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.