You may be wondering how long does it take to become a licensed real estate agent in Texas, or maybe how much is it going to cost me? The Texas Real Estate Commission website provides you the steps that need to be completed.
- File application and pay fee
- Get fingerprints taken and pass background check
- Complete education
- Take Exam
- Find a sponsor
The order is about right, but there are some things you can do beforehand to save time.
After you file your application you can go ahead and schedule your fingerprints, background check, and start your education all at the same time. You can also go ahead and start looking for a broker sponsor.
The application fee in Texas is $205.
If you already have a broker at the time of approval, then you will be instantly active; whereas, if you do not have a broker you will be inactive until a broker sponsor is found.
They don’t tell you where to go to get the education, probably because there are a LOT of options. You can do:
- In-person classes
- Take-home Textbook or E-Books
- Online Classes which are basically just slide presentations
Some are certainly more expensive than others, but they all do the same thing. You need 180 classroom hours of the following courses:
- Principles of Real Estate I (30 classroom hours)
- Principles of Real Estate II (30 classroom hours)
- Law of Agency (30 classroom hours)
- Law of Contracts (30 classroom hours)
- Promulgated Contract Forms (30 classroom hours)
- Real Estate Finance (30 classroom hours)
I prefer the online because you can go at your own pace and at any time of the day. Also, they don’t really take 30 hours to complete, more like 2 or 3 hours each. It is also the least expensive option.
360 Training has a course as low as $299, which is very low considering you can spend over $1000 with other options.
Real Estate Education $299
The courses do require time once started, so you cannot sit down and knock them all out in one afternoon. I would say if you aren’t doing anything else then you can get them done in a week, but if you are working on another job then plan on 4 to six weeks where you are completing one or two classes in your spare time each week.
If you are nervous about taking the exam, you should be. It has a pass rate around 50% the first time. But, if you take the exam prep, it jumps over 90%. Well worth the money, considering if you fail even one portion you have to schedule another exam and wait to retake it.
Once you have completed your courses then you can schedule your state and national exam with Pearson VUE. This will be taken at a testing center and depending on how far you are willing to drive or how lucky you are, you may have to wait a week or so for one to be close to you.
The license exam is $54
You should have already completed your fingerprinting, background, education, and finding a broker. Once you pass the exam then you will be approved most likely in the next week.
Total time if that is all you are doing can be completed in as little as 3 weeks. If you get it done quicker I would love to hear how. But, if you are like the rest of us you should expect about 6 weeks to 2 months until you are a licensed real estate agent.
What Can Make It Longer?
- Criminal history has shown to delay the background approval process.
- The real estate commission can have a delayed processing time. You can go on their website and see what the processing time is for new applications.
- Exam availability and location could be a little longer if you aren’t willing to drive.
- You are missing something from the requirements or you did not complete the application.
If you feel like it is taking longer than it should, do not hesitate to call the commission to find out what is going on. They will let you know if you are missing a document or if they are still waiting on something to come back.
Total bill is around $560 *Does not include taxes
And if you have nothing better to do than you can be licensed in 3 weeks.
If you know a faster or cheaper way, then I would love to hear what you have. Email me at [email protected], or post a comment.
