How to Become a Texas Real Estate Broker in 7 Steps

Ready to level up your real estate career? Becoming a licensed real estate broker in Texas opens doors to higher commission splits, the ability to open your own brokerage, and the opportunity to mentor and supervise other agents. But getting there requires meeting specific requirements set by the Texas Real Estate CommissionTexas What Is Trec Career Center (TREC). Here's everything you need to know about how to become a real estate broker in Texas, from experience requirements to passing the broker exam.

The timeline from sales agent to broker typically takes at least four years, but the career benefits—like keeping more of your hard-earned commissions and having greater control over your business—make it worth the effort.

Step 1: Meet the Experience Requirements

Before you can even apply for a broker license in Texas, you need to prove you've got the experience to back it up. TREC requires that you've been an active licensed real estate sales agentTexas Real Estate LicenseTexas Real Estate License for at least 4 of the last 5 years. This isn't just about holding a license—you need to have been actively working in real estate during that time.

But there's more. You also need to accumulate 3,600 transaction points during those four years. So what counts as a transaction point? Each real estate transaction you're involved in earns you points based on your role. For example, if you're the listing agent on a sale, that's worth more points than if you assisted on a transaction. Leases, sales, and other qualifying transactions all contribute to your point total.

Here's the key: start tracking your transactions from day one of your sales agent career. You'll need to document every qualifying transaction on TREC's Supplement A - Qualifying Experience Report for a Broker LicenseSupplement Qualifying Experience Report Broker License Forms. This means keeping detailed records of transaction dates, property addresses, your role in each deal, and transaction ID numbers. Working under multiple brokerages? No problem—transactions from all your sponsoring brokers count toward your total.

Pro tip: Don't wait until you're ready to apply to start organizing this information. Tracking down transaction details from four years ago is way harder than keeping organized records as you go.

Step 2: Complete the Required Broker Education

You've already completed all the courses needed for your sales agent licenseTexas Real Estate LicenseTexas Real Estate License and kept up with your continuing education requirementsTexas Real Estate Continuing Education. But to become a broker, you need to level up your education with four additional courses:

• Broker Responsibility to Clients and Customers - Learn the heightened duties and legal obligations brokers have
• Contract Forms and Addenda - Master the contracts you'll need to understand as a supervising broker
• Brokerage Management and Supervision - Get ready to lead a team and run a brokerage
• Real Estate Business and Agency Relationships - Deep dive into the business side of real estate

Each course provides essential knowledge for your new role supervising agents and potentially running your own brokerage. Altogether, these courses take several weeks to a few months to complete, depending on how quickly you work through them.

Here's a shortcut: If you have a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university, you can bypass these four broker courses entirely. TREC considers your college education sufficient preparation for broker-level responsibilities.

Once you've completed the courses, make sure to submit your education completion documents to TREC. You can do this onlineIndividual Real Estate Broker Become Licensed or via paper application—online is typically faster.

Step 3: Submit Your Broker License Application

Ready to make it official? Submit your Application for Real Estate Broker License by an IndividualReal Estate Broker License Individual Forms to TREC along with the $235 application fee. This fee covers the processing of your application and is non-refundable, so make sure you're ready before you submit.

Important: Once you submit your application, the clock starts ticking. You have one year from your application date to complete all remaining requirements—education, fingerprinting, background check, and passing the exam. If you don't finish within that year, you'll need to reapply and pay the fee again.

Make sure you have all your documentation ready when you apply, including your Supplement A showing your 3,600 transaction points and proof of your completed broker education (unless you're using the bachelor's degree exemption).

Step 4: Complete Fingerprinting and Background Check

Before TREC will grant you a broker license, you need to complete fingerprinting through the Texas Department of Public Safety and pass a background check. If you completed this when you first got your sales agent license, you'll need to do it again for your broker license.

The background check looks at your criminal history to ensure you meet TREC's character requirements for holding a broker license. This process typically takes a few weeks, so don't wait until the last minute if you're up against your one-year application deadline.

Step 5: Pass the Texas Real Estate Broker Exam

This is the final hurdle. The Texas broker exam is administered by Pearson VUEClients Texas Real Estate.aspx Home.pearsonvue.comClients Texas Real Estate.aspx Home.pearsonvue.com and tests your knowledge of broker-level responsibilities, Texas real estate law, and everything you learned in your broker courses.

The exam consists of multiple-choice questions covering both national and Texas-specific real estate topics. You need to pass both portions of the exam. The test is computer-based, and you'll schedule your exam through Pearson VUE's websiteClients Texas Real Estate.aspx Home.pearsonvue.comClients Texas Real Estate.aspx Home.pearsonvue.com after you've completed all your education requirements.

Exam prep is crucial—this test is more challenging than the sales agent exam because it covers more complex topics like brokerage management, supervision, and legal responsibilities. Many brokers-to-be use study guides, take practice exams, or join study groups to prepare. Budget time to study seriously for this exam, especially if it's been a few years since you took your sales agent test.

If you don't pass on your first attempt, you can retake the exam. There's a fee for each attempt, and you'll need to wait a specified period between attempts.

What Happens After You Become a Licensed Broker?

Congratulations—you're now a real estate broker! But what does that actually mean for your career?

As a broker, you have several options. You can open your own brokerage and sponsor other agents, work for an established brokerage in a management role, or continue selling real estate but with better commission splits and more autonomy. Many brokers use their license to keep a larger percentage of their commissions while working independently.

You're also now legally responsible for supervising the agents you sponsor. This means reviewing contracts, providing guidance, and ensuring your agents comply with Texas real estate lawRules Legal. It's a leadership role that comes with both greater rewards and greater responsibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to become a broker in Texas?
At minimum, you need 4 years of active experience as a sales agentTexas Real Estate LicenseTexas Real Estate License plus the time to complete your broker courses (a few months) and study for the exam. Most agents take 4-5 years total from getting their sales license to becoming a broker.

How much does it cost to become a real estate broker in Texas?
Expect to pay around $235 for the application fee, $200-400 for the four broker courses (if not exempt), exam fees, and fingerprinting costs. Total investment is typically $600-900.

Can I become a broker without 4 years of experience?
No. The 4-year active license requirement is mandatory in Texas. There's no shortcut around the experience requirement.

What's the main difference between a broker and an agent?
Brokers can supervise agents, open their own brokerage, and have demonstrated higher-level expertise through additional education and experience. Sales agents must work under a broker's supervision.

Ready to Start Your Path to Broker?

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