Only 10 days for Continuing Education
The continuing education (CE) deadline is quickly approaching. All GenUp/BICUp and Elective courses must be completed by June 10th to remain actively licensed on July 1st. Visit the Education tab on our website ncrec.gov, and select Search CE Course Schedule. Enter your preferred search parameters to find available classes near you.
Bedrooms, Occupancy Limits and Square Footage
Recently we have received calls with questions about the definition of a bedroom, e.g., if it has to have a closet, door or even 4 walls. One consideration for the bedroom question is what the sewer or septic occupancy will allow. City/county sewer and private septic systems have limits on occupancy based on what the system has been designed to handle, and you cannot advertise more bedrooms than the occupancy limit. Similarly there have been calls about square footage, and what counts and what does not for valuation purposes. See this Bulletin article for details on the difference between NCREC Residential Square Footage Guidelines vs. ANSI Standard to help answer this question.
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 month is June 14th here at the Commission building. A Zoom link will be available at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 6 licenses, accepted the voluntary surrender of 2 licenses, continued hearings to a later date for a case involving 1 licensee, closed cases without action against 1 licensee, left cases pending involving 6 licenses, revoked 2 licensees, and ordered hearings in cases involving 14 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: 9; total approved: 8.
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
Legislative Report: Staff reviewed the Legislative Report, summarizing bills that are currently pending in the General Assembly that relate to real estate brokerage, occupational licensing, or other matters of interest to the Commission.
Rule 21 NCAC 58A .0114: The Commission thanked licensees and the public for their interest in the Commission’s rulemaking and their comments on the proposed rules. Staff reviewed the recommendations on Rule 21 NCAC 58A .0114, which if adopted would be effective July 1. The Commission then voted to adopt the changes as presented.
Draft Residential Property and Owners’ Association Disclosure Statement: Staff reviewed a draft revision of the Residential Property and Owners’ Association Disclosure Statement (RPOADS), noting that the form is divided into categories to clarify disclosure topics for the seller and the buyer. After review, the Commission voted to publish the draft RPOADS with the following revisions:
LaRose v. NCREC: 23 REC 00687: The Director of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission reported that the case, LaRose v. NCREC; 23 REC 00687, was dismissed by the Office of Administrative Hearings based upon lack of subject matter jurisdiction as well as other substantive grounds.
Renewals: The Director of Education & Licensing reported that licensees must renew by June 30, 2023 in order to maintain a license. They also reported on the comprehensive planning for renewals, including advance electronic notices and reminders in the Commission’s social media and the Bulletin. On the first day of renewals, License Services renewed 11,929 brokers, and 2,086 firm licenses, while taking 1,116 phone calls. By the second day, 19,202 brokers renewed along with 3,346 firms. A total of 17% of brokers have been renewed and 20% of firms. Commission member Chandler asked that staff revisit the possibility through rulemaking that an Education Provider would not be required to renew when they do not offer classes directly to students but still want to control their course content.
May 3 Education Town Hall: The Director of Education & Licensing reported on the May 3 Education Town Hall noting that 65 educators attended. There were questions about renewals, Prelicensing, Postlicensing, and CE approval. The next Town Hall is on August 7, 2023.
2023-2025 North Carolina Real Estate Manual: Staff presented the Commission members with the newest addition of the North Carolina Real Estate Manual. They thanked the Commission Chair Mel Black for his contribution on chapter five.
Report on License Numbers: As of May 1, 2023, there are 128,798 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, June 14, 2023, in the Commission’s office in Raleigh and is open to the public. It also can be viewed via Zoom online video.
Renewal is Open
The renewal portal for real estate licenses is now open at NCREC. All broker, firm and LNCL licenses must be renewed no later than 11:59 PM on June 30th. On the home page of the Commission’s website, choose the Licensing tab and scroll down to Licensee Login or Firm Login to renew. Once you have logged in, click the link “Renew Your License” and follow the instructions.
Cemetery and Grave Disclosures
Consumers and brokers have contacted NCREC with questions about required disclosures concerning graves on properties. Graves on private property, including graves with only urns, may have an easement so that future family descendants can visit them. There are rights that family members may have to enter the property to visit the gravesite, with or without the consent of the property owner. Graves should be on a survey and marked by GIS in the county. Graves can be removed, but it is a difficult process and county ordinances must be followed. For these reasons, graves are a material fact that an NC broker should discover and disclose to any interested party to the transaction. View North Carolina GS Chapter 65 for more information on NC laws regarding cemeteries.
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 tomorrow May 17th here at the Commission building. A Zoom link will be available at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.