Steps to Becoming a Real Estate Agent in Texas

The first Texas real estate agent license requirement is that applicants must be at least 18 years old. 

1) Complete 180 hours of TREC-approved Texas real estate courses consisting of 6 courses of 30 hours each.

2) You must apply online to TREC for a real estate license in Texas. You can sit for the real estate exam after receiving approval from TREC.

3) Submit your fingerprints to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

4) Pass both the national and state components of the Texas real estate exam.

5) Find a sponsoring broker to work under.

You have now completed all the real estate agent Texas requirements to get an active real estate license.

To estimate the total cost of getting a Texas real estate license, divide it into variable and fixed costs.

Variable cost is the price of a 180-hour pre-license course. For example, RealEstateU offers the course online for an affordable $249. However, it’s not uncommon to see in-person schools charge well over $600.

Fixed costs of getting a real estate license in Texas.

• TREC license application fee: $185
• TREC Real Estate Recovery fee: $10
• Fingerprinting fee to IDEMIA: $38.25
• State exam fee of $43 that is payable to PearsonVue. 

Hence, with online real estate courses from RealEstateU, the total cost to get a Texas real estate license is $525.25.

Several schools offer in-person and/or online courses. However, check out the real estate online courses in Texas offered by RealEstateU, which are the best in state.

Unlike some other schools, RealEstateU does not license courses from third parties. Additionally, you have the convenience of our online courses. 

Finally, get affordably-priced courses, which are the cheapest in the industry.  

There are 6 units of 30-hour modules that constitute the Texas real estate license course.

These are:

• Principles of Real Estate 1 (30 hours)
• Principles of Real Estate 2 (30 hours)
• Law of Contracts (30 hours)
• Promulgated Contract Forms (30 hours)
• Law of Agency (30 hours)
• Real Estate Finance (30 hours)

Yes. TREC permits online study of the 180-hour Texas Real Estate Salesperson’s course.

Most students prefer to take the Texas pre-license course online since it’s much more convenient than taking it in person. The online course allows you to study at your own pace and provides the convenience to complete the real estate course on the go. If you opt to take the course in person, you will most likely need to follow a fixed schedule.

Real estate agents in Texas are among the highest-earning professions in the USA. Statistics from Indeed show their earnings to be around $104,000. 

The Texas Real Estate Commission issues all TREC licenses to both real estate salespersons and brokers.

A Realtor is a licensed real estate salesperson or broker who is also a member of the National Association of Realtors. A separate Realtor license does not exist.

A person who works in real estate on behalf of a third party for compensation requires a real estate license. This includes buying, selling, leasing, or negotiating property deals for clients for a fee.

Someone selling or buying their own property does not need a license because they are not acting on someone else’s behalf.

No. A real estate licensee in Texas can operate anywhere in the state.

For example, there is no Houston-specific real estate license. An individual can live in Austin or Dallas, obtain their Texas real estate license, and still do deals in Houston.

There are 7 exams to take to get your real estate license in Texas. 

First, there are 6 exams covering each of the 30-hour pre-license courses. Next, you need to take the final state licensing exam at a PearsonVue testing center. 

You can think of a Texas real estate salesperson’s license as an “entry-level” real estate license. This is the first license you will obtain. All real estate salespersons must work under a real estate broker.

Once you acquire the required experience as a real estate salesperson, you qualify to be a real estate broker. 

Once you have your broker’s license, you can open your brokerage and have salespersons work under you. 

Yes, a convicted felon can get a real estate license in Texas. TREC will made a determination about the honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness of the applicant after verifying the Fitness Determination certificate.