You got licensed to sell homes, not to pay associations. Free Agent Realty is a Texas brokerage with no board requirement and no monthly dues. Represent buyers in new construction, earn referral fees, and locate apartments, all for one flat annual fee.
Your board costs about $490 a year before you close a thing.
That's what a Houston agent pays in 2026 just to belong. Add MLS and it's closer to a thousand. If your business is new construction, referrals or apartments, you're paying for access you don't use.
2026 published dues for a Houston REALTOR® member (NAR, Texas REALTORS®, HAR). MLS fees are billed quarterly and vary. First-year application and orientation fees are extra. Your TREC license renewal and continuing education are paid to TREC no matter which brokerage you choose.
Not a place to park your license.
Referral-only brokerages let you park your license and pass along leads. That's it. Here you can actually practice, in the three areas where a board membership doesn't make you better at the job.
New construction
Represent buyers at builder communities across Greater Houston, from the first model-home visit to the 11-month warranty walk. Builders pay buyer's agents who register their clients properly, and we'll teach you each builder's rules.
Referrals
Friend selling a resale home? Cousin relocating to Dallas? Refer them to a vetted agent and earn a referral fee when they close. Your sphere keeps paying you, with no board required.
Apartment locating
Help renters find their next place. Properties typically pay the locator, and renters often turn into your next new-construction buyers.
Here's what you give up: listing or selling resale homes through the MLS. You'll refer those deals instead. For agents whose business is new homes, referrals and rentals, that's a trade worth making.
Your license is the credential. Not the lanyard.
Texas licenses real estate agents. The association is optional, even when it doesn't feel that way. We built a brokerage for agents who want to keep their license working without paying for a club they don't use.
Every free agent needs a front office.
One login runs your business: deals, clients, documents, builder intel and training. The tools other brokerages charge extra for are included in your annual fee.
Transactions
Deadlines, document checklists, commission worksheets and broker review in one place.
E-signatures
Send forms for signature and track every signed document against the deal.
Client CRM
Buyers, renters and builder reps in one list, with business-card scanning and CSV import.
Community map
300+ Houston builder communities with model-home addresses, directions and builder-rep contacts.
Builder intel
What each major builder does well, where buyers get tripped up and what agents need to know.
New-home CMA
Paste a listing link and compare price per square foot against live nearby new-home inventory.
Training
On-demand courses in new construction, apartment locating and first-time buyers, built for this business.
Broker on call
A compliance Q&A assistant for quick answers, plus direct access to your broker when it matters.
Built for agents who work differently.
If one of these sounds like you, you're paying for more than you need.
- No board or association membership
- No monthly dues
- New construction, referrals and apartment locating
- Front Office: transactions, e-sign, CRM, builder intel, training
- Texas broker supervision and support
Commission terms are spelled out in writing before you sign anything. No surprises, no fine print.
Straight answers.
Do I have to join a REALTOR® association?
No. Texas requires a real estate license, not association membership. Since you won't be a member, you won't use the REALTOR® trademark. You'll be a licensed Texas real estate sales agent sponsored by Free Agent Realty.
Will I have MLS access?
No. New-construction inventory comes straight from builders, and you'll search it through live new-home tools instead of the MLS. Resale business is handled by referral.
Do builders work with agents who aren't REALTORS®?
Builder co-op programs are tied to your Texas license and proper client registration, not association membership. We'll walk you through each builder's registration rules so you get paid.
Can I still help a friend buy or sell a resale home?
Yes, by referral. We'll connect them with a vetted agent, and you earn a referral fee when the deal closes.
What does it cost, really?
One annual fee, with no monthly dues. Your commission terms are written into your agreement before you sign. Your TREC license renewal and continuing education are paid to TREC, the same as at any brokerage.
Can I go back to a board brokerage later?
Anytime. Your license belongs to you. Changing sponsoring brokers is a standard TREC process.
Am I an employee?
No. Like most real estate agents, you'll be an independent contractor, paid by the transaction under a written agreement.
Become a free agent.
Tell us a little about you. We'll reply within one business day to set up a short call.