Independent · Weekly · Primary-sourced
A weekly briefing for working real estate agents: every change to compensation and buyer agreements, MLS policy, forms in force, licensing and continuing education, and the transaction law underneath your deals — read from the primary source, in plain English, with the effective date attached.
Deep coverage of California, Texas, Florida, Washington and North Carolina, plus the national layer — NAR, MLS policy and the federal overlay. Other states are not maintained yet, and we say so.
Get the free Tracker Read the Tracker
The current rules for your state as a PDF, plus the weekly briefing. Leave your email and we will send the Tracker and ask your primary state next, so changes can be flagged for you. Founding list now open — Issue #1 lands Wednesday, December 9, 2026.
Written buyer agreement duties — MLS rule in most states, state law in California, Texas and Washington — and what each agreement must say.
Clear Cooperation, Multiple Listing Options for Sellers, and how your MLS implements them — fines, deadlines and all.
Which version is current, which forms were retired or replaced, and the release that changed them — so you never open a dead form.
Renewal hours, course requirements, fees and the portals (REALM, DRE, DBPR, DOL, NCREC) that administer them.
State law that reaches into your transactions: disclosures, advertising rules, fraud statutes, rent caps for the landlords your PM colleagues serve.
GSE appraisal and condo rules — and federal reporting duties, including when a court switches one off, as happened to FinCEN's rule this year.
A living document of the current rules, re-checked against commissions, MLSs, associations and statutes. Every entry carries its primary source, the effective date — and a last-checked date, so you can see exactly how fresh each rule is. 53 rules are tracked today, plus 9 announced changes taking effect January 1–4, 2027.
One short email a week with what actually changed: the rule, who it applies to, the deadline, and what to do about it. Quiet weeks get fewer items — we don't pad. If a claim can't be verified from an opened primary source, it doesn't run.
The Rules Ledger is independent early warning — not legal or brokerage advice. Confirm with your broker. It is not affiliated with NAR, any MLS or any state association.
NationalVacated Mar 19, 2026
A federal court vacated FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Rule on March 19, 2026. While that order stands, no Real Estate Reports are required and there is no liability for not filing — whatever your forms still say.
Tracker entry NAT-05 · Read it in the Tracker
TexasJul 1, 2026
The current promulgated One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale) is 20-19, mandatory since July 1, 2026. Any checklist or template still citing 20-17 is out of date.
Tracker entry TX-04 · Read it in the Tracker
Washington2027 maximum: 10%
Under HB 1217 the maximum is 7% plus CPI, capped at 10%. The 2027 formula yields 11.53%, so the 10% ceiling applies — and no increase at all is allowed in a tenancy's first 12 months.
Tracker entry WA-05 · Read it in the Tracker
NationalNov 2, 2026
New appraisals submitted to the UCDP on or after November 2, 2026 must use UAD 3.6. Approved sellers who cannot meet the mandate may keep submitting UAD 2.6 through May 19, 2027 under a one-time exception (Fannie Mae LL-2026-08).
Tracker entry NAT-03 · Read it in the Tracker
NationalJan 4, 2027
The minimum budgeted replacement reserve allocation for Full Review condo projects rises from 10% to 15% for loan applications dated on or after January 4, 2027 (LL-2026-03). Announced, primary-verified — not yet in force.
Tracker entry CLU-01 · Read it in the Tracker
AB 2992 buyer agreements, C.A.R. forms in force, CRMLS, DRE licensing — and three January 1, 2027 cluster items.
SB 1968's state-law buyer agreement, TREC forms, HAR and NTREIS rules, REALM licensing and CE.
No state buyer-agreement law — the NAR/MLS rule governs. Florida Realtors forms, Stellar MLS, HB 1293.
Written services agreements, the SSB 6091 open-marketing law, NWMLS First Look, the HB 1217 rent cap.
Buyer agency in writing by offer, the redrafted Form 220, Canopy and Doorify MLS rules, NCREC CE.
The full published coverage list — what "depth" means, what the national layer covers, and what is not maintained yet.
The current rules for the five depth states plus the national layer as a PDF, with a last-checked date on every entry — plus the weekly briefing, flagged for your primary state. Founding promise: Issue #1 on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, with the January 1, 2027 cluster verified and dated.
Sponsorship and partnership slots for CE providers, transaction tools and services working agents actually use.