The Broker Responsibility Advisory Committee (BRAC) met October 15 and discussed potential changes to becoming a licensed broker in Texas.

Currently, to become a licensed broker, 900 education hours are required (630 of these hours are required to be in related education). If an applicant holds a bachelor’s degree or higher, the 630 hours of related education are satisfied, regardless of field of study.

The Texas Broker-Lawyer Committee (BLC) met twice in July to discuss its routine work of reviewing TREC’s forms, but also to discuss potential changes to the TREC contract forms as a result of the proposed NAR settlement related to compensation.

During its July 18 meeting, the Broker Responsibility Advisory Committee (BRAC) reviewed the over 42 pages of public comments it received regarding education and experience required to become a broker. This has been a topic of discussion throughout multiple iterations of the former Broker Responsibility Working Group. BRAC began its initial discussion of this topic at its last meeting.

Record-breaking attendance made the TREC Meeting in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) a standout and marks the Commission's second out-of-Austin meeting. Branching out of the Texas Capitol Complex in Austin—where TREC is headquartered—is an initiative that began last year in an effort to connect with more license holders and Texans. Houston was the first stop in 2023 with roughly 80 attendees.

They are still happening: Real estate leasing scams continue to pose a threat to property owners in Texas, especially in the greater Houston area, prompting the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) to issue warnings such as this press release sent to more than a dozen news outlets—most of them based in the southeastern part of the state—including The Houston Chronicle,

Lowering broker education requirements, raising experience requirements? What about broker associates? These are some of the questions raised during the Texas Broker Responsibility Advisory Committee’s (BRAC) April 23 meeting.

The Texas Broker-Lawyer Committee (BLC) met April 12 and discussed the National Association of Realtors proposed settlement agreement for a lawsuit it is involved with related to commissions that may affect members of NAR, Texas Realtors, and local boards of Realtors—all voluntary membership organizations. While many TREC license holders are members, not all of them are, nor are they required to be.

If you've been wondering if the recent NAR settlement announcement relates to TREC, livestream the next Texas Broker-Lawyer Committee (BLC) meeting on Friday, April 12 at 9 a.m. CT. BLC members will review public comments it has received and discuss how NAR’s situation may affect TREC forms.

TREC is not involved in the litigation. TREC has narrow regulatory authority over license holder compensation—specifically, that a broker is the one who gets paid. However, some contract form language may be impacted.

The Texas Real Estate Commission’s Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) met virtually on April 1. Discussion opened with the Principles of Real Estate I and II courses—ESAC is moving forward with a recommendation to revise their course approval forms.

The Committee then reviewed changes to the Law of Agency course approval form which were made based on recommendations from ESAC’s last meeting.