How to Become a Real Estate Broker in Texas

An applicant who holds a current real estate sales agent license in Texas must:

1. Meet the requirements.
   Be a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien;
   Be at least 18 years old;
   Be a resident of Texas, unless you were licensed in Texas as a sales agent or broker in the last 2 years or are licensed as a broker in another state;
   Meet Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity (Consider requesting a Moral Character Determination if you have any criminal offenses, unpaid judgments, had discipline taken against a professional or occupational license, or have performed unlicensed activity).
   Not have defaulted on a student loan guaranteed by the Texas Guaranteed Loan Corporation (TG) unless in a repayment agreement with TG.
2. Complete Qualifying Education.
   Provide proof of completion of 270 hours of qualifying real estate courses, including the following mandatory courses:
   • Principles of Real Estate I (30 hours)
   • Principles of Real Estate II (30 hours)
   • Law of Agency (30 hours)
   • Law of Contracts (30 hours)
   • Promulgated Contract Forms (30 hours)
   • Real Estate Finance (30 hours)
   • Real Estate Brokerage (30 hours)*

   *The Real Estate Brokerage course must be completed within the two years immediately prior to the license application date.

   Qualifying course credit will not be awarded for the same qualifying course taken more than once within 2 years of each other.

   An additional 630 hours in related qualifying courses acceptable to the Commission or approved Continuing Education (CE) is also required. A full description of qualifying education is provided on the TREC website. Alternatively, a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university satisfies all of the related qualifying education requirements for a broker license.

3. Meet the Experience Requirements.
   Candidates for a broker license must have at least 4 years’ active experience as a licensed real estate sales agent or broker during the 60-month (5-year) period preceding filing the license application. Additionally, your experience must total 3600 points and be reported on the Qualifying Experience Report for a Broker License along with a transaction identification list for each transaction claimed on the experience report.
4. File Your Application.
   After completing the required education and satisfying the qualification and experience requirements, apply for an individual broker license with the Commission either online through TREC’s Online Services or by submitting form BL-8 by mail with the appropriate licensing fee (mailed applications take longer to process and are subject to a paper filing fee). If you already hold a real estate broker license in another state, you must submit the paper form along with requested documents and the applicable fees. After processing the application, TREC will send you an exam eligibility letter with an ID number needed to register for the Pearson VUE exam. You have 1 year from the date your application is filed to meet all license requirements.
5. Pass the Background Check.
   Each license holder is required by law to have fingerprints on file with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) from TREC to satisfy the requirement for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity. Fingerprints on file for other agencies will not be accepted. A license will not be issued until fingerprints have been submitted and the background check has been cleared.
6. Pass the Licensing Exam.
   After meeting the education and/or experience requirements, pass the real estate broker licensing examination. You must earn a score of 75% or higher on both the state and national portions to pass. If you fail the exam three times, additional education will be necessary.

Find more information about Texas’s broker licensing process by contacting the Texas Real Estate Commission: 512-936-3000, [email protected], https://www.trec.texas.gov/