In April of 2018, the Executive Director of the Agency reached out to our stakeholders and to the public to acknowledge that the customer service the Agency was providing was unacceptable, and that we were working diligently to find sustainable solutions to resolve these issues.
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End of Year Customer Service Update
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Scam Alert! Make Sure You Know If A Message Is From Us
UPDATE: Due to a recent resurgence of SPAM messages being sent out to our license holders, we wanted to remind you of these tips to help keep your information secure!
Scammers or Spammers sometimes try to copy and email and text from messages from TREC or TALCB to trick you into providing personal information. We know this can be confusing and frustrating, and we want to help make sure you don't fall victim to these schemes.
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From the Executive Director - August 2019
August is here with all of its heat, and it’s the last month of the fiscal year for the Agency. August also means both the Commission and Board will have their regularly scheduled meetings this month and that the agendas will be busy –as they always are after a legislative session.
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From the Chair - Inspector Committee - August 2019
The Inspector Committee met on July 15 for its quarterly meeting. There was a lot on the agenda, as this has been a busy year in our industry. The Standards of Practice Subcommittee is still in the review process and asked the full committee for direction on whether to keep the standards more general or to get specific on a multitude of items. The consensus was to keep them general overall but to update the current standards to meet some newer criteria. The Education Subcommittee has been
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Reminder: Instructor Changes Coming Soon!
To implement provisions in the agency’s recent Sunset bill, TREC has proposed rules to eliminate instructor licensing. The proposed rules are expected to be adopted at the August Commission meeting with an effective date of September 1, 2019.
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License Revocation Makes News
Recently, the Commission was mentioned in a news story about a former license holder whose license was revoked by the agency.
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Beware of Possible Scams before Sending Money via Wire Transfer
Before wiring money for an escrow deposit or to close on a home purchase, License Holders should make sure to talk with their clients to ensure they are sending funds to the correct recipient and account. Consumers should not rely on instructions sent by email without contacting their broker or sales agent to verify the instructions are correct, since emails may be hijacked by potential scammers.
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A Closer Look at the 2019 Legislative Session
The 2019 Legislative Session concluded on May 27. With over 7,000 bills filed by legislators, this session was a busy one. While the Agency’s primary focus this session was on our Sunset legislation, we did keep our eye on the progress of several bills that could have impacted the Agency in one way or another.
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From the Deputy Executive Director - July 2019
The future of the Plumbing Board has been on the minds of many inspectors since the end of the legislative session. As a result of action taken by Governor Abbott, the Plumbing Board will continue until 2021; please be sure to see our article on this to get all the information you need.
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From the Executive Director - July 2019
This month we published two articles that I thought would be helpful to share with you that reflect some of the required changes outlined in the final report from the agency’s sunset review process.
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End of Year Customer Service Update
In April of 2018, the Executive Director of the Agency reached out to our stakeholders and to the public to acknowledge that the customer service the Agency was providing was unacceptable, and that we were working diligently to find sustainable solutions to resolve these issues.
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A Closer Look at the 2019 Legislative Session
The 2019 Legislative Session concluded on May 27. With over 7,000 bills filed by legislators, this session was a busy one. While the Agency’s primary focus this session was on our Sunset legislation, we did keep our eye on the progress of several bills that could have impacted the Agency in one way or another.
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Branch Office License Update
As a result of changes recommended by TREC and implemented by the Agency’s sunset bill, a separate license certificate displaying the address for each branch office maintained by a broker or brokerage will no longer be required as of September 1, 2019,
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Getting to Know Chair Scott Kesner
Scott Kesner was appointed chair of the Texas Real Estate Commission on April 25, 2019. With more than 25 years of experience, this appointment is another highlight in Scott's long career. Chair Kesner recently traveled to Austin from his home city of El Paso to meet with Agency senior staff and learn more about the Commission. He spent the day speaking to each director, learning about everything from enforcement to communications to technology.
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How to Deal With Inspection Reports Provided to a Seller
What happens if a seller receives a copy of a recent inspection report? Must they share it with a future buyer? The scenario is common. A seller lists their home. A buyer submits a contract with an option period. Seller accepts.
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Do You Have a Question for Standards and Enforcement Services? Here's a Few Tips for How We Can Help
SES carries out the Commission’s mission to protect Texas consumers by enforcing the laws and rules that regulate real estate brokers and sales agents, real estate (home) inspectors, residential service (home warranty) companies, and timeshare providers. SES also implements the relevant standards and reviews applications for licensure and determinations of moral character to assess the honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness of applicants. -
What is the Complaint Process?
Standards & Enforcement Services (“SES”) is the TREC division that handles enforcement of the Commission’s laws and Rules through complaint investigation and disciplinary action.
What should you do?
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Print License History On Demand
The Texas Real Estate Commission is pleased to announce the launch of our new automated Certified License History tool. This new features allowing anyone to print a certified license history ON DEMAND for FREE! This is just one more way TREC is working to simplify our processes to provide excellent customer service.
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Brokers and Preferred Lists of Service Providers - What's Allowed?
The Commission has received several questions about whether a broker may advertise about a service provider (such as a real estate inspector) and, if allowed, are there any limits to this type of activity?
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Is the Sunset Process Done Yet?
Contributed by - Tony Slagle – Deputy Executive Director
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License Revocation Makes News
Recently, the Commission was mentioned in a news story about a former license holder whose license was revoked by the agency.
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Beware of Possible Scams before Sending Money via Wire Transfer
Before wiring money for an escrow deposit or to close on a home purchase, License Holders should make sure to talk with their clients to ensure they are sending funds to the correct recipient and account. Consumers should not rely on instructions sent by email without contacting their broker or sales agent to verify the instructions are correct, since emails may be hijacked by potential scammers.
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Scam Notice!!!
TREC has been made aware of a scam requesting information from license holders. The request is sent by email by someone posing as the Texas Real Estate Commission and asks that information be provided to them and provides a link to follow (see example emails).
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Consumer Guide to The Texas Real Estate Commission
Buying and selling a home can be overwhelming. We're here to help.
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From the Executive Director - August 2019
August is here with all of its heat, and it’s the last month of the fiscal year for the Agency. August also means both the Commission and Board will have their regularly scheduled meetings this month and that the agendas will be busy –as they always are after a legislative session.
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From the Chair - Inspector Committee - August 2019
The Inspector Committee met on July 15 for its quarterly meeting. There was a lot on the agenda, as this has been a busy year in our industry. The Standards of Practice Subcommittee is still in the review process and asked the full committee for direction on whether to keep the standards more general or to get specific on a multitude of items. The consensus was to keep them general overall but to update the current standards to meet some newer criteria. The Education Subcommittee has been
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From the Deputy Executive Director - July 2019
The future of the Plumbing Board has been on the minds of many inspectors since the end of the legislative session. As a result of action taken by Governor Abbott, the Plumbing Board will continue until 2021; please be sure to see our article on this to get all the information you need.
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From the Executive Director - July 2019
This month we published two articles that I thought would be helpful to share with you that reflect some of the required changes outlined in the final report from the agency’s sunset review process.
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From the Deputy Executive Director - June 2019
The 2019 Legislative Session is finished. While there was no legislative action that specifically relates to the regulation of inspectors, the Agency Sunset Bill passed, which deals directly with the regulatory authority of this Agency. Several other bills that impact the licensing authority of all regulatory agencies also passed. The Agency is determining what rules need to be recommended, some of which will likely come before the Inspector Committee at its July 15 meeting.
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From the Chair - June 2019
The Commission met for its regular quarterly business meeting on Monday, May 6th and we had a full agenda. It was my very first meeting presiding as the newly appointed and confirmed Chair, so it was quite an experience getting prepared in the very short period after my confirmation on April 24th. At this meeting, we also welcomed two new Commissioners who were confirmed on May 1st - Barbara Russell of Denton and Chief Deputy Sherriff Jason Hartgraves of Dal
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From the Executive Director - May 2019
I am thrilled to be able to lead with some great news – because of enhanced staffing, improved training, real-time flexibility in response management, and more precise phone system programming we’ve employed, in recent weeks the average hold times for calls received by the agency’s contact center are under five minutes! Also, the average for all of April was about five and a half minutes, so we are still improving. Our goal is to keep doing so methodically and sustainably.
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From the Chair - Inspector Committee - May 2019
The Inspector Committee had a full agenda for its April meeting. The meeting was accompanied by the newest appointments to the Inspector Committee, as well as the incoming General Counsel for the Real Estate Commission, Chelsea Buchholtz. There was also significant representation from multiple trade associations and education providers as well.
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From the Deputy Executive Director - April 2019
I would like to begin by publically welcoming the three new members to the Inspector Committee, who were appointed in February. Mike Morgan of Brownwood was appointed as a new inspector member, to serve a six-year term, and Robert John Daehn of Aransas Pass and Dave Motley of Garland were appointed as public members to serve two-year terms.
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From the Executive Director - April 2019
Even without a legislative session, April is always a very busy month. So this year, that is especially true with our agency focused on the final steps of the Sunset review process as well. We greatly appreciate the anticipated improvements this process will bring to the services we provide to the people of Texas and the license holders we also serve.
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Future of the Plumbing Board and its Impact on Inspectors
UPDATE:
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Barbara Russell and Jason Hartgraves Confirmed as TREC Commissioners
AUSTIN, TX – The Texas Real Estate Commission is pleased to announce the confirmation of broker member Barbara Russell and public member Jason Hartgraves as new commissioners for terms to expire on January 31, 2025. Governor Abbott nominated them to the post in March and they were confirmed by Senate vote on May 1st. Broker member Scott Kesner was confirmed and appointed as Chair of the Commissi
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New TREC Chair Appointed By Governor Abbott
The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is pleased to announce that Governor Abbott has named Scott Kesner of El Paso as Chair of the Commission. On April 24th Mr. Kesner was confirmed by the Senate to serve on the Commission and his appointment as the Chair is effective April 25, 2019 and expires at the pleasure of the Governor. Mr. Kesner is the broker and owner of Century 21 The Edge with offices in El Paso, Midland and Snyder.
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TREC Welcomes New General Counsel
AUSTIN, TX - The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is pleased to welcome Chelsea Buchholtz as General Counsel of the Texas Real Estate Commission Effective March 2019.
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TREC Announces Appointments to Inspector Advisory Committee
Austin, TX – The Texas Real Estate Commission is pleased to announce the appointment of three new inspector committee members and two re-appointments to the committee. Mike Morgan of Brownwood was appointed as a new inspector member and Robert John Daehn of Aransas Pass and Dave Motley of Garland were appointed as public members. Lee Warren of Farmersville and public member Barbara Evans of Fort Worth were reappointed.
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TREC No Longer Accepting ACH Payments
After careful consideration, we have decided to discontinue the ACH payment option for our online services. Effective April 1, 2019, all payments submitted through our online services will require a debit or credit card. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
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ESAC Appointments Announced
AUSTIN, TX - The Texas Real Estate Commission is pleased to announce the recent appointments of seven new committee members to the Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC). Broker members: Mary Lou Henry, McAllen, Marion Napoleon, Grand Prairie, Ruben Peña, San Antonio, and Lori Solecki, Colleyville and educators: Scott Hilton, Houston, Kellie Stokes, Lewisville, and Kelea Youngblood, Austin, have all been appointed as members with terms set to expire in December 2020.
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Inspector Committee Accepting Applications for Members
The Texas Real Commission is accepting applications for appointment to open Inspector and public member positions of the Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee.
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Sunset Commission Staff Report Published
The Sunset Commission has published on its website the Staff Report for the Texas Real Estate Commission and the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. The Commission and Board will hold a joint meeting on October 12th in Austin to coordinate the Agency’s written response.
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AGENCY RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED AWARDS
Austin, TX – The Texas Real Estate Commission and Appraiser Licensing & Certification Board is pleased to announce the agency has won two coveted Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) Communications Awards. One is for the new integrated communications plan, and the other for Board and Commission meeting communications.
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Reminder: Instructor Changes Coming Soon!
To implement provisions in the agency’s recent Sunset bill, TREC has proposed rules to eliminate instructor licensing. The proposed rules are expected to be adopted at the August Commission meeting with an effective date of September 1, 2019.
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Instructor License Changes Coming Soon
To implement provisions in the agency’s Sunset bill, the Commission has proposed rules to eliminate instructor licensing. The proposed rules are expected to be adopted at the August Commission meeting with an effective date of September 1, 2019. TREC will continue to approve and renew instructor licenses through August 31, 2019.
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Reminder Regarding the Use of Proctors
A provider is responsible for making sure course examinations are proctored by a faculty or staff member, or third party proctor acceptable to the Commission. Examples of acceptable third party proctors are listed in Section 535.65(h) of TREC rules. Proctors must be required to positively identify that the student taking the exam is the student who registered for and took the course. It is equally important to make sure proctors understand that an examinee must be monitored at all times.
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Changes to the TREC Education & Licensing Services Division
If you were not tuned in to the February Commission meeting you missed a very important announcement.
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Required Revisions to Remaining Qualifying Courses
Deadlines for content revisions to the Real Estate Appraisal, Real Estate Investments, Real Estate Law and Residential Inspection for Real Estate Agents qualifying real estate course topics were adopted and are effective on August 7, 2018 for classroom courses and November 7, 2018 for courses offered through distance education. If you have not resubmitted your courses for review, you may do so by mailing the
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Deadline is Approaching for Revisions to Real Estate Marketing Qualifying Course Content
Effective November 15, 2017, course providers approved to offer the qualifying Real Estate Marketing course through distance education delivery must comply with content revisions adopted by the Commission.
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Providing Exam Proctoring Information to Your Students
Many education providers have opted for live and in-person proctoring for final exams.
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TREC Complaints and Education Providers
What methods do you have in place to ensure continued compliance with Commission rules? Do you, or someone on your staff, regularly review your advertising materials and website content? Do you know what you are advertising? Familiarizing yourself and your staff with TREC rules is the key to staying in compliance. TREC investigates complaints directed to the agency. Sources of such complaints may come from students, your competitors or other agency stakeholders. Remember, as an agency charge
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ESAC Chair Receives Distinguished Award
TREC is pleased to announce that the Chair of our Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC), Susan Jones has received the Larry Outlaw Education Excellence Award at this year's Real Estate Education Association (REEA) conference. -
License Exams Now Available On Military Installations
The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is pleased to announce that the Texas real estate sales agent, broker, and inspector licensure exams are now conveniently available at over 200 Pearson VUE test centers as well as on military installations across the globe for service members, spouses, dependents, and contractors with authorized base access.