The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) convened on August 11 for its first meeting under new Chair Mark Woodroof of Houston. The session included committee appointments, recognition of outgoing members, and discussion of several rule changes and proposals.
Commissioner Ben Peña was nominated as vice chair, joining Chair Mark Woodroof and Secretary Chance Brown on the TREC Executive Committee. Chair Woodroof also announced appointments to several committees: Peña will chair the Enforcement Committee with Stuart Bernstein and Renee Harvey Lowe as members; Woodroof will chair the Budget Committee with J.B. Goodwin and Bernstein; Peña will also lead the TREC and Texas Appraiser Licensing & Certification Board (TALCB) Joint Audit Committee alongside Goodwin and TALCB Chair Chance Bolton.
Additional liaison roles were assigned to various commissioners for committees including the Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee (TREIC), Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC), Broker Responsibility Advisory Committee (BRAC), Broker-Lawyer Committee, and as ex-officio to the Texas A&M University Texas Real Estate Research Center Advisory Committee.
Ron Walker was reappointed as a broker member of the Broker-Lawyer Committee, with Kandi Luensmann named a new broker member and Marcus Phipps an alternate. Outgoing members SJ Swanson, Leigh York, and Aimee Slusher were recognized for their 12 years of service.
Executive Director Chelsea Buchholtz provided an update on the upcoming Real Estate and Appraiser License Management (REALM) Portal, which aims to move all licensing transactions online. Status updates are available at https://www.trec.texas.gov/lms and through TREC’s newsletter at https://www.trec.texas.gov/newsletters.
Most adopted rule changes relate to implementing this new license management system or stem from quadrennial rule review—a state law requiring periodic evaluation of rules. One change allows collection of fees required by the Texas Department of Information Resources for online payments regardless of payment type.
Amendments were made to Chapter 535 following recommendations from ESAC and TREIC. These changes enable varied methods for student identity verification in real estate courses, remove mandatory proctoring requirements for qualifying course exams while still allowing it if preferred, eliminate closed-book exam mandates, and remove proctoring requirements for certain inspector continuing education exams delivered via distance learning.
Several proposed rule changes are now open for public comment before potential adoption at TREC’s next meeting in November. Recommendations from BRAC include adjusting broker education and experience requirements: allowing up to 300 hours of real estate education to be substituted with additional experience points above minimum requirements; doubling experience points needed from 360 to 720; limiting bachelor’s degree credit toward required hours; changing property management calculations; and modifying brokerage management calculations.
Other proposals address form updates due to legislative action. For example, Senate Bill 1968 requires revisions to the Information About Brokerage Services notice effective January 1, 2026—adding non-representation status language, written agreement requirements in certain cases, updated terminology, and removal of references to subagency following its elimination under TRELA. Temporary lease forms have been updated in response to Senate Bill 2349 regarding flood notices.
Following recommendations from both legislative review bodies—the Sunset Commission directed TREC to add water rights disclosures—BLC has drafted a new Water Notice form addressing groundwater district presence, wells on property, surface water information, among other details. Additional proposed revisions expand seller disclosure notices related to conservation easements, insurance types, storage tanks, windstorm coverage.
Contract forms are proposed for further technical clarifications: defining “Legal Holiday,” changing capitalization practices around key terms like “option fee” or “earnest money,” adding reference paragraphs about groundwater/surface water rights notices, amending provisions regarding compensation between brokers, updating broker identification terminology in line with legislative changes removing subagency distinctions beginning in 2026.
Senate Bill 1968 introduces more significant changes taking effect January 1, 2026: brokers must provide business addresses/phone numbers publicly displayed on TREC’s website—with options such as using a P.O. Box or brokerage address; all brokers renewing after that date must take the Broker Responsibility Course regardless of whether they sponsor agents; associated brokers are responsible for keeping affiliation details current with TREC; brokers will receive notification if a complaint is filed against any associated broker but must seek out additional details themselves if necessary.
Meeting materials can be accessed through TREC’s official site ahead of their next scheduled meeting on November 3.
