The short answer: As of October 29, 2026, Neighborhood Registry has read the license record of every realtor ranked below at Texas Real Estate Commission and found each license Active. 18 realtors on the Houston service roster hold licenses we checked in October 2026; 7 are ranked here. One fact stated up front: no Houston realtor has claimed a Registry profile yet, so every name below sits in the License-Checked tier — licenses verified at the authority, profiles not yet maintained by the pros. The first Houston realtor to claim and verify a profile takes the top tier in the next edition, under the same published rules. Until then, this page is the only Houston realtor ranking that prints the license number and check date behind every name.
The ranking — October 2026 edition
1. Alfred Castillo
Rank basis: License-Checked tier; appears on the Houston service roster (Houston); checked October 21, 2026. Order inside the tier follows the published methodology below.
License: Texas Real Estate Commission #517243-SA — Active, read directly at the authority. Last checked: October 21, 2026.
Area served: Houston (Houston service roster).
Registry profile
2. Linda Lee Cessac
Rank basis: License-Checked tier; appears on the Houston service roster (Houston); checked October 21, 2026. Order inside the tier follows the published methodology below.
License: Texas Real Estate Commission #464236-SA — Active, read directly at the authority. Last checked: October 21, 2026.
Area served: Houston (Houston service roster).
Registry profile
3. Amy Lee Hawkins
Rank basis: License-Checked tier; appears on the Houston service roster (Houston); checked October 21, 2026. Order inside the tier follows the published methodology below.
License: Texas Real Estate Commission #662923-SA — Active, read directly at the authority. Last checked: October 21, 2026.
Area served: Houston (Houston service roster).
Registry profile
4. Andrew Thomas Doonan
Rank basis: License-Checked tier; appears on the Houston service roster (Houston); checked October 21, 2026. Order inside the tier follows the published methodology below.
License: Texas Real Estate Commission #677637-SA — Active, read directly at the authority. Last checked: October 21, 2026.
Area served: Houston (Houston service roster).
Registry profile
5. Blythe Palamara
Rank basis: License-Checked tier; appears on the Houston service roster (Houston); checked October 21, 2026. Order inside the tier follows the published methodology below.
License: Texas Real Estate Commission #668213-SA — Active, read directly at the authority. Last checked: October 21, 2026.
Area served: Houston (Houston service roster).
Registry profile
6. Christine Perez Routt
Rank basis: License-Checked tier; appears on the Houston service roster (Houston); checked October 21, 2026. Order inside the tier follows the published methodology below.
License: Texas Real Estate Commission #581470-SA — Active, read directly at the authority. Last checked: October 21, 2026.
Area served: Houston (Houston service roster).
Registry profile
7. Esra Thornbrugh
Rank basis: License-Checked tier; appears on the Houston service roster (Houston); checked October 21, 2026. Order inside the tier follows the published methodology below.
License: Texas Real Estate Commission #744648-SA — Active, read directly at the authority. Last checked: October 21, 2026.
Area served: Houston (Houston service roster).
Registry profile
Also license-checked in Houston, not ranked in this edition: 11 more realtors on the Houston service roster hold licenses we read and found Active in October 2026 — Feiyun Cheng, Gabrielle Strout, Heidi Durham Wehring, Janet Leacock Williams, Joseph Landes, Karlie Jacobs, Robin Kitzmiller, Tracy Frederick, Tuyet Nguyen Phan, Vincent Joseph Biondillo, Zoraya Vela.
How this ranking works
Most “best realtors in Houston” lists are assembled from advertising placements and review counts copied from other websites. This ranking is assembled from exactly one thing: the license record at the issuing authority, read directly by Neighborhood Registry.
- Eligibility. A realtor is eligible only if we have read their record in the authority’s own system and found the license Active. No one can pay to be listed, apply for a rank, or be added by request.
- Tier A — Verified & Claimed. The license is verified at the authority and the pro has claimed their Registry profile, confirmed their details, and maintains it. Tier A always ranks above Tier B.
- Tier B — License-Checked. We have read the license at the authority and found it Active, but the pro has not yet claimed their profile.
- Order inside a tier is mechanical and published: (1) neighborhood seats held in Houston; (2) most recent authority check; (3) time on the Registry (first-verified date); (4) alphabetical. Every input to every score is printed in the entries above.
- Freshness. Licenses are re-checked weekly and formally re-verified every 12 months. A license that lapses or is suspended removes the pro from this ranking at the next re-check — not at the next edition. This page is re-issued monthly; this is the October 2026 edition, built from checks dated October 2026.
Full method: How We Verify — Every check is written to the public verification ledger.
How to verify a Texas realtor’s license
Use the Texas Real Estate Commission’s free License Holder Search at trec.texas.gov: search by name or license number and confirm the status reads Active. A Texas sales agent license number ends in -SA and a broker license in -BK; the sponsoring broker must also be Active for the agent to practice.
Houston, in numbers
- Population: 2,397,315 (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts estimate, July 1, 2025); median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2020-2024: $277,800. Houston is a renter-majority city (owner-occupied housing unit rate 42.1%, 2020-2024).
- Schools: Houston has no single school district. Houston ISD is the largest district and covers the central city — TEA 2025 overall rating B (84). Houston addresses also fall in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (B, 85), Spring Branch ISD (B), Pasadena ISD (B), Fort Bend ISD (B), Aldine ISD (C), Alief ISD (C), and Humble ISD (C) — all TEA 2025 overall ratings. District boundaries do not follow city limits or neighborhood lines — verify the district for a specific address with the district or TEA before relying on any school claim for that address.
- Taxes: there is no single Houston tax rate — the total depends on the parcel’s county, school district, college district, and any MUD or special district. Worked example, tax year 2026, for a Harris County parcel inside city limits, in Houston ISD, in the Houston City College area, with no MUD: Houston ISD $0.8421 + City of Houston $0.51919 + Harris County $0.41750 + Flood Control District $0.05266 + Port of Houston Authority $0.00603 + Harris Health $0.19528 + Houston City College $0.098802 = $2.131562 per $100 of taxable value, excluding the Harris County Department of Education (its TY2026 adopted rate was not yet posted at verification; at its TY2025 rate of $0.0048 the same stack would be $2.136362). Confirm the entities and rates for a specific parcel with that parcel’s county appraisal district.
- On this Registry: 18 realtors serving Houston hold licenses read at the authority in October 2026; the realtor seat is unclaimed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best license-verified realtor in Houston, Texas?
As of October 29, 2026, Neighborhood Registry has license-checked 18 realtors serving Houston at Texas Real Estate Commission, all Active. The top-ranked are Alfred Castillo (TREC #517243-SA), Linda Lee Cessac (TREC #464236-SA), Amy Lee Hawkins (TREC #662923-SA). No Houston realtor has claimed a Registry profile yet, so all are ranked in the License-Checked tier under a published methodology.
How do I verify a Texas realtor’s license?
Use the Texas Real Estate Commission’s free License Holder Search at trec.texas.gov: search by name or license number and confirm the status reads Active. A Texas sales agent license number ends in -SA and a broker license in -BK; the sponsoring broker must also be Active for the agent to practice. Neighborhood Registry reads the same record and writes every check to its public verification ledger.
What does a buyer need in writing from a Houston realtor in 2026?
Since the August 2024 NAR settlement practice changes, a buyer working with an agent signs a written buyer agreement before touring homes, and compensation is negotiable and stated in that agreement — it is not set by law or by any multiple listing service. Every realtor on this page holds a TREC license Neighborhood Registry read and found Active in October 2026; the agreement conversation is separate from the license check, and both belong before the first tour.
What should a Houston homebuyer know about local taxes and schools?
Houston has no single school district and no single tax rate. Houston ISD is the largest district (TEA 2025 overall rating: B, 84), with Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (B, 85), Spring Branch ISD, Pasadena ISD, and Fort Bend ISD also rated B and Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, and Humble ISD rated C in TEA’s 2025 ratings; verify the district for a specific address with the district or TEA. For tax year 2026, a Harris County parcel inside city limits, in Houston ISD and the Houston City College area, stacks to $2.131562 per $100 of taxable value before any MUD, excluding the Harris County Department of Education, whose TY2026 rate was not yet posted — confirm the entities and rates for a specific parcel with its county appraisal district.
Sources
- Texas Real Estate Commission license records for every ranked realtor (license numbers and check dates printed above), read October 2026; Neighborhood Registry verification ledger.
- U.S. Census Bureau — QuickFacts: Houston city, Texas (V2025 vintage; population estimate July 1, 2025, and median owner-occupied housing value, 2020-2024).
- Texas Education Agency — 2025 accountability ratings (2025-2026 Accreditation Statuses table, 2025 Accountability Rating column), read district by district, October 2026.
- Harris County Tax Office — Jurisdiction Tax Rates (Truth-in-Taxation) table, TY2025 and TY2026 adopted columns; City of Houston TY2026 tax rate notice ($0.51919); Houston ISD Tax Information (TY2026 adopted $0.8421); Houston City College Truth in Taxation (TY2026 adopted $0.098802).
- Neighborhood Registry Houston fact build, October 2026.