Texas · TX
Texas Real Estate License Checklist (2026)
Every step, fee, and deadline on one page — designed to print cleanly to PDF and check off as you go.
Before you start
- You are at least 18 years old
- You hold a high school diploma or GED
- You can pass a criminal background check / fingerprinting
Education
Six 30-hour qualifying courses: Principles of Real Estate I & II, Law of Agency, Law of Contracts, Promulgated Contract Forms, and Real Estate Finance (180 hours — the most of any state)
- Confirm eligibility: at least 18, U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien, and able to meet TREC's honesty/trustworthiness/integrity standards (no Texas residency required)
- Complete 180 hours of TREC-approved qualifying education (six 30-hour courses)
- Have course completion certificates filed with TREC
- Consider exam prep — roughly 57% pass the exam on the first attempt
Application & exam
- Apply to TREC online through the REALM portal — $206 application fee (fee schedule effective Dec 15, 2025)
- Fingerprint through IdentoGO by IDEMIA (~$38.25) for state and federal background check
- Receive TREC eligibility letter, then schedule with Pearson VUE ($43/attempt); you have one year from filing to finish
- Pass both portions — license issues INACTIVE; a sponsoring broker must accept you in TREC's system to activate
Budget
| Item | Estimate | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-licensing education | $350 – $1,000 | |
| TREC application fee | $206 | |
| Fingerprinting (IdentoGO) | ~$38 | |
| Pearson VUE exam fee | $43 per attempt | |
| Estimated total | $650 – $1,500 |
Key deadlines
- Every 2 years; first renewal requires 90 hours of SAE courses + Legal Update I & II; then 18 hours CE per cycle
- Receive TREC eligibility letter, then schedule with Pearson VUE ($43/attempt); you have one year from filing to finish
- Most people finish in 2–6 months: 4–12 weeks for the 180 hours of coursework, plus TREC processing, fingerprinting, and exam scheduling.
- You have one year from your application date to complete everything.
- Do I need a sponsoring broker before taking the exam?
- Before paying for courses, you can request a Fitness Determination from TREC to learn in advance whether your record would disqualify you.
- Texas requires more pre-licensing education than any state — and it doesn't stop there: 90 more hours of SAE coursework are due before your first renewal, 270 qualifying hours in total.