Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday. I anticipated the start of 2021 with great excitement, as I expect many of you did as well.

Legislative Session Kick-Off

The 87th Texas Legislature begins today, Tuesday, January 12.  We are tracking filed bills and have a system to review all bills that have a potential impact on our work or that of our license holders.  This will be a unique session, but only time will tell what it may look like. I encourage you to follow along and participate in the process.

Enforcement Director Troy Beaulieu's Departure

As many of you may know, we said farewell to longtime Director of Enforcement, Troy Beaulieu. Troy took an exciting role with the City of San Antonio, and I wish him the very best in this position and beyond.  Troy’s historical knowledge, insight and high character were invaluable to me and so many others and we will miss him greatly. Stay tuned as we make plans to account for Troy’s departure.

PAREA Adopted

The AQB recently adopted Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA). The new criteria provide another pathway for appraisers to fulfill their experience requirements by taking advantage of technology. The Board will be addressing this change to appraiser experience requirements at the February meeting.

Lastly, I want to thank you for your support this year.  I concluded my first year as commissioner and am honored to serve in this role.  It was different than I expected it to be, but that is true for the whole world.  I appreciate your continued professionalism in these times to help consumers in Texans’ achieve their dreams. I look forward to another fantastic year ahead, hopefully seeing you all in person soon!