Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend 3 licenses, closed cases without action against 6 licensees, revoked 1 license, reprimanded 1 licensee, dismissed a case involving 1 licensee, and ordered a hearing in cases involving 12 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: 13; total approved: 9.
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 | |||
May 2022 | June 2021 through May 2022 | May 2022 | June 2021 through May 2022 | |
# Tested | 547 | 7054 | 33 | 306 |
% Pass both sections | 50% | 42% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass National section | 76% | 74% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass State section | 54% | 44% | 30% | 28% |
Legislative Report: The Directory 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. The Director noted that H619, the Elevator Safety law, is moving forward in the Senate. The bill would call for certain elevators in private residences to be inspected and in some cases improved to protect the public safety. The Commission asked if staff could provide more education on this subject to licensees and consumers. The Director of the Real Estate Commission stated staff could craft an educational piece about the subject to publish in the e-Bulletin. The Commission asked if this is an area to be put on the NC Property Disclosure form and suggested putting it on the list for rulemaking.
Annual Rulemaking: Staff provided a summary of the rules that received approval from the Rules Review Commission and reported that the rules are posted on the Commission’s website. The rules were approved on May 19, 2022 and are effective July 1, 2022.
License Renewal Progress: Staff reported that as of June 21, 2022, 79% of licensees had renewed their licenses, as opposed to 84% at the same time last year. There are currently 4,648 brokers that have not completed CE and of those, 221 are BIC eligible, 486 are BICs and 86 of the BICs have affiliated brokers. The Executive Director of the Real Estate Commission noted that there would be a phone campaign to BICs who have not renewed their license to remind them to do so before June 30.
Update Course Development: Staff reported that the theme of the 2022-2023 Update and BICUP courses is “Staying Alert in the Brokerage Practice Zone” and that the course presents information regarding Material Facts and Dual Agency along with Law & Rules Updates and information regarding Licensing and Education. In the BICUP course, an additional section on BIC Responsibility is included. The Update Instructor Seminar has been and will be offered on nine different dates to educate instructors on teaching the courses.
Report on License Numbers: As of June 1, 2022, there are 127,564 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 July 20, 2022, at the JB Duke Hotel in Durham, NC, and can also be viewed via Zoom online video.