The Real Estate License Act (TRELA) says a licensed sales agent may not engage in real estate brokerage activity unless that sales agent is sponsored by a licensed broker and is acting for that broker.
In Texas, transaction coordinators and showing agents are frequently used by brokerages as part of their business model, but sometimes these models entail working for other brokerages. Here is what “acting for” your broker means in these situations.
Multiple contract form changes were adopted by the Texas Real Estate Commission during the November 4 TREC Meeting after being recommended by the Broker-Lawyer Committee (BLC). Some of those changes are in response to industry practice changes around broker compensation.
When a third party, such as a relative or real estate agent, is paying for an inspection, does this mean the third party is the client? Under TREC rules, the answer is no. Another person paying for the inspection on behalf of the client does not change who the inspector's client is for this transaction. The inspection report should be delivered to the client, regardless of who pays for the inspection.
With the notion of keeping everything under one roof, Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) staff took on a new part of the development of the 2024-2025 Legal Update I & II courses. Thanks to the skills and talent of TREC Director of Government and Strategic Communications Summer Mandell, this book was wholly produced in-house, to include the design of the course materials.
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 Broker-Lawyer Committee met October 11 and reviewed hundreds of public comments related to form changes proposed at the August TREC Meeting. Most of BLC’s recommended changes are the culmination of two years’ worth of work on the part of the committee, with other changes recommended in response to industry practice changes around broker compensation affecting many license holders.
The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee (TREIC) met on October 14 at TREC headquarters in Austin.
At the August TREC Meeting, the Commission adopted revisions to the Principles of Real Estate I, Principles of Real Estate II, and Law of Agency course approval forms. On September 11, 2024, qualifying education providers were eligible to begin submitting course application forms to offer these revised courses.
During the Texas Real Estate Commission’s Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) meeting on October 7, the group reviewed three rules regarding course proctoring and student identification requirements. Multiple changes were recommended but before a dig into the highlights, a congratulations.
During the August TREC Meeting, the Commission adopted new rule 535.124, Death of a Designated Broker, to detail agency practice and provide better guidance in the event the designated broker of a licensed business entity which sponsors sales agents dies.
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Happy summer to all of you! In today’s market, however, we may not get a chance for anything resembling a summer break. It is a good time to be in real estate in Texas.
The TREC Commissioners met on May 3 in Austin in person for the first time in over a year. It was nice to see everyone in person once again. Tony Slagle presented the Commissioners with a legislative update, which included two inspector-related bills.
Happy May to each of you. I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the mothers in your life last weekend. Later this month, we celebrate Memorial Day.
Happy May to each of you. I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the mothers in your life last weekend. Later this month, we celebrate Memorial Day.
Happy spring to all of you! I hope this message finds you and your families enjoying the beautiful spring weather and wildflowers. Texas truly seems to show off during this time of year.
Happy March. Spring is approaching and with it comes a fresh start and the excitement of warmer weather. I welcome it after the freezing temperatures we experienced in February. I hope all of you made it through that extraordinary event safely.
Happy February! This month we have passed the one-year mark since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the US. Much has changed in the last year, but I am proud of what our team at TREC has continued to do for the people of Texas. License applications continue to be processed smoothly, and our customer service team continues to provide excellent assistance to those who need it. I genuinely hope that this New Year brings us all peace and a shift towards more
The Inspector Advisory Committee met virtually on January 15th. This was a lengthy meeting, as there was a lot to cover on this go around. First off, I would like to welcome the two newest members of the IAC. Bruce Carpenter is an inspector member from Pittsburg, and Brian Carroll is a public member from Temple. Both of them dove right into the meeting providing feedback and giving input, so it was clear that they came prepared to be involved with the IAC.
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday filled will peace and joy. During the holidays, I like to take time to reflect on the past year and the agency's direction. I am grateful for so many things during these times, including a fantastic team of employees, volunteers, and appointed Commission members.
What a year! In some ways, I can’t believe how long this year has felt, but yet, I find myself surprised that the end of the year is upon us. Thanksgiving looked different for many this year.
The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee (TREIC) met July 17. We received public comments on new items and some comments on some agenda items. It is good to see stakeholders taking an interest in the process and providing input more frequently.
One public comment expressed concern that inspectors are being strongly encouraged to pay brokerages for the opportunity visit their offices or even just talk to their agents.
The 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, began January 10, 2023, and ends May 29, 2023. This session opened with the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and Texas Appraiser Licensing Board (TALCB) following 358 bills relevant to the administration of the agency. A much smaller number will become law, one of relevance to Texas real estate license holders.
To reach more license holders, the Texas Real Estate Commission broke away from its Austin headquarters for the first time ever to meet in Houston on May 16. It was TREC’s second meeting of 2023. There were more than 80 attendees.
The Texas Real Estate Commission is stepping out of its Austin headquarters to pay Houston a visit. On May 16, the Commission will meet at 9 a.m. inside the Century Ballroom II of the DoubleTree by Hilton-Houston Greenway Plaza.
The Texas Real Estate Commission is pleased to welcome three new members. Chance Brown, Renee Harvey Lowe, and Stuart Bernstein were confirmed by the Texas Senate on April 26, 2023. Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed them for terms set to expire on January 31, 2029.
Harvey Lowe and Brown will both serve as broker members, Bernstein will serve as a public member of TREC.
The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee (TREIC) met April 18.
The Broker Responsibility Working Group (BRWG) met April 12.
The Texas Real Estate Commission's Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) is accepting applications to fill two education member positions by real estate instructors or owners of real estate schools, accredited by the Commission, that provide qualifying or continuing education. It is also accepting applications to fill four real estate license holder positions.
Multiple state agencies, including Texas Real Estate Commission and Texas Appraiser Licensing & Certification Board, are experiencing technical difficulties with the services we use to handle phone calls. The phone system is currently down as the Texas Department of Information Resources troubleshoots the issue.
During the 87th regular session, the Texas legislature passed SB 1588 which amended Chapter 209 of the Texas Property Code governing certain property owners ' associations (more commonly known as HOAs) to address a number of HOA-related issues, including providing greater transparency in HOA operations and leadership.
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The Texas Real Estate Commission's Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) met April 3.
ESAC addressed comments received regarding proposed changes to 22 §TAC 535.64, Content Requirements for Qualifying Real Estate Courses. TREC staff clarified that the rule proposal simply cleans up the rule language to remove the references to topics required for each course, rather, pointing specifically to each qualifying course approval form to define content.
The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee (TREIC) met April 18.
The Broker Responsibility Working Group (BRWG) met April 12.
TREC is pleased to announce an update to the Posting System that allows all providers of real estate Qualifying Education (QE) courses to post course credit directly into the agency’s system of record. The student must have a TREC real estate sales agent or broker license number to award qualifying credit.
The Commission recently voted to eliminate references in TREC rule §535.92(f) to professional designations and automatic CE credit for taking courses required to obtain one of these designations. These amendments eliminate an alternative path for license holders to request CE credit for professional designations and removes the list of specific designations.
The Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) met by videoconference on October 4, 2021. ESAC Chair Kelea Youngblood opened the meeting by honoring the life and accomplishments of ESAC member and long-time license holder, Lynda Conway. Ruben Pena was welcomed back to the committee in her place.
The 40 Hour Texas Practicum is a pre-licensing requirement for applicants following the Substitute Experience and Education Requirements for a Real Estate or Professional Inspector. A Ride-Along session is no longer a requirement for pre-licensing, but is still an option for obtaining inspector continuing education (ICE) credit.
An upload feature has been added to the CE Posting System. The upload feature allows CE providers to use a CSV file to upload CE course completions for real estate agents, inspectors, and appraisers as an alternative method to manual entry.
The 87th Texas Legislature enacted HB 2730, requiring easement/right of way (ERW) agents to complete 16 hours of qualifying education prior to registration and 16 hours of continuing education per registration period. As a result, TREC will establish an education program for ERW agents.
The current inspector non-elective CE courses, 4-hour Inspector Legal & Ethics, and 4-hour Standards of Practice Review course expire on August 31, 2021. Please be sure all students enrolled in these courses are notified to complete these two courses before August 31, 2021.
The new 8 Hour Inspector Legal & Ethics and Standards of Practice Review course will replace the two inspector non-elective courses on September 1, 2021.
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