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The SAR will be closed on Monday, January 16th, to keep the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
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Weekly Notices
January 13, 2023
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Help Make Housing the
Focus of the
2023 Legislative Session
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The 2023 Session has begun- we need your help to make this session the session where Legislators make housing policy a priority.
Please take a few minutes to send a pre-written message to let your Legislator know that Housing Inventory must be a top issue for the 2023 session.
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Washington Legislative Issues
for 2023
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Your WR and SAR Governmental Affairs staff is tracking active bills in real-time as they move through the legislative process.
You can follow along with all of our legislative efforts this session with his dashboard on our website.
Bookmark this page and refer to it any time you wish to know the status of bills affecting REALTORS® during this session.
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You may have seen our recent television ads (click the video player to watch) and wonder what is "Welcome Home"?
Welcome Home is a comprehensive plan to provide additional types of housing and ramp up incentives for local jurisdictions to provide more and diverse housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, and cottage housing.
Under Welcome Home, a series of legislative initiatives are designed to allow more housing for our communities. https://bit.ly
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Packed In: Spokane’s housing supply still limited; short 25,000 housing units |
Renters and buyers have been handcuffed by limited housing options for years.
In the early stages of 2023, they’re still feeling that strain.
“25,000 housing units short in the city of Spokane alone,” said Tom Hormel, President of the Spokane Association of Realtors.
“That’s not [including] the county, that’s just the City of Spokane.”
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Progress is slow, but it’s happening.
This time last year, Spokane saw just 386 available houses available on the market.
Last week, that number had grown to 865.
Measurable progress, though nowhere near what a healthy market thrives in.
According to Hormel, Spokane has about a two month inventory of available homes on the market.
An “even market’s” inventory is roughly 4-6 months.
The city is taking notice, doing what they can to alleviate the years-long pain felt by residents amidst these steep price hikes.
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Rental Housing Town Hall
brings Tenants/Landlords Together
to Discuss Rental Housing
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Local landlords and tenants met with city leaders, Tuesday night, at a Rental Housing Town Hall to discuss the future of renting in Spokane.
The packed meeting at the Northeast Community Center was the first that both landlords and tenants were together.
Several voices spoke for REALTORS®,
including SAR Governmental Affairs Committee chair Tom Clark (top), SAR director/broker Dezda Finn (bottom).
The good news is that council members indicated they would remove the provision that would require all REALTORS® to obtain an individual City of Spokane business license.
We also recommended delaying this ordinance until after the state takes up similar legislation, AND we introduced the idea of a Housing Ombudsman within the city to help mitigate problems between landlords and tenants.
Read more in the SAR Issue Brief:
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Legal Hotline: Lease Options |
In this Legal Hotline video/podcast episode, Washington Realtors Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons discusses lease options.
Annie details different scenarios for buyers and sellers involving leasing prior to purchasing, and explains why this is not the best option for sellers at this point in the real estate market.
Annie maintains, "No one should become an accidental landlord",
Find out why in this seven-minute video.
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SAR Committees Forming Now |
More members volunteered to serve on an association committee this year than ever before - 148. Wow!
If you applied to serve on an SAR committee this year, you should have gotten an email informing to which committee(s) you have been assigned.
Watch for an email in coming days letting you know the date, time, and place of your first committee meeting(s) of the year.
You can help speed-up your committee on-boarding process by signing and submitting two forms:
1. Volunteer Service Agreement
2. Social Media Policies
It is a requirement - decided by the board - to have these documents on file for every committee member.
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If you have any questions about our committee process, the on-boarding forms, or anything else, please contact me, Tom Hormel - your 2023 SAR President - at 509-879-1128 or by email here.
Thank you for engaging with our association around this important committee work. I look forward to serving with you this year!
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SAR Blood Drive
Tuesday, January 24th
SAR Parking Lot
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Your SAR peers will be donating blood aboard the Vitalant mobile blood bus parked in the SAR parking lot on Tuesday, January 24th.
Join them by booking a personal appointment between 1:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.
Many people believe that most blood is needed after major disasters. However, daily personal emergencies and ongoing medical needs of thousands of patients require a constant and ready blood supply.
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Thursday, March 2nd
8 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Spokane Convention Center
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The 36th Annual Real Estate Market Forum, covering trends in real estate, construction, and the local economy in the Spokane-Kootenai-Bonner area, will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at the Spokane Convention Center.
An outstanding group of speakers has been assembled by the Market Forum Planning Subcommittee.
The Forum starts promptly at 8 a.m.
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The Real Estate Market Forum attracted 700+ people to the Spokane Convention Center in 2019 (pictured above) - the last time the event was held in this facility before the pandemic.
Don't miss out on the largest regional real estate event of the year - get your tickets now!
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Growth With A Purpose
Thursday, February 9th
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Attention Spokane Realtors!
Are you looking to improve your marketing, sales, and overall business as a Realtor?
Look no further!
The Spokane Realtor YPN is hosting a day full of learning and growth opportunities on February 9th from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at the Ruby River Hotel in Spokane, Washington.
With an amazing lineup of speakers, this is an event you won't want to miss.
Tickets are $50 and include lunch.
Don't wait - get your tickets now and take your career to the next level.
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DB Mastermind
Virtual Session
Thursday, February 2nd
11:00 a.m.
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Washington REALTORS® is excited to continue the Designated Brokers Mastermind into the new year!
This virtual session is February 2nd from 11am-12pm.
The mastermind is designed to share and discuss new and exciting real estate business best practices and current trends, with an opportunity to discuss the issues with your colleagues.
This session we will include presentations on E & O Practices & Current Lawsuit Trends, DOL investigations and Complaints and a mastermind discussion on various topics that you have suggested.
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Professional Development
The SAR offers a full schedule of virtual classes to help members satisfy their professional development requirements to keep their REALTOR® status current.
Please be in touch with Tami at the SAR if you have any questions about classes or your license education requirements, by phone at 326-9222 or by email.
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Class Cancellation Policy:
A refund will be granted until 3:30 p.m. three days prior to the class, after which time there will be a 50% refund.
Anyone not showing up for class will not be given a refund.
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Current Market and Membership Information from your Association: |
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December 2022
Monthly Home Sales Report
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December 2022
Year-end Home Sales Report
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January 2023
Member Roster Update
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MLS Weekly News and Information |
Keep up with rule changes, get tips and tricks and see the monthly MLS totals.
Don’t forget to check this valuable resource!
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REALTOR® Political Action Committee |
RPAC (REALTOR® Political Action Committee) is one of one of the largest PACS in Washington and supports legislative efforts in favor of the real estate industry on behalf of WR members.
Invest in your business today!
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2023 SAR Board of Directors |
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2023 SAR Committee Chairs |
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SAR and Community Calendars: |
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Connect with us any time on these social media channels: |
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