6 Easy Steps to Obtaining & Maintaining a Texas Professional Home Inspector License

Icon - Home Inspection Qualifying Education

Complete Education Requirements

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Icon - Texas Real Estate Commission Application

Submit Online Application to TREC

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Icon - Real Estate Exam Prep

Take Exam Prep Class and Practice Exams

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Icon - Fingerprint

File Background Check and Fingerprints

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Icon - Pearson Vue

Pass the State Exam at Pearson Vue

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Icon - Home Inspection Continuing Education

Maintain active status with annual Continuing Education (CE)

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Basic Requirements to Apply for a Texas Professional Home Inspector License

  • Citizen of the United States or lawfully admitted alien
  • 18 years of age or older
  • Meet TREC's qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity (TREC recommends submitting an optional 'Fitness Determination' form if you have any criminal offenses, unpaid judgments, etc.) The Fitness Determination process is cheaper than paying for an application, examination, and education necessary to receive a license if you do not meet the qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity. Please do not submit a Fitness Determination form if you do not have any criminal offenses or already have a pending application with TREC. Please refer to the TREC website for more information on the topic of fitness determination.

Detailed Steps to a Texas Professional Inspector License

Icon - 6 Course Package

Step 1: Complete the Professional Home Inspector or the Real Estate Inspector Qualifying Education Classes at Champions School of Real Estate®

Professional Inspector License

194 Education hours are required to become a Professional Home Inspector. These hours are broken down into the National and State portions of the course.

110 National education hours including the following:

  • 40-Hour Property and Building Inspection Module I
  • 40-Hour Property and Building Inspection Module II
  • 20-Hour Analysis of Findings and Reporting
  • 10-Hour Business Operations and Professional Responsibilities Module

84 State education hours including the following::

  • 40-Hour Texas Practicum (Ride Along)
  • 24-Hour Texas Standards of Practice Module
  • 20-Hour Texas Law Module

Real Estate Inspector License

154 Education hours are required to become a Real Estate Inspector. These hours are broken down into the National and State portions of the course.

90 National education hours including the following:

  • 40-Hour Property and Building Inspection Module I
  • 40-Hour Property and Building Inspection Module II
  • 10-Hour Business Operations and Professional Responsibilities Module

64 State education hours including the following:

  • 40-Hour Texas Practicum (Ride Along)
  • 24-Hour Texas Standards of Practice Module

Please Note - A Real Estate Inspector must work under a Professional Home Inspector and cannot work on their own.

Please Note - After completing the above 110-Hour national courses, you may file your application with TREC to become eligible for taking the national portion of the state exam or you can continue on with taking the state portion of the course and take both the national and state portion of the state exam at the same time. You cannot take the State portion of the state exam before the National portion.

Estimated Time:
3 - 6 months

Estimated Cost:
$2999

Icon - Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC)

Step 2: Submit Professional Inspector License Application and Educational Documents to TREC

Once you have completed your courses at Champions, you will now need to submit your certificates of completion, Inspector license application, application fee, and if applicable, experience records to the Texas Real Estate Commission by mail.

You can mail your documentation to:

Texas Real Estate Commission
PO Box 12188
Austin, Texas 78711-2188

The application fee for a Professional Inspector license is $120 and should be paid by cashiers check, personal check, or money order payable to the Texas Real Estate Commission.

Estimated Time:
8 - 10 Business Days

Estimated Cost:
$120 Application Fee

Icon - Home Inspector Exam Prep

Step 3: Take the National/State Exam Prep Course at Champions School of Real Estate®

While waiting for your education to be evaluated and the application to be approved, our exam prep course is the perfect tool to keep your knowledge fresh and help you prepare for the exam. You may retake the course as many times as you want for one year at no additional charge!

Estimated Time:
3 Days

Estimated Cost:
$695 (included in package)

Icon - Fingerprint

Step 4: Get your Fingerprints Taken and Pass a Background Check

You are required by law to have fingerprints on file with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) so a background check can be performed. Fingerprints on file for other agencies will not be accepted.

A license will not issue if the background check has not been passed. Expect a delay if you are notified of an investigation into your background history.

Estimated Time:
7 - 10 Business Days

Estimated Cost:
$38.25 Fingerprinting Fee

Icon - Pearson Vue

Step 5: Pass the Licensing Exam within One Year of Filing Application with TREC

The final step in attaining your license is to pass the state exam within one year of filing your application. Below is everything you need to know about the Professional Inspector National/State Exam:

  • $199.00 exam fee due at time of scheduling
  • 4.75 hours, 200 National Questions and 30 State Questions (each exam includes 5 pretest questions that do not affect a candidate's score), Multiple choice
  • National passing score of 63% or higher / State passing score of 75% or higher.
  • May take 3 times prior to the application expiration date (1 year).
  • No required waiting time between test attempts

In order to take the state exam, your application must first be approved by the Texas Real Estate Commission. Upon approval, you will receive an eligibility letter with instructions on how to access the Exam Candidate Handbook and schedule your exam. Once you have the handbook, contact Pearson Vue to schedule a date and time for your exam:

Please Note - If you fail the exam three times, you will be required to take additional education before you can retake the exam. Upon passing the National/State Exam, we recommend you take the Continuing Education course, Inspector Legal & Ethics and SOP Review.

Estimated Time:
5 - 7 Days

Estimated Cost:
$199 (Each attempt)

Icon - Home Inspector Continuing Education

Step 6: Renew Your License Every Two Years by Completing Inspector Continuing Education

Complete your Inspector Continuing Education requirement by completing 32-Hours of Continuing Education every 2 years (no more than 16 CE hours of credit for any one subject). We recommend that you take your education from Champions School of Real Estate® and submit your renewal application and pay the renewal fee to TREC (Fee schedule below). The 32 hours of continuing education must include 4 hours of Inspector Legal & Ethics and 4 hours of Standards of Practice Review.

Inspector Renewal Fee Schedule (Learn More):

  • Apprentice Inspector - $32
  • Real Estate Inspector - $53
  • Professional Inspector - $63

Please Note - To expedite processing, renew online and email your course completion certificates to TREC at documents@trec.texas.gov. More information is available on TREC's website.

Estimated Time:
Every two years

Estimated Cost:
$448


For More Information...

For more information about the Home Inspector licensing program at Champions School of Real Estate, please visit the following pages to learn more about the licensing process, class schedules, and the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC).