Can You Take Your Listings With You When You Switch Brokerages in Texas?
By Rise Realty Texas · Reviewed by Kelly Bishop, Broker
Published October 30, 2026
Not automatically. In Texas, listing agreements and buyer representation agreements are contracts with the brokerage, not with the agent, so they stay with your current broker unless it agrees to release them. Your license number stays the same, and pending deals are paid under TREC Rule 535.3 and your contractor agreement. This guide explains who decides what, and how to handle the conversation with your current broker.
Do your listings go with you when you change brokerages in Texas?
Your active listings stay with your current brokerage unless that broker agrees to release them. TREC explains that a listing agreement is a private contract between the property owner and the broker, not the sales agent. TREC also has no authority to require a broker to release a seller from a listing agreement.
If a seller wants to move with you, the seller and your current broker can agree to end the listing, and the seller can then sign a new listing agreement with your new brokerage. Texas REALTORS® publishes a Termination of Listing form (TXR 1410) that brokers and sellers can use to end a listing by agreement. In NTREIS, the usual process is to cancel the listing under the previous brokerage and create a new one under the new brokerage. The seller has a say too, and may choose to stay with your current brokerage. If your current broker declines, the listing stays where it is, and your new brokerage has no way to force a release.
Can your buyers follow you to a new brokerage?
Buyers who signed a representation agreement with your current broker stay with that broker unless the broker releases them. TREC says the buyer would still be represented by your previous broker and may ask to be released. Because Texas has required written buyer agreements since January 1, 2026, that document decides who represents the buyer. Our post on buyer agreements in Texas covers how they work.
What happens to pending deals and commissions when you switch?
Pending deals are paid under TREC Rule 535.3 and your independent contractor agreement. The rule lets an agent who changes sponsors be paid through either the current sponsoring broker or the broker who sponsored the agent when the right to the commission was earned. It does not let compensation come from anyone else.
Your contractor agreement controls the details: notice periods, fees owed, and when and how a pending deal pays out after you leave. Ask both brokers how closings and payouts will be handled before you file the change. Many agents time a move for just after a closing, when the fewest files are open.
What should you do before you tell your current broker?
- Read your independent contractor agreement. Look for notice terms, fees you may owe, and how pending deals are paid after you leave.
- List what is in motion. Write down your active listings, pending contracts, and buyers with signed representation agreements.
- Decide which listings you would like to ask your broker to release. Remember that the broker and the seller both have to agree.
- Choose your timing. Between closings is easier than mid-transaction.
- Plan your written notice. TREC Rule 535.121 requires a sales agent who intends to end sponsorship to notify the broker in writing.
How do you tell your current broker you are leaving?
Tell your broker directly, in person or by phone rather than by text, before you start anything in the REALM Portal. Present it as a decision you have already made. Moving your own sponsorship is your call, while releasing a listing is your broker’s, and mixing those two requests is what usually creates tension. Come prepared: know which listings you would like to bring, have reread your contractor agreement, and offer to handle the paperwork yourself so your broker is not left scrambling.
“I wanted to let you know directly that I have decided to move my sponsorship to [new brokerage], effective [date]. I want this to be a clean transition for you and for my sellers. For [listing address], I would like to ask whether you are willing to sign a termination so my seller can decide whether to continue with me. I am glad to handle the paperwork. Is there anything you need from me to make this smooth?”
Follow up in writing the same day. A short email that names each listing and proposes a timeline gives both brokers a record if anyone remembers the conversation differently, and it also satisfies the written-notice requirement in Rule 535.121. If your broker hesitates, stay factual: the listing contract is between the seller and the brokerage, so the release decision is theirs. If a specific listing becomes a real dispute, take it to an attorney rather than settling it by text. This section is general guidance based on common practice, not legal advice.
What changes in the REALM Portal when you switch sponsors?
Your license number stays the same. In TREC’s REALM Portal the switch is one action: you request sponsorship with the new brokerage, the new brokerage accepts, and your previous sponsorship ends automatically. A sponsorship is effective once it appears correctly in the portal, and TREC says you may then update your IABS, list the new sponsoring broker in contracts, and advertise under the new broker. For the click-by-click walkthrough, see our guide to transferring your license in the REALM Portal, and for the IABS step, our guide to setting up the TREC IABS and CPN.
What does onboarding at Rise Realty Texas look like?
Every brokerage runs its own process, so here is ours as a concrete example. Rise Realty Texas is a Texas brokerage opened in 2026, run with the personal touch of a small local brokerage and backed by systems and processes Rise Realty has refined since 2013. Switching to us takes five steps:
- Send us the onboarding form. It takes a few minutes.
- License check. We confirm your license is active and in good standing with TREC.
- Move your sponsorship. You request the change online through TREC’s REALM Portal, and your license number stays the same.
- Bring your listings. With your sellers’ sign-off, your active listings move with you.
- Start working. We get you set up and walk you through your board and listing transfers.
Each transferred listing gets a new Rise Realty yard sign panel at no cost to you. Agents keep working in the NTREIS MLS and belong to the MetroTex Association of REALTORS® or the Greater Texoma Association of REALTORS®, depending on county. Rise Realty Texas pays 100% commission with no monthly or yearly brokerage fees and a small transaction fee per deal. Current pricing is on the join page, and our guide to cloud-based brokerages explains how the model works day to day.
Is there a downside to joining a virtual brokerage?
It depends on what you are used to. A physical office creates mentoring by accident: overhearing a senior agent on a call, catching someone between showings. A virtual brokerage has to build that on purpose. Before joining any brokerage, ask how broker access works, how fast questions get answered, what training is scheduled, and who picks up the phone. At Rise Realty Texas, Broker of Record Kelly Bishop is available seven days a week, and live training runs on Zoom every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Central and is recorded. Ask the same questions of any brokerage you are considering.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my listings with me when I change brokerages in Texas?
Only if your current broker agrees to release them and the seller signs a new listing agreement with your new brokerage. A listing agreement is a contract between the owner and the broker, not the sales agent, and your new brokerage cannot force a release.
Can my buyers follow me to my new brokerage?
Only if your current broker releases them from their buyer representation agreement. Without a release, TREC says the buyer is still represented by the previous broker.
What if my broker will not release a listing?
The listing stays with your current brokerage, because the contract is between the seller and that broker. Put your request in writing and name the specific listing. A seller who wants out of a listing agreement can ask the broker to cancel it, and a genuine dispute is a matter for an attorney, not for TREC.
Do I still get paid on deals that were pending when I left?
TREC Rule 535.3 allows an agent who changed sponsors to be paid through either the current sponsoring broker or the broker who sponsored the agent when the right to the commission was earned. Your independent contractor agreement controls the details, so confirm payout terms with both brokers before you move.
Does my license number change when I switch brokerages in Texas?
No. Your TREC license number stays the same. What changes is your sponsoring broker. You request sponsorship with the new brokerage, the new brokerage accepts it in the REALM Portal, and your previous sponsorship ends automatically.
How long does a sponsorship change take in the REALM Portal?
TREC says a sponsorship is effective once it appears correctly in the REALM Portal, and it can take a few hours for the change to show on the public license search. The full move takes as long as you and the new brokerage take to complete the request and acceptance.
What should I update after my sponsorship changes?
Once the change is effective, TREC says you may update your IABS, list the new sponsoring broker in contracts, and advertise under the new broker. Also update signs, social profiles and your email signature so every ad shows the correct broker.
Ready to talk it through?
If you are weighing a move, call Rise Realty Texas at (888) 774-7315 or start at the join page. Bring last year’s closings and your current fee schedule, and we will walk through how each program would have worked for your business. Working in Collin or Grayson County? See joining in Collin County or joining in Grayson County.
Sources
- TREC: I am changing sponsoring brokers. Do I get to take my listings with me?
- TREC: Releasing a listing agreement
- Texas REALTORS®: Termination of Listing (TXR 1410)
- 22 Texas Administrative Code § 535.121, Inactive Sales Agent License
- TREC: How to Change and Accept Sponsorship Requests
- TREC: REALM Portal help and FAQs
This article is general information about Texas real estate, current as of October 30, 2026. It isn’t legal, tax or financial advice. Talk with a licensed professional about your situation. Rise Realty Texas LLC · TREC #9016637-BB.
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