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 April 22, 2026
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 8 licenses, ordered hearings in cases involving a total of 16 licensees, accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of 3 licenses, voluntary surrender of 1 license, left 3 cases pending, reprimanded 1 licensee, extended time for 2 licensees to satisfy conditions, 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: 9; total approved: 2; approved with conditions: 3; continued: 2; 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.
2026 Spring Educators Conference Agenda: The Director of Education and Licensing reported that the annual Spring Educators Conference was held on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Approximately 300 people attended, making it the largest education conference in the country. The Director of Education and Licensing reported that income from the event exceeded expenses by $6,079. The Director of Education and Licensing commended the Logistics and Programs Manager for coordinating the event, the Communications Officer for integrating AI into the content, and the Chair, Vice Chair, the Executive Director, the Director of Regulatory Affairs, the Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs, and the Education and Licensing staff for their respective presentations. Mr. Black, Ms. O’Connor, and Mr. Aceto commended the staff for the day’s events.
Upcoming Renewal Season: The Director of Education and Licensing reported on staff preparation for the May 15 – June 30 license renewal season, noting that it is highly automated and includes the $5.00 fee increase previously approved by the Commission. He further reported that of the 107,401 currently licensed individual brokers, approximately 80,000 are active and, as of April 1, 57,000 of those active brokers still need CE, with 41,000 needing both the Update course and an elective. He also reported on a new feature in this year’s renewal process, namely, the inclusion of an invoice with the notice in order to remind licensees to pay their renewal by the June 30 due date. He commended the IT team for their assistance in the online renewal process.
License Services Update: The Director of Education and Licensing reported that in compliance with a state statute passed last fall requiring verification of all license applicants’ social security numbers with the federal Social Security Administration, verification has been incorporated into the background checks with the Commission’s current vendor, CRC. He noted that even though the applicant must provide a “wet” signature, the process has gone smoothly to date.
Email Change Notices: The Director of Education and Licensing reported that on April 8, staff stopped using the printed and mailed change notices; all notices are now electronic. This will save the Commission approximately $300,000 in paper, postage and related costs. He commended all License Services staff, led by the License Services Officer, on their contributions to this project.
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 March 31, 2026. The Chief Financial Officer noted that revenues are ahead of projections; expenses are generally at or below projections except for “temp to perm” employees. This expense is offset by a reduction in payroll expenses.
Draft Changes to Limited Commercial License Rules: The Compliance Manager presented draft changes to the Limited Commercial License Rules. Upon a motion from Mr. Bell, the Commission approved the proposed rule text for public comment. The Compliance Manager provided an overview of the rulemaking project’s status and timeline. After discussion, the Commission voted to move the effective date of the proposed limited commercial license rules to January 1, 2027.
2027 Draft Legislation – Jurisdiction and Wholesaling: The Director of Regulatory Affairs provided members with draft legislation addressing wholesaling and the Commission’s jurisdiction and reminded the Commission that legislation on this topic has been introduced in another bill pending before the General Assembly, which includes somewhat different provisions [H797]. Upon a motion from Mr. Alston, the Commission approved the draft legislation as presented in Exhibit 8. Mr. Bell dissented, noting there was insufficient time to review the draft in detail.
Revised Square Footage Guidelines: The Director of Regulatory Affairs provided the members with a handout containing all comments received on the revised Square Footage Guidelines.
At the request of Mr. Aceto, Mr. Vic Knight addressed the difference between the Commission’s Guidelines and the ANSI standards, and the history behind the Commission’s determination to date not to adopt the ANSI Standards. He noted the Commission’s Guidelines are voluntary and that brokers can choose to follow the ANSI Standards instead. He also addressed the technical nature of the Standards, their purpose in helping to determine value rather than merely square footage, and the cost to licensees of acquiring and following the Standards.
The Director of Regulatory Affairs addressed comments concerning the inclusion of both above-grade and below-grade space in the heated living area. She reported that the Commission does not receive complaints on this topic or on differences between the square footage reported by appraisers versus brokers. She suggested that the Square Footage Guidelines remain sufficient for brokers’ use.
Mr. Black noted the coming changes in the appraisal process and form and provided insight on appraisers’ assessments of various categories of above and below-grade square footage in determining value, along with its function, flow, and finish, among other things. He also made suggestions for design changes to the front cover.
Mr. Knight commended the staff on the publication draft. Mr. Aceto asked that staff consolidate the comments for review at the May Commission meeting.
Report on License Numbers: As of April 1, 2026, there are 125,598 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 80,180
Active Provisional Brokers – 4,334
Brokers-in-Charge – 17,716
BIC Eligible Brokers – 6,969
Inactive Full Brokers – 16,334
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 6,553
Firms – 17,918
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 279
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held on May 20, 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.