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 19, 2025
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 3 licenses, ordered hearings in cases involving 9 licensees, left 3 cases pending, closed cases without action against 2 licensees, and denied the issuance of 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: 12; total approved: 3; total approved with conditions: 3; continued: 3; total 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, click here License Examination Results.
Education Town Hall: The Assistant Director of Education and Licensing reported on the February 25, 2025, Educators Town Hall. She noted that this was an informal conversation with the educators addressing their questions. Discussion topics included course rooster submittal punctuality, item writing workshops, proposed rulemaking, and the Update course. Ms. O’Connor was present for the Town Hall and noted that she appreciates the opportunity for engagement with education providers.
Spring Educators Conference: The Director of Education and Licensing reminded the members that the Spring Educators Conference is on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at the McKimmon Center in Raliegh. He provided each Commission members with the conference program and reported that the 350-seat conference is sold out. He noted that it is the largest gathering of real estate instructors in the United States, exceeding REEA and ARELLO. Doors are open at 8:00 a.m. and the conference begins at 9:00 a.m. He commended the Education staff for the planning of the Educators Conference.
Financial Report: The Commission received and reviewed the monthly Financial Report presented by the Chief Financial Officer for the period ending February 28, 2025.
Appeals: The Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs reported that the NC Office of the Attorney General has filed a motion to dismiss the Shipman appeal. A hearing is scheduled for April 21 at 10:00 a.m.
Rulemaking Text: The Compliance Manager presented the draft rulemaking text noting that the proposed rulemaking schedule is an effective date of July 1, 2025. The Compliance Manager noted the public engagement was high with 19 comments and a Public Rulemaking Hearing at the February Commission meeting. The Commission took the following actions pertaining to rulemaking:
| 21 NCAC 58A .0106 – Delivery of Instruments | Upon a motion from Ms. O’Connor, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
| 21 NCAC 58A .0302 – License Application and Fee | Upon a motion from Mr. Aceto, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
| 21 NCAC 58A .0502 – Firm Licensing | Upon a motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
| 21 NCAC 58A .1801 – .1810 – Limited Nonresident Commercial Licensing | Following discussion of concerns raised in connection with the comments about the proposed changes, and the possible benefits of keeping the limited non-resident commercial broker license, upon a motion from Mr. Bell, the Commission voted not to proceed with elimination of the rules at this time. Mr. Lindsey will appoint a workgroup of Commission members to recommend possible modifications of the rule. |
| 21 NCAC 58H .0204 – Policies and Procedures Disclosure | Upon a motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
| 21 NCAC 58H .0206 – Advertising and Recruitment Activities | Upon a motion from Mr. Ramseur, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
| 21 NCAC 58H .0209 – Renewal and Expiration of Education Provider Certification | Upon a motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
| 21 NCAC 58H .0302 – Application and Criteria for Instructor Approval | Upon a motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
| 21 NCAC 58H .0416 – Renewal and Expiration of Course Approval | Upon a motion from Mr. Aceto, the Commission accepted the proposed rule text for publication. |
BIC Span of Control: The Executive Director reviewed the BIC Span of Control Report outlining the recommendations of the Workgroup. Mr. Bell moved to accept all items but #3 in the Report. Upon a substitute motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission approved all items (#1-10) as set forth in the “Decisions column” on the BIC Span of Control spreadsheet contained within the Report. The Executive Director noted that she would include the action items in her June planning documents, namely the proposed project list.
Material Facts eBulletin Article: The Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs reviewed the draft material facts article for the eBulletin. Mr. Ramseur suggested edits to paragraph four to more clearly explain that the buyer’s agent received a specific request for a quiet location from the buyer. Ms. O’Connor suggested clarification in paragraph 3 to disclose the property’s malfunctioning electrical system when that malfunction is readily apparent to a broker. Upon a motion from Mr. Aceto, the Commission approved the material facts article to be published in the eBulletin with the changes discussed. Mr. Bell voted against the motion. Mr. Lindsey made a motion to add to the article a statement to the effect that brokers cannot decline receipt of an inspection report to avoid having knowledge of material facts about property’s condition. The motion failed with Mr. Lindsey, Mr. Beaty, Mr. Bell, and Ms. O’Connor supporting the motion.
Operational/Planning Study: Mr. Lindsey presented the Commission with the draft Operational/Planning Study RFP, and noted that the Administration Committee (Mr. Aceto, Mr. Bell, Ms. O’Connor) met the prior week and reviewed and approved it for presentation to the full Commission. Upon a motion from Mr. Aceto, the Commission approved publishing the RFP for responses. Mr. Aceto commended the Executive Director on creating the RFP. Mr. Lindsey asked Commission members to let the Executive Director know of any companies that may be interested in bidding on the RFP. Mr. Ramseur does not believe that one company will be able to complete the entire RFP and suggests that if that is the case, then the RFP be broken down into smaller projects with separate bidding.
Appearances and Speeches: The Executive Director provided a report on recent speeches and reviewed the upcoming speeches and appearances by Commission members and staff.
Emerging Trends: Mr. Lindsey discussed the changing regulatory environment and directed Commission members to review the March 2025 ARELLO Boundaries newsletter.
Mr. Lindsey discussed the trend of bots acting as real estate agents.
The Executive Director noted that the US Department of Justice again weighed in on REALTORS® compensation arrangements.
Mr. Ramseur reported that the Director of Regulatory Affairs has been in talks with Certified to determine if the Commission can put the company’s services in place for brokers to verify consumers’ identity.
Report on License Numbers: As of March 1, 2025, there are 126,531 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 79,488
Active Provisional Brokers – 4,508
Brokers-in-Charge – 17,746
BIC Eligible Brokers – 6,711
Inactive Full Brokers – 17,571
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 7,059
Firms– 17,623
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 282
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held at 9:00am, April 23, 2025, at the Doubletree by Hilton New Bern-Riverfront, Bradham Road, 100 Middle Street, New Bern, NC 28560, and is open to the public. It can be attended in-person or viewed via Zoom online video.
New Instructor Seminars
Due to high demand, several new instructor seminars were created and added to the schedule. These seminars will be offered in 2 formats until May: in person every other month, and by zoom. More seminars will be available in July and/or August, after the license renewal period has ended. If you have an interest in becoming a real estate instructor and meet the requirements, you may register for this course.
Property Manager Concerns
The NCREC sometimes receives calls about private owners managing their own property, and concerns that they are not following Landlord/Tenant Laws. While the NCREC cannot regulate the actions of a private property owner that does not have a real estate license, owners are still subject to following NC and Federal Laws concerning Fair Housing and Landlord and Tenant responsibilities. If you have a concern about the actions of an unlicensed property owner managing their own property, you should contact the Attorney General’s office for assistance.
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 March 15th here at the Commission building. A Zoom link will be available at ncrec.gov on the day of the meeting.
We are partnering to support More Powerful NC, a public education campaign that launches this week to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic and empower North Carolinians to take action to address the crisis in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities.
The More Powerful NC campaign is supported by a coalition of North Carolina businesses, healthcare organizations, and state agencies that helped create, fund, and provide resources for this campaign, which was initiated by Attorney General Josh Stein and DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen.
The campaign website, www.MorePowerfulNC.org, helps people understand the risks associated with opioids and provides treatment and recovery resources. The website also gives people a wide range of tools and ideas to get involved in their communities and be part of our work to confront the epidemic.
We hope that you will take the time to visit the More Powerful NC website, take the pledge to take action, and share the campaign website with friends and family. You can also share the social media post below to help others learn about the campaign (and don’t forget to use the hashtag #MorePowerfulNC).
The only way we can combat this epidemic is if we all step up and do our part. Together, we are stronger than the opioid crisis.