A new state system rollout caused licensing delays for Texas real estate agents, leaving some having to wait months to work and earn income.
AUSTIN, Texas — When you see a “For Sale” sign pop up in your neighborhood, you might first think about curb appeal or listing price. But for aspiring real estate agent Isabel Burrato, those signs represented something else: When can I finally start working?
Burrato recently passed her real estate exam and expected to receive her license within about 10 business days — the timeframe noted on the paperwork provided after passing the test.
Instead, she waited more than two and a half months.
During that time, Burrato said she was unable to legally work as a real estate agent — meaning no income and no open houses.
“I have clients already lined up and just having to have them kind of sit on the back burner and wait for me to get this done,” Burrato said. “It was fully out of my hands, [it] was really frustrating and exhausting and I kind of started to wonder if it was ever gonna happen.”
Burrato’s experience is part of a broader issue recently discussed at the February meeting of the Texas Real Estate Commission.
New system launch caused backlog
According to Licensing Director Denise Sample, the agency’s transition to a new licensing system named Real Estate and Appraiser License Management Portal, or REALM Portal, created processing challenges.
“The licensing team worked hard to process and review as many applications as possible prior to the transition,” Sample said during the meeting.
The commission launched the new system on Dec. 2 and notified license holders that technical issues were possible. Still, Sample acknowledged that the rollout impacted the agency’s ability to process applications as quickly as usual.
“We did encounter some issues that impacted our ability to process applications in the way we were accustomed to, and to the way license holders are accustomed to,” Sample said.
The delays affected both renewals and new license applications.
“A test of patience”
For Burrato, the uncertainty was one of the hardest parts.
“I remember emailing them probably Dec. 14 and 15 and getting a response back in a few days,” Burrato said. “The response was basically just, ‘We don’t know when anything’s gonna get resolved, just stay tuned.’”
Her license has since been issued, and she is now hosting open houses in North Austin. But she said the experience tested her patience and financial stability.
A warning for future agents
Despite the rocky start, Burrato said she does not regret her career choice.
“I would say do it. I’m very grateful that I picked this career. I wouldn’t change it for a thing even though we’ve had all these hardships,” Burrato said. “But go into it expecting that it’s gonna be a rocky road for a little while.”
As homes continue to hit the market across the Austin area, new agents eager to sell them may need to prepare for potential delays before they can officially get to work.