What to expect at the next TREC Meeting

The Texas Real Estate Commission is stepping out of its Austin headquarters to pay Houston a visit. On Tuesday, the Commission will meet at 9 a.m. inside the Century Ballroom II of?the?DoubleTree by Hilton-Houston Greenway Plaza.?

During the meeting, TREC will 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.

Are you filling out the Inspection Report Form correctly?

The amendments adopted by TREC in February for Section 535.223, Standard Inspection Report Form went in effect March 7, 2023.?

The changes clarify that when multiple boxes are checked for a particular item on the?Property Inspection Report Form?(REI 7-6), the inspector must also explain the reason for checking multiple boxes.

The adopted amendments also remove single-system inspections from the list of exemptions?meaning the requirements in Section 535.223 would apply to those inspections.

TREC Updates

TREIC recommends new evaluation form, rule that would make expired licenses inactive

The?Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee?(TREIC) met April 18 and elected a new vice chair, considered a recommendation to eliminate the real estate inspector license, discussed the Texas Practicum Evaluation, and two rule changes. Read more

Broker Responsibility Working Group April meeting recap includes proposed rule changes

The Broker Responsibility Working Group (BRWG)?met April 12. Members reviewed public comment submitted in response to a new proposed rule, 535.157 ? Obligation to Respond Timely, and proposed changes to 535.2???Broker Responsibility Rule.?The group also continued discussion regarding the difference between a broker and a sponsoring broker, and whether there should be additional education requirements for sponsoring brokers.?Read more

New Process to Streamline Advertising Complaints

Around 1% of Texas Real Estate Commission license holders are the subject of a complaint, and in 2022, slightly more than 5% of all complaints received by TREC were related to advertising issues.

Many advertising-related complaints can be handled easily, from adding missing brokerage information on?for sale?signs to adding missing required links on a license holder?s website. Because of these simple remedies, TREC is launching the Advertising Compliance Program, which will streamline the processing of complaints that deal only with advertising violations.?Read more

Don't get tricked by these rental scams

It sounds like an ideal scenario if you?re a landlord or listing agent for a residential lease: A licensed sales agent submits a prospective tenant?s application to you with proof of a clean background check and great credit report. But is that tenant?s agent making life easier for you, or is it a scam??Read more

Resources & Events

• TREC Meeting: May 16
• Holiday Closure in Observance of Memorial Day: Monday, May 29
• Broker-Lawyer Committee meeting: June 9
• Inspector Committee-Education subcommittee meeting: June 20
• Work at TREC: View the latest job listings
• View TREC disciplinary actions