Current Stats: Monthly Licensee Count as of May 1, 2020

Call for Nominations: Educational Excellence Awards

The Commission annually gives three awards to licensees for educational endeavors: the Joe Schweidler Memorial Scholarship Award, the Blanton Little Memorial Scholarship Award, and the Phillip T. Fisher Scholarship Award. Schweidler and Little were former Secretary/Treasurers of the NC Real Estate Licensing Board; Fisher is a former Executive Director of the Commission. In the past, these scholarships have been given in the spring, based on performance in specific educational programs during the previous license year. 

Beginning this year, the Commission will accept nominations for these awards.  Criteria for each of the three awards are provided at the end of this article. 

To be considered for one of the awards, an individual must hold a current NC broker license on Active status and submit an application provided on the Commission’s website, including:

1. a written explanation of the individual’s qualifications for the award (500 words or less);
2. documentation to demonstrate the individual’s completion of activities and/or education that are required by award criteria; and
3. two letters of reference/recommendation.

Nominations for all awards will be accepted from May 1–June 30, 2020.  Self-nominations are welcome.  Go to the Commission’s homepage (www.ncrec.gov) to download the Educational Scholarship Nomination Form. 

Commission Staff will evaluate submissions against the written criteria and make recommendations for award recipients to Commission members.  Commission members will make final selections during their meeting on July 15, 2020, and award recipients will be announced at that time. Each award recipient will receive a check for $1000 and a commemorative plaque. 

If you have questions about the awards, send an email to scholarship@ncrec.gov.

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SCHOLARSHIP AWARD CRITERIA

Scholarship #1 – Joe Schweidler Memorial Scholarship Award:  Community-focused Educational Programs

The recipient of this award has invested in the community (in North Carolina) by developing, organizing, and presenting educational opportunities to those people in the community who are not real estate brokers, but who are or may become real estate consumers. This must be an ongoing commitment as evidenced by regularly scheduled educational events (quarterly, for example, over the past 2-3 years) focusing on topics such as:

• first-time homebuyers;
• leasing vs buying real property;
• financial preparation for home ownership;
• credit scoring and credit improvement;
• new home trends (ex: Green, Technology, Tiny, Granny-Pods, etc.); or
• community changes (ex: zoning, gentrification, etc.).

Scholarship #2 – Blanton Little Memorial Scholarship Award: Peer-focused Educational Programs

The recipient of this award has invested time and energy in elevating the knowledge and skills of other North Carolina brokers. This must be an on-going commitment in which this individual conducts regular training sessions for other brokers in North Carolina through any number of available sites or organizations.  Examples include:

• training sessions through a local association/board of REALTORS®;
• in-house/office training sessions; or
• mentoring of less experienced brokers.

Scholarship #3 – Phillip T. Fisher Scholarship Award: Personal Growth-focused Educational Programs

The recipient of this award has invested time and energy in personal growth through advanced real estate education as evidenced by degree(s) or certifications/designations in various areas of real estate. Over the previous 2 to 3 years, this individual will have attained various different certifications/designations, or an advanced degree in real estate brokerage or a closely related field. Certifications, designations, and/or degree(s) must have been obtained while licensed in North Carolina. Examples include:

• NAR designations, such as ABR, CCIM, CPM, CRB, CRS, CRE, GREEN, GRI, SRS, or SRES;
• certifications/designations in closely related fields, such as the Accredited Staging Professionals (ASP) certification; or
• certifications in specialized practice areas, such as property management or commercial brokerage.

Commission Spotlight: License Specialist

Do you need to update information in your license record? Do you have questions about license renewal or education requirements? If so, you may contact the Commission’s Education and Licensing Division. When you contact that division, your call will be directed to a License Specialist.

License Specialists focus on:

• responding to phone and email inquiries from prospective licensees,
• processing license applications,
• maintaining license records for brokers, firms, and LNCLs, and
• processing forms.

For more information or to ask a question, contact the Education and Licensing Division at LS@ncrec.gov or 919-875-3700.

Extensions of CE and Postlicensing Education Deadlines

Temporary rule 58G .0104, which has been effective since March 26, provides for automatic extensions of time for brokers to complete CE and Postlicensing education.   Following are a few of the most frequently-asked questions regarding extensions.

What is the CE extension deadline?

Answer: September 30, 2020.  The Commission is granting an automatic 90-day extension.  No CE courses may be offered during the June 11-June 30 CE blackout period, so the 90-day extension period will begin on July 1, 2020, and end on September 30, 2020.  

Can a broker take the 2019-20 Update course after June 10, 2020? 

Answer: No.  The 2019-20 GenUp and BICUP courses cannot be offered after June 10, 2020.

What if brokers do not take the 2019-20 Update course by June 10.  How will they make it up?

Answer:  Any broker who does not complete all 8 hours of CE by June 10 will be automatically granted a 90-day extension.  The broker will then take approved elective courses [between July 1-September 30, 2020] to make up missed hours, even if those hours included the Update course. 

What is the Postlicensing extension deadline?

Answer: September 30, 2020.  PBs who have Postlicensing education deadlines between March 26-June 30, 2020, will be granted an automatic extension until September 30, 2020.  

Should brokers renew their licenses even if they don’t complete CE or Postlicensing education?

Answer:  Yes.  Renewal requirements have not changed.  A video that answers FAQs regarding renewal and provides step-by-step renewal instructions is posted in the Commission’s Video Library. 

If you have further questions, please contact the Education and Licensing Division at LS@ncrec.gov or 919.875.3700.

Commission Building Closed; Staff are Available by Phone, Email, and Webform

NC REAL ESTATE COMMISSION BUILDING CURRENTLY CLOSED TO ALL VISITORS; STAFF ARE AVAILABLE BY PHONE, EMAIL, WEB FORMS

The members and staff of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission are concerned about the health and safety of our licensees and the public. For the protection of everyone, effective Monday, March 23, 2020, our building is closed to all visitors. The Commission remains open for business via telephone, email, and at ncrec.gov, including applications, web forms, and more.

Contact us at 919-875-3700, via this website, or by email to the addresses listed below. We’re here to help. If you call and get a voice mail, please leave a message and we will return your call

Main Number – 919-875-3700

Education & Licensing – 919-875-3700; LS@ncrec.gov

Regulatory Affairs – 919-719-9180; RA@ncrec.gov

Administration – admin@ncrec.gov

Executive – exec@ncrec.gov

In Memoriam

Anthony “Tony” Rand, of Fayetteville, State Senator from 1981-1988 and 1995-2009. On February 22, 2005, the Real Estate Commission’s Raleigh office building was dedicated in his honor. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charlotte/obituary.aspx?n=anthony-rand&pid=196133096&fhid=10103

Fred Adams Sr., of Willow Spring, a member of the Commission from 1981 to 1983. https://www.everhere.com/us/obituaries/nc/willow-spring/fred-adams-sr-10734437

Disciplinary Actions

KIMBERLY RENE CLARK (Charlotte) – By Consent, the Commission reprimanded Ms. Clark effective May 1, 2020. The Commission found that in July 2018, Ms. Clark acting as the broker-in-charge of a firm, failed to discover a broker of her firm inaccurately advertised a property as having a total of 2,619 square feet when the property actually had 1,980 square feet. The broker affiliated with Ms. Clark’s firm also failed to disclose underground storage tanks in August of 2018.

MOUNTAIN ISLAND LAKE REALTY, LLC (Charlotte) – By Consent, the Commission reprimanded Mountain Island Lake Realty, LLC effective May 1, 2020. The Commission found that in July 2018, a broker affiliated with the firm inaccurately advertised a property as having a total of 2,619 square feet when the property actually had 1,980 square feet. The broker affiliated with the firm also failed to disclose underground storage tanks in August of 2018.