Texas / Texas Real Estate Commission

Agency file

Texas Real Estate Commission

Source file: Texas — State Employee Salaries (Texas Tribune) / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Texas Real Estate Commission is a government agency that delivers public services and programs within its jurisdiction.

In 2026, this agency had 147 employees with median total compensation of $69,000; the highest distinct record was $216,930.

Year: 2026
Total payroll: $12M
Employees: 147
Median total: $69,000
Highest record: $216,930

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$39,930$172,000+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 147 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($69,000) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $81,846 (100%)
Overtime — $0 (0%)
Other — $0 (0%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$49,581

$54,285

$69,000

$102,000

$129,000

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $129,000 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $49,581. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Program Specialist IV

22 · $60,517

License & Permit Specialist

14 · $52,568

Attorney

13 · $101,672

Customer Service Representative

11 · $47,927

Director

9 · $140,600

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2025	$12.4M —	156 —	$68,500 —
2026	$12M ▼ 2.9%	147 ▼ 5.8%	$69,000 ▲ 0.7%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Chelsea Buchholtz

Executive Director/Texas Real Estate Commission

2026 total comp

$216,930

Base pay: $216,930
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $216,930
Employment type: Erf - Exempt Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: T

Source-specific fields

Class Code: A055
Hire Date: Mar 26, 2019
Monthly Pay: $18,077
State Employee Number: 37683

Chelsea Buchholtz works as a Executive Director for Texas Real Estate Commission. Their status is erf - exempt regular full-time. Chelsea earned $216,930 in 2026.

Vanessa Burgess

Deputy Director I/Texas Real Estate Commission

2026 total comp

$191,000

Base pay: $191,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $191,000
Employment type: Urf - Unclassified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Class Code: U163
Hire Date: Feb 1, 2020
Monthly Pay: $15,917
State Employee Number: 26856

Vanessa Burgess works as a Deputy Director I for Texas Real Estate Commission. Their status is urf - unclassified regular full-time. Vanessa earned $191,000 in 2026.

Abby Lee

General Counsel I/Texas Real Estate Commission

2026 total comp

$174,000

Base pay: $174,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $174,000
Employment type: Urf - Unclassified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Class Code: U352
Hire Date: Oct 20, 2020
Monthly Pay: $14,500
State Employee Number: 1285164

At Texas Real Estate Commission, Abby Lee serves as a General Counsel I. They work urf - unclassified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $174,000.

Ranada Williams

Director/Texas Real Estate Commission

2026 total comp

$172,000

Base pay: $172,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $172,000
Employment type: Urf - Unclassified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: O

Source-specific fields

Class Code: U162
Hire Date: May 18, 2020
Monthly Pay: $14,333
State Employee Number: 151885

Ranada Williams is a Director at Texas Real Estate Commission. They work urf - unclassified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $172,000.

Kathleen Santos

General Counsel I/Texas Real Estate Commission

2026 total comp

$166,500

Base pay: $166,500
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $166,500
Employment type: Urf - Unclassified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Class Code: U352
Hire Date: May 1, 2020
Monthly Pay: $13,875
State Employee Number: 85256

Kathleen Santos holds the role of General Counsel I at Texas Real Estate Commission. Their status is urf - unclassified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $166,500.