| About Us |
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| Mission Statement |
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The mission of the Oregon Real Estate Agency is to provide quality protection for Oregon consumers of real estate, escrow, and land development services, balanced with a professional environment conducive to a healthy real estate market
BACKGROUND
Oregon passed the first effective real estate license law in the United States on February 14, 1919. The law required brokers to pay a $5 licensing fee annually, furnish a $1000 bond, and submit recommendations signed by ten freeholders certifying that the applicant was “honest, truthful, and of good character.” The Insurance Department was initially responsible for the licensing of real estate agents. The Real Estate Department was later organized within the Insurance Department. In 1939, the Real Estate Department was given independent status by the Legislature. In 1963, it became the Real Estate Division within the Department of Commerce. In 1987, the Department of Commerce was dissolved, and the Real Estate Division was renamed the Oregon Real Estate Agency, and remains so today.
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| Organization |
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Annual Performance Measures
The agency is administered by the Real Estate Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The agency’s responsibilities include:
- Examination and education for brokers, principal brokers and property managers
- Licensing and regulation of the following:
Each biennium the agency conducts examinations, issues licenses and processes renewals for over 24,000 licensees and registrants and monitors regulated activities in over 4,500 escrow organizations and real estate offices. Land developers with offerings to Oregon citizens have hundreds of disclosure filings with the agency. The agency provides educational material and course oversight for real estate professionals. The agency also conducts investigations and hearings when complaints are filed against licensees, registrants and real property developers.
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| Programs |
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The Agency oversees the education, examination, licensure, and regulation of Oregon’s real estate professionals. Its major programs and activities are:
Office of the Commissioner
The Oregon Real Estate Commissioner provides leadership and policy direction to the Agency and works collaboratively with the Real Estate Board and the public. The Commissioner’s office is responsible for legislation and rules, and coordination of contested case hearings.
Real Estate Board
The Oregon Real Estate Board is an advisory board consisting of seven industry members and two public members. Board members are appointed by the Governor. They serve on committees, such as rule making and education, provide advice to the Real Estate Commissioner and Governor’s office regarding real estate industry matters and Agency policy, and provide advice or recommendations to the agency on budget development and technology advancement. The Board also approves experience waiver request of real estate licensees and oversees the license examination process.
The Board holds bi-monthly meetings that are public and, when possible, the meetings are hosted at local real estate associations around Oregon to allow public access in areas away from the state capital. This also fosters transparent government to the industry and consumers that we serve.
Education Division
The Division is responsible for
- Developing real estate educational guidelines
- Approving pre-license courses and instructors
- Developing and maintaining exams and test items
- Mail in audits of broker and property manager files, and clients’ trust accounts
- Compliance reviews
- Maintaining the agency’s website
- Responding to public inquiries
- Researching alternate ways to provide educational materials to real estate licensees
The Division produces educational publications, including the quarterly Oregon Real Estate News-Journal, monthly Oregon Real Estate Commissioner’s Bulletin, and the Oregon Real Estate Manual.
Licensing Division
The Division is responsible for:
- Licensing real estate brokers, property managers and escrow agencies;
- Processing registered business names and branch offices registrations;
- Registration of membership campground contract brokers;
- Processing of real estate examination applications, including initial fingerprint card screening;
- Processing fingerprint cards through LEDS and NCIC for criminal background checks
- Completing license applicant criminal background check investigations;
- Maintaining all licensing history records, and
- Initial processing of all fees
The division also provides reception and information services to the public, mail processing, and completes special projects.
Administrative Services Division
The Division manages administrative services for the agency, including
- Budget/allotment preparation
- Fiscal services, including inventory control, remittance processing of revenue, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and travel coordination
- Human Resources
- Purchasing and Contracting
- Administrative support to the Board and Commissioner
- Oversight of the Information Technology Division, which provides word, data processing, LAN administration, telecommunications services and the license migration for the Agency.
Land Development Division
The Division is responsible for administering the Land Development Programs, which include
- Condominium, timeshare, membership campground and manufactured dwelling subdivision registrations
- Real Estate Marketing Organization licensing and regulation
- On-site inspections of out of state land development
- Public Report issuance
The other key responsibility in this division is in rule and legislation development for the agency. In addition to the Land Development responsibilities, the manager in this division provides the following for legislation and rule review:
- Coordinates the development and filing of rules and proposed statutory changes
Regulation Division
The Division is responsible for
- Investigating complaints against real estate brokers, property managers, escrow agencies, subdivision, condominium, timeshare, membership campground developments, real estate marketing organizations and all unlicensed activity
- Conducting stipulation hearings (dispute resolution) to resolve matters without a contested case hearing
- Assisting the Agency’s Assistant Attorney General in the preparation of contested cases for hearing and, if necessary, assist other criminal justice agencies in investigations, court testimony, and case preparation
- Processing and maintaining escrow licensing and security/bonding files
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