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.

“This has been a topic of interest across the whole industry and represents a lot of hard work on behalf of the Broker-Lawyer Committee and staff,” said TREC Executive Director Chelsea Buchholtz. “This is ongoing. We are not finished yet.”

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 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.

The Broker-Lawyer Committee (BLC) recommended several changes to the TREC contract forms. Most of these 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 following changes were proposed at the August TREC Meeting.