Real estate commission pay raises at Texas real estate firms
Texas realestate commission pay increases at Texas-based real estate brokers are expected to average 2.7% over the next five years, the state’s real estate commissioner said Thursday.
In a speech at the Texas Real Estate Association’s annual meeting, John Linton, a Republican commissioner who previously worked in the Texas House, outlined a range of incentives for Texas’ largest real estate companies, including a new state program aimed at encouraging the development of high-end residential neighborhoods.
Texas Real Estate Commission Chairwoman Diane Harteau said she wants to make sure that the incentives are applied equitably and that they are tailored to each company.
In addition, she said, Texas realtors need to be held to higher standards, including being more accountable and transparent.
The Texas Real Property Council has been a key force in shaping Texas real-estate policies in recent years, making sure that property taxes are paid and that homeowners are given fair chances to purchase homes, Linton said.
Texas is now the second-highest state for residential home sales, behind only New York, according to a report from Zillow.
The Texas market is among the states with the highest home prices in the country, with average prices for homes listed in 2016 of $1.8 million.
Linton also said he hopes to see more homeowners moving to Texas as a result of the state program.
Linton noted that the state offers incentives to encourage development in high-rise neighborhoods, which he said can attract buyers with a lower credit rating, and which are usually located in more affluent neighborhoods.
For example, a home with a $500,000 mortgage with a 20% down payment and a $1,200 down payment could be priced for $2.4 million.
A home with the same mortgage with 20% on the down payment would cost $2 million.
For the next two years, Texas will give up to $1 million to companies for the development and operation of high quality residential communities.
The real estate association will give those incentives to companies that can show an improvement in community livability.
Those incentives include incentives that provide incentives for the creation of high end, high quality, affordable, community-driven developments.
The incentives are intended to create opportunities for the Texas realtor community to be more responsive to the needs of the homeowner, Lenton said.
Litton said he believes the incentives will help to encourage home-buyers in Texas to consider purchasing in a home they can afford, and that the program is also intended to help homeowners with down payments.
He said he also believes it will encourage more Texans to become homeowners, and to become more familiar with real estate agents.
“I’m looking forward to working with the commissioners and their colleagues on the project,” Linton told reporters after the speech.
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