Key reports, issues, and decisions of interest to licensees and/or the public are reported here from the most recent Commission meeting:
Commission Meeting of March 18, 2026
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 6 licenses, ordered hearings in cases involving a total of 12 licensees, accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of 4 licenses, revoked 1 license, permanently revoked 1 license, left 3 cases pending, reconsidered 1 case, and issued 1 license on conditions.
License Applications Involving Character Issues: License applicants who have character issues such as prior criminal convictions or disciplinary actions by another licensing board are separately considered by the Commission. Decisions are based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 11; total approved: 1; approved with conditions: 4; continued: 4; postponed: 1; deferred: 1.
License Examination Results: If you are interested in reviewing the most recent statistics and pass rates regarding the North Carolina broker license examination, License Examination Results.
Education Town Hall: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing reported that approximately 70 people attended the Education Town Hall hosted by the Commission on February 24, 2026, including Ms. O’Connor. Topics discussed included new rules effective April 1, 2026, and an overview of the new appraisal form by former Commission member Mr. Vic Knight. Attendees expressed appreciation for the content of the current Update courses and requested that staff keep the content in next year’s Course to a manageable level as well.
2026 Spring Educators Conference Agenda: The Director of Education and Licensing reported that the theme for the upcoming Spring Educators Conference is “Now Boarding”. The Conference will be held April 2 at the McKimmon Center and is sold out. In response to a question from Ms. Sebti, the Director of Education and Licensing, reported that the price increase had not impacted registration. The keynote speaker will be Chris Herbst, Pearson Professional Assessments, on the topic of exam security. In addition to the Director of Education and Licensing and the Assistant Director of Education and Licensing, presenters will include Commission Chair Mr. Aceto, the Executive Director, the Director of Regulatory Affairs, and members of the Education and Licensing staff.
Larry A. Outlaw Excellence in Education Award: Upon the motion of Mr. Alston, the Commission met in closed session to review the nominations for the Award and make a selection to be announced at the Spring Educators Conference.
Periodic Review of Rules Report with Final Determination of Rules: The Compliance Manager reminded the Commission that North Carolina requires state agencies to conduct a “periodic review” of all administrative rules every 10 years and to classify rules as either “necessary” (retained) or “unnecessary” (obsolete). The Compliance Manager noted that the Commission had made a preliminary determination in December 2025, that all its rules remain “necessary.” A 60-day public comment period followed, during which time one comment was received. After review, upon the motion of Ms. O’Connor, the Commission voted to approve the Report with final determinations of “necessary” for all rules. The Report will be submitted to the Rules Review Commission (RRC) at its June 25, 2026, meeting.
Rule 58A .0110 Revisions: The Director of Regulatory Affairs reviewed proposed changes to Rule A .0110 stemming from the Commission’s discussions of the appropriate “span of control” of a broker-in-charge (BIC). Ms. O’Connor suggested that the maximum number of brokers who could be affiliated with a BIC who supervises more than one office be changed from 50 to 100 in subsection (a)(1). Mr. Black suggested that the Policy and Procedures manual requirements include an express reference to discovery and disclosure of material facts in subsection (g)(11). Upon the motion of Mr. Alston, the Commission approved the rule for publication as presented with the changes suggested by Ms. O’Connor and Mr. Black noted above, and with an effective date of July 1, 2027.
2027 Draft Legislation – Jurisdiction and Wholesaling: The Director of Regulatory Affairs introduced draft legislation to the Commission addressing wholesaling and the Commission’s jurisdiction, noting that legislation on this topic has been introduced in another bill pending before the General Assembly but including somewhat different provisions [H797]. The Commission requested that the Director of Regulatory Affairs provide the members with a comparison of the two bills at the April Meeting. The Commission also requested information about other states’ wholesaling legislation.
Revised Square Footage Guidelines: Mr. Aceto reminded the Commission that one of his goals as Chair is to update the Commission’s Square Footage Guidelines. Mr. Vic Knight reviewed with the Commission a preliminary draft of the revisions which included a reorganization of the existing text, along with edits and updates to address modern practice, and common situations where brokers need guidance. Mr. Knight commended the Communications Officer on her work with formatting, updating, and incorporating sketches in the revised booklet. The members received the revisions for discussion at a future meeting and directed staff to provide the draft to interested parties, including:
Report on License Numbers: As of March 1, 2026, there are 124,790 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 79,669
Active Provisional Brokers – 4,327
Brokers-in-Charge – 17,637
BIC Eligible Brokers – 6,927
Inactive Full Brokers – 16,377
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 6,359
Firms – 17,786
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 272
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held on April 22, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at the North Carolina Real Estate Commission in Raleigh, NC, and is open to the public. It can also be viewed via Zoom online video.
Congratulations to Janet Thoren for recognition in the Legal Elite Hall of Fame
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission extends its congratulations to Janet Thoren, Director of Regulatory Affairs, on being selected to the Legal Elite Hall of Fame. She was bestowed this prestigious honor of being a 2026 Legal Elite by the North Carolina Business Magazine, in recognition of her professional excellence and contributions to the legal community.
License Renewal Fee Increases By $5.00
Effective, April 1, 2026, the license renewal fee will increase to $50 (previously $45). Licensees must renew their license by paying this renewal fee between May 15th-June 30th, 2026.
You are invited! The monthly Real Estate Commission meetings are always open to the public, and you are invited to attend in person or online via Zoom. The meeting this month is March 18th, 2026, at the North Carolina State Capitol Building, Historic House Chamber, 1 East Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC.
Key reports, issues, and decisions of interest to licensees and/or the public are reported here from the most recent Commission meeting:
Commission Meeting of February 18, 2026
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 15 licenses, ordered hearings in cases involving a total of 13 licensees, accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of 3 licenses, permanently revoked 2 licenses, left 1 case pending, denied issuance of 1 license, approved withdrawal of 1 license application, reprimanded 2 licensees, and issued 1 license.
License Applications Involving Character Issues: License applicants who have character issues such as prior criminal convictions or disciplinary actions by another licensing board are separately considered by the Commission. Decisions are based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 13; total approved: 3; approved with conditions: 2; continued: 5; deferred: 3.
License Examination Results: If you are interested in reviewing the most recent statistics and pass rates regarding the North Carolina broker license examination, License Examination Results.
CRC Proposal to Add Verification of Applicant SSNs as Part of Background Checks: The Director of Education and Licensing reminded the Commission of Session Law 2025-94, amending NCGS § 93B-14, to require occupational licensing boards to verify the authenticity of every license applicant’s social security number with the Social Security Administration. He outlined the costs and IT resources needed for the Commission to verify and recommended instead that the Commission accept a proposal from CRC to verify the social security number as part of the background check process at an additional cost to the applicant of $10. Upon the motion of Mr. Alston, the Commission accepted the CRC proposal.
2026-2027 UIS Budget: The Director of Education and Licensing presented the planned Update Instructor Seminar (UIS) dates, along with a review of the fees previously approved by the Commission. Upon the motion of Mr. Beaty, the Commission approved the schedule as presented. After a discussion of the fees and the fact that currently, no credit is offered for the UIS, upon the motion of Ms. O’Connor, the Commission voted to restore credit for those who take the UIS after July 1st. The Director of Regulatory Affairs noted that in addition, anyone who teaches an Update course will receive credit.
PearsonVUE: The Director of Education and Licensing proposed contracting with PearsonVUE for testing new instructors at a cost to the Commission of $50 per instructor, rather than continuing to test in house. Upon the motion of Ms. Sebti, the Commission approved the proposal.
Revised Square Footage Guidelines: The Director of Regulatory Affairs reported that the project to update the Commission’s Square Footage Guidelines is well underway. A first draft will be provided to Commission member Black for an initial review in the coming weeks, followed by Commission consideration. The Director of Regulatory Affairs advised the Commission that she had received requests from certain outside appraisal groups and others to provide input on the revisions to the Guidelines and asked for guidance from the Commission on when to provide the draft to interested parties. The Commission asked that she first provide the draft to the Commission. She indicated that she hoped to do so at the March meeting.
NCDOJ – Consumer Confidence 101: Your Guide to Home Buying: The Director of Regulatory Affairs reported that she participated in an event sponsored by the NC Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Division on how to avoid common pitfalls during the home buying process. Presenters also included representatives from Legal Aid of North Carolina, the NC Department of Insurance, Cumberland County Register of Deeds, and the NC Human Relations Commission. She noted that the event was well attended and well received.
Report on License Numbers: As of February 1, 2026, there are 124,262 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 79,202
Active Provisional Brokers – 4,368
Brokers-in-Charge – 17,602
BIC Eligible Brokers – 855
Inactive Full Brokers – 16,423
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 6,281
Firms – 17,721
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 267
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held on March 18, 2026, at 8:30 am in the Historic House Chamber of the North Carolina State Capitol, 1 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601. The meeting is open to the public. It can also be viewed via Zoom online video.
Mark Barker Lift Me Up Award
Deborah Carpenter, Education Officer, was awarded the Mark Barker Lift Me Up Award at the Distinguished Real Estate Instructor (DREI) Summit on January 17, 2026. The Mark Barker Lift Me Up Award is an annual award bestowed by the DREI Council on an active DREI who has contributed significantly to help DREI’s, and other instructors elevate the level of their professional instruction. The award is named after the first award recipient, Mark Barker, DREI, who created the designation and the Generally Accepted Principles of Education (GAPE) criteria for REEA.
NCREC has a New Learning Management System
NCREC is pleased to announce a new partnership with DigitalChalk, and the launch of a modernized training portal designed to enhance course administration and deliver a more intuitive, efficient, and dependable learning experience for all Commission-offered courses such as the 12-Hour BIC Course and the Trust Account Course. View this eBulletin article for more details.
NCREC is hiring!
Are you considering a career with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission? If so, visit this site to view current job opportunities, sign up for job alerts, and apply.
You are invited!
The monthly Real Estate Commission meetings are always open to the public, and you are invited to attend in person or online via Zoom. The meeting next week is February 18th, 2026, here at the Commission building, 1313 Navaho Drive, Raleigh, NC. A Zoom link will be available at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.
Key reports, issues, and decisions of interest to licensees and/or the public are reported here from the most recent Commission meeting:
Commission Meeting of January 21, 2026
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 3 licenses, ordered hearings in cases involving a total of 7 licensees, accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of 1 license, accepted the voluntary surrender of 1 license for a period of time, left 4 cases pending, and reprimanded 2 licensees.
License Applications Involving Character Issues: License applicants who have character issues such as prior criminal convictions or disciplinary actions by another licensing board are separately considered by the Commission. Decisions are based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 12; total approved: 11; approved with conditions: 1.
License Examination Results: If you are interested in reviewing the most recent statistics and pass rates regarding the North Carolina broker license examination, License Examination Results.
Larry A. Outlaw Excellence in Education Award: The Director of Education and Licensing reported on the purpose of the award, the timeline for this year, and the criteria for the Commission’s consideration in making its decision. Award submissions can be made until February 20, 2026.
Educators Conference: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing reviewed the flyer announcing this year’s Educators Conference, to be held April 2, 2026, at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. She noted that planned topics include remarks from the Chair and Executive Director, exam security, and the announcement of the Larry A. Outlaw Excellence in Education Award, among other things. She asked the members for additional suggestions and to let her know if they are interested in attending the conference.
Monthly Financial Report, Quarterly Investment, and Education & Recovery Fund Report: The Commission received the monthly Financial Report, Quarterly Investment Report, and Education & Recovery Fund Report presented by the Chief Financial Officer for the period ending December 31, 2025.
FY 2025-26 Income and Expense Projections: The Commission approved the revised income and expense projections as recommended by the Finance Committee. The Chief Financial Officer and Financial Controller indicated an improvement from original projections.
Rule Changes: The Compliance Manager reviewed proposed rule text, the process for changes, and the public comments received. The Commission adopted the rule changes as presented. Commission member Black thanked all those who had taken the time to submit their comments for the Commission’s consideration.
Project Summaries: The Executive Director reviewed the 2025-2026 Project Summaries noting projects that have been completed or extended since the December Commission meeting.
Report on License Numbers: As of January 1, 2026, there are 123,721 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 78,704
Active Provisional Brokers – 4,405
Brokers-in-Charge – 17,533
BIC Eligible Brokers – 6,781
Inactive Full Brokers – 16,483
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 6,164
Firms – 17,700
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 265
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held at 8:30 am, February 18, 2026, at the North Carolina Real Estate Commission in Raleigh, NC, and is open to the public. It can also be viewed via Zoom online video.
Material facts continue to be a consistent consumer complaint.
Failure to disclose material facts—information that could influence a reasonable person’s decision to buy, sell, or lease real estate—remains the #1 complaint filed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, often leading to disciplinary action when brokers omit or misrepresent these facts. Read this eBulletin article to learn more about material facts. https://bulletins.ncrec.gov/what-is-a-material-fact/
New Instructor Seminars are resuming this month.
The process to become an approved instructor by NCREC now includes an exam that candidates must pass before attending the New Instructor Seminar (NIS). Administration of the new exam began last month, and the NIS will resume next week.
You are invited!
The monthly Real Estate Commission meetings are always open to the public, and you are invited to attend in person or online via Zoom. The meeting tomorrow is here at the Commission building, 1313 Navaho Drive, Raleigh, NC. A Zoom link will be available at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.
Key reports, issues, and decisions of interest to licensees and/or the public are reported here from the most recent Commission meeting:
Commission Meeting of December 17, 2025
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 6 licenses, ordered hearings in cases involving a total of 13 licensees, accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of 3 licensees, accepted the voluntary surrender of 1 license for a period of time, gave 1 licensee an extension to complete the terms of a consent agreement, left 5 cases pending, closed 2 cases without action, and suspended 1 licensee and revoked their instructor and education approval.
License Applications Involving Character Issues: License applicants who have character issues such as prior criminal convictions or disciplinary actions by another licensing board are separately considered by the Commission. Decisions are based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 15; total approved: 6; approved with conditions: 2; continued: 5; deferred: 2.
License Examination Results: If you are interested in reviewing the most recent statistics and pass rates regarding the North Carolina broker license examination, click here License Examination Results.
2026-27 Update Course FAQs: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing presented draft FAQs for the 2026-2027 General and BIC Update Courses and received direction on the most important topics among them.
LMS Software: The Director of Education and Licensing provided a report on DigitalChalk, the new LMS software program the Commission is using for Commission course production. The Commission commended staff on the improved and modernized appearance of the course offerings.
NC License, Law, & Commission Rules: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing presented the Commission members with the recently revised NC Real Estate License Law & Commission Rules booklet.
Paper Notices: The Director of Education and Licensing reported that the production of paper “press and seal” notices sent by License Services concerning record changes have been eliminated and replaced with email, providing substantial savings in paper, postage, and related costs.
Periodic Review of Rules: The Compliance Manager presented the Commission with a report on the periodic review of rules, including a brief roadmap of the required review process. Upon a motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission voted to approve the draft report indicating that all the existing rules are necessary. The public comment period will run from December 29, 2025, to March 1, 2026. The Commission will vote on a final report at the March 18, 2026, meeting. The Rules Review Commission (RRC) will review the report in June 2026.
Residential Property and Owner’s Association Disclosure Statement (RPOADS): The Compliance Manager presented comments on the draft RPOADS revisions. After discussion and consideration of the comments, upon a motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission adopted the revisions to the RPOADS as shown in the exhibit. Upon a motion from Ms. O’Connor, the Commission approved an effective date of July 1, 2026.
Report on License Numbers: As of December 1, 2025, there are 122,619 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 82,812
Active Provisional Brokers – 4,495
Brokers-in-Charge – 17,483
BIC Eligible Brokers – 6,758
Inactive Full Brokers – 21,985
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 5,877
Firms – 17,561
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 261
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held at 8:30 am, January 21, 2026, at the North Carolina Real Estate Commission in Raleigh, NC, and is open to the public. It can also be viewed via Zoom online video.
New Instructor exam administered this month.
The process to become an approved NCREC instructor now includes an exam that candidates must pass before attending the New Instructor Seminar (NIS). Administration of the new exam begins this month, and the NIS will resume in 2026. You can find more information regarding How to Become a Commission Approved Instructor here.
The proposed rulemaking comment period is now open (November 17 – January 16).
Real estate brokers and members of the public are invited to review proposed rule changes and provide feedback. Written comments may be submitted by email to Public.Comment@ncrec.gov, or mailed to our office. Comments may also be made orally to the Commission at the public hearing on December 17th at 8:30 a.m. at the Commission’s office at 1313 Navaho Drive, Raleigh.
You can find the proposed rule text on our website under Proposed Rulemaking. Please note that this public comment period is different from the public comment period regarding the RPOADS form from November 3 through December 3, 2025
You are invited!
The monthly Real Estate Commission meetings are always open to the public, and you are invited to attend in person or online via Zoom. The meeting this month is December 17th, 2025, here at the Commission building, 1313 Navaho Drive, Raleigh, NC. A Zoom link will be available at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.
Key reports, issues, and decisions of interest to licensees and/or the public are reported here from the most recent Commission meeting:
Commission Meeting of November 19, 2025
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 5 licenses, ordered hearings in cases involving 19 licensees, accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of 1 licensee, accepted the voluntary surrender of 2 licensees, and reprimanded 1 licensee.
License Applications Involving Character Issues: License applicants who have character issues such as prior criminal convictions or disciplinary actions by another licensing board are separately considered by the Commission. Decisions are based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 8; total approved: 2; approved with conditions: 4; continued: 1; deferred: 1.
License Examination Results: If you are interested in reviewing the most recent statistics and pass rates regarding the North Carolina broker license examination, click here License Examination Results.
2026-27 Update Course: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing presented possible topics for the 2026-2027 General and BIC Update Courses, anticipating that drafting can begin early in 2026 for a final course rollout by July 1, 2026. The Commission directed the Assistant Director of Education and Licensing to begin developing the 2026-2027 General and BIC Update Course topics, with the flexibility to add to the FAQs as issues arise in the coming months. The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing will bring a sample of the course FAQs to the December meeting.
Staff Update Course: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing reported that 54 members of the Commission staff completed the Update course on either September 4, 2025, or October 21, 2025, that course being taught in-house.
Education Town Hall: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing reported that the quarterly Education Town Hall was held on November 6, 2025. The Town Hall is an open forum for educators to discuss topics of interest and ask staff questions. There were 43 educators in attendance. In response to a question about how to attend future Town Halls, the Assistant Director of Education and Licensing indicated that the link is on the website under “Education” and that Commission members are welcome to attend. The next Town Hall is on February 26, 2026.
Training Room Update: The Director of Education and Licensing reported on the updates made to the Training Room through a video presentation. The Director of Education and Licensing commended the Chief Technology Officer and the Communications Officer on their work on the Training Room transition project and thanked the Commission for its support of the project.
Mr. Barfield commended the Director of Education and Licensing and the Commission staff for the Fair Housing Symposium held in Wilmington on October 30.
Periodic Review of Rules: The Compliance Manager presented the Commission with a report on the periodic (ten year) review of rules, including a brief roadmap of the required process. The Compliance Manager asked the members to review the Commission’s rules between now and the December Commission meeting to determine if any rule is no longer necessary. The Compliance Manager will bring the rules back to the December 17, 2025, for the Commission to vote on its initial determinations. The public comment period will run from December 29, 2025, to March 1, 2026. The Commission will vote on a final report at the March 18, 2026, meeting. RRC will review the report in June 2026.
Rulemaking: The Compliance Manager provided an update on rulemaking, noting each project status and timeline.
Email Policy: The Executive Director presented the Commission with a draft Commission Member Email Policy. After discussion, upon a motion from Mr. Barfield, the Commission accepted the Email Policy as presented. Ms. Sebti voted against the motion.
Other Business: Upon a motion from Mr. Black, the Commission moved the July 2026 Commission meeting to July 15-16, 2026.
Report on License Numbers: As of November 1, 2025, there are 121,880 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 82,372
Active Provisional Brokers – 4,496
Brokers-in-Charge – 17,438
BIC Eligible Brokers – 6,728
Inactive Full Brokers – 21,785
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 5,719
Firms – 17,471
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 252
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held at 8:30 am, December 17, 2025, at the North Carolina Real Estate Commission in Raleigh, NC, and is open to the public. It can also be viewed via Zoom online video.
Kizzy Crawford Heath and Andrew Cox presented Item Writing Workshop in Kentucky
Kizzy Crawford Heath, Assistant Director of Education and Licensing, and Andrew Cox, Education Officer, traveled to Kentucky last month to present NCREC’s ARELLO award winning Item Writing Workshop to the Kentucky Real Estate Educators Association.
Public Comment Period for RPOADS is open now
The Commission is considering updates to the Residential Property Owners’ Association Disclosure Statement (RPOADS) form. A 30-day public comment period will run from November 3 through December 3, 2025. All comments must be submitted in writing by email or mail. You may review the proposed changes on the ncrec.gov homepage, under the License Law and Rules section.
You are invited!
The monthly Real Estate Commission meetings are always open to the public, and you are invited to attend in person or online via Zoom. The meeting this month is November 19th, 2025, here at the Commission building, 1313 Navaho Drive, Raleigh, NC. A Zoom link will be available at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.