The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) met February 9, 2026, to elect officers, make appointments, adopt and propose rule changes, and receive updates on the agency’s new online license management system.

Officer Elections, Appointments

Commissioner Chance Brown was elected as vice chair and Commissioner Kristi Davis as secretary.

Commissioner Ben Peña was appointed to serve as ex officio on the Executive Committee.

Chair Mark Woodroof also announced the following committee appointments:

• Enforcement Committee—Commissioner Peña (Chair), Commissioner Renee Harvey Lowe, and Commissioner Leslie Lerner.
• Budget Committee—Commissioner JB Goodwin (Chair), Commissioner Stuart Bernstein, and Commissioner Scott Olguin.
• TREC and TALCB Joint Audit Committee—Commissioner Peña (Chair), Commissioner Goodwin, and Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) Chair R. Chance Bolton.
• Inspector Committee Liaison—Commissioner Lerner.
• Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) Liaison—Commissioner Davis.
• Broker Responsibility Advisory Committee (BRAC) Liaison—Commissioners Brown and Lerner.
• Broker-Lawyer Committee (BLC) Liaison—Commissioner Harvey Lowe.
• Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center Advisory Committee (ex officio): Commissioner Davis.

Contract Form Updates Proposed

The Commission proposes amendments and new rules to 22 TAC Chapter 537 in the Texas Register for public comment. The changes, recommended by the Broker-Lawyer Committee, affect multiple standard contract forms. Key updates include:

• Adding “generators” to the Improvements section to reflect their growing presence in residential properties.
• Defining “Legal Holiday” for clarity.
• Adding a new paragraph related to water rights and creating a new Water Notice: Seller’s Disclosure About Groundwater and Surface Water Rights, as directed by the Sunset Advisory Commission.
• Updating the Seller’s Disclosure Notice to include information about property insurance and windstorm coverage, private road maintenance responsibilities, above ground storage tanks over 500 gallons, and conservation easements, as directed by the Sunset Advisory Commission.
• Reorganizing Paragraph 12 to address brokerage compensation practices and adding a new Paragraph 12B.
• Adding language related to governmental reporting to comply with federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) requirements.
• Clarifying notice delivery methods and reorganizing addenda into clearer categories for improved usability.
• Creating a new form—Seller’s Notice to Buyer of Removal of Contingency Under Addendum for “Back-Up” Contract.

Review the contract changes and draft redlines.

REALM Portal Update

TREC’s Executive Director Chelsea Buchholtz provided a detailed update on the launch of the Real Estate and Appraiser License Management (REALM) Portal.

The new license management system launched in late 2025 to replace an outdated system that was unable to accommodate evolving statutory and regulatory requirements. REALM Portal how-tos and updates are available at trec.texas.gov/lms.

Education

Legal Update I and II and Broker Responsibility instructor training makeup sessions will be offered March 4 and March 5 in Austin.

Rules Adopted

The Commission adopted:

• New TREC Rule 533.11, Temporary Suspension, clarifying procedures when a license holder’s continued practice poses a threat to public welfare.
• Amendments to TREC Rule 535.214, Education and Experience Requirements, clarify that qualifying education must be completed before beginning the Texas practicum.

Visit trec.texas.gov for the Agenda, Meeting Materials, and Meeting Video of the February 2026 Commission Meeting.

Future Meetings

TREC will next meet:

• May 4 in Houston.
• August 10 in Austin.
• November 9 in Austin.