Special offer

TEXAS AGENTS WHO ARE NOT BROKERS CAN NO LONGER KEEP THEIR SPONSOR A SECRET

By
Real Estate Agent with Bill Cherry, Realtor 0124242

Throughout recent years, people with real estate sales persons licenses have become more and more bold with their personal advertising, DBAs and web sites, leading consumers as well as other brokers and agents to conclude that the person with the sales person's license is a licensed broker.

The Texas Real Estate Commission has adopted new regulations to address this issue.

New Advertising Rules Take Effect March 9 


The Texas Real Estate Commission finally rewrote its rules to require all advertising by licensees to clearly and conspicuously contain the name of the broker.

Under the new rule, the broker's name may be the name of the individual broker, a business entity that is licensed as a corporate broker, or even an assumed name of the broker if that name is on file with TREC.

No specific size requirements for the broker's name were included in the rule, but the commission adopted a policy that creates a safe harbor for licensees to know for sure if their advertising meets the new requirements:

If the broker's name is at least half the size of the largest contact information in the advertising, it will be deemed to meet the clear and conspicuous requirement. Listen to the latest Texas REALTOR® Update podcast for more information about these rule changes.

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS - PARK CITIES

Since 1964

214 503-8563

WEB

Comments (3)

Ricki Eichler McCallum
CastNet Realty - Corpus Christi, TX
Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS

This is a good change I think we needed. :)

Feb 18, 2011 01:08 PM
BILL CHERRY
Bill Cherry, Realtor - Dallas, TX
Broker & Wealth Coach

Sure.  If these agents want to have the privileges of a broker, they need to pass the test, pay the $500 license fee, and take on 100% of the liability for their errors.

I see signs all over Dallas that say something like this:  "Jones & Co, Realtors."  They have their own ads, they have their own web sites, and some even have radio programs.  But if you check with the state, they are licensed sales people.  In two cases that I checked, the sponsoring broker lived and officed more than 200 miles away.

Bill

Feb 18, 2011 02:15 PM
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTORĀ®, Broker

Bill,

It is a good rule the commission adopted on Feb 14th.  Now they need to come down hard on those brokers who allow their agents to violate the rule.  Since the brokers are responsible for the advertising their agents do they should do a better job of monitoring that advertising.

Feb 19, 2011 12:54 AM