How to Become a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Note: To be eligible to apply for a real estate Salesperson License, an individual must be a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted alien, eighteen (18) years of age or older and a legal resident of Texas.

Very Important! Fingerprint Requirements for Brokers and Salespersons applying or renewing on or after January 1, 2008. Click Here to learn about the fingerprint requirements.

  1. Education Requirement

    Before applying for a real estate Salesperson License, an individual must  first furnish the Commission satisfactory evidence of successfully completing the following education.

    Note: the education for a real estate license costs approximately $500, and along with the rest of the costs associated with licensure (application fees, etc) you can expect to pay between $700 and $800 to get fully licensed.

    1. Principles of Real Estate core real estate course [60 classroom hours]
    2. Law of Agency core real estate course (30 classroom hours)
    3. Law of Contracts core real estate course (30 classroom hours)
    4. An additional core real estate course (30 classroom hours)
    5. Another four semester (60 classroom) hours in core courses or in related courses acceptable to the Commission (ie. college hours).

      (Note: To find classes, see Core Real Estate License Education Providers for salesperson and broker applicants)

  2. Evaluation of Education Documents

    Evidence of successful completion shall be presented by submitting your credit transcript AND/OR course certificates prior to filing an Application for Inactive Salesperson License form. You MUST submit your college transcript AND course certificates in order to receive credit for both. DO NOT submit original transcripts and/or course completion certificates. Keep the originals for your personal files and send photocopies to the Commission. See the next requirement below for evaluation of education documents.

    To obtain an evaluation of your education documents submit the form, Request for Evaluation of Education Documents.

    A fee of $30.00 is required for the evaluation of education documents for the purpose of determining if education requirements have been satisfied. This fee is good for one year.

    After you have met the education requirements you will receive an evaluation letter from the Commission attesting to satisfaction of all education requirements. The evaluation of education documents must be performed before the application can be filed. Please allow at least ten (10) business days for processing.

  3. Filing Your Application

    NOTE: You must complete Step #2 above, Evaluation of Education Documents, before filing your application.
    DO NOT SEND YOUR APPLICATION WITH YOUR EDUCATION EVALUATION REQUEST FORM AND FEE.

    After the Commission has notified you that your education has been satisfied, you may then file and pay for the Application for Inactive Salesperson License.

    Please apply and pay for your Inactive Salesperson License online. The information requested online is the same as on the paper application, yet the application process is sped up considerably, reducing by several days the time you must wait to register to take the exam. If submitting a paper application and check by mail or in person, please keep in mind that an incomplete application will NOT be returned to you for completion. A letter will be mailed requesting the incomplete information.

    The following required fees must be submitted at the time of filing an application. If submitting your application by mail or in person, please note that an application received without the appropriate fees will be rejected and your check will be returned to you. The following fees should be submitted in ONE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER payable to the Texas Real Estate Commission.
    ALL FEES LISTED BELOW ARE NONREFUNDABLE.

    Fees Required with Real Estate Salesperson License Application
    Fee
    Amount
    		 Comment
    Original Application
    $97.00
    		 Required for all applicants
    Recovery Trust Account (formerly Recovery Fund)
    $10.00
    		 Required for all applicants unless previously paid

  4. Examination Information

    License examinations are administered by PSI, a testing service company. Once your application has been received, processed and accepted, you will receive notification that you may obtain a copy of the Candidate Information Brochure (CIB) to register for the exam. The CIB will provide instructions on how to make reservations to take the examination and contains study material and instructions about licensing. A copy of the CIB can be downloaded from the PSI web site. Please DO NOT attempt to register for the exam without first receiving notification from our office. The examination must be passed within six months from the date the application is filed with the commission office.

    Along with downloading the new Texas Real Estate Canidate Information Bulletin by clicking here (effective October 1, 2009), we highly recommend you purchase the Texas Real Estate Exam Prep Guide. This 128-page Texas Real Estate Exam Prep study guide breaks down every section of the State and National portion of the test, and includes over 190 sample questions.

  5. Investigation May be Needed

    The filing of an application authorizes an investigation of the applicant's background. Information revealed in an investigation may be cause for disapproval of an application even though other requirements for a license are met. If an investigation is necessary, it may not be conducted until the applicant has passed the examination.

  6. Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Repayment History Checked

    State law prohibits the renewal of a license if a licensee has defaulted on a student loan guaranteed by TGTM unless the licensee has entered into a repayment agreement with TG. YOU SHOULD CONTACT TG BEFORE FILING THIS APPLICATION if you have defaulted on a student loan. An application or renewal may be rejected if this agency has received information from TGSLC that the applicant has defaulted on a student loan. The Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation can be reached at:

    TGTM
    P.O. Box 83100
    Round Rock, Texas 78683-3100
    Telephone: (800) 252-9743
    (in Austin, call 219-5700)

  7. Obtain Sponsorship

    Before you can practice as a licensed salesperson you must arrange for a Texas real estate broker holding an active license to sponsor you as a salesperson. Applicants and inactive salespersons are not authorized to act as real estate agents.

    While you are not required to have a sponsoring broker to file an application for a license, a Salesperon Sponsorship Form is included with the application materials. If you wish, you may file the sponsorship request along with the application. Once all licensing requirements have been satisfied, TREC will send an active salesperson license to the broker, and you may act for the broker on receipt of the license.

    You may also file the application and arrange for sponsorship after TREC notifies you that you have been issued an inactive license. Once a broker holding an active license has mailed a request to TREC to act as your sponsor, you may begin to act for the broker as a salesperson.

  8. Don't Practice Prior to Licensure

    You are not authorized to perform any act for which a real estate license is required until an ACTIVE Texas Real Estate Commission license is in the possession of your sponsoring broker.

    As noted above in the Filing Your Application section, online applications travel through the system much faster than paper-based applications. The online application process could potentially save you weeks of waiting for a license, due to the delays of regular mail communication and other factors inherent in the paper-based process (such as data entry time and processing of checks).
    Please apply and pay for your Inactive Salesperson License online.

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