The following three policy decisions were adopted at the August 11, 2025 meeting of the Arkansas Real Estate Commission.

AREC-L-AD-001
ARKANSAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING POLICY

The Arkansas Real Estate Commission establishes that in compliance with Commission Rules 7.1, 8.5, 10.4, 10.5, 10.13, and A.C.A. § 17-42-311, an advertising policy is necessary to protect the public and maintain ethical standards among AREC licensees. The Commission hereby determines that the AREC publication, Advertising Best Practices Guide, July 2025 edition or any subsequent editions shall be utilized in defining the license law and Commission Rules cited above regarding real estate advertising compliance. As such, AREC staff are directed to utilize the AREC publication, Advertising Best Practices Guide, as a resource when determining whether advertising violations exist. The Executive Director may use professional discretion and judgement to determine when extenuating circumstances exist that may necessitate an exception to this policy.

AREC-L-BR-001
ARKANSAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
BROKER SUPERVISION POLICY

The Arkansas Real Estate Commission establishes that in compliance with Commission Rule 10.4, satisfactory broker supervision of salesperson licensees must occur in order to protect the public. The Commission hereby defines broker supervision by the following policy to be conducted when a salesperson licensee affiliates with a firm and from which the Arkansas Real Estate Commission staff must adhere when granting or transferring a license between firms.

1. Arkansas resident salesperson licensees must be affiliated with a firm where the principal broker and firm are located in the state of Arkansas. For those Arkansas resident salesperson licensees who live no more than 50 miles from the border of another state, the said licensee may be affiliated with a firm in the border state, so long as the firm is located no more than 50 miles from where the licensee resides. The Executive Director may use professional discretion to waive this requirement when the situation warrants.
2. Non-resident salesperson licensees may affiliate with an Arkansas firm and principal broker located in Arkansas. Otherwise, non-resident licensees must be affiliated with a firm that is recognized by their resident jurisdiction. The Executive Director may use professional discretion to waive this requirement when the situation warrants.
3. Pursuant to Commission Rule 8.3(b), no licensee shall be affiliated with more than one firm.
4. Beginning September 1, 2025, non-resident broker applicants who receive an Arkansas Real Estate Broker license shall be required to complete the 30-hour Arkansas broker post-license course. The Executive Director may use professional discretion to waive this requirement when the situation warrants.

AREC-CO-001
ARKANSAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
BOARD MEMBER REMOTE ATTENDANCE POLICY

It is the policy of the Arkansas Real Estate Commission that Members are permitted to attend meetings of the Commission remotely as provided by Act 505 of 2025, effective August 5, 2025, and codified as Arkansas Code§ 25-19-106(e). For a Member of the Commission who attends a meeting remotely to be counted towards a quorum or to vote, the Commission shall:

1. At the beginning of the meeting, verify the identity of the Member attending remotely;
2. Allow other Members and members of the public, whether physically present at the meeting or attending the meeting remotely, at all times to:
   a. Hear the Member attending remotely;
   b. Observe or otherwise understand a vote of the Member attending remotely; and
   c. Know the identity of the Member attending remotely when that Member is speaking or voting: and
3. Allow a Member attending remotely to hear the other Members in attendance at the meeting and any public comment.

A Member who attends a Commission meeting remotely shall not receive mileage or per diem for attending the meeting.

AREC-CO-002
ARKANSAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
COMMISSION HEARING CONTINUANCE POLICY

Pursuant to Commission Rule 9.5(c), the Executive Director may grant a continuance for hearings before the Arkansas Real Estate Commission. Due to the exorbitant number of requests for continuances of hearings before the Commission, which negatively impacts the ability of complainants to receive a timely resolution of their complaint, a written policy is necessary to address the terms on which a continuance request may be considered.

The Executive Director may grant a continuance of hearing for good cause when

     (1) the request is submitted in writing;
     (2) the request sets forth grounds to be considered; and
     (3) request is submitted no later than ten (10) business days prior to the date noticed for the hearing, except in cases of emergency. Soliciting legal counsel less than ten (10) business days prior to the hearing date does not automatically constitute grounds for continuance.

In determining whether to grant a continuance, the Executive Director will consider:
          (A) Prior continuances;
          (B) The interests of all parties;
          (C) The likelihood of informal disposition;
          (D) The existence of an emergency;
          (E) Any objection;
          (F) Any applicable time requirement;
          (G) The documented existence of a conflict of the schedules of:
                  (i) Counsel;
                  (ii) Parties; or
                  (iii) Witnesses;
         (H) The time limits of the request; and
         (I) Other relevant factors.
     (4) The Executive Director or Commission may require documentation on any grounds for continuance.