How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Texas
Do you want to become a real estate agent in Texas? Texas is an excellent state for a real estate career. The Texas real estate market is hot, licensing is relatively easy, and this career offers a lot of freedom and flexibility. Accredited by ARELLO and IDECC, Colibri Real Estate has taught thousands of aspiring real estate agents in Texas with our affordable and convenient online program. We’re so confident in our ability to give you the best real estate education at the most affordable price that we even guarantee that you will pass your license exam the first time—or you don’t pay. Enroll in our classes to become an agent in Texas.
Here’s how to become a Texas real estate agent in 3 steps
Step 1: Understand the Texas Real Estate Commission Requirements.
In order to become a licensed real estate agent in the state of Texas, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Complete 180 hours of the required education.
- Find a sponsoring broker.
- Submit forms and fees to the Texas Real Estate Commission.
- Take and pass the real estate license exam.
- Before you can start practicing as a Texas real estate agent, you must arrange for a Texas real estate broker holding an active license to sponsor you as a sales agent.
Here are the details concerning real estate requirements in Texas.
Step 2: Plan for How Long it Takes to Earn a Texas Real Estate License.
There are several steps to getting your real estate license, so it’s a good idea to plan for multiple months to get your license. An average timeline looks like:
- 2-6 months to complete 180 hours of pre-licensing courses.
- 2-3 weeks for TREC to process your application.
- 30-60 days to establish a relationship with a broker.
In-person classes can’t be expedited, but for students who follow an aggressive study schedule with online courses, it’s possible to complete all the required steps and become a Texas real estate agent in just two months.
Step 3: Prepare for Associated Costs and Fees.
Perhaps the biggest financial investment you will have to make in order to become a licensed Texas real estate agent is your real estate education. You're required to complete 180 hours of pre-license courses to become a real estate agent in Texas, but the options to get there vary greatly.
Onsite education options are often more expensive than online education, due to the cost of the physical location being passed along to the student. Refer to the table below to compare and contrast Texas real estate schools.
Texas Real Estate Schools
| Institution | Location | Cost | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colibri Real Estate | Online | $499 | Course accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Champions of Real Estate | Onsite | $980 | Weekend classes: 8:30am - 4:45pm Evening classes: 6:30pm - 9:30pm |
| Austin Community College | Onsite | $1020 (for in-district) $4332 (for out-of-district) |
180 classroom hours |
| CE Shop | Online | $519 | 24/7 |
Fees
In addition to real estate education courses, you will have to pay the following fees in order to get your Texas real estate license.
| Original application fee: | $205 |
| Background check fee paid to Morpho Trust if the applicant has not previously been fingerprinted for TREC. | $38.25 |
| Real Estate Recovery Fee – Due on initial applications for a license. | $10.00 |
| Paper Processing Fee – Due if you submit a paper application for a transaction that can be submitted online. | $20.00 |
TREC typically takes 2-3 weeks to process your sales agent application. You can check the status in real time on the TREC Application Status Tracker.