How to Get a Texas Real Estate License: A DFW Planning Guide

Use TREC as the source for requirements

TREC currently requires 180 hours of qualifying education. Complete and upload that education before submitting the license application. TREC says you have one year from the application filing date to meet the requirements. Read its current instructions before starting.

The official page covers eligibility, fingerprints, background review and exam scheduling. Fees and procedures can change. This guide points to the source rather than estimating the cost or promising an approval date.

A planning checklist for the whole path

Use this as your own task list. Follow TREC instructions when they differ from a school brochure or an older article.

Passing the exam is not the whole business plan

School prepares you for licensing requirements. Your first business plan also needs people to talk with, a way to follow up and someone to help you understand your brokerage systems.

Write down your intended service area, weekly availability and the questions you want a sponsoring broker to answer. Read what school does not teach and the first-90-day plan. These are planning suggestions, not additional state requirements.

Compare a sponsoring broker before committing

Ask how training works, how you receive opportunities, what tools are included and what you pay. Obtain the agreement and fees in writing. Use the scorecard to compare the same questions across offers.

After the exam, follow the sponsoring-broker guide. If your question is the sponsorship workflow itself, read how to hang your license.

Make room for your own business expenses

A brokerage fee headline is not a complete start-up budget. Ask which expenses are included, which you pay separately and when they are due. List personal living expenses separately from business costs.

The first-year budget worksheet is a place to organize your own estimates. It does not forecast income or tell you how many transactions you will close.

Plan a service area within DFW

Choose an area you can learn and serve consistently. Our county and city guides explain local address checks and sources. They are background for agents, not a substitute for a course or a license.

If you are considering The Bauer Group, its brokerage conversation is for licensed agents. Review the guides while studying, then confirm license status and current area fit before seeking brokerage opportunities. The Bauer Group does not issue licenses or guarantee opportunities.

Check your record first: the Fitness Determination

TREC lets you ask, before you apply, whether you meet its honesty, trustworthiness and integrity standards. This is called a Fitness Determination. It is optional. TREC's guidance says to consider one if you have criminal offenses, unpaid judgments, discipline on another professional or occupational license, or past unlicensed activity.

A past offense does not always end the process. TREC looks at things like your age at the time, how much time has passed, and evidence of rehabilitation, and the burden is on you to provide that evidence. The offenses TREC treats as directly related to the license are listed in its Rule 541.1. Read that rule and ask TREC or an attorney before you pay for courses. This guide cannot predict an outcome.

What counts as qualifying education

TREC lists six courses of 30 hours each. They must come from a TREC-approved qualifying education provider. College courses generally count only if they match these six courses, and you may upload a transcript for TREC to evaluate.

Moving from another state

TREC says a license from another state, or experience in real estate, does not replace the Texas education requirements (Rule 535.63(a)). You must meet the current Texas requirements. TREC also says you may not have to take the national part of the exam if you hold an equivalent license and passed a comparable national exam. Ask TREC whether that applies to you before you register. If you are planning the move, read moving to DFW as a licensed agent.

The order that avoids wasted money (original)

This is an original checklist built from TREC's published steps. It tells you what to do and what to avoid at each stage. For timing, read how long it takes to get licensed in Texas. For costs, read what it costs to be an agent in DFW.

Deadlines TREC sets

All license requirements must be met within one year of the date you file your application. Each passing exam result is valid for one year. If you fail either exam section three times, TREC says you must complete additional education before testing again. Put these dates on a calendar the day you apply.

The gap between passing and earning

After you meet the requirements, TREC issues an inactive license. Texas law says a licensed sales agent may not engage in real estate brokerage unless a licensed broker sponsors the agent and the agent is acting for that broker (Texas Occupations Code 1101.351(c)). TREC says an inactive license holder cannot conduct brokerage activity. Texas law also says an applicant may not act as a sales agent until the license is issued (1101.351(b)). So you cannot work with clients while you study.

A sponsorship request is made in the REALM portal, and brokers and sales agents can both start and accept one. TREC says it takes effect once it appears correctly in REALM, which can take a few hours. After that you can update your IABS, list the broker on contracts and advertise under that broker. Plan the broker conversation before the exam. Read find a sponsoring broker and how to choose a brokerage.

Your first two years after the license

TREC lists post-license work in two steps. Before your first renewal, sales agents complete Sales Apprentice Education. TREC states this as 270 total qualifying course hours plus Legal Update I and II. After that, each two-year renewal needs 18 hours of continuing education.

Missing continuing education at renewal

TREC lists two options if you cannot finish continuing education by the expiration date. You can pay a CE deferral fee to stay active, which gives 60 more days. Or you can renew in inactive status. Read inactive license and how to activate it before you choose.

Licensing readiness worksheet (original)

Fill this in before you enroll. If you cannot answer a row, use the place in the middle column to find out.

Questions agents ask before they enroll

• Can I work with clients while I study? No. Texas law says an applicant may not act as a sales agent until the license is issued, and an agent needs a sponsoring broker to practice.
• Can an unlicensed friend be paid for sending me a client? TREC says a license holder generally may not pay any part of a commission or fee to an unlicensed person. Ask your broker before you offer any thank-you that has value.
• Do I have to live in DFW? TREC's sales agent page does not list a separate residency requirement. Confirm with TREC for your own situation.
• How many exam questions are there, and what is the passing score? Published figures differ across sources, and the exam has changed recently. Check the current candidate handbook before you rely on a number.

Check before you rely on this

This guide reflects the sources named below, read in early October 2026. Fees, rules, forms and market numbers change, and some details here may already be out of date.

Confirm anything that affects your money, your license or a contract with the source itself, such as TREC, the National Association of Realtors, your local association or your sponsoring broker. If something looks different from what you find, trust the source and let us know. This guide is general information for licensed agents and people becoming agents. It is not legal, tax or financial advice.