cooperative management.

The recurring question is whether the manager is acting within the written agreement, protecting the owner's interests, accounting correctly, and complying with applicable law.

Study the full Property Management guide.

What the hour totals do and do not tell you

Course hours show how New York organizes qualifying education. They help students understand the breadth of the course and the relative classroom time assigned to major subject blocks.

They do not tell you:

• how many questions from a subject will appear on a particular state exam
• a numerical passing score that the Department does not publish
• the exact lesson order used by every approved school
• how many personal study hours a particular student needs
• whether an older legal threshold printed in a syllabus example remains current

Use the hour table to plan course attendance and broad review. Use your mistakes, confidence, and recall to decide where you need more study after the course.

A practical way to learn the curriculum

First, build the legal foundation

Start with license law, agency, fair housing, contracts, and property interests. These subjects define who may act, who is represented, what duties exist, and what agreement or disclosure controls.

Second, connect the property and transaction

Add land use, construction, environmental issues, valuation, finance, municipal agencies, insurance, taxes, condominiums, and cooperatives. Practice identifying which professional, document, or government body handles each issue.

Third, apply numbers and specialized property concepts

Work through math, commercial investment, income tax, mortgage brokerage, and property management. Write the formula or relationship before inserting numbers.

Finally, mix all 19 subjects

Real scenarios cross chapter boundaries. A single transaction may involve agency, fair housing, financing, valuation, a certificate of occupancy, title, and closing adjustments. Mixed practice trains you to identify the controlling issue before choosing an answer.

Frequently asked questions

How many subjects are in the New York 77-hour real estate course?

The current official salesperson syllabus contains 19 numbered subjects.

Are the three examination hours included in the 77 subject hours?

The official syllabus table totals the 19 subject allocations at 77 hours and then lists “Examination” as three hours on a separate line. The Department FAQ describes the school-administered proctored examination as an additional requirement alongside the separate Department of State exam.

Which subject has the most course hours?

Law of Agency has 11 hours. Legal Issues and Commercial and Investment Properties each have 10 hours. These are course allocations, not a published state-exam question distribution.

Is the school final the same as the state licensing exam?

No. The approved school administers a proctored course examination. The Department of State administers the separate New York State salesperson examination.

Does the state exam cover all 19 subjects?

The Department says the written salesperson exam is based on the 77-hour prelicensing curriculum. It does not publish a subject-by-subject question allocation, so students should be prepared across the full curriculum.

Is one hour of real estate math all the math you need?

No. One hour is assigned to the dedicated mathematics subject, but calculations also appear in finance, closing costs and prorations, valuation, taxes, and commercial investment.

Is the current syllabus called the 2026 syllabus?

No. The official curriculum PDF currently linked by the Department is labeled 2022. It was still the Department's current linked salesperson syllabus when checked on August 27, 2026. Calling it a separate 2026 edition would be inaccurate unless the Department publishes one.

Should students treat every example in the syllabus as current law?

Use the syllabus to identify the required subjects and concepts. For rules, forms, thresholds, and agency procedures that can change, verify the current statute, regulation, or government guidance. The syllabus itself warns instructors that environmental regulations evolve.

Does completing the 77-hour course make you licensed?

No. Course completion is one requirement. A standard applicant must also pass the school exam, pass the state exam, obtain broker sponsorship, submit the application and fee, receive principal-broker authorization, and obtain Department approval.

What to study next

Open the complete 19-subject study guide and work through each subject in the curriculum order. Use free practice to find weak areas and study plans to turn the 19 subjects into a realistic schedule. For the administrative path, use the step-by-step licensing guide and the license requirements guide.

Sources and verification notes

The curriculum structure and licensing statements in this article were checked on August 27, 2026. The official curriculum link, rules, forms, and agency instructions can change, so recheck the Department of State before enrolling or applying.

1. New York State Department of State, Real Estate Salesperson 77-Hour Curriculum. Current linked official syllabus, 19 subjects, course hours, subtopics, key terms, and separate examination hours.
2. New York State Department of State, Become a Real Estate Salesperson. Current qualifying-education requirement, approved-provider links, exam description, and application overview.
3. New York State Department of State, Real Estate Salesperson Frequently Asked Questions. School-administered proctored examination and qualifying-course guidance.
4. New York Real Property Law section 441. Statutory education, examination, sponsorship, and application framework.

This article explains the current published curriculum for general education and exam preparation. It does not replace instruction from an approved school or current legal, tax, engineering, environmental, insurance, or licensing guidance.