Daily Real Estate News  |  September 13, 2005  |   States Grant Temporary Licenses to Displaced Practitioners With many cities along the U.S. Gulf Coast demolished by Hurricane Katrina, real estate professionals from the affected areas are starting to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and careers and contemplating starting over elsewhere. And state real estate commissions in the states surrounding Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi are heeding the need to provide emergency license reciprocity. The Texas Real Estate Commission, which reported receiving 20 requests from out-of-state licensees about license reciprocity as of last week, held an emergency teleconference meeting Monday to formulate a proposal that would create a temporary license in the state, according to Wayne Thorburn, administrator of TREC. The proposed rule (Sec 535.4) would create a new Temporary Emergency Salesperson License, which will expire March 31, that allows individuals with a current broker or salesperson license in good standing from one of the three states most impacted by Hurricane Katrina to be eligible for the temporary license immediately. “Holders of such emergency licenses must work under the sponsorship of a Texas real estate broker,” Thorburn says. In addition, TREC developed another proposal (Sec 535.211) to establish a temporary real estate inspector license, which will expire Feb. 28, that allows the same emergency privileges to home inspectors in good standing from the three states most affected by Hurricane Katrina. The inspectors also would have to work under the sponsorship of a Texas professional inspector, Thorburn says. In developing the proposals, TREC looked at other temporary licenses already granted in the state. The commission plans to send the proposed new rules to Gov. Rick Perry for approval. If the proposals are approved, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi licensees will be allowed to work in the state for six months before having to convert the temporary license to a regular one. Those interested in finding out more about license reciprocity in Texas can call TREC at 512/459-6544. Like Texas, a number of other states surrounding the hurricane-ravaged states are exploring ways to help displaced practitioners. Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee officials say they are considering avenues for expediting the licensing process for displaced practitioners while still protecting the public, and Florida is looking into granting reciprocity. “We are going to allow some concessions,” says Anne Woody, executive director of the Oklahoma commission. “We’re going to do whatever we can to assist them and protect the public.” Oklahoma has automatic reciprocity with Alabama and Mississippi and can grant practitioners from Louisiana non-resident licenses. The five members of the Arkansas Real Estate Commission, which has received one inquiry so far from a displaced practitioner about licensing accommodations, voted Monday to waive all fees for Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi practitioners seeking reciprocal licenses, according to Bill Williamson, director of the Arkansas commission. Arkansas typically charges a $50 salesperson license fee ($70 for a broker license), a $50 application fee, and a $25 recovery fund fee. Williamson said the state already is trying to expedite reciprocal license requests by easing up on other requirements, such as requiring a license history from the applicant’s home state. “We’ll be very lenient about that,” he says, adding the commission would still have to confirm the applicant had a real estate license. Arkansas has had reciprocal licensing agreements with all three states for years, he says. Those interested in finding out more about reciprocal licenses in Arkansas can call the commission at 501/683-8010. Hurricane Katrina Coverage Main Page To read more Hurricane Katrina coverage, go to REALTOR.org. —By Chuck Paustian and Robert Freedman for REALTORŪ Magazine Online