How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Dallas: Steps, Exam, and Costs

To become a real estate agent in Dallas, you complete 180 hours of pre-licensing coursework approved by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), pass a fingerprint-based background check, pass the state licensing exam, and get sponsored by a Texas broker. Budget roughly $800 to $2,000 from start to active license, depending on which school you pick and whether you pass the exam on the first try.

Check Your Eligibility First

Under Texas Occupations Code Section 1101.354, you must be at least 18 and either a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted alien.¹ TREC also evaluates honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity, which is where criminal history and prior professional discipline come in.

If you have felony convictions, guilty pleas, unpaid judgments, or discipline against another license, request a Fitness Determination from TREC before paying for courses. It gives you a formal read on whether your background is likely to disqualify you.² Felony history must be disclosed on the license application itself, even if you received community supervision.¹

Complete 180 Hours of Pre-Licensing Education

TREC requires 180 classroom hours of qualifying coursework, delivered as six 30-hour courses:³

Principles of Real Estate I — property types, legal descriptions, land use, and fair housing law.
Principles of Real Estate II — valuation, taxation, and market analysis.
Law of Agency — the duties you owe clients and how representation works in Texas.
Law of Contracts — how binding agreements are formed, performed, and breached.
Promulgated Contract Forms — the specific TREC forms used to transfer Texas property.
Real Estate Finance — lending practices, mortgage instruments, and financing for residential and commercial deals.

You can take these online at your own pace or in a classroom through any TREC-approved provider. Online-only packages typically run $500 to $1,000; classroom or premium programs with coaching and exam prep can reach $1,700 or more. Every course ends with a proctored final exam, so even fully online students verify their identity and test under supervision. After the proctored exam, you sign an affidavit confirming you were the student who did the work.

Pick the school carefully. TREC publishes first-time exam passage rates by provider, and they vary widely. Some report rates below 30 percent; others clear 55 percent. Check those numbers before you pay tuition.

Get Fingerprinted for the Background Check

Texas requires every applicant to have fingerprints on file with the Department of Public Safety so state and FBI criminal history checks can run. Your license will not issue until that check clears.³

Fingerprint collection runs through IdentoGO by IDEMIA under the Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST) program.⁴ You schedule an appointment at a service center, submit digital fingerprints, and pay $37 total.⁵ Results go directly to TREC. Prints already on file with another agency will not count; TREC requires its own submission through FAST.

Submit the Application to TREC

Once coursework is done and fingerprinting is underway, apply through TREC’s REALM Portal.³ Total application fees are $206:⁶

Application fee: $150
Texas Online fee: $6
Texas A&M Research Center fee: $40
Real Estate Recovery fee: $10

After TREC verifies your education and background check, you get an eligibility notice with exam-scheduling instructions. Your application has an expiration date, and both sections of the exam must be passed before then.⁷ If you pass one section and the application expires before you pass the other, you can reapply without retaking the section you already cleared, so long as less than a year has passed since that score.

Pass the Licensing Exam

Pearson VUE administers the exam at computerized testing centers across the Dallas–Fort Worth area. The fee is $43 per attempt. Bring two valid IDs and arrive early enough to check in.³

The test has two parts: a national section on general real estate principles and a state section on Texas-specific law. Results come back immediately. If you fail one or both sections, you get two more attempts before TREC requires more education. After three failed attempts, you must complete 30 additional qualifying hours if you failed one section, or 60 additional hours if you failed both, before you can retest or reapply.⁸ Retakes stack up at $43 each, so serious exam prep up front usually pays for itself.

Get a Sponsoring Broker

Passing the exam does not let you sell houses. Texas law prohibits a sales agent from conducting any real estate activity without being associated with a sponsoring broker at all times, and every commission has to flow through that broker.⁹

To activate your license, you and your broker complete the Sales Agent Sponsorship Form-1 from TREC’s licensing forms page.¹⁰ Before signing anything, use TREC’s license holder search to confirm the broker’s license is active and free of restrictive disciplinary orders.

The relationship carries real legal weight. Your sponsoring broker must notify you in writing of the scope of your authorized activities and is responsible for those authorized acts. The broker must also maintain written policies covering your competence, advertising compliance, and timely delivery of commission notices. For your first three transactions of any given type, the broker must pair you with an experienced agent for coaching and hands-on guidance.¹¹ When you interview Dallas brokerages, ask specifically how they handle that mentorship requirement. The answer tells you whether the office actually supports new agents or just collects desk fees.

What It All Costs

A realistic breakdown of the fees to reach an active Dallas license:

Pre-licensing education (180 hours): $500 to $1,700+, depending on provider and format
TREC application fees: $206 total⁶
Fingerprinting: $37⁵
Licensing exam: $43 per attempt

A first-time candidate who passes on the first try and uses an affordable online school can expect $800 to $1,000. Choose a premium classroom program and need a retake, and you can easily top $2,000. These figures do not include post-licensure costs like local board dues and MLS access fees, which vary by the Dallas-area association you join.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Getting licensed is the start. Before your first renewal, you must complete 270 hours of Sales Apprentice Education (SAE) plus 4 hours of TREC Legal Update I and 4 hours of TREC Legal Update II.¹² All hours must be posted to your license record before you submit the renewal, which costs $110.⁶ TREC does not allow you to defer SAE, and the license will not renew until the education is finished.¹³ The 270-hour requirement catches new agents off guard, so plan for it while you are also trying to close deals.

After the SAE cycle, each two-year renewal requires 18 hours of continuing education: 4 hours of Legal Update I, 4 hours of Legal Update II, 3 hours of contract-related coursework, and 7 elective hours.¹³

A Note on Realtor Membership

A real estate license and the Realtor designation are not the same thing. The license from TREC lets you practice legally. The title “Realtor” comes from joining the National Association of Realtors through a local board, and it is voluntary. Most Dallas agents join for MLS access, networking, and credibility, but the law does not require it. If you do join, NAR requires a new-member ethics orientation of at least 2 hours and 30 minutes.¹⁴

1
State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101 – Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents
2
Texas Real Estate Commission. Request a Fitness Determination
3
Texas Real Estate Commission. Become a Real Estate Sales Agent
4
Department of Public Safety. Fingerprinting Services
5
Texas Department of Public Safety. FACT Clearinghouse
6
Texas Real Estate Commission. Fee Schedule Effective December 15, 2025
7
Texas Real Estate Commission. Exam Section Expiration Information
8
Pearson VUE. Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook
9
Texas Real Estate Commission. Parting Ways With a Broker – What You Need to Know
10
Texas Real Estate Commission. Licensing Forms
11
Cornell Law School. 22 Texas Administrative Code 535.2 – Broker Responsibility
12
Texas Real Estate Commission. Renewal Education Information
13
Texas Real Estate Commission. Renew Your Sales Agent License
14
National Association of REALTORS®. Code of Ethics Training Requirements – New Members