Greetings from Austin. We are just on the other side of another Commission meeting and participation in Texas REALTORS Winter Meeting. I love that these two events occur at the same time in Austin so that attendees of the Winter Meeting can also attend the Commission meeting (and receive CE credit). And with Texas REALTORS as TREC's largest stakeholder group, participating in Winter Meeting is a wonderful opportunity to be with license holders.

The Texas Real Estate Commission met February 14, 2022. In addition to hearing updates from TREC staff, the Commission elected Jan Fite Miller as vice chair and Jason Hartgraves as secretary. Read on for information on adopted and proposed rule changes.

Real estate inspectors licensed in Texas are required to follow the Standards of Practice (SOPs). These SOPs define the minimum requirements for a real estate inspection performed for a prospective buyer or seller of one to four family dwelling. Changes to the SOPs were adopted at the August TREC Commission Meeting and are effective February 1, 2022.

Changes to the general provisions now:

TREC’s Broker-Lawyer Committee met January 14 to discuss public comments and potential changes to the Farm and Ranch Contract and other contract forms. Here are some takeaways from the meeting.

Effective February 1, the Property Inspection Report form (REI 7-6) is required for all real estate inspections performed in Texas.

The form reflects changes made to the Standards of Practice (SOPs), plus an updated preamble that

The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee met January 18, 2022. Three new officers were elected to serve in committee leadership:

• Shawn Emerick, chair
• Scott Regan, vice chair
• Steven Rhinehart, secretary

The committee also made two subcommittee appointments:

The Broker Responsibility Working Group met January 12, 2022, to discuss property management practices, public comments, and broker oversight in new agent transactions. Here is a recap of the group’s discussion.

The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is conducting a study on wholesaling and seeking input from consumers, wholesalers, and license holders. Wholesaling is a model where a person enters into a contract to buy real estate and then sells their contractual interest in the property to a third party prior to closing. Take this anonymous survey to help the agency as it examines wholesaling practices and consumer protection measures. The survey should take about five minutes to complete.