As we wrap up the calendar year, I want to again thank everyone who has attended meetings over the last year, both Inspector Committee meetings and Commission meetings.
I want to personally thank all of the inspectors who took time out of their schedules to make the trip to Austin to attend the August 13th Texas Real Estate Commission meeting in person. I know that your time is valuable and the TREI Committee and I always value your input and appreciate your continued interest and involvement.
The agency has committed to implement a variety of measures to improve our customer service. This is a quick review of what we have done so far and what additional steps remain to be implemented to enhance our responsiveness.
Many of you know that the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) is currently undergoing a review by the staff of the Sunset Advisory Commission. But what is a Sunset review and why is it necessary?
In the mid-1970s, many states, including Texas, established Sunset laws as a method to introduce an additional level of accountability for state agencies. Here’s a breakdown of how the process works in Texas:
The Inspector Committee has had a busy couple of months since it last met in February. On March 26th, the Inspector Consumer Issues Working Group met to review issues regarding inspector financial responsibility and insurance requirements and to also make recommendations for the Committee to consider. In addition to the Inspector Committee members, the Working Group included Paul Roebuck representing TPREIA and Mike Hammel representing TAREI.
The Texas Real Estate Commission takes pride in providing high quality education and licensing services, and effective consumer protection across Texas. In recent months, there have been significant issues with the quality of customer service we are providing to consumers and to our license holders. I take personal responsibility for addressing these issues. I want you to know that I – along with the entire Texas Real Estate Commission staff – recognize your frustrations, and we are committed to solving these issues.
It’s been a busy start of the year for the Commission. I traveled around the state in March as part of our Agency’s biennial strategic planning listening tour. This allowed me to receive input first hand from license holders across the state about issues that impact them directly. Tony Slagle, the agency’s inspector staff liaison visited a local chapter of an inspector trade association to discuss concerns and answer their questions. This is something staff is committed to doing more often. On April 2, the agency held its 2nd Annual Residential Realty Summit in Austin.
After postponing consideration of proposed changes to inspector insurance requirements at their November 2017 meeting, TREC took no action on the proposed rule amendments and remanded the matter to the Real Estate Inspector Committee at the Commission’s February 2018 meeting. TREC asked the Inspector Committee to gather input from stakeholders on all consumer recovery issues and bring recommendations on potential legislative solutions to the Commission for consideration at a future Commission meeting.