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 12^th in Austin to coordinate the Agency’s written response. As always, the meeting will be streamed live on our websites.

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. For example, a team name must still end with the word “team” or “group.” A team name of “John Doe Realty Group” is allowed, but a team name of “John Doe Realty” is not.

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 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.

Standards & Enforcement Services is frequently asked – “What are your most common violations?” And, “How do I stay out of trouble?” The agency regularly disciplines license holders for violations in all but the last area.

1. SUPERVISE your sales agents.  It is not a defense to broker supervision (Rule 535.2) to say you don’t supervise your sales agents. In other words, saying “I didn’t know about it” is sometimes more of an admission than a defense.