Hello to each of you. I hope you and your families are safe and well.   

The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee met via teleconference on July 20^th.  The agenda was reasonably short this time around.  The education rules which change the pre-licensure process were proposed at the previous Commission meeting, and they have gone through the public comment period.  After considering the comments received, the Inspector Committee voted to forward the rules as proposed, along with some non-substantive changes made as a result of questions raised by the Governor’s office, to the Commissioners for approval at their meeting in August.  Prior to the rules g

Last month, the company TREC and TALCB contracts with to collect and shred documents mistakenly collected mail delivered to the agency.  This mail was then delivered to the company’s secure shredding facility.  The staff recovered the majority of the mail, however, approximately 70 pieces of mail were likely destroyed.  Because COVID related issues have impacted regular mail delivery schedules, it took time to process the mail and understand the consequences.  

Did you know the data collected from the census is used all around you? For Texas to get an accurate level of funding and representation in the future, all Texans should fill out a survey. 

The US constitution requires a census to be conducted every ten years to count everyone living. After each census, the information is used for the following:  

The agency has been busy over the last several months adjusting to the new norm resulting from the COVID-19 virus. We are operating almost 100% remotely, with only essential staff coming into the office to process mail, or deal with the various technical issue that arise from a remote workforce. All of our meetings have been held remotely since mid-March and will be conducted that way for the foreseeable future, including the meeting of the full Inspector Committee scheduled for July 20th via teleconference.

Last weekend we celebrated our country's 244th birthday. I hope each of you found a way to celebrate. Even in these uncertain times, this is a unique day of patriotic celebration and I hope you enjoyed it. The year 2020 has brought unprecedented changes to the market and industry, some of which we are only just beginning to see.  The Commission is working hard to support license holders and consumers through this unprecedented time. 

In early March the COVID-19 virus began spreading rapidly throughout the country. The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) took drastic measures to ensure the health and well-being of the staff while continuing to address the questions and concerns of consumers and license holders. TREC and TALCB quickly determined it was best for staff to transition staff working entirely remotely and allocate resources to do so.