CEBU CITY – A timely release of licenses for real estate salespersons will help get rid of “colorum” salespersons.

CHRIS Malazarte, national president of the Accredited Real Estate Salespersons, raises a point during a consultative meeting with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development  in Cebu City on Thursday, August 24. (Contributed photo)

Delays in the release of licenses of aspiring release estate agents was raised when members of the Accredited Real Estate Salespersons (ACRES) participated in a consultation meeting with officials of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) here on Thursday, August 24.

The consultative meeting with DHSUD tackled the proposed amendments to the agency’s issuances on business firms, brokers, and salespersons.

The meeting came after ACRES pledged to work closely with DHSUD to eradicate unlicensed salespersons.  

Among those discussed were the proposed revisions on HLURB Board Resolution (BR) 922-14, particularly those affecting the real estate practice.

Anthony Gerard Leuterio, founder of A Better Real Estate Philippines, an advocacy coalition and mother organization of ACRES, said one of the issues the group highlighted during the meeting was the need for the timely release of licenses of real estate salespersons.

“Delaying such would result in the rise of colorum or unlicensed salespersons,” Leuterio said.

Salespersons have to secure licenses from DHSUD and the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) before they can sell real estate properties.

Salespersons are also required to join the online oath-taking.

Currently, release of licenses takes three to four months or even up to eight months in some cases, Leuterio said.

Only a maximum of 100 salespersons are allowed to take the oath-taking per week.

“We just want things to be efficient because we are promoting nation-building. We are talking about thousands of salespersons wanting to help the real estate industry flourish. And more importantly, if we are delaying the process, it will create more colorum practitioners,” Leuterio said

“Selling can’t wait. If somebody wants to buy from you, you can’t ask them to wait for your license,” he stressed.

According to ACRES, 80 percent of sales are closed by a real estate salesperson.

Aside from giving the group a chance to raise pressing issues, ACRES national president Chris Malazarte said the meeting was also an opportunity for them to commend the DHSUD.

"We understand that there is a need for the DHSUD to regulate the real estate practice, and our organization appreciates the efforts of the department to improve its policies by making it more responsive to the climate of the industry today,” Malazarte said.

He said the policies provided for by Republic Act 9646 or the Real Estate Service Act Law and BR 922-14 are “simple, but the experiences of the salespersons during registration are not simplistic.”

“There must be a way to make the experience more encouraging for aspiring registered salespersons. This will lessen the evil we've been wanting to avoid – colorum sales agents,” Malazarte added.

For the group’s national vice president for Luzon Jeffrey Ryan Sanchez, regulators such as the PRC and the DHSUD must focus on its biggest gap – the timely issuance of licenses for aspiring salespersons.

“We, in ACRES, are doing our part in making sure that our members are registered with the PRC and DHSUD, and that they are supervised by a broker as they serve their clients.  We are aligned with PRC and DHSUD,” he said.