The Spokane Association of REALTORS®:
ENGAGES its members, ENCOURAGES professional excellence and cooperation,
ADVOCATES for real property rights, and PROMOTES strong, sustainable communities.
Weekly Notices
February 25, 2022
New Member Benefit!

Down Payment Resource
Launches March 8th
Your SAR is happy to announce a new resource for Broker Members: Down Payment Resource!

Did you know more than 69% of listings on the Spokane Association of REALTORS® MLS today may be eligible for one or more down payment assistance programs?

Today’s buyers are looking for valuable information that will help them save on their home loan and down payment.

With Down Payment Resource, you can quickly connect your buyers to available programs in our market.

Down Payment Resource is being integrated into Paragon and tested now.

DPR is provided at no additional cost to SAR Members.
Down Payment Resource (DPR)

Connect homebuyers to the down payment help they need!

Download the DPR Overview flyer (pictured above) to get a peek at what's coming:

Be on the lookout for this icon on listing data, as well as information on upcoming training sessions to help you get started.
Sign Up Now for
Custom SAR Training:
Spokane’s housing crunch
gets national spotlight
Now the spotlight on Spokane’s housing crunch is elevated to a national level.

The New York Times published a story Sunday that shines a light on how city leaders are grappling with how to best address growth and prevent Spokane from experiencing housing affordability issues seen in larger cities, such as Los Angeles and Seattle.

“Being an ‘it’ place was something Spokane’s leaders had long hoped for.

The city and its metropolitan region have spent decades trying to convince out-of-town professionals and businesses that it would be a great place to move,” the New York Times article reported.

“Now their wish has been granted, and the city is grappling with the consequences.”
New!

Save the Date
Washington REALTORS®
Spring Business Conference

April 20-22 at Suncadia in Cle Elum!
Washington REALTORS® is excited to announce that the Board of Directors meeting, the Core Committee meetings, and several other events at The Washington REALTORS® Spring Business Conference WILL BE LIVE AND IN PERSON! 

Mark your calendars to join us at the beautiful Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum from April 20-22, 2022.

You're not going to want to miss this event.

We'll be offering a fun - and long overdue - Opening Night Celebration & Dinner, an Awards Luncheon, Candidate Forum, and a Guest Speaker/Town Hall during the in-person event.

Come be part of the conversation, help shape your association, and have a little (or a lot of) fun while doing it!
What’s Happening in Olympia
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
by Darin Watkins, SAR Governmental Affairs Director
 
With Just under 3 weeks left in the session there is a surprising amount of work left to do.
 
Middle Housing Bills Dead
Despite a plea from the Governor, both bills that would have increased Middle Housing are dead.
The Washington REALTORS® lobbying team is working to revive portions of these bills.
 
Expanding GMA Boundaries ALIVE
Senate Bill 5593, sponsored by our own area lawmaker Sen. Shelly Short. This bill surprised everyone by passing out of the Senate. All eyes now on the House to see if a smart approach to expanding GMA boundaries may be possible.
 
Love Letters Still Alive
A WR supported bill – HB2059 has PASSED, but the language banning “Love Letters” has been removed. This bill still requires all parties in a real estate transaction to be truthful. This reverses a judge’s decision that ruled REALTORS® only need to be honest with their client. Washington REALTORS® backed this bill and is working to add the ban on Love Letters back into the final product. The WR team is working to add back language to ban love letters.
 
Climate change in building standards, Rent control and Housing taxes
A large number of troublesome bills remain alive, with your WR Team working diligently to soften or even kill many of these items.

Get the SAR Legislative Update online here:
Get the Washington REALTORS® Legislative Update online here:
Advancing Issues Important to the Real Estate Profession
The profound importance and powerful impact of NAR’s advocacy work has become increasingly clear over the last several years.

The REALTORS® Legislative Meetings allow us to build on that momentum and continue the critical policy conversations among REALTORS®, lawmakers, and industry leaders.

We invite you to join us in advancing issues important to the real estate profession and the livelihood of REALTORS® at the 2022 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings!

May 1-2 in National Harbor, MD
Next week!

Annual REALTOR® Dues must be Paid
by February 28th in order to Retain Membership!
 
Thank you if you have already paid them!
 
Dues may still be paid until February 28th but must, now, include the 10% late penalty.

Click on the image below to pay your SAR dues for 2022 online now. 
U.S. Homeownership Rate Experiences Largest Annual Increase on Record, though Black Homeownership Remains Lower than a Decade Ago, NAR Analysis Finds.
2022
Snapshot of Race and
Home Buying in America
  • The U.S. homeownership rate surged 1.3% to 65.5% in 2020 – the highest annual rise ever – as 2.6 million more households became homeowners compared to 2019. Though, the homeownership rate for Black Americans (43.4%) is lower than in 2010 (44.2%) and nearly 30 percentage points less than White Americans (72.1%). The homeownership rates for Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans are 61.7% and 51.1%, respectively. 
  • Black and Hispanic applicants (7% each) were more likely to be rejected for mortgage loans than White (4%) and Asian (3%) applicants.
  • Black households – 41% – are the most likely to have student loan debt and also have the largest median student loan balance of $45,000.
Free Class - Next Week!

At Home With Diversity:
REALTOR® Certification Training
(Via Zoom)
Thursday 3/3 and Friday 3/4
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day
No CE’s, but upon completion attendees will be able to apply for NAR’s AHWD certification.
At Home With Diversity® (AHWD) is an NAR certification program designed to present a picture of the changing face of the real estate industry.

After this course, REALTORS will be able to:

-Assess and understand attributes of diversity in local markets and their impact on the real estate industry

-Understand basic competencies to earn the confidence of potential buyers and sellers, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, handicaps, familial status, or national origin

-Build a business plan that minimizes risk and successfully services all types of clients
New!

Multiple Offer Madness
with Eric Johnson
3.5 clock hours

Thursday, March 24th
8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Includes lunch
and Quarterly Membership Meeting
Register now for our next Education Excellence opportunity: Multiple Offer Madness with Eric Johnson.

At this live in-person class, you'll learn best practices for handling multiple offers whether you are Buyer's Broker or Seller's Broker.

This event is combined with your association's General Membership Meeting and lunch!
New!

Legal Hotline:
Broker's Personal Transaction Outside of the Firm

with Washington REALTORS®
Legal Hotline Attorney
Annie Fitzsimmons

In this week's Legal Hotline video, Annie talks about the pros and cons of a Broker buying or selling a property, in their personal capacity, outside of their firm.

Watch now to see Annie's take on this important topic!

The video runs about ten minutes.
New!

Eventbrite tickets
will be available soon!
Women's Council of REALTORS®
Spokane - Eastern Washington
March Event

SAVE THE DATE
March 10th, 2022

Bowling at Players & Spectators

Join us for food, drinks & fun!

Home ownership sometimes raises tax filing questions — and stress — for homeowners.

Share these tips to help them keep things simple while making the most of homeowner deductions.
The REALTOR® Content Resource is your source for ready-to-use articles on all aspects of home ownership, including homebuying and selling, for your consumer communications.

Use the content when you need it, how you need it.

It's the best FREE way to keep in touch with your clients!
April 11 & 12

Have you been to law school?

Probably not… yet you are expected to draft and use purchase agreements with the same expertise as a lawyer when preparing and using real estate forms to create contracts between buyers and sellers.

Complicating that task, you have over a hundred forms at your disposal through the statewide forms system and you must be able to navigate the forms and know which form to use when and how one form impacts another.

Enjoy Draft Like a Lawyer in person over two days in Kennewick, WA.
Draft Like a Lawyer
Back Live and In-person!
Featuring a curriculum that teaches drafting skills and integrated use of the most popular statewide forms, this class offers 16 clock hours to students as they learn about real estate forms and how to use them in their business.

Draft Like a Lawyer allows for students to catch up on high demand topics taught by the Legal Hotline Lawyer, Annie Fitzsimmons

We highly recommend you attend both days, the curriculum is integrated together over two days and if you only attend one, you may get lost.
Save on GE Appliances with your NAR Member Benefits
Members can enjoy exceptional savings on GE Appliances’ full line of high-quality appliances. Shop the entire family of brands including Profile™, Cafe™, GE®, Monogram®, Haier and Hotpoint® appliances.
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.
Next week!

Purchase & Sale with Sabrina Jones Schroeder 
 
Tuesday 3/1 8:30-12:30
- and -  
Thursday 3/3 8:30-Noon
 
7.5 clock hours
Zoom class - Two-day class - both days required
 
THIS CLASS REQUIRES A SPEAKER & YOU TO BE ON CAMERA. BE PREPARED!

This mandatory course will include: An introduction and discussion of intentions, goals, and purposes in properly completing the new Purchase & Sale Agreement; the deposit, parties and property; financing and the financing contingencies, title insurance and transfer and inspections; representations and disclosure; and remaining provisions.
 
This class must be taken once every four years.
New!

Code of Ethics & Fair Housing
with Mike Crowley
 
Tuesday 3/22 8:30-12:30
-and-
Wednesday 3/23 8:30-Noon
 
This class is required for all NEW Brokers.
 
Why Ethics?
 
Professionalism means conducting yourself ethically and with integrity and competence. 
 
It results in satisfied clients and customers. 
 
It's good business!
 
You will gain knowledge of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics that will help you . . .
 
·       Fulfill your essential responsibilities as a REALTOR®
 
·       Enjoy a successful career based on the highest principles of your profession, and
 
·       Develop appropriate responses and solutions to the most pressing dilemmas you will face as a REALTOR®.
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.
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!
Current Market and Membership Information from your Association:
January 2022
Market Snapshot Report
2021 Year End
Market Snapshot Report
January
Member Roster Update
See the full member-exclusive Market Activity Report online here.
SAR and Community Calendars:
SAR Document Archive