Consumer Dissatisfaction In North Carolina Leads To Stricter Real Estate Licensing Laws

Real estate commissioners in North Carolina are drafting new laws that will require all licensees to hold broker licenses by next year, and adhere to substantially higher educational imperatives. Increasing consumer complaints about "inexperienced and uneducated" licensees was the driving force behind the changes. Advantage Training Systems offers this explanation:

• Today's real estate consumers neither know nor care whether their agent has a broker license or salesperson license - they expect the same level of service;
• Persons choosing real estate brokerage as a career would benefit from additional real estate education focusing especially on practical aspects of real estate transactions; and
• Brokers who open and manage real estate offices need more training and experience.

These were some of the conclusions reached by the Real Estate Commission's 2004 Broker-in-Charge Advisory Committee. In its report to the Commission, the committee made several recommendations to address these concerns. Generally, they would create a single (broker) license, require future licensees to complete post-licensing education, and increase the qualification requirements to become broker-in-charge of a real estate office.