September 18, 2026
Step-by-step guide to getting a Texas real estate license in Houston: 180-hour pre-license courses, TREC application, Pearson VUE exam, and sponsoring broker.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Getting a real estate license in Houston, TX requires completing 180 hours of TREC-approved pre-license education, passing the Pearson VUE state exam, and securing a sponsoring broker before practicing. Houston is one of Texas's largest metros, with a diverse buyer pool spanning international investors, first-time homebuyers, and relocating professionals, which makes licensure here a genuinely high-demand credential.
Quick Answer
To get a real estate license in Houston, TX, complete 180 hours of TREC-approved pre-license courses, apply to TREC, pass the two-part Pearson VUE exam (85-question national portion and 40-question state portion), and activate your license under a licensed Texas broker.
Key Numbers
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Join the waitlist →Houston is one of Texas's largest metros, with a diverse buyer pool spanning international investors, first-time homebuyers, and relocating professionals. The metro area draws buyers from Latin America, Asia, and across the United States, creating demand across price points and property types. Energy sector relocations, the Texas Medical Center, and a growing tech corridor all feed an active buyer pool. For a newly licensed sales agent, that diversity of clients and deal types translates directly into learning opportunities and commission potential.
None of that opportunity is accessible, however, without a valid Texas real estate license. The steps below apply specifically to Houston residents pursuing a Sales Agent license under the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), the governing body established by Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101.
Before enrolling in any courses, verify the following TREC eligibility requirements:
TREC encourages candidates with a criminal history to submit a Fitness Determination request before investing in education. That request can be submitted at trec.texas.gov.
Texas requires 180 hours of qualifying education, split evenly across six required courses of 30 hours each. Every course must be completed through a TREC-approved education provider, and each course must be completed through a TREC-approved provider and satisfactory evidence of completion submitted to TREC.
| Course | Hours | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Principles of Real Estate I | 30 | Property rights, land use, ownership types, intro to real estate markets |
| Principles of Real Estate II | 30 | Valuation, finance basics, leasing, professional conduct |
| Law of Agency | 30 | Representation types, fiduciary duties, IABS form, intermediary relationships |
| Law of Contracts | 30 | Contract formation, performance, breach, remedies under Texas law |
| Promulgated Contract Forms | 30 | TREC mandatory forms including the One to Four Family Residential Contract |
| Real Estate Finance | 30 | Mortgage types, loan qualification, secondary markets, closing costs |
Yes. TREC approves both in-person and online providers. Many Houston candidates use online delivery for scheduling flexibility, particularly those working full-time while pursuing licensure. Whether online or in person, the provider must be TREC-approved and the final exam for each course must be passed. Confirm approval status at trec.texas.gov before enrolling.
Applications are submitted directly to TREC at trec.texas.gov. The total TREC Sales Agent original application fee is $206, broken down as follows: $150 application fee, $6 Texas Online Fee, $40 Texas A&M Research Center fee, and $10 Real Estate Recovery Fund fee.
Applications can be submitted after completing education, or in some cases concurrently while finishing the remaining coursework. TREC's website has the current guidance on sequencing. Do not pay the application fee to a third party; all payments go directly to TREC.
TREC requires fingerprints as part of the background check process. Fingerprints must be submitted through a TREC-approved vendor (currently MorphoTrust/IDEMIA). Houston has multiple MorphoTrust/IDEMIA locations for convenience. Fingerprint results are sent directly to TREC. The background check reviews criminal history, and TREC evaluates each case based on the nature of the offense, how long ago it occurred, and other factors.
The Texas Sales Agent exam is administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of TREC. It consists of two separate portions, each of which must be passed independently:
Both portions can be taken in a single combined appointment of 240 minutes (125 questions total), or scheduled separately. The Pearson VUE exam fee is $43 per examination appointment, regardless of whether one or both portions are being taken at that appointment.
Pearson VUE operates multiple authorized test centers in the greater Houston area, including locations in Houston proper as well as surrounding cities such as Katy, Sugar Land, and the Woodlands. The full list of current test center locations and available appointment times is accessible through the Pearson VUE candidate portal. Candidates should verify current locations when scheduling, as availability changes.
If one portion is passed and the other is failed, only the failed portion needs to be retaken within the one-year application period. Failed portions may be retaken subject to TREC's examination and application requirements.
If a candidate fails either portion three times, TREC requires additional qualifying education before further attempts: 30 hours for each portion that was failed three times, up to 60 hours total if both portions were failed three times.
The national portion covers real property concepts, property ownership, land use controls, valuation, financing, agency, contracts, leasing, and federal fair housing. The state portion focuses on Texas-specific law, including TREC rules, agency relationships under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101, promulgated contract forms, and the Texas Fair Housing Act (Texas Property Code Chapter 301).
Key agency law updates effective January 1, 2026 (per SB 1968) introduced four representation types: seller representation, buyer representation, intermediary, and non-representation. Written agreements are required before acting in a representation capacity. The Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) form was also revised effective January 1, 2026, and must be provided at the first substantive communication concerning specific real property, subject to applicable exceptions. Candidates should be current on these updates when sitting for the state portion.
The Texas real estate exam does not test memorization in isolation. It tests scenario-reading skill: the ability to read a fact pattern, identify the applicable rule, and select the correct answer from four options where at least two will look plausible on first read. That is a distinct skill from knowing a definition, and it is built through repetition with practice questions, not through re-reading course materials.
Working through practice questions before exam day trains the specific skill the exam measures. A candidate who has seen 600 practice scenarios has built pattern recognition for how questions on agency duties, contract terms, and fair housing violations are structured. They are less likely to be tripped up by answer choices that restate a true fact but answer the wrong question, or that describe a rule correctly but apply it to the wrong party.
AhaPrep recommends reaching at least 65% accuracy on practice sets before scheduling the exam, and completing at least three consecutive passing full-length simulations as a readiness benchmark. These are AhaPrep recommendations, not official TREC or Pearson VUE standards. Where your practice results show weakness, allocate more study time to those specific topics rather than following a blanket allocation rule.
Use practice questions and visit the Texas exam blog for topic-specific guidance on the areas most commonly tested on both portions.
A Texas Sales Agent license must be sponsored by a licensed Texas broker to be active. If no sponsoring broker is in place when TREC issues the license, the license is issued in inactive status. No real estate services may be performed while the license is inactive. Activating the license requires the sponsoring broker to submit the appropriate request through TREC's system.
Houston has hundreds of licensed brokerages ranging from large national franchises to boutique independents. When evaluating brokers, candidates should ask about commission splits, training programs for new agents, transaction support, and technology tools. The right fit depends on the type of real estate business the new agent intends to build. Some brokers actively recruit pre-licensed candidates; others prefer to sponsor agents who have already passed the exam. Research both categories before exam day so the transition from licensed to active can happen quickly.
The Texas real estate license renews every two years. At the first renewal, Sales Apprentice Education (SAE) of 90 additional hours is required post-licensure, which brings the total qualifying education to 270 hours over
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