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Tag: disclosure

  • What Texas Realtors need to know about SB 1968 – Houston Agent Magazine

    Senate Bill 1968 went into effect Jan. 1. The legislation, filed by Republican sponsors last March and passed in June, directly affects licensing and regulations for Realtors in the state.

    The bill amends the Texas Real Estate License Act, modernizing real estate agency law and clarifying the broker-buyer relationship, and adds new continuing education requirements for brokers.

    We spoke with Shawn Buck, 2026 president of the Greater Fort Worth Association of REALTORS®, who explained what Texas Realtors need to know about the updated legislation.

    What’s changing

    The biggest day-to-day change: Buyers must officially sign a written agreement before touring a home. While that’s been common practice for a while now, with many states adopting similar policies after the National Association of REALTORS® settlement in 2024, SB 1968 updates specific information that must be included in disclosure forms, including:

      • Services to be provided
      • Exclusivity
      • Termination date
      • Compensation rate and negotiability

    Most agreements are non-exclusive, two-week contracts.

    The bill also eliminates subagency, the practice where a listing agent represents an otherwise unrepresented buyer. That means we’ll no longer see transactions where one agent represents both the buyer and seller — unless it’s disclosed specifically through an intermediary, said Buck.

    “All parties will know clearly before you head into that relationship,” he explained. “The key is for all parties to know exactly what they’re getting into.”

    What clients need to know

    Clients should have a more transparent view of their real estate transactions moving forward. Prior to seeing a home, they’ll hopefully have an understanding of everything the broker-buyer relationship entails, including potential commissions.

    “Transparency is key,” said Buck.

    Prospective buyers will have the option to attend showings without agent representation (in other words, without signing a disclosure) under certain circumstances — for example, if a seller’s agent lets them into a home.

    However, under SB 1968, that listing agent wouldn’t be able to represent the buyer. Instead, they’d have to refer them to a colleague.

    Continuing education

    To become a real estate broker — i.e., own a brokerage, serve as a manager, etc. — Texas agents still must complete a certain number of continuing education courses. However, SB 1968 stipulates that real estate transactions now count towards those continuing education credits.

    Up to 300 of the required 630 continuing education credit hours can be substituted. Other changes include limiting the bachelor’s degree credit to 300 hours (down from 630) and doubling the total amount of required experience to 720 hours.

    One course broker applicants can’t skip, though, is the new Broker Responsibility Course. As of Jan. 1, the course is required for all new real estate agents applying to be brokers, plus those renewing licenses. There are both six-hour and 30-hour options, but Buck recommends taking both.

    “Every transaction is different,” Buck said. “Understanding the liability and the risks that the broker holds responsibility for in representing clients is something every agent should go through as they progress in their career.”

    Emily Marek

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  • Authentic Leadership Does Not Mean Bringing Your Whole Self to Work

    Do you remember during Covid, logging on to online meetings, sometimes wearing pajamas, often with family members showing up in the background? Perhaps, this is what triggered the mantra to “bring our whole selves to work.” Authentic leadership is celebrated. Everyone should seek to be transparent. Right? Not exactly. 

    As a communication coach, I encourage my clients to consciously distinguish between transparency versus authenticity. Authenticity means being real, consistent, and true to your values. Transparency can lean into sharing everything. 

    I’m always authentic, but I don’t share everything I’m thinking, or everything I’ve experienced. Neither should you. Why not? Because being fully transparent can be interpreted as oversharing, which can be overwhelming and unprofessional. 

    The consistency of professionals

    A few years ago, I interviewed marketing guru and author Seth Godin for my Talk About Talk podcast.  

    “I have a whole rant about authenticity, as you know,” he said, highlighting the common assumption that authenticity means full transparency. “I do not know each other well. So I have no idea if you’re having a good day or not because you’re a professional. Professionals are consistent.”   

    Academic research supports Godin’s position. In a 2024 study from the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, researchers assessed 64 leaders and 162 followers over five days. The results proved that consistency was a key factor in predicting positive outcomes, such as work engagement and reduced emotional irritation. 

    Along with authenticity and transparency, professionalism and consistency have entered the debate. How can leaders consider this in a way that demonstrates effective leadership? Here are three things that I share with my clients to help them navigate the authenticity versus transparency tightrope: 

    1. You are always authentic. 

    Your words and your behaviors are valid and represent your true self. You do not misrepresent your opinions. 

    2. You are not fully transparent. 

    You do not share everything. Oversharing can be overwhelming for other people. It can also come across as unprofessional. Remember what Godin highlighted. “What’s most important is being professional.” In our interview, he provided some vivid examples. Regardless of whether “your cat had just thrown up behind the refrigerator, you had athlete’s foot, and you were cranky about all those things,” you still show up consistently.  

    3. You filter. 

    You consciously consider what parts of your thoughts and identities you share at work. I call this filtering. Researchers who conducted a 20-year review of academic research on authentic leadership call this bounded authenticity. You show up as consistent and professional. 

    Here’s the bottom line: Be authentic, but curate what you share. Consistently protect your professionalism and your boundaries. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Andrea Wojnicki

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  • UC must publicly release Trump administration’s $1.2-billion settlement proposal

    UCLA must release the Trump administration document that outlines the terms of the $1.2 billion settlement proposal at the center of talks between the University of California and the federal government, the California Supreme Court ruled Friday.

    The decision is a win for UCLA faculty who have pushed for more transparency in the negotiations over the future of the nation’s premier public university system. UC has until the end of the day to disclose the 28 pages of federal demands for far-reaching policy changes at UCLA that are in line with President Trump’s vision for higher education.

    UCLA asked the high court to take two actions: block a lower court’s ruling that ordered UC to turn over the document to faculty and force the appeals court that declined to review the lower court decision to release a detailed explanation of its reasoning.

    “The petition for review and applications for stay are denied,” said brief Supreme Court decision, signed by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero. The court did not elaborate on the matter.

    The proposal will be shared with the UCLA Faculty Association, an independent campus group which sued UC. Faculty leaders have said they intend to distribute the document publicly.

    “We’re excited that the Supreme Court agreed with us that every Californian has a right to see this letter and understand the scope of federal interference into our state institutions,” said Anna Markowitz, president of the UCLA Faculty Assn. and an associate professor in UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies.

    UC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    What’s at stake for each side

    UC said in court filings that it would “suffer irreparable harm” to negotiations with the Trump administration if the document became public. It also said disclosure would hurt future settlement negotiations with other parties.

    University lawyers argued that releasing the proposal would invite “every member of the entire public to express each one’s views on every settlement” for an “uncontrollable public fray” around negotiations.

    The UCLA Faculty Association said that the document’s disclosure is required under the Public Records Act. The association argued that the information is a matter of public interest to faculty, staff, students, UCLA Health patients and Californian’s whose tax dollars support the UC system.

    Faculty sued after UC and UCLA denied public records requests. UC said it was not bound by public records law to share details of confidential settlement discussions.

    “The intense public reaction to disclosure at an early stage of an initial proposal could easily end any opportunity for discussion at its inception and hamper the ability to fully and fairly evaluate a response,” UC wrote a court filings.

    A lower court’s Oct. 14 ruling ordered UC to release the proposal to the association within 10 days. On Wednesday, an appeals court declined to reverse the decision before UC sought emergency relief from the state’s highest court.

    The Trump administration sent the more than 7,000-word settlement proposal in August, after the Department of Justice accused UCLA of violating the law in its handling of antisemitism complaints, admissions practices and gender identity on campus. Citing those alleged violations, the federal government suspended $584 million in medical, science and energy research funding to UCLA. The vast majority of the funds are now restored as the result of the a lawsuit filed by UC-wide faculty.

    UCLA has maintained that its policies comply with state and federal laws,. Its chancellor, Julio Frenk, has said the “far-reaching penalty of defunding life-saving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination.”

    What’s in the document

    The Times reviewed the settlement proposal and, in September, published a detailed account of its demands.

    They include proposed changes to admissions to prevent alleged affirmative action, stricter protest rules and a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors at UCLA medical facilities.

    The document calls for UCLA to publicly announce that it does not recognize transgender people’s gender identities, prevent the admission of “anti-Western” international students and to pay the costs for an outside monitor to oversee the agreement.

    The offer also says that “the United States and its consultants and agents will have full and direct access to all UCLA staff, employees, facilities, documents, and data related to the agreement, in coordination with legal counsel for UCLA, except any documents or data protected by work product or the attorney-client privilege.”

    UC President James B. Milliken has said fine — a $1-billion payment to the government and a $172-million claims fund for people who say they faced discrimination — would be near impossible to pay.

    He has been less detailed on the other federal demands, leading to faculty complaints over how UC has handled negotiations and communicated updates to employees. Milliken has broadly said that UC will protect academic freedom as well as its mission and values in any potential Trump agreement.

    Jaweed Kaleem

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  • Summer’s Ending: Here’s Your 2024 Summer Playlist

    Summer’s Ending: Here’s Your 2024 Summer Playlist

    I hate to say it…I hate to even acknowledge it…but it’s the truth: the summer is ending. Sure, the solstice technically goes until late September, but we know the real summer ends after Labor Day.

    And while we soak up these last few peaceful weeks of Summer Fridays and vacations on the beach, the looming threat of the fall and colder weather is quickly approaching. We avoid the very thought of it like the plague.

    But, I want to make the most of the end of summer 2024. When you look back at it, we’ve had a crazy summer in terms of pop culture:
    the rise of Chappell Roan, the reign of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poet’s Department, Charli XCX teaching us what it means to have a BRAT Summer, Billie Eilish’s enormous hit, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” and of course, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please” to soundtrack our summer.

    Yes, the pop girlies have ruled the scene this summer…alongside major country vibes with albums from Zach Bryan, hit songs like “The Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, and even fresh country additions from Lana Del Rey and Quavo with their single “Tough.”

    The Song of Summer 2024 may forever be up for debate, with a few top contenders already mentioned. Former President Barack Obama just released his Summer Playlist, and it got us thinking.

    What I’m looking for are songs that are perfect for closing out the summer. Different from my usual Weekend Playlist, these songs aren’t necessarily new…but they’re still astonishing.

    Some were released this year, and some just perfectly embody the end of the summer. If you’re already feeling a tad nostalgic and blue about summer 2024, here’s a playlist that’ll help you feel better:

    “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

    Let’s start it off with Sabrina, who is becoming one of the biggest pop stars in the world as we speak. Her new album —
    Short ‘n Sweet, out August 15 — and she’s somehow still eligible for Best New Artist at the Grammy’s this year?

    “Espresso” is an awesome start to the playlist because it also kicked our summer off with a bang. With fun little lyrics like “that’s that me espresso,” we can’t help but hit replay each time the song ends.

    Spotify says, “Since June, the song has spent 20 days at #1 on Spotify’s global charts – topping 25 regional charts in countries like Australia, Malaysia, Jordan and Singapore.”

    “HOTTOGO” by Chappell Roan

    It’s the summer of Chappell Roan, we can’t even lie. Her insane rise to superstardom deserves to be marked in history books. Thousands flock to see her perform at festivals before it gets too tough to buy her tickets on Ticketmaster.

    With hit songs like “Good Luck, Babe!” and “HOTTOGO” from her album,
    The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, have certainly soundtracked our summer. She’s one of the most exciting artists we’ve seen in forever, so of course we had to include this banger.

    Spotify data says, “The song saw its biggest spike of the summer on June 10 (globally), the day after her
    Gov Ball set in New York City.”

    “Back On 74” by Jungle

    This song is viral on social media because of its feel-good vibes. I love any Jungle song this summer because they keep it lighthearted, with a bit of a nostalgic, retro feel to their sound.

    It’s an exceptional mix of modern and classic, and “Back On 74” delivered fantastic energy all summer long. If there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s that Jungle can make a cohesive album throughout.

    “Guess (Remix)” by Charli xcx and Billie Eilish

    We are totally having a BRAT Summer, and when Charli and Billie collabed on this “Guess” remix…the world felt it.

    When two representatives of today’s culture and music industry come together to create a fun, sexy track that combines pop and electronic music in the best way…it just works. This remix is like a shock of energy to the system from the second you turn it on.

    Especially with Eilish and Charli having such huge summer albums, this feels like an acknowledgement that the music industry is going to be okay…and they’re in complete control.

    “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

    Obviously, we had to mention Billie Eilish’s solo work: her third album,
    HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, is a complete masterpiece. A how-to on production and high-quality vocals, Billie Eilish and her brother, FINNEAS, are up there with the best — and youngest — singer-songwriter-producers in the industry.

    “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is one of the singles on the album. A viral success that constantly tops charts and breaks records, this song is nothing short of sensational. It’s proof that Billie gets better with age, using all of her knowledge so far and channeling it into her latest album.

    According to Spotify, “Billie had a refreshing return to tempo this summer with this breezy summer hit. A leading track from her third studio album, the song reached a fever pitch after a poignant performance at the summer games closing ceremony – quickly rising to #1 on Spotify’s global charts with over 678M streams and counting.”

    “She’s Gone, Dance On” by Disclosure

    Year after year, Disclosure gives us countless dance tracks to highlight our summers. They’re highly regarded in the house industry as juggernauts who know how to get people up and dancing.

    “She’s Gone, Dance On” was previewed at
    Coachella by Dom Dolla, as the American Royal Couple — Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift — danced in the crowd. Shortly after, the song was released to the public and we haven’t stopped listening to it since.

    “360” by Charli xcx

    Again, we can’t mention a Charli remix without an original
    BRAT song. “360” is an introduction to what it really means to have a BRAT Summer. It’s carefree, fun-loving, and club-ready.

    It makes us want to let loose and forget about our problems for a while. Charli XCX has started a movement, and solidified herself as our fearless BRAT leader.

    “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey

    There seriously hasn’t been a time this summer when I’ve been out at a bar and this hasn’t played. I would be biased if I didn’t include Shaboozey’s song in this playlist, because it truly has been everywhere. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is his follow-up after a massive feature on Beyonce’s
    COWBOY CARTER.

    Spotify data suggests that since June, the song has hit #1 on Spotify’s Charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the US and has been #1 on Billboard for six weeks so far. It reached #1 on Spotify’s US Chart for the first time on July 4th, proving it to be the perfect summer holiday anthem.”

    What the song does well is capturing everyone’s attention early on and opening up into a full-out stomp-and-holler country song that we all love. It’s a
    summer of country for a reason, and this is great for country fans and non-fans alike.

    Jai Phillips

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