Closima › TC licensing by state › Michigan

Michigan: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in Michigan, what needs a license, and why the job should stay strictly clerical.

Yes, you can work as a TC in Michigan 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.

Michigan infographic for unlicensed transaction coordinators. Can do: answer phones and greet customers, strictly clerical tasks, pick up and deliver documents, assist a licensee at an open house, hand out prepared materials and collect sign-ins. Cannot do: show property or hold an open house alone, solicit listings, answer financing, title or closing questions, give information beyond published materials, imply they are licensed, or negotiate sales.

What you can do without a license

The broker is responsible for supervising everyone who works under the broker's authority, including unlicensed assistants.

You can do (no license needed)

Perform strictly clerical tasks, such as answering phones and directing calls
Pick up and deliver documents for the licensee you work for
Assist a licensee at an open house by opening the door and greeting visitors
Hand out prepared printed materials at an open house
Have visitors sign the guest register
Walk visitors through the home for security, while the licensee answers questions

Needs a license

Show property to buyers on your own, or hold an open house without a licensee
Make cold calls or solicit listings or other business by phone
Answer questions about title insurance, financing or closings
Give out property information beyond the published promotional materials
Present yourself as an agent, or use cards or stationery that suggest you are one
Negotiate a sale, list or try to list property, or do anything else that requires a real estate license

Only the licensee talks price and termsEven when you are helping at an open house or on a file, questions about the home, its price or its terms go to the licensee. The state guidance says "only the licensee should answer any questions pertaining to the material aspects of the house or its price and terms" and that assistants may not "answer any questions on title insurance, financing or closings."

A practical example

You can:: Drop off the signed disclosure packet at the title company for your agent.
Refer to the agent:: A buyer asks whether they should pick an FHA or conventional loan. Send them to the agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Calling for the brokerage counts as listing

The guidance warns that a call in which an unlicensed assistant says they represent a real estate company "is an attempt to list even if specific terms are not discussed." Keep outbound calls to scheduling and status checks on existing files.

Penalties

Practising a licensed occupation without a license is a misdemeanor in Michigan, with a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both for a first offense (MCL 339.601). A licensee who breaks the code faces penalties up to license revocation and a fine of up to $10,000 (MCL 339.602).

No keys for showings

The guidance says keys should not be given to unlicensed persons for the purpose of showing a listed property.

How Closima handles it

Closima asks whether you hold a Michigan 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 Michigan. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

Michigan's entry-level license is the real estate salesperson license. You must be at least 18, complete 40 hours of approved pre-license courses (including at least 4 hours on civil rights law and equal opportunity in housing), apply in MiPLUS, and pass the salesperson exam given by PSI. A licensed individual broker or broker company must sponsor you, and LARA issues the license once your employing broker approves you in MiPLUS. How to apply.

Resources

LARA Real Estate Brokers & SalespersonsLARA's main real estate page, with licensing guides, how-to-apply steps and forms.
Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Guide and FAQsLARA's step-by-step guide to the salesperson license, renewal and CE.
Find / Verify a BPL Licensed ProfessionalLARA's lookup for checking a Michigan salesperson's or broker's license.
Unlicensed Assistants (Michigan REALTORS)Michigan REALTORS' summary of tasks unlicensed assistants have historically been allowed and not allowed to do.
Occupational Code Article 25 (MCL 339.2501 and following)The Michigan law that governs real estate brokers and salespersons.
Michigan Administrative CodeThe state's rules database; search LARA's real estate licensing rules here.

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing, 517-241-0199 (press 4 for Real Estate), [email protected].

Source: Michigan Legislature, Occupational Code, MCL 339.601 (license required) and MCL 339.2501 (definitions of broker and salesperson) (MCL complete through PA 103 of 2026).

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.

Run your files with Closima

Deadlines from your state's contract, documents tracked, follow-up emails drafted, and forms filled the right way for your state. Your first 3 transactions are free, with no monthly fee.

Start free →