(A) An application to act as a foreign real estate dealer shall be in writing and filed with the superintendent of real estate. It shall be in the form the superintendent prescribes and shall contain the following information:

(1) The name and address of the applicant;

(2) A description of the applicant, including, if the applicant is a partnership, unincorporated association, or any similar form of business organization, the names and the residence and business addresses of all partners, officers, directors, trustees, or managers of the organization, and the limitation of the liability of any partner or member; and if the applicant is a corporation, a list of its officers and directors, and the residence and business addresses of each, and, if it is a foreign corporation, a copy of its articles of incorporation in addition;

(3) The location and addresses of the principal office and all other offices of the applicant;

(4) A general description of the business of the applicant prior to the application, including a list of states in which the applicant is a licensed foreign real estate dealer;

(5) The names and addresses of all salespersons of the applicant at the date of the application;

(6) The nature of the business of the applicant, and its places of business, for the ten-year period preceding the date of application.

(B) Every nonresident applicant shall name a person within this state upon whom process against the applicant may be served and shall give the complete residence and business address of the person designated. Every applicant shall file an irrevocable written consent, executed and acknowledged by an individual duly authorized to give such consent, that actions growing out of a fraud committed by the applicant in connection with the sale in this state of foreign real estate may be commenced against it, in the proper court of any county in this state in which a cause of action for such fraud may arise or in which the plaintiff in such action may reside, by serving on the secretary of state any proper process or pleading authorized by the laws of this state, in the event that the applicant if a resident of this state, or the person designated by the nonresident applicant, cannot be found at the address given. The consent shall stipulate that the service of process on the secretary of state shall be taken in all courts to be as valid and binding as if service had been made upon the foreign real estate dealer. If the applicant is a corporation or an unincorporated association, the consent shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the resolution of the board of directors, trustees, or managers of the corporation or association, authorizing such individual to execute the consent.

(C) The superintendent may investigate any applicant for a dealer's license, and may require any additional information the superintendent considers necessary to determine the business repute and qualifications of the applicant to act as a foreign real estate dealer. If the application for a dealer's license involves investigation outside this state, the superintendent may require the applicant to advance sufficient funds to pay any of the actual expenses of the investigation, and an itemized statement of such expense shall be furnished to the applicant.

(D) Every applicant shall take a written examination, prescribed and conducted by the superintendent, which covers the applicant's knowledge of the principles of real estate practice, real estate law, financing and appraisal, real estate transactions and instruments relating to them, canons of business ethics relating to real estate transactions, and the duties of foreign real estate dealers and salespersons. The fee for the examination, when administered by the superintendent, is one hundred one dollars. If the applicant does not appear for the examination, the fee shall be forfeited and a new application and fee shall be filed, unless good cause for the failure to appear is shown to the superintendent. The requirement of an examination may be waived in whole or in part by the superintendent if an applicant is licensed as a real estate broker by any state.

Any applicant who fails the examination twice shall wait six months before applying to retake the examination.

(E) No person shall take the foreign real estate dealer's examination who has not established to the satisfaction of the superintendent that the person:

(1) Has not been convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude or, if the applicant has been so convicted, the superintendent has disregarded the conviction because the applicant has proven to the superintendent, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the applicant's activities and employment record since the conviction show that the applicant is honest, truthful, and of good reputation, and there is no basis in fact for believing that the applicant again will violate the laws involved;

(2) Has not been finally adjudged by a court to have violated any municipal, state, or federal civil rights laws relevant to the protection of purchasers or sellers of real estate or, if the applicant has been so adjudged, at least two years have passed since the court decision and the superintendent has disregarded the adjudication because the applicant has proven, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the applicant's activities and employment record since the adjudication show that the applicant is honest, truthful, and of good reputation, and there is no basis in fact for believing that the applicant again will violate the laws involved;

(3) Has not, during any period for which the applicant was licensed under this chapter or any former section of the Revised Code applicable to licensed foreign real estate dealers or salespersons, violated any provision of, or any rule adopted pursuant to, this chapter or that section, or, if the applicant has violated any such provision or rule, has established to the satisfaction of the superintendent that the applicant will not again violate the provision or rule.

(F) If the superintendent finds that an applicant for a license as a foreign real estate dealer, or each named member, manager, or officer of a partnership, association, or corporate applicant is at least eighteen years of age, is of good business repute, has passed the examination required under this section or has had the requirement of an examination waived, and appears otherwise qualified, the superintendent shall issue a license to the applicant to engage in business in this state as a foreign real estate dealer. Dealers licensed pursuant to this section shall employ as salespersons of foreign real estate only persons licensed pursuant to section 4735.28 of the Revised Code. If at any time such salespersons resign or are discharged or new salespersons are added, the dealer forthwith shall notify the superintendent and shall file with the division of real estate the names and addresses of new salespersons.

(G) If the applicant merely is renewing the applicant's license for the previous year, the application need contain only the information required by divisions (A)(2), (3), and (6) of this section.

Amended by 133rd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 166, §101.01, eff. 10/17/2019.

Effective Date: 01-04-1988 .