Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 8 licenses, closed cases without action against 2 licensees, permanently revoked 1 license, accepted the voluntary surrender of 3 licenses, authorized Regulatory Affairs Division to seek injunctive relief in a case involving 1 licensee, and ordered hearings in cases involving 17 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: 10; 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 | |||
July 2022 | August 2021 through July 2022 | July 2022 | August 2021 through July 2022 | |
# Tested | 457 | 6620 | 33 | 321 |
% Pass both sections | 50% | 45% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass National section | 73% | 76% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass State section | 53% | 47% | 36% | 29% |
Legislative Report: The Director of the Regulatory Affairs Division reviewed with the Commission the Legislative Report, noting 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.
Potential Litigation: The Commission voted to meet in closed session pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143-318.11(a)(3) to discuss potential litigation.
Wire Fraud Seminars and Related Educational Materials: The Director of the Regulatory Affairs Division reported that prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Regulatory Affairs staff conducted a series of seminars on wire fraud around the State in cooperation with the State Bar and Investors Title Insurance Company, and that Investors Title has requested that they, the Commission and State Bar conduct another series of
seminar in the coming months. The original seminars were very well attended and received. The Director noted that wire fraud remains a problem area for real estate licensees, attorneys, and consumers. Staff will be working on consumer education pieces about wire fraud when the Consumer Resource Officer is hired. The Commission asked that rental scams be included in consumer education. The Director recommended that staff partner with the State Bar and Investors Title Insurance and begin offering the seminars again starting in late winter, or early spring.
FY2021-22 CE Student Survey: The Director of Education and Licensing reviewed with the Commission the results of the CE student surveys conducted throughout the year. The Director reported that the surveys were updated and modernized by their predecessor to yield better responses, and that the number of surveys returned doubled from 2021.
Education Committee Meeting: The Director of Education and Licensing requested that the Education Committee meet to provide guidance on the Education Advisory Committee, and the rollout of the new License Examination Performance Records.
Report on License Numbers: As of August 1, 2022, there are 120,915 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 September 14, 2022, and can be viewed via Zoom online video.