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Arkansas: what an unlicensed TC can do

What Arkansas law says about unlicensed transaction coordinators, what needs a license, and why contracts stay with your broker.

Last reviewed October 2026 from Arkansas Real Estate License Law (Ark. Code 17-42-101 et seq.) and AREC Rules (17 CAR § 220). Arkansas contract deadlines →

Yes, you can work as a TC in Arkansas without a real estate license.Stick to administrative work under a licensed agent and their broker, and leave anything that needs a license to them. Here's where the line is.

What you can do without a license

A principal broker is generally responsible for all business conducted by the firm (17 CAR § 220-1003(a)). The Arkansas Real Estate Commission tells brokers to instruct unlicensed staff not to do anything on the list of activities that need a license.

You can do (no license needed)

  • Make appointments for agents.
  • Type correspondence.
  • Do other duties normally given to a secretary or administrative assistant.

Needs a license

  • Sell, exchange, buy, rent or lease real estate for others, or offer to.
  • Negotiate, or offer, attempt or agree to negotiate, a sale, exchange, purchase, rent or lease.
  • Help with or direct the negotiation of a transaction.
  • List real estate, or offer or agree to list it.
  • Help find or direct the finding of prospects for a sale, exchange, lease or rental.
  • Advertise or present yourself as being in the business of buying, selling, renting or leasing real estate.
Arkansas has no list for assistantsNeither Arkansas law nor the Commission's rules list tasks an unlicensed assistant may do. The Commission's FAQ says "Only those persons who will be performing activities listed in A.C.A 17-42-103(10) are required to hold a real estate license" and tells brokers to instruct unlicensed personnel "that they are NOT to perform any activities on that list." Ask your broker what you may handle.

A practical example

You can:
Set up the home inspection appointment for your agent and type the confirmation letter.
Refer to the agent:
The buyer's agent asks whether the seller would take a lower price. Send it to your agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Contracts run through the broker

The Commission's Executive Director wrote that "the Arkansas Supreme Court has given licensed brokers limited authority to practice law. As such, your broker or salesperson can help you complete a contract." Commission rules say "The preparation of instruments in connection with a real estate ... sale and the closing of a sale by a licensee must be performed by or under the specific supervision of the principal broker" (17 CAR § 220-1003(e)(1)).

Open houses

Asked whether an unlicensed personal assistant can run an agent's open houses, the Commission's FAQ answers: "This is not advisable especially if you are not present."

Penalties

Unlicensed real estate activity is a Class D felony (Ark. Code 17-42-105). The Commission may also impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 and order repayment of any compensation collected (17-42-109). A licensee may be disciplined for "Paying a commission or valuable consideration to any person for acts or services performed in violation of this chapter" (17-42-311(a)(12)).

How Closima handles it

Closima asks whether you hold an Arkansas license. If you don't, purchase agreements and addenda go to your agent with a link: they check every value and complete the form, and Closima records that a licensee completed it. If you do, you fill them in yourself and send them to your agent for approval before they go out. Everything else (deadlines, documents, emails, other forms) works as usual.

Thinking about a license?

You don't need one to work as a TC in Arkansas. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

Arkansas's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 18 and complete 60 classroom hours of real estate education, 30 of them in basic principles. You then apply to the Commission with the information needed for state and federal background checks, get approval to sit for the Pearson VUE exam, pass it, and send the required forms and fees within 90 days. Post-license education follows. How to apply.

Quick answers

Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in Arkansas?

No. You can work as a TC in Arkansas without a real estate license. Stick to administrative work under a licensed agent and their broker, and leave anything that needs a license to them.

Can an unlicensed TC fill out a purchase agreement in Arkansas?

Arkansas has no rule letting assistants complete contracts, and contract preparation runs through the principal broker, so leave completing purchase agreements to the licensee.

What can an unlicensed TC do in Arkansas?

Make appointments for agents; type correspondence; do other duties normally given to a secretary or administrative assistant.

What needs a real estate license in Arkansas?

Sell, exchange, buy, rent or lease real estate for others, or offer to; negotiate, or offer, attempt or agree to negotiate, a sale, exchange, purchase, rent or lease; help with or direct the negotiation of a transaction; list real estate, or offer or agree to list it; help find or direct the finding of prospects for a sale, exchange, lease or rental.

How do you get a real estate license in Arkansas?

Arkansas's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 18 and complete 60 classroom hours of real estate education, 30 of them in basic principles. You then apply to the Commission with the information needed for state and federal background checks, get approval to sit for the Pearson VUE exam, pass it, and send the required forms and fees within 90 days. Post-license education follows.

Resources

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC), 501-683-8010, [email protected].

Source: Arkansas Real Estate License Law (Ark. Code 17-42-101 et seq.) and AREC Rules (17 CAR § 220), published by the Arkansas Real Estate Commission (License Law current through the 2025 Regular Session (AREC compilation dated August 2025)).

Buying or selling a home yourself? These pages are for people who work in real estate. Work with a licensed agent or a real estate attorney.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change, and your broker's policies may be stricter: confirm your duties with your supervising broker and your state's real estate regulator.

See also: Arkansas contract deadlines · TC duties, licensed and unlicensed · How to become a transaction coordinator

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