The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee (TREIC) met in January, and there were a couple of items from that meeting that were forwarded to the Commissioners for approval. The first was a modification of a rule regarding when multiple check boxes are used. This rule makes it clear that if an inspector chooses more than one check box, that an explanation must be provided. For instance, if only the Inspected box is checked with no other comments, it could be determined that the area in question was inspected, and no deficiencies were observed.

The Texas Real Estate Commission met February 13 in Austin. In addition to hearing updates from TREC staff, the Commission elected Mark Woodruff as vice chair and Ben Peña as secretary. Read on for information on adopted and proposed rule changes.

The Texas Real Estate Commission’s advisory committees and working groups have made several recommendations that the Commissioners will discuss and potentially propose or adopt during the TREC Meeting on February 13. Here are the highlights of what will be considered, including inspection report rule changes, proposed SAE requirements, and changes that affect broker responsibility and sales agent oversight of brokerage activity.

Based on recommendations from the Unauthorized Practice of Law Working Group, the Commission proposed at its November 2022 meeting a new rule—Section 537.1, Definitions—and amendments to Section 537.11, Use of Standard Contract Forms. The proposals were published in the Texas Register to allow for public comment.

The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee met January 17. Three new officers were elected to serve in committee leadership:

• Lee Warren, chair
• Scott Regan, vice-chair
• Steven Rinehart, secretary

The committee also appointed two chairs to two subcommittees:

In a seller’s market, buyers may be tempted to waive an inspection entirely, or hire an inspector to do a walkthrough inspection of their ideal home to point out problems while the buyers take notes.

In a buyer’s market, sellers might think getting a similar inspection will make their listing stand out by disclosing information up front, so buyers will know what to expect.

The Broker Responsibility Working Group (BRWG) met January 11 and got updates from staff, discussed how to identify brokerage associations, and who should receive complaint notifications.