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 Executive Director - May 2019
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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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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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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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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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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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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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What You Need to Know to Comply With Our Social Media Rules
The rules for advertising on social media platforms are NOT exactly the same as the rules for putting a link to the IABS and CPN on a social media platform used as a business website because the requirements for each rule differ.
Rule 535.155, Advertisements
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Make Sure Paragraph 21 is Filled Out
The One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), like many contracts, contains a “Notices” provision. In that TREC contract, the provision is in Paragraph 21. This needs to be filled out so the parties know where a notice should be sent or delivered to be effective. A license holder should remind their client how important this provision is and ensure, to the extent possible, that it gets filled out fully and accurately.
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Can An Inspector Perform A Sewer Line Inspection?
NO, unless the inspector is also a licensed plumber. TREC’s Standards of Practice (§535.231) require an inspector to operate plumbing fixtures, test for drain performance, and to report deficiencies in water supply pipes and waste pipes.
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The Sunset Review Process and Strategic Planning
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:
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Name Management Tool Launched!
TREC has launched our new Name Management Tool to allow broker license holders to easily manage their names with the agency online and get in compliance with the new advertising rules.
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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 - 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.
-
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.
-
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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From the Chair - March 2019
Due to the amount of business we needed to conduct to both meet our obligations to advance the normal work of the Commission, and consider all of the matters highlighted in the agency’s Sunset Report, the Commission met for two days in February. The Texas REALTORS Winter Meeting overlapped our dates, so we had several extra stakeholders in attendance – and they earned CE credit for attending!
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From the Chair - Inspector Committee - March 2019
The IAC has been busy already this year. Through a substantial amount of time and hard work, the Education Subcommittee has proposed, and the IAC approved recommending changes to how one can obtain a license in Texas. Texas has had some of the strictest requirements for licensure of any state in the union. The proposed number of hours to be eligible for a license will go down significantly, but the content of those courses will change as well. Keep in mind that the intent here is not to l
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From the Deputy Executive Director - Inspectors - February 2019
The Inspector Committee met on February 4. Among the business items taken up by the Committee was the election of the Committee officers for the upcoming Calendar year. Lee Warren was elected as the chair of the Committee, Shawn Emerick was elected as vice-chair and Steven Rinehart was elected as secretary. I would like to thank the outgoing officers for their leadership over the last year.
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From the Executive Director - February 2019
So far, 2019 has offered Texas both very cold and very mild conditions – a bit unpredictable as this new year advances. Perhaps this corresponds to the unexpected combination of elements at work as the legislative session gets underway?
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From the Deputy Executive Director - Inspectors - January 2019
I’d first like to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I hope you all had time to relax and enjoy the Holiday season. The New Year always brings with it an opportunity to reflect on the past and make a commitment to address those areas in which we might fall short.
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From the Executive Director - January 2019
Happy New Year! As we return recharged from the holidays and gear up for the season, there are some key items to keep us busy in the very near future. So let’s dive right in…
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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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Using "Realty" In Team Names
At the Commission Meeting on Monday, August 13, 2018, the Commission adopted changes to the advertising rules (§535.155) allowing Broker team names to include the term "realty," so long as the other requirements for team names are met.
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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.