A bill passed during the 87th Texas Legislative Session moved the regulation of residential service companies, also known as home warranty companies, from the Texas Real Estate Commission to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). TREC adopted a change to the Consumer Protection Notice (CPN) during its February meeting to remove a reference to home warranty companies being regulated by TREC.

The process to apply for your Texas broker’s license is easier to understand thanks to a recent rule change.

The Texas Real Estate Commission met February 14, 2022. In addition to hearing updates from TREC staff, the Commission elected Jan Fite Miller as vice chair and Jason Hartgraves as secretary. Read on for information on adopted and proposed rule changes.

Real estate inspectors licensed in Texas are required to follow the Standards of Practice (SOPs). These SOPs define the minimum requirements for a real estate inspection performed for a prospective buyer or seller of one to four family dwelling. Changes to the SOPs were adopted at the August TREC Commission Meeting and are effective February 1, 2022.

Changes to the general provisions now:

TREC’s Broker-Lawyer Committee met January 14 to discuss public comments and potential changes to the Farm and Ranch Contract and other contract forms. Here are some takeaways from the meeting.

The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee met January 18, 2022. Three new officers were elected to serve in committee leadership:

• Shawn Emerick, chair
• Scott Regan, vice chair
• Steven Rhinehart, secretary

The committee also made two subcommittee appointments:

The Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) met January 3 and discussed potential courses and appointed new leadership.

New Committee Officers

The committee appointed three new officers to serve through 2022:

The Broker Responsibility Working Group met January 12, 2022, to discuss property management practices, public comments, and broker oversight in new agent transactions. Here is a recap of the group’s discussion.

The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is conducting a study on wholesaling and seeking input from consumers, wholesalers, and license holders. Wholesaling is a model where a person enters into a contract to buy real estate and then sells their contractual interest in the property to a third party prior to closing. Take this anonymous survey to help the agency as it examines wholesaling practices and consumer protection measures. The survey should take about five minutes to complete.

We have published the video of the November 2021 "Coffee with the Commission" session. Chair Scott Kesner and Executive Director, Chelsea Buchholtz discussed all the latest from the November Commission meeting and what is coming for 2022.