Weekly Notices

Friday, January 2, 2015

Happy New Year!

2015 SAR Installation Luncheon

NEXT WEEK!

Join with your colleagues in ringing in the new year and welcoming our new association leadership for 2015:

Installation of Officers and Member Luncheon
Red Lion Hotel at the Park / Skyline Ballroom
Thursday, January 8th
Noon to 2:00 p.m.

Deadline to register: Monday, January 5th.

Register online - go through the MEMBER PORTAL then click on EVENTS:

Download the event flyer, suitable for posting in your office (pictured above), online here.

Know Before you Fly

The Federal Aviation Administration, joined by other industry and hobbyist groups, has launched a new safety public campaign on the use of drones.

"Know Before You Fly," is geared to the permitted recreational use of drones, and provides operators with information and guidance on flying unmanned aircraft systems safely and responsibly.

As for commercial use of drones, that remains unauthorized - including for real estate purposes.

Read more in REALTOR� magazine, online here.

Runner Friendly Community of the Year

The Road Runners Club of America has named Spokane its 2014 Outstanding Runner Friendly Community of the Year.

The criteria for the award are many - including good running trails, community enthusiasm and government support.

Read more about the announcement on the RRCA website, online here.

Read a local article on the announcement in The Spokesman-Review, online here.

Clients with Disabilities

Our Washington REALTORS� Legal Hotline attorney Annie Fitzsimmons continues her Fair Housing video series this week.

Here, in part eight of her excellent series, Annie discusses your responsibilities to accommodate clients with disabilities under the Fair Housing Laws.

This series is an excellent addition to your office meetings or self study. All of the previous videos in this series are available online here.

See the new six-minute video online here:

Fair Housing Part 8: Clients With Disabilities

Resolve to Buy a Home

When clients buy a home, they are doing the single smartest thing they can do to increase their net worth. If you have potential clients who are currently renting, there are myriad reasons why they should resolve to buy a home in the new year.

2014 SAR President Joe Garst (at left) shares more in his final guest column as president in the real estate section of The Spokesman-Review this past Sunday (pictured above), online here.

12 Steps for REALTOR� Safety

2015 NAR President Chris Polychron (photo, left) has made safety a priority for his term this year. Look for more on safety in the months ahead. And, of course, every September is REALTOR� Safety Month.

To help you right now, REALTOR� Magazine has produced a short video that walks you through 12 steps you can take to reduce the chance of something bad happening to you when you meet a new customer.

To be sure, the vast majority of people you meet just want to look at a home. But for that one exception, when a stranger's intent is something else, you'll want to be armed with a few things that can help you out.

The video is intended to be a place to start:

Staying Safe While Meeting Strangers

Lunch & Learn

Learn how to use a reverse mortgage to purchase a home. Important changes have been announced that you will need to know.

Monday, January 26th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at the SAR

Cost is $10; includes lunch provided by Banner Bank.

See the event flyer online here.

2015 REALTOR� Education

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Quality of Education

through SAR/WR Education Instructors

Here is the latest class listing of your SAR - offering the best live and local continuing real estate education classes for 2015.

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

Thursday, January 22nd - Code of Ethics - Standards for Success - with Linda Miller.

This class is required for our new members within 90 days of joining the SAR. Members past their first license renewal may also take it or they may take a 4.0 clock hour Code of Ethics class.

A Code of Ethics class must be taken once every four years. This four year cycle started January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016.

Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR

7.5 clock hours

Purchase and Sale Agreement

Thursday, February 12th - Statewide Purchase & Sale Agreement - with Sabrina Jones-Schroeder.

This class is required for our new members within 90 days of joining the SAR and must be taken by all residential agents once every four years. This four year cycle started January 1, 2013 and goes through December 31, 2016.

Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
at the SAR

7.5 clock hours

In This Issue

Happy New Year!

2015 Installation Luncheon

Know Before you Fly

Runner Friendly Community of the Year

Clients with Disabilities

Resolve to Buy a Home

12 Steps for REALTOR® Safety

Lunch & Learn

2015 REALTOR® Education

SAR CALENDAR

Condolences

2015 Legislative Days

Spokane Open

Market Activity Report - November

ListHub for November

You Be The Judge - January

Member Roster Updates - NEW!

Personal Identification Form

Suggestion Box

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 condolences to Maggie Dyko, Windermere Valley, Inc.

Maggie's son, Chris Dyko, passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2014.

2015 Legislative Days

Washington REALTORS�' 2015 Legislative Days will be January 21-22 in Olympia.

Click on the image below for details and to register now!

Spokane Open

List your open houses online with the only official open house website of your Spokane Association of REALTORS� - now linking directly to the Spokane MLS!

To go there now, click here.

Market Activity Report - November

The SAR Market Activity Report for November is now online.

See the latest report - and archived reports - online here.

See the November summary report (pictured above) online here.

See the year-to-date summary report (pictured above) online here.

ListHub for November

The ListHub report for November is online here.

You Be The Judge - January

NEW!

Here is You Be The Judge for January:

Case #1-22: REALTOR�'S offer to buy property He has listed.

Read the case and submit your judgement online here.

Those who decide correctly will be entered in a drawing for a Starbucks coffee card!

Winner to be announced next month.

Congratulations Beverly Lee, Top Gold Realty, December Starbuck's card winner.!

DECEMBER ANSWER:

The Hearing Panel reminded REALTOR� A that the pertinent fact being considered was not his opinion at the time of the previous sale as compared to his opinion now, but rather his written "guarantee" to Buyer B and his current failure to make good his written commitment. It was the conclusions of the Hearing Panel that REALTOR� A had engaged in misrepresentation and was in violation of Article 2.

From Case #2-6: Misrepresentation.

See the full text of last month's case, online here.

Member Roster Update

Click here to view the latest Roster Update - listing new and resigned members and companies.

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

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

Personal Identification Form

Start the new year with a new habit for your personal safety!

Offices across the nation are now asking for photo ID and information from clients before going to view property.

The Real Estate Safety Council has created a form that is quick and easy to fill out and asks for name, address, employer, and automobile information - and is customizable for your business.

Not only does this procedure identify the person you are working with, it helps qualify a prospect and aids police if something happens to you.

This simple form may be the best preventative safety measure you and your office can take.

We have found that customers are very understanding regarding why we need this information and there has been little or no resistance to providing the identification.

If a customer does object, that in itself, should raise a red flag.