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July 2026 Presentations

Steve Fussell, Chief Consumer Protection Officer, spoke at TradeMark Properties on July 14th.

Lyndi James, Auditor/Investigator, spoke at Jacksonville Board of REALTORS® on July 16th.

Bruce Rinne, Information Officer, spoke at Compass on July 21st.

Kristen Fetter, Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs, spoke at Greensboro Regional REALTORS® Association on July 23rd.

August 2026 Presentations

*These presentations are subject to change due to the availability of Commission members and/or staff. *

Dee Bigelow, Information Officer, will speak at eXp Realty, LLC on August 5th.

Mel Black, Commission Member, will speak at Durham Regional Association of REALTORS® on August 10th.

Bruce Rinne, Information Officer, will speak at BHHS Carolinas Realty on August 12th.

Brian Heath, Consumer Protection Officer, will speak at Aldridge & Southerland Inc. on August 18th.

Are you sure your continuing education course was reported to the Commission? Have you checked your license record lately to make sure your license is still active?

Recently, some brokers learned their continuing education (CE) courses were not reported to the Commission by their education provider although they successfully completed them prior to June 10, 2026.

Unfortunately, these errors resulted in some brokers’ licenses being placed on inactive status due to education providers not accurately reporting their 2025-2026 CE course completions.

Under Rule 58H .0207(f), education providers are required to submit course completion reports to the Commission within 7 calendar days after a broker completes a course. While errors are uncommon, they can happen—and the consequences can affect a broker’s ability to practice real estate.

To help avoid unexpected issues at license renewal, brokers should:

Brokers should not send course completion certificates to the Commission. Rule 58H .0207(f) places the responsibility for reporting course completions on the education provider.

A quick review of your license record only takes a few minutes, but it can help prevent your license from being placed on inactive status and avoid an unexpected interruption to your brokerage activities.

Melvin “Skip” Alston Elected Chair, Robert J. Ramseur, Jr., Vice Chair

Executive Director Janet Thoren announced that Melvin “Skip” Alston of Greensboro has been elected as Chair and Robert J. Ramseur, Jr., of Raleigh as Vice Chair of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Their terms will begin on August 1, 2026.

Melvin “Skip” Alston was appointed to the Commission by Governor Roy Cooper on October 9, 2024. Mr. Alston is the owner and founder of The Alston Realty Group, Inc. in Greensboro, NC, which has been in continuous operation serving the greater Greensboro area for over 42 years. A recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, Mr. Alston has served as a leader in his community, across North Carolina and the nation since 1987. He has served in numerous capacities and on several Boards. He has served on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners for 29 years, including 11 years as chairman. He is also a Diamond-Life Member of the NAACP and has served on their local, state and national levels for over 25 years. Mr. Alston has also served as the North Carolina NAACP President.

He is the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors for Sit In Movement, Inc. a nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of purchasing and renovating the Historical Woolworth Building in downtown Greensboro into an International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which opened February 1, 2010.

Mr. Alston previously served on the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, appointed in 2003 by the Speaker of the House and elected Chairman of the Commission in 2007 and again in 2008.

A Durham native, Mr. Alston attended North Carolina Central University, with a major in Business Administration. He has been licensed as a broker since 1982. Mr. Alston, his wife Gwendolyn and their adult sons, DeSean and Ryan, are based in Greensboro and are all North Carolina real estate brokers.

Ramseur is a partner at Ragsdale Liggett PLLC. His practice focuses on residential and commercial real estate transactions, lease drafting and negotiation, construction and development, tax and entity structuring, and real estate litigation.

Ramseur is a former member of the Real Estate Commission. He was previously appointed by Governor Pat McCrory in 2015 and has served in the past as Commission Chair.

He is a member and the current chair of the Joint Forms Task Force for the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Association of REALTORS®. Ramseur holds a JD and a BA from Wake Forest University.

A Brief History of Real Estate Regulation in North Carolina

Did you know that 2027 will mark the 100th year of real estate regulation in North Carolina?  In 1927, the General Assembly created the first North Carolina Real Estate Commission. It consisted of three members, each with at least five years’ experience in the profession, appointed by the Governor to three-year terms after the initial staggered terms. According to North Carolina Public-Local Laws of 1927, Chapter 241, members were required to select a chairman from their number, adopt necessary rules and regulations, employ assistants and clerical staff, maintain copies of proceedings and records, and receive compensation for their service.

The 1927 Act differentiated between real estate brokers and real estate salesmen. A broker was defined as a person, corporation, or firm who for compensation sold, auctioned, exchanged, bought, leased, or rented real estate. A salesman (sic) was defined as any person who for compensation was engaged by a broker to perform any of the above-mentioned real estate activities.

The major responsibility of the Commission was to issue licenses, renewable annually, for those wishing to engage in the real estate profession. All applicants were to be of good character and competent in the profession. Further, every applicant had to provide the Commission with two letters of recommendation from real estate owners from their county of residence, attesting to their reputation and competency. Brokers were also required to provide information on the firm with which they were associated. Applicants for a salesman’s license were to include information on previous real estate experience, the companies with which they were employed, and statements from their last employers. Also, all applications were to be accompanied by required fees.

An application could be refused if the Commission determined that an applicant was unqualified. In such cases, a hearing could be held to review the application. Licenses could be revoked for a variety of fraudulent, dishonest, or improper actions, including misrepresentation, making false promises, acting for more than one party without the knowledge of all parties, and incompetency. Before revocation, the Commission had to conduct a hearing at which the Respondent had the right to be represented by counsel. The District Superior Court had the right to review all Commission decisions in such cases. The Commission could also impose penalties for violation of this law. Moreover, upon conviction a person or firm could be liable for fines or imprisonment.

The 1927 law was declared discriminatory and unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court in the landmark case, State vs. Warren. However, this case only applied to eight counties in the state and was challenged legally. In January 1937, the North Carolina Supreme Court declared that the law was discriminatory and unconstitutional, contravening Article I, Section 7, of the North Carolina State Constitution, since it applied only to real estate brokers and salesmen in eight designated counties and not to those in other counties.

Later in 1937, the General Assembly again enacted legislation to regulate the real estate profession. Definitions of real estate brokers and salesmen were appropriated from the 1927 law. Like the earlier Commission, the 1937 Commission was to receive applications and issue licenses. Qualifications enunciated in the 1927 law were repealed, with the exception that applicants had to pass a written examination administered by Commission representatives. Individuals engaged in the real estate profession for at least a year before the effective date of this legislation were to be exempted from taking the examination. Reasons for revocation and suspension of licenses were also repealed from the 1927 law, including provisions for hearings, the right to counsel, and the right to appeal to the Superior Court.

Although the 1937 law went into effect on June 1, 1937, sixty-four counties were exempted by the legislature, and once again the law was challenged in court. In March 1939, the North Carolina Supreme Court handed down a decision declaring the Real Estate License Act of 1937 to be unconstitutional. The court held that since the act set up state-wide requirements for real estate licensing but only applied them to thirty-six counties, it was discriminatory and was in fact a local act regulating trade in contravention of Article III, Section 29, of the North Carolina State Constitution. Accordingly, the General Assembly later that month abolished the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and liquidated its assets. It would be eighteen years before the state again attempted comprehensive regulation and licensing of the real estate profession in North Carolina.

The current North Carolina Real Estate Commission was established in 1957 by the General Assembly under Chapter 93A of the General Statutes. Since its inception, the North Carolina Real Estate Commission has issued licenses with consecutive numbers. License number 1 was issued to CE Phillips in 1957. That license is on display at the Durham Regional Association of REALTORS® where he served as President. At the time of this publication, the Commission has issued 367,700 broker, 42,746 firm, and 1,030 limited nonresident commercial licenses.

A Quick Reminder About License Activation and Firm Affiliation

Link: https://youtu.be/D3Tskh2u3F0

Script: If you are returning to active status or joining a new brokerage, remember that you must submit a License Activation and Broker Affiliation (Form REC 2.08) to activate your license and affiliate with a broker-in-charge (BIC).

Once the form is successfully submitted, you will receive an email confirmation and a temporary 30-day approval, allowing you to begin practicing with the brokerage immediately while the Commission processes your application. If you have not received any communication from the Commission regarding your license activation/affiliation within 25 days of submitting Form REC 2.08, contact the Commission to verify the status of your submission before the temporary approval period expires.

Also, non-provisional brokers may be affiliated with more than one BIC at a time, so if you need to terminate a previous affiliation, you must separately submit a Request to Terminate Your Affiliation with a Firm or Sole Proprietorship (Form REC 2.22). This Request to Terminate Your Affiliation with a Firm or Sole Proprietorship (Form 2.22) takes 7-10 business days.

If you have any questions or concerns, please visit the Commission’s Support page.

How to Designate Your Email Address as Private

Have you updated your email address and phone number as required under Rule 58A .0103? Are you interested in designating your email address as private?

Maintaining accurate contact information with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission is more than just good practice, it’s a requirement.

Under Commission Rule 58A .0103, all licensees must notify the Commission of any change to their email address or phone number within 10 days of the change. This requirement applies to all brokers, including provisional brokers and full brokers, regardless of whether their licenses are on active or inactive status.

Keeping your contact information current helps ensure that you receive important communications from the Commission, including licensing updates, renewal information, and regulatory notices.

What many licensees may not realize, however, is that while providing an email address and phone number to the Commission is mandatory, you can choose to keep that information private.

If you would like to designate your email address or phone number as private in your license record, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the Commission website (www.NCREC.gov).
  2. Scroll down to Licensees.
  3. Select Licensee Login.
  4. Enter your license number and PIN (the last four digits of your social security number unless you have changed it).
  5. Select View/Update Your License Record.

6. Scroll down to Other Contact Information

7. Delete any entries in the boxes next to Public Phone and Public Email to mark your email address and/or phone number as private.

8. Add your information in the Private Phone and Private Email sections.

9. Select the submit button.

NOTE: If an email/phone number is designated as private, the North Carolina Real Estate Commission will not share your information unless it is required under federal law or valid subpoena.

My license expired! How do I reinstate it?

To maintain a current license, brokers must renew their license annually between May 15 and June 30. If a broker fails to renew their license during this period, their real estate license will expire on June 30. Once the license expires, the broker must cease all brokerage activities immediately.   

What steps must a broker take to reinstate an expired license? That answer depends on how long the license has been expired.

To reinstate a license expired for less than 6 months:

  1. Go to the Commission’s homepage (www.ncrec.gov);
  2. Click on Reinstate your License;
  3. Enter your license number and PIN (last 4 of your SSN unless you have changed it);
  4. Answer required questions; and
  5. Pay the $100 reinstatement fee.

NOTE: Following expiration, a broker’s license is reinstated on inactive status. To regain active status, brokers must submit a License Activation / Affiliation form (REC 2.08).

To reinstate a license expired for 6 months but no more than 2 years:

  1. Successfully complete one 30-hour Postlicensing course (course must be completed within 6 months prior to submitting reinstatement application); and
  2. Submit a reinstatement application with the $100 application fee and all required documentation, including criminal background report;

-OR-

  1. Submit a reinstatement application with the $100 application fee and all required documentation, including criminal background report; and
  2. Pass the National and State sections of the license exam.

NOTE: Following expiration, a broker’s license is reinstated on inactive status. To regain active status, brokers must submit a License Activation / Affiliation form (REC 2.08).

To reinstate a license expired for more than 2 years:

  1. Successfully complete the 75-hour NC Broker Prelicensing course;
  2. Submit a license application with the $105 original application fee and all required documentation, including criminal background report; and
  3. Pass the National and State sections of the license exam.

NOTE: You will be licensed as a provisional broker and be subject to the 90-hour Postlicensing education program. To gain active status, you must submit a License Activation / Affiliation form (REC 2.08).

For more information, review Commission Rule 58A .0505 or visit the “Reinstate your License” page on the Commission’s website. You may also contact the Commission’s Education & Licensing Division at ls@ncrec.gov or 919-875-3700.

Reactivating After a CE Deficiency

Link: https://youtu.be/KRH5wkIOc8k

Script: If you did not complete your continuing education before the deadline of June 10th, we’ll walk through the steps on how to reactivate your license. If a broker fails to complete their required continuing education by June 10th at 11:59 p.m., their license status will be inactive on July 1st.

The North Carolina Real Estate Commission’s continuing education rules do not allow exceptions to be made for circumstances that prevented you from completing CE.

Licensees with continuing education deficiencies can continue to practice real estate until 11:59 p.m. on June 30th. On July 1st, you must cease brokerage activity.

This includes communicating with clients, advertising, social media, etc. If you have clients or customers who need brokerage services, make arrangements with your BIC to transfer any current listings, buyers, or contracts to an active licensee.

Any payment depends entirely on your company’s policies and procedures. However, you may not receive any compensation for the work that you do while your license is inactive.

To reactivate after July 1st, complete the required CE for 2026 through 2027. You will need the General update and one elective. You must also make up the 2025 through 2026 deficiency with electives. You will need either 4 hours or 8 hours, depending upon whether you took any CE in the 2025-26 license year.

Submit the 2.08 activation form after all of the courses are complete. If you are a BIC or BIC eligible and your license expires or changes to an inactive status on July 1st, you’ll automatically lose BIC eligible status and in turn BIC designation.

If that happens and you wish to regain BIC eligible status, you must: 

1) return the license to active status,

2) meet the experience requirements for BIC designation,

3) take the 12-hour broker in charge course before redesignation, and

4) complete and submit the request for BIC eligible status and/ or designation form REC 2.25.

Do not take the 12-hour BIC course before your license is on active status. Refer to rule 58A.0110 for detailed instructions regarding regaining BIC eligible status and BIC designation.

If your broker license has been on inactive status for more than 2 years and you have a deficiency in your continuing education record, you must make up the continuing education deficiency for the current license year and complete two post-licensing courses no more than 6 months before activation.

For more information, visit the Commission’s website.

Don’t Ghost the Commission: Silence Isn’t Compliance

By: Leah Green

The Commission has observed a growing pattern of delayed, incomplete, or entirely absent responses to its official Letters of Inquiry relating to a complaint against a licensee. These lapses have been accompanied by a wide range of explanations from claims that letters were never received, to personal health issues. Some receive no explanation at all. The trend represents a significant compliance concern.

Commission RuleA .0601(e) requires brokers to provide a response to the Commission within 14 days of receipt of a Letter of Inquiry. The deadline is mandatory. This core professional obligation is designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and compliance. When circumstances necessitate additional time to respond, brokers and their lawyers may request an extension; such requests should be made before the deadline passes.

To ensure full compliance, the Commission urges all licensees to take two critical steps:

  1. Maintain Updated Contact Information
    1. Ensure that mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers on file are accurate and current by using the Licensee Login.  These are the ways in which the Commission will attempt to contact you, so it is your responsibility to keep them current as required by Commission Rule A .0103. 
  2. Monitor Deadlines Closely
    1.  Pay close attention to all correspondence from the Commission and respond promptly within the required 14‑day window. 

Failure to respond to inquiries in a timely manner may result in disciplinary action. The emphasis on timely communication reflects the Commission’s commitment to maintaining professional standards and ensuring that all licensees meet their regulatory responsibilities.

Current Stats: Monthly Licensee Count as of June 1, 2026