Complete Your 18 Hours of Texas Real Estate CE Online
Your Texas real estate license renewal deadline does not care about your schedule. That is why TREA built a CE school that works at 11 PM on a Sunday -- with credits that post to TREC in about 3 seconds the moment you finish.
Texas Real Estate Academy is TREC CE Provider #10010-CEP. We have been delivering state-approved CE to Texas agents since 2014. Every course is TREC-approved before it goes live. Every completion posts instantly. And if it is not right for you, you get a full refund -- no questions asked.
Want to see how we work before you spend a dime? Take the free 2-hour personality profile class. It counts as 2 hours of TREC-approved CE at zero cost.
Real CE hours. Zero cost. Instant TREC posting.
What Texas Real Estate CE Requires
Every active Texas real estate license holder must complete 18 hours of CE before their renewal deadline. TREC CE requirements are set by the Texas Real Estate Commission. They do not change based on how many years you have been licensed. The 18-hour total breaks into four specific categories.
| CE Category | Hours Required | TREA Course |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Update I | 4 hours | Legal Update I (2026-2027) |
| Legal Update II | 4 hours | Legal Update II (2026-2027) |
| Contract Courses | 3 hours | Contract Parts 1, 2, or 3 |
| Electives | 7 hours | Any TREA elective courses |
| Total | 18 hours | Covered by Hall Pass bundle |
All four categories must be completed before your renewal deadline. Missing even one category means your renewal is incomplete -- even if the total hours look right on paper.
The Two-Year Renewal Cycle
Texas real estate licenses renew on a two-year cycle. Your exact deadline is tied to your license expiration date -- not a calendar year.
If You Miss Your Deadline
Since October 1, 2023, TREC sets expired licenses to inactive status and terminates license holder affiliations.
First Renewal? SAE Is Different
New sales agents complete SAE for their first renewal. Standard 18-hour CE requirements apply starting with the second renewal.
The $75 Hall Pass: Your Full 18-Hour Renewal
The simplest path to a complete renewal is the Hall Pass bundle. For $75, it covers all 18 required hours -- Legal Update I, Legal Update II, a contracts course, and electives. Every TREC category. One purchase. Done.
You do not have to figure out which courses fill which slots. The bundle handles it. Finish the courses, watch your credits post instantly, then log into REALM and submit your renewal. That is the whole process.
The Hall Pass bundle pricing expires 08/31/2026. Lock in the rate before it changes.
Hall Pass
- Full 18-hour renewal
- Legal Update I + II
- Contracts course
- Electives included
- Pricing expires 08/31/2026
Dean's List
- 25+ hours of TREC-approved CE
- Under $4 per credit hour
- Extra buffer beyond the standard 18
- All four CE categories
Individual Course Pricing
Prefer to pick your own courses? Here is what individual TREA courses cost:
| Course | Price |
|---|---|
| Legal Update I (2026-2027) | $29.96 |
| Legal Update II (2026-2027) | $29.96 |
| Contract Parts 1, 2, or 3 (each) | $7.95 |
| All other electives (each) | $7.49 |
| Personality Profile (2-hour free CE class) | $0.00 |
Browse the full TREA course catalog before you buy. Everything is listed with TREC approval numbers, hours, and descriptions.
Instant TREC Credit Posting: Why It Matters
Here is the problem most agents do not know about until it bites them. Most CE providers upload completions in batches. Once a day, at best. Sometimes not until the next business day. That is fine most of the time. But if you finish your last course at 8 PM the night before your renewal deadline, you are stuck waiting for a batch that may not run until morning.
TREA does not batch. We post directly to TREC's system the moment you complete a course. The average posting time is about 3 seconds. It runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- weekends, holidays, and any other day TREC's office is closed.
Finish your last course at 11 PM on a Sunday. Your credits are already in TREC. Log into REALM and renew your license that same night. That is the kind of operational advantage that only matters once -- but when it matters, it matters a lot.
The REALM Outage: Why Retry Logic Exists
TREC took its CE posting system offline for 9 weeks during the REALM portal migration in early 2026 -- January through February. Most CE providers could not post credits at all during that window. Completions piled up with no path to resolution.
TREA had already built retry logic into the posting system before that happened. When TREC goes down, TREA does not fail silently. The system queues your completion and retries the posting every 5 minutes until TREC comes back up. Your credit posts the moment the system recovers -- automatically, with no action needed from you.
That is not something most providers thought to build. TREA built it because TREC's system has a track record. Most providers batch. We don't.
If you have ever wondered why CE credits aren't showing up in TREC, the answer is almost always one of two things: a provider that batches, or TREC's own system having a delay. TREA eliminates the first problem entirely.
Why Most Providers Make This Hard
Texas has more than two dozen approved CE providers. Most of them batch-upload completions once a day, or require you to wait until the next business day for your credits to appear. Providers like 4MeCE and The CE Shop are popular -- but their credit posting happens on a delay. That is fine if you have a week of runway before your renewal deadline. It is a problem if you are finishing your CE on the final day.
The batch-versus-instant gap is the single most important operational difference between providers. Everything else -- price, course topics, video quality -- is secondary if your credits do not post in time. For a deeper comparison of providers, see our full breakdown on the Texas real estate CE alternatives page.
Beyond posting speed, the other differentiators worth evaluating are: whether a provider requires an app or plugin, whether they have a refund policy, and whether they cover all four CE categories in one place. TREA clears all three bars.
How to Renew Your Texas Real Estate License
Finishing your CE is one step in the full renewal process. Once your CE hours post to TREC, you still need to submit your renewal application through TREC's REALM portal and pay the renewal fee. Our full guide on how to renew your Texas real estate license walks through every step in plain language.
The short version: finish your CE, confirm your credits are showing in TREC's system, log into REALM, and submit your renewal. TREA's instant posting means your credits are already there when you log in. No waiting. No checking back later.
Are You a Broker? Your CE Requirements Are Different.
Brokers have additional requirements beyond the standard 18-hour renewal. Texas broker CE requirements include a 6-hour Broker Responsibility course on top of the standard 18 hours. TREA offers Broker Responsibility as a standalone course for $45.
If you are on the path to your broker license, see the full guide on how to become a real estate broker in Texas. Not sure of your current license status? You can look up your Texas real estate license directly through TREC's system.
Start With the Free Class -- Zero Cost, Real CE Hours
TREA's free 2-hour class is taught by Dr. Phillip Shero -- a licensed DISC psychologist who has spent his career helping professionals understand how they communicate. The course applies the DISC personality framework to how agents connect with clients, handle objections, and work with different buyer and seller types.
It counts as 2 hours of TREC-approved CE. It costs nothing. Your hours post instantly when you finish, the same way they would in any paid TREA course. And it runs on any device -- no downloads, no apps, no plugins.
There is no catch. It is a real course, with real CE value, at no cost. We offer it because we believe once you see how TREA works, you will come back for the rest of your 18 hours.
Enroll in the Free ClassZero Risk: Our Refund Policy
TREA refunds anyone, anytime, for any reason. Full stop.
If you buy a course or a bundle and decide it is not for you, you get your money back. You keep any CE hours you already completed. There is no restricted refund window. There is no fine print. There are no questions.
This is not standard in the CE industry. Most providers have tight refund policies -- or no refunds at all. TREA's policy exists because we are confident in what we built. If it is not the right fit, you should not pay for it. That is the whole policy.
Who Teaches TREA Courses?
Texas Real Estate Academy was founded by David Offutt. He holds TREC Instructor #1597, issued directly by TREC after a formal subject matter equivalence review in January 2017. That review evaluated his academic background -- a BS in Economics from UT Arlington and an MS in Applied Economics from UNT -- as well as his professional record as a Farmers Insurance agency owner and registered FINRA representative. TREC approved him to teach Legal Update I and II, qualifying courses, and CE electives.
David also holds TREC CE Provider License #10010-CEP. He has been delivering CE to Texas real estate professionals since August 2014. He built TREA from the ground up on under $10,000 with zero debt -- and built the instant TREC posting system because the industry's batch-upload standard was not good enough.
TREA courses are also taught by credentialed professionals with real-world expertise. Michelle Stuart is a broker-owner with All Cities Realty. She focuses on contracts and addendums -- the practical stuff agents actually use in the field. Amanda Thomas holds an MBA in Marketing and brings financial services experience to her courses. Dr. Phillip Shero is a licensed DISC psychologist who teaches the free personality profile class.
According to the National Association of Realtors, Texas is one of the largest and most active real estate markets in the country. Our instructors are built for the agents who work in it every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do I need to renew my Texas real estate license?
You need 18 hours of CE per renewal cycle. That includes 4 hours of Legal Update I, 4 hours of Legal Update II, 3 hours of contract courses, and 7 hours of electives. All 18 hours -- and all four categories -- must be completed before your renewal deadline.
How fast does TREA post my CE credits to TREC?
TREA posts CE credits in about 3 seconds after you complete a course. Posting happens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not wait until the next business day. If TREC's system is temporarily down, TREA retries the posting every 5 minutes until it clears.
Can I complete all 18 hours of Texas real estate CE at TREA?
Yes. The Hall Pass bundle includes all 18 required hours -- Legal Update I, Legal Update II, a contracts course, and electives -- for $75. You can complete your entire renewal in one place without tracking down multiple providers.
What is the Hall Pass bundle?
The Hall Pass is a $75 bundle that covers the full 18-hour Texas real estate CE renewal. It includes all four required CE categories. It is the most popular option for agents who want to finish their renewal in one purchase. Bundle pricing expires 08/31/2026.
What is the Dean's List bundle?
The Dean's List is a $85 bundle that gives you 25 or more hours of TREC-approved CE. It is a good choice if you want extra hours or a buffer beyond the standard 18. At $85 for 25+ hours, it works out to less than $4 per credit hour.
Does TREA offer a refund if I am not satisfied?
Yes. TREA refunds anyone, anytime, for any reason. You keep any CE hours you already completed. There are no questions, no restricted windows, and no fine print. If you want a refund, you get one.
What is the free CE class TREA offers?
TREA offers a free 2-hour CE class on personality profiles taught by Dr. Phillip Shero. It uses the DISC framework to help agents understand how they connect with different client types. The class counts as 2 hours of TREC-approved CE at no cost. Your credits post to TREC instantly when you finish.
Do I need any apps or special software to take TREA courses?
No. TREA courses run in a standard web browser on any device -- desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. You do not need to download anything. No apps, no plugins, no special setup required.
What happens if I miss my Texas real estate license renewal deadline?
Since October 1, 2023, TREC automatically sets expired licenses to inactive status and terminates broker affiliations. An inactive license cannot be used to practice real estate. Complete your CE early so you have time to handle any issues before your deadline.
Is the first renewal for new sales agents the same as regular CE?
No. If you are renewing for the first time as a new sales agent, your requirements are SAE -- Sales Agent Apprentice Education -- not standard CE. SAE has its own hour requirements and approved course list. Standard 18-hour CE requirements apply starting with your second renewal cycle.
How do I know if my CE credits are showing up in TREC?
Log into TREC's REALM portal and check your license holder page. TREA credits post in about 3 seconds, so they should be there immediately after you finish. If they are not showing up, see the full guide on why CE credits aren't showing up in TREC and how to fix it.
Is TREA an approved TREC CE provider?
Yes. Texas Real Estate Academy is TREC CE Provider #10010-CEP. All courses are TREC-approved before they are offered to students. You can verify the provider listing directly on the TREC CE provider page.