Getting your Texas Real Estate License is the first step to becoming a real estate agent in Texas. Nowadays, this process can be done almost entirely online. You will still need to take your Texas real estate license exam in person, but the rest of the process can be completed entirely online!

This article outlines how to become a real estate agent in Texas in an easy to understand, step-by-step manner. You’ll learn how much it will cost, how long it will take, what is on the exam, and much more.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Texas

Becoming a real estate agent in Texas is as simple as getting your license, finding a broker sponsor, and getting to work selling real estate! As long as you fulfill the below requirements, you are already on your way to your goal.

Texas Real Estate License Requirements

The requirements to become a real estate agent in Texas are:

• Be a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted alien
• Be 18 years of age or older

How to Get Your Real Estate License in Texas

Step 1. Real Estate License Application

The first step to getting your real estate license in Texas is to complete your license application. The fee for this application is $205.

You can fill out your application online using Texas’s MyLicense system.

Along with your application, there will be a $10 fee that goes to the Texas Real Estate Recovery Fund.

If you don’t want to submit your application online, it is possible to fill out a paper application instead. You can find a printable PDF of the application here: Texas Application for Inactive Real Estate Sales Agent License.

Note that if you choose to submit a paper application, there will be an additional $20 paper processing fee.

Step 2. Fingerprinting and Background Check

After submitting your application, the next step is to complete your fingerprinting and background check. The Texas Real Estate Commission requires that all applicants have a background check performed before they can become a licensed real estate agent in Texas.

To begin this process, enter your TREC ID into the TREC fingerprint page. This will give you your IdentoGO ID.  Once you have your ID, you can follow the instructions to schedule your fingerprinting appointment with MorphoTrust.

The fee to complete your fingerprinting services is $38.25.

Completing and turning in your fingerprints will begin the background check process. The Texas Real Estate Commission will review any findings in your background report to ensure your eligibility. During this process, they may reach out to you to provide additional information or documentation to clear up any findings.

For those who have criminal offenses or judgments against them, there’s a possibility that you may not be eligible for a real estate license in Texas. If this is the case, you should complete and submit a Fitness Determination (FD-1) form before your license application. There is an additional fee of $50 to process this determination, but it will save you the application fee and your time if you find that you aren’t eligible.

Step 3. Texas Real Estate Pre-Licensing Course

Once you’ve completed your fingerprints, you are now ready to begin your real estate pre-licensing education.

Texas requires that real estate sales agents complete 180 hours of pre-license coursework prior to sitting for their exam. This coursework will consist of six classes, each containing 30 hours of material.

These six required classes are:

• Principles of Real Estate I
• Principles of Real Estate II
• Law of Agency
• Law of Contracts
• Promulgated Contract Forms
• Real Estate Finance

Most people choose to take their pre-license education course online. The majority of online courses are self-paced and include study materials like real estate practice exams and flashcards. Some also come with a “guarantee” that you will pass the exam on your first attempt if you complete their course. These benefits are all dependent on the education provider and package you choose, so be sure to get the course that best suits your needs.

Remember that the point of these courses isn’t just to check a box and complete a requirement, but rather to prepare you to pass your exam and become a better agent.

Texas is one of the few states that require the final pre-license exam to be supervised by a proctor. This is not the same as the state exam. This test is provided by your pre-license education company and is an indication that you have completed and retained the information from your pre-license education course. Similar to the state exam, this test is closed-book and closed-note. You are allowed a basic-function calculator and scratch paper, but no cell phones or outside internet access.

In most cases, you can take this test in your own home, but you must have a proctor overseeing you when sitting for the test. When purchasing your real estate pre-license course, check to see if a proctor is included in your education package.

Step 4. Texas Real Estate Exam

After you’ve completed your pre-license education, it’s now time to take the Texas Real Estate Exam.

The fee to take the exam is $43 per attempt.

The Texas Real Estate Exam consists of 125 questions; 85 for the National section and 40 for the State section.

You will have 240 minutes (4 hours) to complete the entire exam. The National section time is 105 minutes (2.5 hours) and the State section time is 90 minutes (1.5 hours).

A passing score for the Texas Real Estate Salesperson Exam is 56/85 on the National section and 21/40 on the State section.

Immediately after completing your exam, you will receive a scoring document that states whether you passed or failed. If it is marked “Fail”, then you will see a breakdown of your score in the different areas of the exam. If you decide to retake the exam, use this as a guide for your studies.

You can register to take your exam on the Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate page. On this page, you will find some other helpful resources as well, including the Candidate Handbook and Texas Real Estate Exam Content Outline.

Step 5. Application Review

Once you’ve passed your exam, you will only need to wait for your background report to come back as a pass. In most cases, this process should take between 5-10 business days. After this, you should receive an email from TREC with a license document. If you have any questions at this point, you should contact TREC at (512) 936-3000 or information@trec.texas.gov.

Congratulations! 

Be sure to take some time to celebrate your accomplishment. You’ve put in a lot of work and effort and deserve a celebration!

Step 6. Real Estate License Sponsorship

When you receive your initial Real Estate License in Texas, your license will be in an “inactive” status. This means that you cannot transact real estate yet.

In order to “activate” your license, you will need to be sponsored by a licensed real estate broker in Texas.

If you already have a broker in mind or have an agreement with a real estate company, you can apply for sponsorship on the TREC member website.

If you don’t yet have a broker to work with check out StateRequirement Jobs for a real estate salesperson opening in your area.

Texas Post-Licensing Education

In your first licensing period (2 years) you will be required to complete two post-licensing education courses, also called Sales Agent Education (SAE) courses. These courses equal 98 hours of education and are very similar to the pre-license education that you took before your exam.

Two of the post-licensing courses you need to take include:

• Legal Update I
• Legal Update II

TREC – Texas Real Estate Commission

Mailing Address: 

Texas Real Estate Commission
PO Box 12188
Austin, TX 78711-2188

Phone: (512) 936-3000

Email: information@trec.texas.gov

Website: trec.texas.gov/