Broker/Manager News and Updates

Maryland Real Estate Commission Meeting – June 17, 2026

Below is a recap of items covered at the Commission’s June business meeting, including broker supervision expectations, education standards, legislative concepts related to fingerprinting and broker supervision continuing education, application review procedures, Commission leadership, and recent outreach.

Reminders - Broker Supervision Expectations

During Chair comments, the Commission emphasized that broker supervision is measured not only by written policies, but also by how brokers respond when issues arise. When a broker, branch office manager, or team leader is copied or notified about a material issue involving a contract or client, silence can create the impression that the issue was not recognized, reviewed, or addressed.

Brokers were reminded that meaningful communication is an important part of supervision and that a lack of response may leave clients unprotected and create problems for the cooperating side.

Education Standards and PSI Exam Performance

The Education Committee reviewed PSI examination pass rate data for Maryland real estate schools and discussed concerns that Maryland’s overall pass rates appear significantly lower than regional averages. The Committee also discussed tracking historical pass rate trends, clarifying PSI’s methodology for calculating regional and national averages, coordinating with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and considering whether minimum performance standards should be established for schools.

Continuing Education Student Evaluations

The Education Committee continued discussing continuing education course evaluations, including expanding the process to online and self-study formats. The Commission is also developing a Google survey that education providers may be able to share with students, and the Committee will continue reviewing feedback as responses are collected.

Legislative Proposal: Fingerprinting and Criminal Background Checks

The MREC Legislative Committee continued work on a legislative concept sheet related to fingerprinting and criminal background checks for real estate license applicants. The Commission voted to approve the concept sheet for submission to the Department of Labor for its approval in order to pursue legislation during the 2027 legislative session.

Legislative Proposal: Broker Supervision Continuing Education

The Commission again discussed the proposal to restore the broker supervision continuing education requirement from 1.5 hours back to 3 hours. Because the legislative concept sheet may be due before the Commission’s next monthly meeting, the Commission voted to delegate authority to the Legislative Committee to finalize and approve the concept sheet for submission to the Department of Labor.

Application Review Committee

The Application Review Committee provided its first regular report to the Commission. The Committee reviews certain applications that require additional consideration, including applications involving prior criminal history or other special circumstances that may not be handled through the standard application process. The Committee expects to continue meeting quarterly to review these types of applications.

Commission Leadership & Outreach

The Commission elected Commissioner Demetria Scott to serve a second term as Chair and Commissioner Joe Wilson to serve a second term as Vice Chair.

The Executive Director reported several recent outreach activities, including attendance at a Long & Foster instructor training session, the Howard County Association of REALTORS® Annual Fair and broker-manager meeting, and the Prince George’s County Association of REALTORS® annual membership meeting. Topics discussed during outreach included compliance issues, continuing education requirements, broker supervision, and other timely Commission matters.

Next Meeting

The next Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15 at 10:30 a.m.