How to Estimate the Expenses for Getting A Real Estate License in Texas

Ready to kickstart your real estate career? Texas is the ideal place to do so as it is a proven high career growth location for real estate professionals. It offers workplace flexibility, unlimited opportunities, and the option to schedule appointments at convenient times. 

However, since a real estate license in Texas gives you the legal sanction to work in this industry, your first step must be to get one. A license is like a legal permission to carry out the functions related to real estate in the state. 

There is one aspect though that aspiring real estate professionals in Texas worry about and that is what is the total cost to get a real estate license in Texas? 

This post takes you through the ropes and the cost of becoming a real estate agent in Texas.

An In-Depth Analysis of The Process to Get A Real Estate License In Texas 

While it is true that obtaining a real estate license in Texas is challenging, the process can be simplified if you carefully follow the guidelines of the TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission). These include going through the pre-licensing coursework and passing the licensing exam among others.  

Since every step has its fees, an important question here is how much does a real estate course costs in Texas. There is no benchmark in this case as the cost depends on whether you are applying for a broker’s license or a real estate agent’s license.

Cost Analysis To Obtain A Real Estate License in Texas

1. Course fees

All prospective real estate agents in Texas must first go through pre-licensing coursework of 180 hours. This is a requirement of the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), the license-issuing body in the state.  

Now, how much does a real estate course cost for the pre-licensing coursework and study materials? 

The cost of a pre-licensing course in Texas varies, depending on the course provider, type of license, content delivery, and other factors. Typically, top quality providers offer their coursework, either for a broker’s or an agent’s license at a price range of $300 to $1000.

Each of these pre-licensing courses requires a specific number of coursework hours to be completed. 

The total number of 180 hours of coursework is designed to give you a clear understanding of the fundamental principles and foundational concepts of the real estate industry. 

For the cost you will invest in your pre-licensing education, you will learn about:

• Principles of Real Estate: Worth 60 course hours (mandatory)
• Law of Agency: Worth 30 course hours (mandatory)
• Law of Contracts: Worth 30 course hours (mandatory)
• Promulgated Contract Forms: Worth 30 course hours (mandatory)
• Real Estate Finance: Worth 30 course hours (mandatory)

One variable that is a critical component of the cost of pre-licensing coursework is whether you prefer an offline or online learning environment. For instance - in-person real estate colleges and schools in Texas charge more for licensing education. On the other hand, enrolling in an online course provider is relatively more affordable. 

Irrespective of whether you decide to go for an in-person, hybrid, or fully online course, it is important to ensure your course provider is approved and accredited by the state of Texas.

As per the Texas Real Estate Commission, only state-approved and accredited course providers are legally permitted to provide pre-licensing education to aspiring agents and brokers. 

2. Exam fees

After going through the 180 hours of pre-licensing coursework, you are now ready to take the real estate licensing exam in Texas 

The cost of sitting for the real estate exam in Texas

Depending on the type of license you choose, the exam fees will vary. While a real estate agent has to pay $43 for appearing in the exam, the fees for a broker’s licensing exam is $39 per attempt.

The real estate licensing exam must be administered by an authorized faculty, staff member, or proctor. 

3. Additional fees

Let us check out the other fees associated with getting a real estate license in Texas.  

Firstly, you will need to pay the fee of $35 for capturing your electronic fingerprints, as getting your fingerprints submitted is a mandatory part of your background verification check. 

Every applicant must submit a certificate of background information and fingerprint details to the Texas Real Estate Commission.

There is a cost of $185 to complete the background verification process if you are applying for a salesperson license. The cost for a background check for a broker’s license is $235. 

Additionally, every applicant needs to pay a one-time $10 real estate recovery fee while submitting their application for the first time. This $10 is collected by the TREC as a corpus fund to be used to protect the rights of real estate professionals in the event of paying out judgments made against them in the state. 

Apart from the costs given above, some additional fees will pop up too for obtaining a real estate license in Texas. These are mostly for transportation, sponsorship forms, and other professional charges.

Cost Wise Analysis of Getting a Texas Real Estate License

1. Cost of state-approved pre-licensing education

Becoming a licensed real estate professional requires a significant investment of time and money, especially when it comes to completing the pre-licensing education. 

On the journey to become a real estate agent, your most important investment will be to enroll in a pre-licensing from a reputed course provider. This is mandated by Texas law, whether your goal is to be a salesperson, broker, or appraiser. 

2. Exam fees

To estimate the real estate exam cost in Texas, you must decide first the type of license you want to apply for. Applicants must complete and pass the licensing exam, which includes both the state and national level parts of the industry.

There are two sections to the licensing exam, one is the 85-question national section and the other is the 40-question state section for a total of 125 questions. 

Currently, the Texas Real Estate Commission charges $43 for every exam attempt if you are applying for a salesperson, and $39 if you are applying for a broker’s license. 

3. Application fees

After you have gone through the pre-licensing coursework and passed the licensing exam, apply online to the TREC to get a real estate license in Texas. You will be charged a one-time fee for issuing your license.

The application fees will vary, depending on the type of license you are applying for. For example - a sales agent license in Texas will cost you $185 and a broker’s license fee is $235 as a one-time fee. 

Note that if you are unable to successfully clear the licensing exam in one attempt, then you will have to reappear for the exam and pay the application fees again.

4. Background check fees

In Texas, every applicant must complete a background check and prove a clean record with no history of felony or any charges against them. For this, every applicant must have their fingerprints on the file at the time of submission of the application.

Completing a background check will require you to submit electronic fingerprints and pay the fee to process the fingerprints as part of the verification process. 

For applicants interested in getting a real estate agent license in Texas, the fee to complete your background verification and fingerprint check process is $38.25 as a one-time cost. 

5. License issuance fees

After your application for a real estate license is sanctioned by the Texas Real Estate Commission, you will be required to pay a license issuance fee of $150. After you pay this fee online on the official website of the Texas Real Estate Commission, your real estate license will be activated for use. 

After completing all the above-mentioned steps and actions, you will be ready to kickstart your career in real estate.