The Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) met on October 6, 2025, to welcome a new member, review upcoming technology improvements by the Real Estate and Appraiser License Management (REALM) Portal, and discuss legislative changes that grant the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) rulemaking authority over initial sales agent license education requirements.
New ESAC Member
The committee welcomed Jean Mitchell. She takes Kandi Luensmann’s place after her move to TREC’s Broker-Lawyer Committee (BLC).
A New Era in Technology
The agency’s upcoming new licensing system, the REALM Portal, will bring significant improvements to the efficiency of application submissions and internal processing.
The REALM Portal will streamline and simplify the way education providers do business with TREC. All education applications will shift from paper to an online process. Renewals for continuing education (CE) and qualifying education (QE) courses will allow approved courses to maintain the same course number from one approval term to another. Additionally, no more sending separate materials or forms in the mail. Any documents will be able to be uploaded.
To prepare for the upcoming changes mark your calendars with these key dates:
- Beginning December 2, 2025, at 5 p.m. CT through December 9, 2025: Transition period—TREC’s current online licensing services unavailable. If you are an education provider, tell your students to complete their education and renew their license early.
- December 10, 2025: The new system officially launches.
In conjunction with the launch of the REALM Portal, changes will be made to all currently approved course numbers. Education providers will receive new course numbers for all approved courses. The new course numbers will be emailed to providers in early December. These numbers will be necessary for submitting course completion information in the Posting System.
Legislative Updates on Education Requirements
A key portion of the meeting focused on Senate Bill 1968, a housekeeping bill that becomes effective January 1, 2026. What this bill partly does is shift authority for setting initial sales agent education requirements from state statute to Commission rulemaking.
Currently, the Texas Occupations Code outlines education topics that must be included in qualifying pre-licensing courses. This structure makes adapting to industry changes more difficult, since updates require legislative action.
Opportunities for Streamlining Education
The committee also discussed the potential to make Texas’ pre-licensing education more consistent and adaptable, particularly for applicants relocating from other states.
“Current statute lays out some basic education topics that each qualifying course must cover, including Texas-specific components,” TREC Education and Examinations Director Jennifer Wheeler noted. “That makes it difficult when, for example, a broker with an out-of-state license wants to come here and obtain a Texas license.”
ESAC will explore the idea of a standalone Texas-specific course, which could allow more flexibility in accepting equivalent coursework from other states while still ensuring all licensees learn key Texas content.
Upcoming Job Task Analysis
The Commission’s licensing exam vendor will perform a job task analysis for Texas within the next year. This review—conducted by subject matter experts and psychometricians—will identify the most relevant knowledge and skills needed in today’s real estate profession.
“A job task analysis like this hasn’t been performed in at least 15 years,” Director Wheeler said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to understand what’s current in the industry and ensure our education aligns with it.”
After this analysis is complete, ESAC expects to review the structure and content of pre-licensing courses.
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