Weekly Notices
Friday, January 15, 2021
   
 
 
     
Washington REALTORS® 2021 Hill Day
 
 
NEXT WEEK!
January 18-21

Support Housing Solutions
for Washington

 

The Washington REALTORS® 2021 Hill Day is next week - virtual, of course, so that means its easier than ever to attend!
 
2021 SAR President Eric Johnson and 2021 SAR Governmental Affairs Chair Tom Clark are here with a personal invitation in this one-minute video:
  
 
2021 Washington REALTORS® Hill Day 
2021 Washington REALTORS® Hill Day
 
 
We need REALTORS® from across the state to participate in this year's "My Neighbor" campaign, and virtually lobby your State Legislators about:
  • Removing racial covenants
  • Incentivizing cities to build more attainable housing 
  • Ensure Accessory Dwelling Units are an available housing tool in our rural areas
 
The SAR Governmental Affairs Committee has prepared a briefing paper for SAR Members on this year's state legislative session.  
 
You'll find that online here.
 
  
     
Get your copy of the Washington REALTORS® First Time Attendee booklet for Hill Day (pictured above) online here. 
 
 
Washington REALTORS® Virtual Installation
 
 
   
 
Virtual Installation
January 20th 
Spokane Broker Tom Hormel will be installed as the 86th president of Washington REALTORS®, next week - January 20th at 4:00 p.m.
 
Tom is the first WR president from Spokane in 15 years, and the first to be installed virtually in the 86-year history of the association.  
 
Attend the virtual installation event for 2021 Washington REALTORS® President Tom Hormel (an SAR member), 2021 Washington REALTORS® Vice President for Governmental Affairs Eric Johnson (an SAR member), 2021 Washington REALTORS® Vice President-elect Membership Ken Sax (an SAR member), and the new members of our Washington REALTORS® Board of Directors.
 
 
 
 
The virtual installation event will take place at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 20th, on Zoom as part of the Washington REALTORS® Hill Day events.   
 
See the event program (pictured above) online here.  
 
Attendance is free but you must register for credentials to access the live video feed. 
 
 
 
 
 
The Color of Law 
         
        
NEW! 
   
The Washington Residential Real Estate Council invites you to attend its next book club virtual meeting to discuss The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of how our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein.
 
Thursday, January 28th, at 5:00 p.m. 
 
Invite your colleagues to join us!
 


After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
 
 


 
High End, High Demand 
         
        
Journal of Business photo

 
NEW! 
 
The luxury-home market is especially hot in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene market due to what some agents say is a convergence of factors. 
 
Those factors include a relatively low cost of living in the Inland Northwest, perceived safety from COVID-19 in more rural areas, the increase in remote work due to the pandemic, and perceived geographically associated political inclinations, some say.
 
 
 
By SAR request, the Journal of Business offers this complete article to Members here at no charge.
 
You may read it online here. 


SAR 2021 Virtual Installation Video 
         
       
In Case You Missed it 
 
For the first time in its 110 year history, the Spokane Association of REALTORS® installed its new officers and directors virtually, last week.
 
The no-contact installation event was created to comply with a government order against group assemblies during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
 
Watch the entire virtual event on the SAR YouTube channel. The program lasts about an hour. 
 


Take the Spokane Community Survey 
         
        
   
The City of Spokane invites you - as a REALTOR® and housing industry professional - to share your feedback on its Housing Action Plan.
 
The City of Spokane is creating the Housing Action Plan to help increase housing options that are affordable and accessible for people and families of all incomes.  
 
As Spokane grows, we are facing a gap in housing supply.  
 
The plan will provide a strategic approach to address current and future housing needs of the Spokane community.  
 
When completed, it will provide a coordinated vision that supports more people being able to find a home that meets their needs with access to opportunities, services and amenities.  
 
This process builds upon previous community discussions and initiatives around infill development, housing quality, and affordable housing funding. 
 
 


 
Welcome to Fairhaven 
         
        
illustration of city
  
   
 
Pacific Northwesterners may already know about Fairhaven, the historic community just south of Bellingham.

NAR has created another Fairhaven - this one fictional - where REALTORS® work against the clock to sell homes while confronting discrimination in the homebuying process.

This new, immersive online simulation training puts members of the National Association of REALTORS® in the shoes of a client experiencing discrimination as they try to buy a home.

NAR's Fairhaven launched this week.




Go directly to the Fairhaven simulation online here.



 
Fair Housing: The Way Home 
         

 
Thursday, January 28th 
 
 
The Whitman County Association of REALTORS® invites you to take a virtual trip to Pullman and join them for a free class: Fair Housing - The Way Home with Paula Monthofer.

Thursday, January 28th
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
via Zoom
3 clock hours


Download the class flyer (pictured above) online here.





  
 
 
 
SAR Professional Development 

 
SAR Professional Development 
 
   
 
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.
 
 
 
 
 
Thursday, February 4
Core Curriculum with Sabrina Jones-Schroeder          
9 a.m. to Noon
3.0 clock hours
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tuesday, February 9th
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 
- AND -
Thursday, February 11th
8:30 a.m. to Noon
Purchase & Sale with Sabrina Jones-Schroeder 
7.5 clock hours 
 
 
 
       
 
 
 
 
Tuesday, February 16th 
Biggest Bloopers & Blunders we make in our Statewide Forms with Ken Sax
1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
 
3.5 clock hours 
 
 
 
 

 
 

  

 

Expanding Housing Opportunities

Thursday, February 25th, 9 a.m. 

 

Expanding Housing Opportunities is a 4-hour education course developed by the National Association of REALTORS®.   

This course will be taught by Washington REALTORS® Senior Faculty member Jan Ellingson. 
 
The course is designed to help real estate professionals understand affordable housing issues and how their role in increasing housing opportunities.
Course participants will learn how to:
  • Identify and explain the range of affordable housing opportunities and their benefits to clients.
  • Describe how affordability affects the housing market, their clients, their business, and their community.
  • Better analyze affordable financing options, including local, state, federal, and nonprofit assistance programs for buyers and renters.
  • Build partnerships to expand housing opportunities through advocacy, workforce housing initiatives, and green building concepts.
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Enter code 199WB and get
all of 2021's webinars for $199!
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
In This Issue
Washington REALTORS® 2021 Hill Day - NEXT WEEK!
Washington REALTORS® Virtual Installation
The Color of Law
High End, High Demand
SAR 2021 Virtual Installation Video
Take the Spokane Community Survey
Welcome to Fairhaven
Fair Housing: The Way Home
SAR Professional Development
SAR CALENDAR
Condolences
MLK Day
Median Home Price Jumps 15.4%
RE in Spokane "Surprisingly Strong"
Candidate Training School
MLS Fees Due TODAY!
Budgeting Tips
Tax Summit
Finance Assistance through SNAP
SAR Member Roster Update - November
SAR Market Activity Report - November

SAR CALENDAR
 
Click on the image below to see
the current SAR calendar showing dates and times
of classes, committees, and events. 
 
Condolences  
 
     
The SAR extends its sympathy and condolences to the friends and family of Tom Chesher, formerly with Live Real Estate.  
 
Tom passed on January 10, 2021, in Arizona.  
 
A Celebration of Life will be planned for sometime this summer.
 
 
 
      
MLK Day 
 
   
Monday, January 18th
    
MLK Day - Monday, January 18th - is a Federal Holiday on which we celebrate the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader.  
 
He is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States. 
 
Spokane will celebrate this holiday, and honor Dr. King's work and dream, with myriad community events.
 
A list of these events is online here.
 
 
NOTE: The SAR Will be closed on Monday, January 18th, to keep the MLK Day holiday. 
 
 
      
Median Home Price Jumps 15.4% 
 
The Spokesman-Review photo
 
 NEW!  
 
Despite a global pandemic, Spokane County's housing market shattered records in 2020 as low inventory and high demand caused the median home price to soar to its highest level in history - issues that likely will have a continuing impact through this year.
 
 
 
Read the complete article in The Spokesman-Review, online here.
 
 
 
     
RE in Spokane "Surprisingly Strong"
 
 
 
   
NEW! 
 
Real estate in Spokane stayed surprisingly strong in most sectors through the pandemic, say industry observers here, with home sales and commercial real estate investment, particularly in industrial space, seeing strong growth.
 
Rob Higgins, executive officer of the Spokane Association of Realtors, said 2020 homes sales were up 1.3% through November compared with the first 11 months of 2019.
 
Comparatively, sales were down 6.1% through November 2019 compared with the first 11 months of 2018.
 
"2020 turned out better than expected," said Higgins. "This is reportedly the worst part of the pandemic, these winter months, but I think 11 months tells us we ended up having a better year than expected."
 
 
 
Read the rest of the article (pictured above) in the Journal of Business or online here
 
Candidate Training School
 
Spokane City Council - file photo
 
THIS WEEKEND!
Saturday, January 16th
Have you ever thought about taking your passion for REALTOR® issues to a place where you can do something about it?
If you believe strongly in home ownership, private property rights, controlling business regulation and taxes, join us to explore the idea of running for local office.
The Spokane Association of REALTORS® is joining with Spokane Home Builders and Better Spokane to bring you a special candidate training school on Saturday, January 16th, from 10 a.m. to noon.
This virtual event is offered at no charge. 
   
MLS Fees Due TODAY! 
 


 
MLS FEES DUE TODAY!
      
Your SAR Board of Directors approved, at its December 9th meeting,  a $2.00 per month increase on MLS fees for 2021.  
 
This will assist in meeting the increased costs of operating SAR's MLS.  
 
The last increase in MLS fees was six years ago.
 
1st Quarter MLS Fees for 2021 have been invoiced and posted to the SAR Member Portal.   
 
Payment must be received on or before January 15, 2021.
   
 
 
To pay your 1st Quarter MLS Fees online, click on the button above, or go to the MLS Dashboard and click on the SAR Payments icon.   
 
 
When paying online, please do not combine your Annual SAR Dues with your Quarterly MLS Fees.   
 
These must be paid separately.
 
 
Budgeting Tips 
 

 
NEW!
  
 
The Center for REALTOR® Financial Wellness has designed a series of webinars to help REALTORS® understand financial topics on a deeper level.  
 
Presenters include subject matter experts who will provide tips, planning options, and an array of valuable information to help REALTORS® advance their financial journey.
 
No matter the career stage or level of financial planning, these webinars are helpful and informative to all members.
 
The first webinar in this series, Financial Applications for Entrepreneurs, is coming on January 20th.
 
Learn more and register online here
 
  
    
 
   
Tax Summit 
 

 
TAX SUMMIT
Begins February 3rd 
 
 
Let's face it, filing taxes can cause a lot of anxiety.  
 
As a new agent, managing tax documents, understanding complex returns, and constant tax law changes makes preparing a tax return a tedious process.  
 
The Center for REALTOR® Financial Wellness offers a series of four one-hour webinars in which you'll hear from experts and get the tips you need to save time and money while reducing your stress.  
 
More information about the dates, times, speakers, and content is online here
 
The express link to register is below: 
 
 
 
 
 
  
    
 
   
Finance Assistance through SNAP 
 

 
NEW!
  
 
SNAP Financial Access shares word that it is now offering 100% financing to first-time home buyers who may have been turned down by conventional lenders - to include buyers who can't afford a down payment and have poor credit.  
 
Download the flyer (pictured above) online here
 
  
    
 
   
SAR Member Roster Update - November

 
Updated for November 
 Click here to view the latest Member Roster Update (pictured above) - approved by the SAR Board of Directors at its most recent meeting.
   
Send a message to Brenda at the SAR with any changes.  
 

SAR Market Activity Report - December 
        

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

See the December 2020 Market Snapshot Report
(pictured above) online here.





See the 2020 Year End Market Snapshot Report (pictured above),  online here.



Quick Information
2021 SAR Leadership

This weekly newsletter is a member benefit of the

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

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