August Department Spotlight: How the Texas REALTORS® Professional Standards Department Serves You

If you cannot resolve a dispute with a client or fellow REALTOR®, you may need an impartial third party to help sort things out.

The Texas REALTORS® Professional Standards Department serves you by helping to resolve conflicts and ensuring members adhere to the NAR Code of Ethics.

The public and association members can call the team to request assistance. Administrative Assistant Nefertiti Hernandez says taking calls is a learning experience for her and the callers.

Empathy, reassurance, and clarity about next steps go a long way to make callers feel understood. “At the end of the day, the callers want to know we will address their concern and that we will assist to the best of our ability,” she says.

Professional Standards offers callers a few options. Conflicts can be handled informally; the department maintains a contact list so callers can reach out to the broker involved. The department also leads the Ombudsman Program, a structured process designed to tackle problems without a formal complaint or lawsuit.

Callers may also file a formal ethics complaint. Depending on the complaint, the aggrieved party may remain anonymous. Professional Standards Coordinator Stephanie Pelham furnishes the required forms and files information pertinent to both sides of the dispute.

Professional Standards also works on arbitration requests, the process to resolve commission disputes between members. 

The team stays up to date with the latest practices in professional standards. Professional Standards Coordinator Melanie Reynolds says the team participates in calls with NAR and connects with coordinators around the country.

David Jones, Director of Professional Standards/Deputy General Counsel, oversees the department and ensures all complaints and arbitration requests are processed fairly and in compliance with national policies. “Our team is dedicated to elevating professionalism in the Texas real estate industry,” he says.

The Professional Standards Department is Nefertiti Hernandez, Administrative Assistant; David Jones, Director of Professional Standards/Deputy General Counsel; Stephanie Pelham, Professional Standards Coordinator; and Melanie Reynolds, Professional Standards Coordinator.