Introduction
Texas is home to thousands of real estate agents and brokers who are reaping benefits of the state’s booming market.
Working in Texas real estate can be a lucrative professional path, especially if you are interested in building a long-term thriving career.
RealestateU pre license courses can help you tap into the hottest real estate markets like Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort-Worth in Texas.
Imagine earning a six figure income while helping people achieve their goals – does that sound like a rewarding and fulfilling career path to you?
If yes, then working as a real estate agent might just be the ideal profession you should pursue.
Whether you want to work as a part-time agent or as a full-time professional, the Texas Real Estate Commission requires you to obtain a valid license to work with clients.
This means if you are serious about pursuing a career in real estate, you must prepare for getting your license by meeting a set of state and federal license eligibility requirements.
If you are a beginner and completely new to this, getting your real estate license in Texas might seem like an overwhelming task.
However, if you follow a step-by-step approach, it is a straightforward task which you can complete within a few months.
To help you get started in the right direction, we will outline the key steps in becoming a licensed real estate professional in TX.
Steps to Obtain a Real Estate License in Texas
Step 1: Meet the basic eligibility requirements
In the state of Texas, all applicants are required to meet the basic statutory requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years of age (or older),
- You must have a proof of residency in the state of Texas.
- You must have a high school diploma in education or GED equivalent
Another important qualifying requirement is that you must not have any history of felony or any criminal activity.
As an applicant, you can also determine whether you meet the eligibility requirements by completing a fitness determination test.
Step 2: Complete the pre-licensing coursework
As per the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), aspiring real estate agents are required to complete mandatory pre licensing education to qualify for a salesperson license.
In tota, you will have to complete 180 hours of pre license education which includes 6 courses worth 30 hours each which are:
- Principles of Real Estate 1
- Principles of Real Estate 2
- Law of Agency
- Law of Contracts
- Promulgated Contract Forms
- Finance in Real Estate
The purpose of completing pre-license education is to gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the real estate industry and its underlying principles, practices, laws, policies, terms and regulations.
Note that you are free to choose between joining an in-person, real estate school or an online real estate school.
However, it is important that your preferred education provider must be approved by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC).
Step 3: Pass the Texas real estate licensing exam
Completing pre license education will also help you prepare for the state license exam which is a crucial step in getting licensed.
Like most states, Texas requires aspiring real estate agents to take the salesperson license exam and pass by scoring more than 75 percent or above.
The salesperson license exam in TX is a closed-book, multiple choice questions test which consists of both state and national specific portions.
You will get a total of 2.5 hours to tackle 110 multiple choice questions and the exam can be taken at any of the Pearson VUE centers in Texas.
Note that you have to pay $43 for each attempt at the test. If you are unable to clear the test, you can retake it by paying the examination fee again after a duration of 24 hours.
Step 4: Clear the background verification check
After completing the pre licensing education, the next step is to clear the background verification and federal criminal history check.
To do so, you need to get an electronic scan of your fingerprints taken at a live scan vendor. Then, you can go to the official website of the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and submit the scan along with your application.
Along with your salesperson license application, you will need to pay the corresponding one time fee of $200.
Step 5: Find a sponsoring broker
After you have successfully completed all the steps discussed above,, it is just a matter of waiting for a few weeks and you will receive your license from the real estate commission.
However, to work with clients and earn commission, there’s one last step you must complete i.e. to activate your salesperson license.
The TREC requires newly licensed professionals to find employer sponsorship and work under the supervision and guidance of a more experienced broker.
It is important to choose the right brokerage or broker as they are going to help shape your career outlook and skillset.
To complete this step, you need to submit your employer sponsorship details to the TREC for review.
