Beau Parker
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0 Introduction
If you want to start a career in real estate, you probably know how exciting and rewarding the journey can be.
In addition to earning a high salary and extra commissions, you can also experience the satisfaction of helping people realize their homeownership dreams.
For residents of Texas, a real estate career might just be the starting point towards building a life of financial independence where you can be your own boss.
The Lone Star is quickly becoming one of the hottest property markets in the country and has emerged as a popular destination for migrants and homeowners. Texas offers a great mix of natural beauty, favorable weather, strong job market, no income tax and world-class amenities.
Since the last few years, real estate in Texas is booming and offering good opportunities for high earnings and commissions to agents and brokers.
Now is a good time to enter the real estate market and start working your way up to become a licensed real estate broker in Texas.
Whether you are a complete beginner or a working professional interested in switching careers, you can easily sign up for an online Texas real estate course and start your journey today.
Now if you have little to no experience in the industry and want to figure out how to get started with the process, then this guide is for you.
We have put together all the details you need to become a licensed Texas real estate professional.
Be it the basic eligibility requirements to the educational qualifications, we have covered it all in this guide.
Overview of real estate licensing in Texas
Earning your real estate license may seem daunting at first, but if you follow the step-by-step process established by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TERC), it is not that overwhelming.
If you are ready to take the plunge and pursue a career in real estate, you just need to go through the different stages of the process.
Keep in mind that you will need to complete your pre-licensing education, clear the licensing exam, complete your license application and find a sponsoring broker.
First and foremost, let us look at the basic eligibility requirements for a salesperson’ license:
- 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 be a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted alien.
- You must have a high school education or equivalent
- You must meet the TREC guidelines for honesty, integrity and trustworthiness
These are the basic mandatory prerequisites in order to be eligible for applying for a real estate license in Texas.
If you meet the above requirements, then the next step is to fulfill the educational requirements.
Let us talk about completing the pre-licensing education for getting a salesperson license.
According to the Texas Real Estate Commission (TERC), every applicant needs to complete a total of 180 hours of pre-licensing coursework.
Let’s take a look at some of the topics you will learn about during your pre-licensing course:
- Principles of Real Estate
- Real Estate Laws
- Real Estate Finance
- Law of Agency
- Law of Contracts
- Contract Forms
Completing the coursework will take a few weeks and you can join a real estate school or college for the same.
Alternatively, many students prefer enrolling in an online course provider like RealEstateU to learn at their own pace and comfort.
Online course providers can give you the right resources and training to help you cover the depth and breadth of your coursework.
Signing up for an online course might prove extremely beneficial for working professionals who want to manage their work-life while completing their pre-licensing education.
Taking the Texas real estate licensing exam
Once you have completed the mandatory education, you will become eligible to take the Texas licensing test.
To do so, you can visit the official website of the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and choose the desired slot and venue for taking the exam.
You will face a total of 120 multiple choice questions in the licensing exam. Out of which, 85 questions are from the national portion and 40 questions are from the state portion.
Every applicant will get 4 hours in total to complete the test. Note that in order to clear the licensing exam, you must score at least 70% of above.
Completing your license application
If you clear the licensing exam successfully, you should submit a copy of your score along with your real estate education documents to the Texas Real Estate Commission.
Additionally, you must also submit a copy of your digital fingerprints along with identity proofs to complete the background verification check.
You will have to pay a one time fee of $200 to process your license application.
Find a sponsoring broker
Simply getting your Texas real estate license is not enough, you must also activate it and make use of it.
To do so, you must work under the sponsorship of an active broker or experienced brokerrage firm.
