Real Estate Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the Real Estate exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 Real Estate Exam Format at a Glance
📚 Real Estate Topics to Study (21)
✍️ Sample Real Estate Questions & Answers
1. The debt-to-income (DTI) ratio most commonly used by lenders for conventional loans should not exceed:
Most conventional lenders require a back-end DTI of 43% or less, meaning total monthly debt payments should not exceed 43% of gross monthly income.
2. Which federal law requires sellers and landlords to disclose the presence of lead-based paint in housing built before 1978?
The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (Title X) requires sellers and landlords of pre-1978 housing to disclose known lead-based paint hazards and provide buyers/tenants with an EPA pamphlet.
3. The principle of regression states that a higher-value property placed among lower-value properties will:
Regression holds that a superior property's value is pulled down when surrounded by inferior properties, the opposite of the principle of progression.
4. Highest and best use is defined as the use that is:
Highest and best use is the reasonably probable and legal use of property that produces the highest value, considering physical, legal, and financial factors.
5. In an exclusive right-to-sell listing, the listing broker earns a commission if the property is sold by:
Under an exclusive right-to-sell listing, the broker earns a commission regardless of who procures the buyer, including the seller.
6. When a municipality changes a property's zoning from higher-density residential to lower-density residential, this is known as:
Downzoning refers to changing a property's zoning classification to one that permits less intensive use or lower density, which often reduces the property's development potential and value.