Additional Massachusetts Topics
Area IX is 5% and two items, covering ownership, condominiums, cooperatives and timeshares, and registered land.
Registered land
Massachusetts keeps a Land Court registration system alongside the recorded system. M.G.L. c.185 s.46 provides that a purchaser of registered land taking a certificate of title for value and in good faith holds it free from all encumbrances except those noted on the certificate and a short statutory list, which includes certain federal and state claims not required to be recorded, taxes within three years of their commitment to the collector, certain ways whose boundary the certificate does not fix, and betterment assessments. The certificate, not a long title search, is the measure of what burdens the land.
Condominiums
M.G.L. c.183A s.6(d) is the source of what conveyancers call the 6(d) certificate. A statement from the organization of unit owners setting out the unpaid common expenses and other sums assessed against the unit operates, when recorded in the registry of deeds, to discharge the unit from any lien for other sums then unpaid. The organization must furnish it within ten business days of a written request on payment of a reasonable fee, and it binds the organization and every unit owner.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- Exam vendor
- PSI
- Prelicensing education
- 40 additional broker education hours (beyond the 40-hour salesperson course)
- Passing score
- 70%
- Scored questions
- 120
Who regulates real estate brokers in Massachusetts?
The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, within the Division of Occupational Licensure, licenses brokers. The Board contracts with PSI to deliver the licensing exams.
What experience do I need before the Massachusetts broker exam?
Broker applicants generally must have worked as an affiliated salesperson under an active Massachusetts broker for at least three years (a minimum of about 25 hours per week) and complete an additional 40 hours of broker education. Confirm the current requirement with the Board.
How is the Massachusetts broker exam structured?
The Massachusetts broker exam has about 120 questions split into a general portion and a state portion, delivered by PSI, and a score of at least 70% is required to pass.
Sources: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/prepare-for-and-schedule-your-real-estate-license-exam, https://www.psiexams.com/test-takers/massachusetts-real-estate/
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