July 2026 Meeting Minutes - Real Estate Commission (MREC)

DATE: July 15, 2026

TIME: 10:30 A.M.

LOCATION: 100 S. Charles Street
Tower 1
Baltimore, MD 21201
(Teleconference via Google Meet)

MEMBERS PRESENT: Demetria Scott, Commissioner, Chair
Sandy Olson, Commissioner
Joe Wilson, Commissioner
Jackie Alexander, Commissioner
Roxanne Alston, Commissioner
Hope Mims, Commissioner
Nea Maloo, Commissioner

MEMBERS ABSENT: Kambon Williams, Commissioner

STAFF PRESENT: Robert Pambianco, Assistant Attorney General
Scott Lederer, Executive Director
Tenensia Matthews, Administrative Assistant
Andrew Freil, Director of Government Affairs
Christopher Morton, Paralegal
Aajah Harris, Policy Director
Japonica Kearney, Education Director
Allison Simpson, Education Assistant

OTHERS PRESENT:
Greg Fisk
David Politzer
Dave Stromberg
RosAnn Spalt
Gwendolyn Wynn
Susan Yashinskie
Stephen Beauchamp
Brenda Kasuva
Deb Hutson
Marie Lagos
Christa McGee
Stephanie Gones

Roll Call/Quorum Announced and Meeting Called to Order

Chair Scott called the meeting to order at 10:30 AM. A roll call was conducted by Executive Director Lederer, confirming that a quorum was present.

Approval of Report of Complaints/Administrative Dismissals for April

Motion made by Commissioner Wilson, seconded by Commissioner Maloo, to approve the Administrative Dismissals for July 2026. No discussion. Motion carried.

Approval of June 17,2026 Minutes

Motion made by Commissioner Wilson, seconded by Commissioner Mims, to approve the June 17, 2026, Business Meeting minutes. No discussion. Motion carried.

Committee Reports

Education - Commissioner Mims, Chair

The Education Committee is focused on establishing pathways to improve licensing examination pass rates. Plans are underway to invite a representative from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to the next meeting to discuss guidelines and identify barriers to candidate success.

FY 2026 Exam Pass Rates:

Broker Exams: 659 administered | 44% pass rate
Salesperson Exams: 14,641 administered | 36% pass rate
Chair Scott noted that broker examination pass rates align with national averages, while salesperson examination results are low.

Next Committee Meeting: Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 11:30 AM.

Legislative – Commissioner Alexander, Co-Chair & Commissioner Wilson, Co-Chair

The committee met on June 22, 2026. Key updates included:

Fingerprint Concept Sheet: Submitted to the Department of Labor for review and is currently being monitored for potential inclusion in the upcoming legislative session.
Broker Supervision Course: A concept sheet was submitted proposing to restore the broker supervision continuing education requirement to three hours.
Property Management Legislation: Drafting proposed legislation regarding property management licensing remains a priority.
Transaction Inquiry: The committee is investigating an issue involving an older property owner who signed an easement agreement relinquishing property access in exchange for nominal payment without a formal deed transfer.
Next Committee Meeting: Monday, July 27, 2026, at 3:00 PM.

Comments from Executive Director - Scott Lederer

Executive Director Lederer provided the operational update for June 2026:

Active License Counts: Total active licenses continue to show a slight year-over-year decline of 2.3%. The breakdown is as follows: 3,838 brokers, 2,956 associate brokers, 36,757 salespersons, 291 reciprocal associate brokers, and 980 reciprocal salespersons.
Open Complaints: 277 open complaints are currently in process, ranging from pending responses to formal hearings.
Guaranty Fund: As of May 31, 2026, the fund balance stood at $1,245,110.74.
Education Waivers: 93 out-of-state education waivers were processed during June.

Action Item: In response to an inquiry from Commissioner Mims, Executive Director Lederer will research national licensee trend data through ARELLO and report back to the Commission.

Comments from Counsel - Robert Pambianco

Counsel Pambianco reported that the updated Property Disclosure Disclaimer Statement has been submitted for final action. Publication in the Maryland Register is expected on July 24, 2026. Barring administrative delays from the Division of State Documents, the form is expected to take effect on August 3, 2026.

Comments from Chair - Demetria Scott

Chair Scott addressed website maintenance and regulatory compliance. Completed FY 2026 disciplinary actions must be posted on the Commission website. It was noted that disciplinary records have not been updated on the public website or ARELLO database since late 2024. The Commission will prioritize updating these records over the next 90 days to ensure that other jurisdictions can accurately verify licensing history and eligibility for out-of-state licensing.

Old Business

No old business was brought before the Commission.

New Business

No new business was brought before the Commission.

Public Comment

Brenda Kasuva

Brenda Kasuva (Maryland Real Estate Educators Association - MREEA): Reminded the Commission of the upcoming MREEA meeting scheduled for July 28, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. She also raised concerns regarding student surveys, noting that survey forms are not currently being consistently distributed in classes.

Christa McGee

Christa McGee (Maryland Realtors): Reported June 2026 association membership of 26,107 representing a 2.4% year-over-year decrease from June 2025, when membership was 26,740.

Adjournment

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 AM.

Next Business Meeting: Wednesday, August 19, 2026.