Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 13 licenses, left cases pending involving 7 licensees, reprimanded 3 licenses, accepted the voluntary surrender of 1 license, closed cases without action against 10 licensees, and ordered hearings in cases involving 13 licensees.
License Applications Involving Character Issues: License applicants who have character issues such as prior criminal convictions or disciplinary action by another licensing board are separately considered by the Commission. Decisions are made based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 11; total approved: 6.
License Examination Results: A summary of key data relating to persons taking the exam for the first time is provided below:
Individuals Tested for the First Time | ||||
Took prelicense course | Hold license from another state | |||
December 2022 | January 2022 through December 2022 | December 2022 | January 2022 through December 2022 | |
# Tested | 462 | 6231 | 16 | 287 |
% Pass both sections | 49% | 49% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass National section | 77% | 78% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass State section | 53% | 52% | 50% | 36% |
Annual Rulemaking: Staff provided a report on the status of the annual rulemaking. They noted that the proposed rules approved by the Commission at the November 2022 meeting will be published in the North Carolina Register for public comment, and that the rulemaking hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15, 2023. The rules will be voted on at the April Commission meeting.
Rule 21 NCAC 58A .1711: Upon the recommendation of staff, the Commission voted to begin the formal process to consider the repeal of Rule 21 NCAC 58A .1711
Petition for Rulemaking: The Director of Regulatory Affairs reminded the Commission that at the December meeting, the Commission received a petition for rulemaking from the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), North Carolina Justice Center, the North Carolina Disaster Recovery and Resilience School, Robeson County Church and Community Center, and NC Field Petitioners. At that time, the Commission asked staff to contact the Petitioners and to make recommendations regarding the Petition and other possible changes to Rule 21 NCAC 58A .0114 at the January meeting. The Director of Regulatory Affairs reported that they and other members of the Regulatory Affairs staff had a productive meeting with representatives of the Petitioners, and will bring suggested changes to the North Carolina Residential Property and Owners Association Disclosure for the Commission’s consideration to the February 15, 2023, meeting.
Mid-Year Real Estate License Examination Results: The Director of Education & Licensing provided a report on the real estate license examination results.
2023 Educators Conference: The Director of Education & Licensing provided a report on the upcoming 2023 Educators Conference. The Educators Conference is planned for Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University. Registrations will be capped at 300 participants. The cost of the conference as previously set by the Commission is $49 and instructors who attend the conference will receive 6 hours of instructor development credit. Registration will open soon.
January 2023 Education Town Hall: The Director of Education & Licensing provided a report regarding the January 3, 2023, Education Town Hall. There were approximately 100 educators in attendance. Feedback was received on the prelicensing exam, the electronic manual, the nature of BIC focus Groups, postlicensing courses, audits, and staff announced the details of the 2023 Educators Conference.
Remote Proctoring: The Director of Education & Licensing provided a report on PSI’s remote proctoring process. Remote proctoring will be temporarily suspended beginning February 1, 2023 until technical and other issues are resolved.
Report on License Numbers: As of January 1, 2023, there are 125,650 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday February 15, 2023, in the Commission’s office in Raleigh and is open to the public. It also can be viewed via Zoom online video.
BIC Focus Groups
The NCREC has hosted several BIC focus groups over the past month, and the participation and feedback has been wonderful! We so appreciate the candid conversations and excellent ideas and will be working diligently to compile all of the information gained, and use it to develop new or updated education/processes/procedures and rules to address the evolving needs of our licensees.
Fake Seller/ Fake Buyer Scam Alert
The NCREC has been receiving an increasing number of calls that indicate scam listings are on the rise. These scammers pose as sellers of vacant land and usually find listing brokers through lead generation sites. See the following link for a recent NCREC article about these scams: https://bulletins.ncrec.gov/fake-seller-fake-buyer-scam-alerts/
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 January 18th meeting is at the Embassy Suites in Wilmington. A Zoom link will be available on the website at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.