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 February 14, 2024
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 20 licenses, accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of 3 licenses, approved the issuance of 1 license, revoked 1 license, ordered hearings in cases involving 9 licensees, reprimanded 2 licensees, and closed cases without action against 2 licensees.
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 made based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 16; total approved: 7; total approved with conditions: 2; continued: 6; and 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, click here: License Examination Results
Expense Authorization for Travel: The Executive Director presented a draft Expense Authorization for Travel Policy. After discussion, the Commission agreed that that Mr. Malarney and Mr. Lindsey would work with the Executive Director and the Director of Regulatory Affairs to rework the language of the policy and bring it back to the Commission at the March meeting.
Residential Property and Owners’ Association Disclosure Statement (RPOADS): The Compliance Manager discussed the revised RPOADS including feedback from the January business meeting and Commission members. The Commission also discussed making the RPOADS available on July 1, 2024, to allow the market ample time to prepare for the new form. Mr. Malarney commended Ms. Vuotto on her work on the RPOADS.
The Commission suggested that for the next RPOADS draft:
Proposed Changes to Occupational Licensing Boards’ Authority: The Director of Regulatory Affairs reported that the General Statutes Commission is responsible for making technical changes to the statutes. The General Statues Commission is considering removing the term “moral turpitude” from the Real Estate Commission’s section of the statutes. They are working on a draft and the Director of Regulatory Affairs will share the proposed legislation when a draft is ready.
Update Instructor Seminar: The Director of Education and Licensing provided a report on the Update Instructor Seminars (UIS) for the 2023-2024 license year and reviewed the 2024-2025 UIS budget. Upon a motion from Ms. O’Connor, the Commission approved the 2024-2025 UIS budget. Ms. Mallette was not present for the dicussion or decision in this matter.
Larry A. Outlaw Excellence in Education Award Selection: Upon the motion of Ms. O’Connor, the Commission voted to meet in closed session pursuant to N.C.G.S § 143-318.11(a)(2) with the Director of Education and Licensing to select the recipient of the Larry A. Outlaw Excellence in Education Award. Upon the motion of Mr. Ramseur, the Commission voted to come out of closed session pursuant to N.C.G.S § 143-318.11(a)(2). The recipient of the Award will be announced at the March 19, 2024, Spring Educators Conference. Ms. Mallette was not present for the discussion or decision in this matter.
Examination Provider Transition Report: The Director of Education and Licensing reported that all systems are ready to transfer exam administration from PSI to Pearson VUE. Candidates can start taking the license examination with Pearson VUE on March 1, 2024, at 68 testing centers across the state of North Carolina. In preperation for the transition, eight Instructor Development Workshops were held to assist in the item-writing process. On February 7, 2024, the Education Division met with over 100 instructors to explain the entire transition process. The Director of Education and Licensing noted that the transition process also will be discussed at the March 19, 2024 Spring Educators Conference. The Director of Education and Licensing commended the Education and Examination Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Software Engineer on the amount of detailed work that went into the transition. Ms. O’Connor commended the Director of Education and Licensing and the team for making the transition process seem effortless.
Report on License Numbers: As of February 1, 2024, there are 127,088 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows:
Active Full Brokers – 78,995
Active Provisional Brokers – 5,020
Brokers-in-Charge – 18,090
BIC Eligible Brokers – 6,238
Inactive Full Brokers – 17,401
Inactive Provisional Brokers – 7,642
Firms – 17,350
Limited Nonresident Commercial Brokers – 259
Next Commission Meeting: The next Commission meeting will be held at 9:00am, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at Salem College, Dale H. Gramley Library, Reading Room in Winston Salem, NC and is open to the public. It can be viewed via Zoom online video.