Bulletin Search

Whitley ARELLO President-Elect

Mary Frances Whitley, Director of Administration, has been elected President-Elect of the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO).  The international organization promotes better administration and enforcement of real estate license and regulatory laws by its members.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Watts Re-elected Chairman; Alston, Bass, Vice Chairmen

Matthew J. “Rick” Watts of Fayetteville has been re-elected Chairman of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission for a second consecutive term and Melvin L. “Skip” Alston of Greensboro and Raymond A. “Buddy” Bass, Jr., of Fayetteville have been elected Vice Chairmen, it was announced by Phillip T. Fisher, Executive Director.

Watts is Broker Associate and Senior Sales Executive with Coldwell Banker United Realty in Fayetteville.

Watts entered the real estate business in 1992 after retiring from a 30-year career with the U. S. Army where he achieved the rank of Command Retention Sergeant Major for the XVIII Airborne Corps.

Among numerous honors, Watts holds the U.S. Army Legion of Merit, the highest peacetime award for military achievement and honorable service, and Governor Easley recently named him to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his service toNorth Carolina.

He is a member of the the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation Board and past member of the Executive Committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, among other organizations.

Watts and his wife, Margaret, live in Fayetteville. Their daughter, Tiffany, recently received her PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Melvin L. “Skip” Alston

He is a former Chairman and is now serving his fourth four-year term as a member of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

Alston is President of S&J Management Corporation and is involved with a number of other successful business ventures in the Greensboro area.

He is the immediate-president of the North Carolina State Conference of NAACP Branches, and serves on the NAACP National Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

He is also a member of the North Carolina Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission, a past president of the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials, and is co-founder and Chairman of the board of directors for the Sit-In Movement, Inc.

Alston has two sons, DeSean Jahleel who is also a real estate broker, and Ryan DeMarkus.

Raymond A. “Buddy” Bass, Jr.

Bass entered the real estate business in 1965.

He was owner and president of Dickens-Bass Realty & Construction Company and president of Bass Construction Company of Fayetteville, Inc., until his retirement.

He is a native of Halifax and a graduate of East Carolina University where he played football. He served in the U.S. Military during the Korean Conflict.

He is a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Halifax, the Halifax Fishing Club, Alpo Hunting Club and the Cape Fear Aero Clubs as well as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

A former Chairman of the Real Estate Commission, he has been a member of the Commission since 1993. He was named by Governor Easley to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his long and dedicated service to the state.

Bass and his wife, Joan, have three children, Greg, Lisa and Susan.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Trust Caravan Sets Attendance Record

The Spring 2005 Trust Account Caravan set a new record for attendance with 701 attendees, shattering the old record of 593 set in 2002.

The Commission offered twelve “Basic Trust Account Procedures” courses and four “Trust Account Procedures for Resort Property Managers” courses between March and May. Courses were held in Asheville, Fayetteville, Greensboro,Greenville, Huntersville, Kill Devil Hills, Murphy and Wilmington.

Held annually, the Caravan was instituted by the Commission in 1982 as a means of providing its courses to people throughout the state who cannot attend one of the monthly courses held in Raleigh. Both courses were developed and are taught by members of the Commission’s Audits & Investigations Division.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Staff Update

Alexa Corbett has assumed the position of Education and Licensing Officer. She approves and oversees prelicense education instructors and schools, and coordinates the license issuance process for salespersons, brokers and firms. She has an MA degree in education, a North Carolina broker license and several years experience as a public school teacher.

Tonya L. Spratley has assumed the position of Continuing Education Specialist in the Education and Licensing Division. She is responsible for administering various  aspects of the CE program. Prior to joining the Commission, she worked as an administrative assistant with Hunter & Associates, a Raleigh real estate firm, and as a paralegal with Glaxo Smith Kline.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Schweidler, Little Scholarships Awarded

Commission Chairman Matthew J. (Rick) Watts presented the Blanton Little Memorial Scholarship to Reuben L. Moore of Cary, and the Joe Schweidler Memorial Scholarship to John L. Irvin, Jr., of Greensboro.

Little and Schweidler are former executive directors of the Real Estate Commission.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Scholarship Honors Phillip T. Fisher

To honor Real Estate Commission Executive Director Phillip T. Fisher’s long and dedicated service, the Commission has established the Phillip T. Fisher Scholarship in his honor. Fisher joined the Commission in 1975.

The scholarship will benefit persons who have distinguished themselves in the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) education program conducted under the auspices of the North Carolina chapter of the National Association of REALTORS® Council of Residential Specialists.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

New State Property Commission Invites Real Estate Proposals

Real estate professionals are being invited by the newly established North Carolina Commission on State Property (NCCOSP) to submit proposals concerning state-owned properties believed to be surplus. The proposals may be accompanied by an offer to purchase or an offer to list the parcel for sale.

The Property Commission will work with state agencies that control such properties to determine whether the property is surplus. A licensee may be eligible to receive brokerage fees if a proposal is accepted and certain conditions are met.North Carolina owns more than 630,000 acres of land and over 12,000 buildings. For more information and rules governing proposals, visit the Commission’s website, www.nccosp.state.nc.us.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Lackey Appointed to Housing Finance Board

Speaker of the House James T. Black has appointed Real Estate Commission member William C. Lackey, Jr., of Cornelius to the Board of Directors of the Housing Finance Agency. The Agency seeks to create affordable housing opportunities for people whose needs are not being met by the market.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Effective April 1, 2006 Gov. Easley Signs Historic Real Estate Licensing Bill

On September 14, Governor Easley signed legislation making the most significant changes ever in the Real Estate License Law.

Soon, salesperson licenses will be converted to (provisional) broker licenses, license applicants will be required to complete more real estate education, and persons wishing to become brokers-in-charge of real estate offices must have additional training and real estate experience.

At its September meeting, the Real Estate Commission recognized the following persons and organizations who were instrumental in the passage of the legislation:

• Representative Julia Howard who, with Representatives William Culpepper and Harold Brubaker, sponsored the legislation and who advocated for it on the House Floor and in committee;

• Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand who sponsored a companion bill and spoke for the legislation on the Senate Floor;

• North Carolina Association of REALTORS® which used its considerable resources to promote the legislation; and the Commission’s 2004 Broker-in-Charge Advisory Committee which conceived and recommended the legislation to the Commission.

Commission Chairman Rick Watts concluded the proceedings by remarking that, as a result of this important legislation, “Real estate consumers will soon be served by more knowledgeable agents, and North Carolina’s real estate licensing program will be restructured to meet the needs and demands of the 21st century marketplace.”

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.

Dameron Named 2005 REALTOR® of the Year

Real Estate Commission member Allan R. Dameron of Holden Beach has been named by the North Carolina Association of REALTORS® as 2005 REALTOR® of the Year.

The award is made annually to a REALTOR® for significant contributions to the industry and the community. Commission member Wanda J. Proffitt of Burnsville was named NCAR 1992 REALTOR® of the Year.

This article came from the October 2005-Vol36-2 edition of the bulletin.