Weekly Notices
May 25, 2018



New Homesnap Pro MLS App 




Your SAR, this week, deployed a new MLS mobile application (app) - Homesnap Pro.

This exciting new tool offers you real-time MLS data in the field whether you use an Android or iOS smartphone or tablet.
 
Homesnap Pro gives you the flexibility to research homes, contact brokers, and communicate instantly with your clients from your mobile device to theirs - anywhere you are, anywhere they are.
 
Brokers and consumers can use Homesnap Pro to seamlessly share real-estate information and communicate directly.
 
Take advantage of the first Homesnap Pro training sessions in-person at your SAR or online at your desk - same content either way:
 
IN PERSON at the SAR: 
 
Homesnap Pro 101 : Spokane Agent Launch 
 
Thursday, May 31, at 11:00 A.M.  
 
Thursday, May 31, at 12:15 P.M.
 
 
ONLINE WEBINAR:
 
Homesnap Pro 101 : Spokane Agent Launch
 
Thursday, May 31, 2018 11:00 A.M.   
Click here to register for this session. 
 
Thursday, May 31, 2018, at 12:15 P.M.
   
 
 
 
 
 
Get your Homesnap Pro App online here:
 
 
 
 
   
 

 
 
 
 
The old Homespotter app will remain functional for the next few weeks as you become comfortable with this new platform.
 
You'll want to re-enter your existing clients into Homesnap Pro in order to stay in touch with them after this transition phase.
 



NAR Legislative Meetings  
 

SAR photo


Some 9,000 REALTORS® and state and local association executives convened in Washington, D.C., last week, to promote key policy issues that affect the real estate industry and their markets.

The Spokane Association of REALTORS® was well-represented in a personal meeting with our Representative in Congress, Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Pictured above in her Longworth House Office Building office (left to right): Lee McIntyre, 2018 SAR Governmental Affairs Committee chair; Terry Sullivan, NAR Federal Political Coordinator; Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. Representative (WA-05); Ken Sax, 2018 SAR President; Cynthia Gustafson, 2018 Washington REALTORS® RPAC Trustee; Tom Hormel, NAR Director  ; and Tom McArthur, SAR Public Affairs Director.

The 2018 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo represents an important opportunity for REALTORS® to meet with their U.S. Senators and Representatives and communicate the issues critical to their businesses, communities and the consumers they represent.

See NAR's Legislative Talking Points that members shared with our elected representatives online here.








NAR created custom reports on home ownership for every Congressional District especially for our Hill visits.

These reports present the most recent and relevant data at the district and state levels in support of the goal of the National Association of REALTORS® to sustain and strengthen homeownership.

See the Congressional District Report for the 115th Congress (WA-05) that we presented to Rep. McMorris Rodgers (pictured above), online here.






Real estate is the foundation of wealth building for the middle class and a critical link in the flow of goods, services and income for millions of Americans.

Accounting for 19 percent of the GDP, real estate is clearly a major driver of the U.S. economy.

Download NAR's Real Estate and the Economy - May 2018 infographic (pictured above), online here.


Ethics Enforcement, Dues Increase  
 



The NAR Board of Directors, at its meeting in Washington, last week (May 19th), took a major step toward increasing professionalism in real estate by giving associations new teeth for enforcing Code of Ethics violations, and it also positioned REALTORS® for the future by adopting the association's first dues increase in eight years.

Read about these developments and others in an Internal News Service Special Report, online here.


Legal Hotline: Winning the Offer Battle
 
 
 
NEW!

Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons is back with Part 7 of her new video series: Winning the Offer Battle Without Losing the War.  
 
This week, Annie discusses why you want to warn your buyers before they abandon reviewing the HOA Docs.
 
Watch the five-minute video online here:  
 
 
Buyer choosing not to review HOA documents? Part 7
Buyer choosing not to review HOA documents? 
Part 7
 
 
 
 
 

PART 6:  
 
In this episode, Annie talks about instances of the misuse of Form 22AD by Buyer's Broker.

Watch the eight-minute video online here: 


Misuse of Form 22AD 
Misuse of Form 22AD
Part #6 





Part 5:


Buyer wants to make an offer more attractive to the Seller by waiving inspection contingencies.

Annie explains the extraordinary risks to buyer and also answers the question: "Does a buyer, who does not include an Inspection Contingency, still have the right to conduct an 'Information Only' inspection?"

Watch her nine-minute video online here:


Buyer's Choice 
Waiving Inspection Contingencies
Part #5







PART 4:
 
Annie discusses buyers who need financing but don't want to include a financing contingency in their offer in order to make the offer more attractive.

What are the risks to buyer and buyer's broker?

Annie gives points to consider before proceeding in this manner.

Her nine-minute video is online here:


The Risks of Not Including Financing Contingency When Buyer is Reliant Upon Financing 
The Risks of Not Including Financing Contingency when Buyer is Reliant Upon Financing
Part #4





PART 3:

Brokers have been writing some pretty unrealistic closing dates (a "fast" closing) on their Buyer's offers in the hopes of making their offer stand out to the Seller.

In this episode, Annie goes over potential risks for the Buyer.

Watch the six-minute video online here:


Brokers Writing Unrealistic Closing  
Brokers Writing Unrealistic Closing Dates
on Buyers' Offers
Part #3







PART 2:

In this video, Annie talks about which line on Page 6 of Form 17 buyer should sign.

Watch the 10-minute video online here:


Winning the Offer Battle - Part 2 
Winning the Offer Battle without Loosing the War 
Part #2






PART 1:

In part 1 of this series, imagine that your buyer cast too much caution to the wind and found themselves forfeiting earnest money, or maybe regretting having paid too much for the property, or possibly found that the property was riddled with conditions that they weren't aware of.

If your buyer loses that battle, you as the agent could be the collateral damage in the loss of that war.

Buyer might be likely to blame you saying that you failed to caution them sufficiently about the risk they were undertaking.

Annie wants to talk about some of the standards that are considered to be buyer protections.

See Annie's new seven-minute video online here:   
 
 
Winning the Offer Battle Without Losing the War - Part 1 
Winning the Offer Battle without Losing the War
Part #1
 
  
  
  
Lunch & Learn: Manufactured Homes 
 
Monday, June 4th

Brokering the purchase and sale of a manufactured homes puts you in a different world than traditional site-built homes.

Find out more about manufactured homes with Angie DeArth at our next Lunch & Learn at the SAR on Monday, June 4th.

Find out more online here.




Lunch & Learn: Speaking "Investor" 
 

Monday, June 11th

This fast-paced, information-packed class will give you a working knowledge of the benefits of investing in rental real estate.

Gain more business by speaking "investor" with Eric Bessett and Tara Ostlind from Madison Real Estate and Property Management with this Lunch & Learn event on Monday, June 11th.

Find out more online here.




New Top-level Domain: .realestate  





The National Association of Realtors® will be launching a new top-level domain, .realestate, later this year.

The new domain extension is scheduled to be available in September for members of NAR, with a late November release to the general public.
The .realestate web addresses will be free of restrictions from NAR affiliation and will allow real estate entities and professionals to creatively market properties, geographic areas served, or their personal brands and specialties.

The domain leverages real estate as a descriptive and internationally known term.

Read more about this online here.



2018 REALTOR® Education

CONTINUING EDUCATION
 
Quality of Education 
through SAR/WR Education Instructors


Here is the latest class listing from your SAR - offering the best live and local continuing real estate education classes for 2018.

Click on each class title,  underlined in blue, to bring up a flyer for that class - suitable for posting in your office. 

Register for these classes online here: 

 
  


Please be in touch with Debbie at the SAR if you have any questions about these classes or your license education requirements, by phone at 326-9222 or by email.
 
   
 



Code of Ethics - Standards for Success 
Code of Ethics - Standards for Success


Thursday, June 7 - Code of Ethics Standards for Success - with Linda Miller Sheets.

Check-in: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR

7.5 clock hours




The  
The "Nekkid" Truth


Friday, June 8 - The "Nekkid" Truth: Six Principles of Building a Real Estate Business - with Linda Miller Sheets.

Check-in: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
at the SAR

4.0 clock hours







Core Curriculum 
Core Curriculum


Friday, June 8 - Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate - with Sabrina Jones-Schroeder.

Check-in: 1:00 p.m.
Class: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR

3.0 clock hours




 
In This Issue
New Homesnap Pro MLS App
NAR Legislative Meetings
Ethics Enforcement, Dues Increase
Legal Hotline: Winning the Offer Battle
Lunch & Learn: Manufactured Homes
Lunch & Learn: Speaking "Investor"
New Top-level Domain: .realestate
2018 REALTOR® Education
SAR CALENDAR
Condolences
SAR Closed Monday - Memorial Day
Open House Weekend Prize Winners
The Question #2
Code of Ethics
Annie's Coming to Town!
Fair Housing: Veterans/Active/Reserve
Marketing in Our Market Today
Member 2 Member
Member Roster Update - April
Market Activity Report - April

SAR CALENDAR
 
Click on the calendar image below to see
the current SAR calendar showing dates and times
of classes, committees and events. 
Condolences 


 

The SAR extends its condolences and sympathy to the friends and family of Paul Wilkening, formerly of John L. Scott Spokane, Inc. 

Paul passed away on May 5, 2018

A celebration of life service was held on Thursday, May 24th, at 4 p.m. at Hennessey Funeral Home, 2203 N. Division Street.


SAR Closed Monday - Memorial Day 





Your SAR will be closed Monday, May 28th, to keep the Memorial Day holiday.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces.

Schools, government offices, and many businesses will also be closed on Monday.


Open House Weekend Prize Winners 

 

We have winners!

The prizes from our 2018 Spokane REALTOR Open House Weekend were awarded this past week to the public grand prize, listing broker grand prize, and public general prize winners.


SAR photo

The grand prize certificates were delivered to the winners at the prize sponsor, The Tin Roof.

Pictured above, left to right: Leslie Mitchell, The Tin Roof; Michelle Doughty, public grand prize winner; Cathy Thomas, Exit Real Estate Professionals, listing broker grand prize winner; Jennifer Gerstner, The Tin Roof.



SAR photo

The public general prize certificate was delivered to the winner at the prize sponsor, Spokane Federal Credit Union.

Pictured above, left to right: Susan Cerutti-Jensen, Spokane Federal Credit Union; Matha Thornton, public general prize winner; Marianne Bornhoft, SAR Open House Weekend committee.

CONGRATULATIONS to our prize winners and THANK YOU to our generous sponsors, The Tin Roof, Spokane Federal Credit Union, and Villages at Stone Hill!


The Question #2
 

 
 
NEW!
QUESTION #2


2018 SAR President Ken Sax (pictured at left) and his Discovery Team PAG (Presidential Advisory Group) are back with Question #2 in their continuing effort to improve your association:

Please prioritize the following by naming #1 as being most important to you and #7 as being least important to you.

There is a separate line for questions, comments, and thoughts.

One member will be drawn from survey participants to receive complimentary MLS fees for one quarter.

Ready?



This question will remain active until May 31st.

THANK YOU!



Code of Ethics 


 


You have until the end of the year to comply with the NAR requirement for Code of Ethics class once every two years.

The current cycle ends December 31.

Take your required Code of Ethics class in person, locally, here at your SAR, or visit the NAR Code of Ethics resource page for other options,   online here.





Annie's Coming to Town! 
 

SAR photo



SAVE THE DATE!
Thursday, August 6th


Annie's coming to town this summer! 
 
Annie Fitzsimmons, Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline attorney (pictured above) is coming to Spokane with her new class "The Hotline vs. The Bottom Line."

You won't want to miss this interactive and energetic class with Annie and a panel of Spokane Association of REALTORS® Designated Brokers.  
 
 


See the event flyer (pictured above), online here.

Register online through the Member Portal, here:





Fair Housing: Veterans/Active/Reserve 
 



This year - 2018 - marks the 50th anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and
familial status.

Washington State law goes further to include the following protected classes: Creed, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation, Military or Honorably Discharged Veteran Status.


 

 

The Northwest Fair Housing Alliance has created a handy brochure to remind us that Fair Housing for Veterans and Active/Reserve Military is the law in Washington State.

Download the brochure (pictured above), online here.



Marketing in Our Market Today 




Thursday, June 7th!

The Spokane-Eastern Washington Women's Council of REALTORS® invites all SAR members to attend its June program: Marketing in Our Market Today!



Download the event flyer for more information (pictured above), online here.


Member 2 Member     
 



Our friends at Inland Professional Title share word that they have a new name: WFG National Title Company of Eastern WA.

Or, by a shorter name, WFG.



 

If you'd like to download WFG's name change flyer (pictured above), it is online here.


Member Roster Update - April   
 


NEW!
Updated for April

Click here to view the latest Member Roster Update - approved by the Board of Directors.


Click here to view the latest list of MLS Subscription Waivers - approved by the Board of Directors.  


   
Send a message to Brenda at the SAR with any changes.  


Market Activity Report - APRIL 
         

Market Activity Reports  

Updated for April
  
The SAR Market Activity Report for APRIL is now online.
   
 
See the latest full report - a member-exclusive product
- and archived full reports, online here .
 
 
 
   




See the APRIL 2018 Market Snapshot Report (pictured above) online here.





See the 2018 YEAR-TO-DATE Market Snapshot Report (pictured above), online here.



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SPOKANE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
  1924 North Ash Street 
Spokane, Washington 99205
T: 509. 326.9222
F: 509. 324.8650

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