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Mississippi: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in Mississippi, what needs a license, and the two approvals a contract form needs before it goes out.

Last reviewed October 2026 from Mississippi Real Estate Commission. Mississippi contract deadlines →

Yes, you can work as a TC in Mississippi 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

MREC's guidelines say an assistant who works only for a licensee is ordinarily that licensee's employee, not an independent contractor. Contract forms and ads you prepare need approval from the licensee and the principal broker. If you work on a registered team, the principal broker must list you as an unlicensed employee of the team (MREC Rule 3.5).

You can do (no license needed)

  • Do clerical work, including answering the phone and forwarding calls.
  • Type contract forms for approval by the licensee and the principal broker.
  • Assemble closing documents.
  • Get status reports on a loan's progress.
  • Pick up and deliver paperwork to other brokers and salespersons.
  • Get required public information from government offices.
  • Complete and submit listings and changes to a multiple listing service.
  • Schedule appointments for the licensee to show a listed property.
  • Give general information about listed properties, such as location, availability and address, without soliciting.
  • Write ads and promotional materials for approval by the licensee and the principal broker, and arrange to place them.
  • At the licensee's direction, have keys made, place signs, or open a property for appraisers, home inspectors or other professionals by appointment.
  • Gather information for a broker price opinion or comparative market analysis.

Needs a license

  • Negotiate, discuss or explain a contract, listing, lease or any other real estate document with anyone outside the brokerage firm.
  • Answer questions about the firm's listings beyond confirming a property is listed, naming the listing agent, and giving what a simple classified ad would show.
  • Show property, or open it for prospective buyers.
  • Attend a pre-closing walk-through or a closing unless a licensee is with you.
  • Preview, inspect or measure a property unless a licensee is with you.
  • Host an open house, kiosk or booth open to the public unless a licensee is present the whole time.
  • Make calls that need a license, such as cold calls, calls to expired listings, marketing calls or open house invitations.
  • Prepare ads or promotional materials without review and approval by a licensee and the principal broker.
  • Present yourself as a licensee or as being in the real estate business for others.
Contract forms need two approvalsMREC's guidelines let an assistant "type contract forms for approval by the licensee and the principal broker." Approval from your agent alone is not what the guidelines say. You also may not "Negotiate, discuss or explain a contract, listing, lease or any other real estate document with anyone outside the brokerage firm." Ask your broker how the principal broker's approval is given in your office.

A practical example

You can:
You type the purchase agreement from your agent's notes and send it to your agent and the principal broker to approve before anyone signs.
Refer to the agent:
The other side's agent calls asking whether your seller will take a lower price. Send it to your agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

How you can be paid

MREC says an assistant "May be compensated for their work at a predetermined rate that is not contingent upon the occurrence of a real estate transaction." Pay may not be related to listings or buyers you solicit or obtain, and "Licensees may NOT share commissions with unlicensed persons who have assisted in transactions by performing any service with respect to a real estate closing."

The list is a guideline

MREC says its list of things assistants may not do "is NOT inclusive and is intended to serve as a guideline." Anyone who, for a fee, lists, sells, buys, rents or leases real estate for others, negotiates or attempts to negotiate it, or helps procure a buyer is a broker under Miss. Code Ann. §73-35-3(1) and needs a license.

Penalties

A first violation of the license law can bring a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both. Anyone paid because of a violation can also owe a penalty of up to four times what they received (Miss. Code Ann. §73-35-31).

How Closima handles it

You can fill out contract forms in Closima. Before you send one for signature, Send to agent for approval gives your agent a link to check the filled form and approve it or ask for changes, and the file records who approved it and when. If your agent signs off another way, you can still send it, and the file notes that.

Thinking about a license?

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

To get a Mississippi resident salesperson license you must be at least 18, a Mississippi resident, and complete at least 60 hours of real estate courses. You pass the licensing exam (at least 70% on the national portion and 75% on the state portion), clear MREC's background investigation, and name your employing broker on the application. You first get a temporary license and must finish a 30-hour post-license course within 12 months to receive a permanent one. How to apply.

Quick answers

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

No. You can work as a TC in Mississippi 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 Mississippi?

Yes, for approval. Mississippi lets an unlicensed assistant "type contract forms for approval by the licensee and the principal broker," but not explain or negotiate them.

What can an unlicensed TC do in Mississippi?

Do clerical work, including answering the phone and forwarding calls; type contract forms for approval by the licensee and the principal broker; assemble closing documents; get status reports on a loan's progress; pick up and deliver paperwork to other brokers and salespersons.

What needs a real estate license in Mississippi?

Negotiate, discuss or explain a contract, listing, lease or any other real estate document with anyone outside the brokerage firm; answer questions about the firm's listings beyond confirming a property is listed, naming the listing agent, and giving what a simple classified ad would show; show property, or open it for prospective buyers; attend a pre-closing walk-through or a closing unless a licensee is with you; preview, inspect or measure a property unless a licensee is with you.

How do you get a real estate license in Mississippi?

To get a Mississippi resident salesperson license you must be at least 18, a Mississippi resident, and complete at least 60 hours of real estate courses. You pass the licensing exam (at least 70% on the national portion and 75% on the state portion), clear MREC's background investigation, and name your employing broker on the application. You first get a temporary license and must finish a 30-hour post-license course within 12 months to receive a permanent one.

Resources

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Mississippi Real Estate Commission (MREC), (601) 321-6970.

Source: Mississippi Real Estate Commission, "Guidelines for Unlicensed Assistants: MREC's list of DO's and DON'Ts for Unlicensed Assistants" (Rev. 9/23/2025).

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

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