Becoming a Real Estate Salesperson

General Requirements: To be eligible to apply for a real estate Salesperson License, an individual must be a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted alien, eighteen (18) years of age or older, and a legal resident of Texas.

Education Requirements:  An individual must furnish the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) with evidence of satisfactory completion of 210 classroom hours of core and related courses:

	Principles of Real Estate – both course 0111 (30 core hours) and 0112 (30 core hours) or equivalent, for 60 total core hours in Principles.
	Law of Agency 1111 – 30 core hours
	Law of Contracts 1200 – 30 core hours
	Core Elective - 30 classroom hours (examples include Investments 0911, Appraisal 0221, Marketing 0511, Property Management 0811, Finance 0411).  Please note that ALL courses (except optional EXAM PREP course) are "Core" courses.
	PLUS an additional 60 classroom hours (4 semester hrs) in core or related courses.  College work in a “business-related field” may apply.  Think of these as electives.

Evaluation of Education Documents Form.  Use this form to submit to TREC copies of both college transcripts and course completion certificates from Real Estate Education, Inc.  If you have previous college work in a related field, you may submit transcript copies to TREC to determine if you will need to take electives.  Do not send original documents or copies printed on “thermal” type paper to the Texas Real Estate Commission.  Allow ten to fifteen business days for evaluation before seeking a reply.

A fee of $30.00, payable to TREC, is required for the evaluation of education documents for the purpose of determining if education requirements have been satisfied.  This fee is good for one year from date sent, so supplementary documents may be submitted as needed with no additional fee requirement.  Please submit your evaluation form and fee to the Texas Real Estate Commission and not to Real Estate Education, Inc.

License Application: After TREC has evaluated your documents, you will be sent a letter attesting to the completion of all education requirements (or notice of further education required).  If you have completed all requirements, you will need to send a copy of this letter back to TREC along with an original Inactive License Application for Salespersons and the appropriate fees: Effective November 4, 2007 the TREC Salesperson original application fee has increased to $94.50 plus $10.00 Recovery Fund Fee (unless paid previously) for a total of $104.50 payable in ONE check or money order to the Texas Real Estate Commission. An application received without the appropriate fees will be rejected and returned.  An incomplete application will not be returned for completion; a letter will be mailed requesting the incomplete information.  Applications may now be filed online at www.trec.state.tx.us.

The filing of an application authorizes an investigation of the applicant’s background.  Information revealed in an investigation may be cause for disapproval of an application even though other requirements for a license are met.  If an investigation is necessary, it may not be conducted until the applicant has passed the examination.  If a candidate is concerned about the potential results of a background check, he or she should submit a Request for Moral Character Determination to the Texas Real Estate Commission.  Real Estate Education, Inc. cannot provide guidance on this issue.

The time involved in processing an application depends on work volume.  Inquiry as to the status of an application delays processing work.  Inquiry should not be made unless there is reason to believe that information submitted to TREC has not been received.

Important Notice Regarding Student Loans:  State law prohibits issuing more than one license once a licensee has defaulted on a student loan guaranteed by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TGSLC) unless the licensee has entered into a repayment agreement with TGSLC.  You should contact TGSLC before filing license application if you have defaulted on a student loan.  An application or renewal may be rejected if the Texas Real Estate Commission has received information from TGSLC that the applicant has defaulted on a student loan.  Contact TGSLC at P.O. Box 201725, Austin, TX 78761 or at 1-800-252-9743.

Background Check & Fingerprinting Requirement: Anyone applying for or renewing a broker or salesperson license on or after January 1, 2008 must get fingerprinted in connection with the application. Fingerprints are required so that the Texas Department of Public Safety can conduct a criminal history check with the FBI.  A criminal history check will be conducted on every applicant for a license and every time a real estate salesperson or broker license is renewed.  Once fingerprints are on file with the DPS, a licensee will not need to be fingerprinted for subsequent renewals.

Broker Sponsorship Requirement:  While applicants are no longer required to have a sponsoring broker to file an application for license, a sponsorship request form is included with the application materials.  If you wish, you may file the sponsorship form along with the application; once all licensing requirements have been satisfied, TREC will send an active salesperson license to the broker, and you may begin to act for the broker on receipt of the license.

You may also file the application without a sponsoring broker and arrange for sponsorship after TREC notifies you that you have been issued an inactive license.  Once a broker holding an active license has mailed a request to TREC to act as your sponsor, you may begin to act for the broker as a salesperson.  Salesperson license applicants and salespersons on inactive license status are not authorized to act as real estate agents.

State Examination Requirement:  Texas Real Estate Salesperson & Broker Exams are administered by PSI Examination Services, a national testing company contracted by TREC.  PSI currently has three exam sites in Houston that are convenient to Southeast Texas; in addition, a special request can be made the take the Texas test at the PSI facility in Lake Charles, LA.  For more information on testing locations, contact PSI Exam Services at 800-733-9267 or www.psiexams.com.

	Once your application has been reviewed, a Candidate Information Brochure (CIB) will be mailed to you or your sponsoring broker.  The CIB will provide all the information and instructions for making a reservation at the test site to take the exam.  The CIB also contains some study material and instructions about licensing.
	The examination must be passed within six months from the date the application is filed with TREC.  The exam may be retaken until both sections are passed.

Take the Next Step!

	If you have previous college work, you may choose to have it evaluated by TREC to see if you will need to take only 5 required courses or if you will need electives.
	You may take classes in any order, so pick your first class and follow instructions on the registration form.  Some students find it helpful to start with a Principles class.
	If you have further questions, call us at (409) 866-6858 or visit our Frequently-Asked-Questions section.

        Course Title                Course Number

	* Principles of R.E. I            0111
	* Principles of R.E. II           0112
	* Law of Agency                  1111
	* Law of Contracts              1200
	† Property Management       0811
	† Residential Appraisal        0221
	† Real Estate Marketing       0511
	† Real Estate Finance          0411
	† Real Estate Investments   0911

 *Required Core Course    †Elective Core Course        Check Current Schedule for offerings.      Go Here for Course Descriptions.