Get Your TEXAS Real Estate License in 2024

Follow these simple steps to getting your Texas real estate license and launching your new career!

LPMAMA is a tried script for that initial phone call.

But perhaps it’s too long? Is ALM good enough for the technology age of short attention spans?

Salesperson License

Broker License (TX)

Renewing Your License (TX)

Continuing Education (CE)

Best Real Estate Schools

Prep for the Exam

Step 1

Select a Broker

LEARN MORE

Step 2

Complete Your Schooling

LEARN MORE

Step 3

Apply to TREC

Step 4

Pass the Exam

Step 5

Get Sponsored

Step 6

Join the MLS / Association

Step 7

Begin Your Journey

Table of Contents

  1. Select a broker
  2. Complete your real estate school
  3. Submit an application to TREC
  4. Schedule and pass the exam
  5. Get sponsored by your broker
  6. Join your local MLS and association
  7. Begin your professional journey

New Agent Checklist

If you are getting started, you will want to check out the New Agent Checklist.

I’ve written a to-do list for new real estate agents trying to put their business together.

You can download it free via either Google Sheets or Microsoft Word.

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SHEETS
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WORD

Texas Real Estate License Qualifications

To be eligible for a Texas real estate license, you must:

  • be a citizen of the United States or lawfully admitted alien
  • be 18 years of age or older
  • meet TREC’s qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity (see the Fitness Determination for more details)

Texas does not have reciprocity with any states. Even if you are licensed in another state, you will need to meet all the same licensing requirements outlined above, except for the national section of the real estate exam.

How quickly can you get your license?

If you are determined and a quick study, you can realistically earn your real estate license within two months.

Online education is self-paced and the only significant delays will be scheduling your exam, fingerprints, and awaiting the results of your background check.

The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is the government agency responsible for real estate practices and licensing.

The Cost to Become a Texas Real Estate Agent

Texas does a nice job of breaking out the various fees associated with getting your license.

  • $400-$900 – License Instruction
  • $38 – Fingerprinting
  • $10 – Real Estate Recovery Fee
  • $205 – Application Fee
  • $54 – Exam Fee
  • ~$500 – National Association of Realtors and local association membership
  • ~$500 – each MLS membership
  • ~$20/mo – Supra/Sentrilock
  • $50 for the Moral Character Determination Form if applicable
  • ? – Brokerage Fees

The approximate total first-year startup cost to become a Texas real estate agent is $1727 to $2227

This number will vary depending on which MLS you join and if you join more than one. Associations also have slightly varying fees. Some associations are more affordable but may offer less support than others.

step 1

Select a Broker

I recommend selecting your broker first. They will be an invaluable guide for the rest of this process.

They can help you select a course provider, let you know what to expect, and begin matching you with other agents to start accountability and coaching.

To find out which brokers and agents have a good reputation, I recommend talking to the local vendors who work most with them:

  • title companies
  • mortgage lenders

You also want to interview top performers. You probably already know some of the top brokers in your market just by the yard signs. If you’re not sure who the top producers are, consider the browsing brokers and teams in your market in the RealTrends Rankings.

Complete the Course

Step 2 is completing your pre-licensing course. In Texas, you are required to take the following 180 hours of education:

  • Principles of Real Estate I (30 classroom hours)
  • Principles of Real Estate II (30 classroom hours)
  • Law of Agency (30 classroom hours)
  • Law of Contracts (30 classroom hours)
  • Promulgated Contract Forms (30 classroom hours)
  • Real Estate Finance (30 classroom hours)

Once you’ve completed and passed your courses with a qualified instructor, submit your completion certificate to TREC (or with your application if you haven’t applied yet – see Step 3).

In-Person Courses

Check the TREC website for a list of certified Texas real estate license instruction, including in-classroom options.

Below are some of the top options to consider.

Champions Real Estate School Logo

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Champions School of Real Estate

$980+. Champions is a Texas real estate school that offers both self-paced online education as well as in-class instruction. They also offer online CE in Oklahoma and Florida.

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Real Estate Business School

$599+. TREBS offers in-course schooling with affiliated instructors throughout Texas, including salesperson, CE, SAE, appraiser, and inspector licensing. The course quality can depend a lot on the individual instructor, though that’s true of most education, online or offline.

Online Courses

For self-paced, online instruction, the following are some top contenders with Texas real estate pre-license education options:

the ce shop logo
TEXAS

The CE Shop

$396.75+. The CE Shop offers all the Texas education you need, and a variety of packages you can select based on how many extras you want. The basic package gets you the core requirements knocked out. They also offer a free trial and monthly payment plans.

real estate express logo
TEXAS

Real Estate Express

$507+. Real Estate Express is one of the most well known real estate education providers. Their starter package has everything you need to pass the exam. They also frequently offer discounts and are always worth checking in on current offers!

step 3 graphic

Submit the Application

You can begin your application while completing your education. You have 1 year from your application date to complete all the requirements to earn your license.

Fingerprints and Background Check

You will need to complete your coursework and application and have received your TREC ID number in the mail prior to scheduling your fingerprints.

You need to have fingerprints on file with the state so as to complete a criminal background check.

To get fingerprinted, you can schedule a location and time on the TREC website.

A criminal history does not automatically keep you from getting a license. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. There is a list of the kinds of offenses that may be problematic, which is pretty broad, including “moral turpitude” and DUIs.

If you have a criminal history, you will submit a Moral Character Determination Form and Background History Form.

Pass the Exam

Pearson VUE runs the Texas licensing exam. Like fingerprints, you can schedule the exam once you get your TREC ID number in your letter of eligibility in the mail.

You can check out their exam information and study guide.

The real estate license exam is held in person at a regional test center.

You’ll have 4 hours to complete 85 National questions and 40 State questions, 125 total questions for about 1.9 minutes per question).

If you fail, there is no shame! You’ll be in good company as many agents do not succeed in their first effort. You need to retake the exam within the 1 year window of your application. If you only fail one portion, national or state, you only need to retake that portion. There will be an additional $43 fee.

Practice Real Estate Exams

Many schools will offer a practice exam as part of their instruction.

There are some free online resources like the one below with some exam prep material, though I cannot vouch for the content and accuracy.

If you don’t get a practice test, or want additional practice, the best place to get additional practice is from the Texas test provider themselves, PearsonVUE.

Broker Sponsorship

Congrats! You passed!

You now how an inactive license.

In order to activate your license, you need a broker to sponsor you.

This should be easy if you completed Step 1!

Your broker should be able to get it set up for you once you are showing as Inactive in TREC.

Be careful you do not practice any real estate license activities until your broker has sponsored you and your license shows as active with TREC.

step 6

Join the MLS and Board

You do NOT have to join your “local” Realtor association to become a Realtor and NAR member (“Realtor” refers not to a real estate agent but a member of NAR).

You do not have to join NAR at all, but the vast majority of residential real estate agents do either for the professional services or because the association controls access to the local MLS.

NAR has what is called “Board of Choice” that allows you to join any association in your State.

For MLSs, you can only join an MLSs to which your broker is already a member.

Be sure the broker you want to work with is a member of all the MLSs you’ll need for your area. For example, being a member of the San Antonio MLS is great if you’re in New Braunfels, but you’ll want to join the CTXMLS that also covers that region.

It’s common to be a member of multiple, overlapping MLSs, but you will only need to join one association or board.

List of Texas Realtor Associations

The Texas Association of Realtors is the state association, and publish a list of local association branches. Associations are alternatively called “boards”.

The major associations are HAR (Houston), ABOR (Austin), and SABOR (San Antonio). The DFW area is mostly on a single MLS (NTREIS) but comprised of many smaller associations.

List of Texas Real Estate MLSs

Some MLSs are for-profit. Some are non-profit. Some are owned by Realtor associations. Others are independent. The smallest MLS in America has fewer than 20 members.

Below are a list of Texas MLSs with at least 1000 members.

  • North Texas Real Estate Information Systems (NTREIS)
  • Houston Association of Realtors (HAR)
  • Austin-Central Texas Realty Information System (ACTRIS)
  • San Antonio Board of Realtors (SABOR)
  • Central Texas MLS (CTXMLS)
  • Greater El Paso Association of Realtors (GEPAR)
  • Coastal Bend MLS
  • Greater Tyler Association of Realtors
  • Lubbock Association of Realtors
  • Bryan College Station Regional Association of Realtors
  • Greater McAllen Association of Realtors
step 7

Become a Pro

Continue your education beyond the license course, and mostly for free! Check out the following resources I’ve collected with information on how to rock the world as a new real estate agent:

Meanwhile, I’ve written some articles for newer agents on how to avoid some of the same mistakes I did when starting out.

As for a few Texas-specific resources you may want to bookmark, join, or add to your Feedly, consider:

What’s Next?

Your education is not done!

In your first two years as a real estate agent, you will be required to get 98 hours of sales agent education (SAE). And you will have to get continuing education (CE) every two years after that to keep your license active.

Next, I might recommend furthering your education with the GRI designation. It covers all the basics of being a real estate agent that the licensing courses left out.

But you now have everything you need to start showing and selling. Good luck with your new real estate career!