Weekly Notices - March 10, 2023

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Next week at Spokane Realtors®:

Monday 13:

DEI Committee meeting

Tuesday 14

Purchase & Sale Agreement class

Bylaws PAG

Wednesday 15

Governmental Affairs committee meeting

Technology committee meeting

Online Marketing Bootcamp

Thursday 16

MLS Steering committee meeting

Spokane YPN meeting

Friday 17

Click on the calendar image to see the full SR calendar.

Weekly Notices

March 10, 2023

Daylight Savings Time

Begins Sunday

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at 2:00 A.M.

At this time, we “spring forward” one hour!

"Many homeowners will see

their 2023 tax bills rise by hundreds of dollars."

The Spokane County Treasurer’s Office mailed out property tax statements last week.

First-half payments are due April 30 and second-half payments are due Oct. 31.

Countywide, taxpayers will owe $818 million in 2023, a $48 million (6.2%) annual increase.

Spokane County property tax collections have risen $239 million (41%) over the past five years.

Read the article.

When your clients get in touch to ask why their property tax bills are so high, this year, are you ready with an answer?

2023 Spokane Realtors President Tom Hormel talks with Spokane County Assessor Tom Konis about 2023 Property Taxes.

The video runs about four minutes:

Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner and Spokane County Assessor Tom Konis will answer taxpayer questions during a town hall at 6 p.m. on March 22 at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture’s auditorium.

Property owners can pay their taxes online, via mail, through drop boxes on the Spokane County campus or in person at Spokane Valley City Hall.

In-person payments must be made by check or card from April 21 to April 28, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

SR President Tom Hormel (pictured) asks all SR members to join him in Council Chambers Monday night (6 p.m. at City Hall - 808 W Spokane Falls Blvd) - to speak against this emergency ordinance.

This "emergency" ordinance was rushed in just a few weeks (most take months or years).

This "emergency" ordinance adds between $22,000 and $38,000 to the cost of any new home.

We calculate these increases will make it impossible for some 8,000 local families to buy a home.

This is NOT an emergency, this is NOT thoughtful legislation, this is NOT going to be good for Spokane home builders, home buyers, or home sellers!

We urgently need your help!

This Monday, the Spokane City Council will take an emergency vote to raise Water, Sewer Hook Up and Transportation fees adding $22,000 to $38,000 per new home.

As someone whose livelihood will be deeply impacted by this, your information is urgently needed.

Your aggregate responses to this survey will be shared with council members at their meeting on Monday night.

What you tell us about this issue is what we'll tell council members.

We need to hear your voice so that council members will hear ours!

Be Good with your Signs

Are you being good with your signs?

A sign that is located anywhere other than on the listed property can become a blight on the landscape and violate the law.

Members of your MLS Steering committee have been working hard with SR staff to create a collection of creative assets to help communicate best practices for real estate sign placement in our area.

Our first piece is a 4" x 9" rack card (pictured) you can share with your teams and brokers. Tap or click on the image and the PDF file will load to your screen for printing and saving, as you may choose.

Send this "camera ready" file to your favorite printer to make hard copies.

If you notice any permanent "off-premises" branded yard signs, please report the location of those signs, with a photograph and any other relevant information, to: [email protected].

2023 Spokane Realtor® Awards

Accepting nominations now!

Deadline: Friday, April 14th.

2023 Realtor® Award Nomination Form.

Applications are now being accepted for all 2023 SR REALTOR® Awards!

You and your REALTOR® colleagues will decide who will be our honorees for:

2023 REALTOR® of the Year

Steve Flinn REALTOR® Achievement

REALTOR® Community Service

Affiliate of the Year

Partner of the Year

Spokane's Citizen of the Year

The deadline by which you must submit nominations to the SR for them to be considered is Friday, April 14th.

The 2023 SR REALTOR® Awards will be announced and presented on Wednesday, May 17th, at the SR's annual REALTOR® Awards Luncheon at Ruby River Hotel.

2023 SR Legacy of Service Award

2023 Legacy of Service Award nomination form.

2023 SR Legacy of Service Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2023 SR Legacy of Service Award.

This award is created as a "Lifetime Achievement" award to honor those REALTOR® members who are respected in our profession by colleagues and serve our profession through various Association committees.

Additionally, this award honors those who spend the majority of their years as active REALTORS® mentoring newer members, helping to define regulations within our field, all the while giving back to the community.

Nominations are due Friday, April 14th.

The 2022 SR Legacy of Service Award will be presented at the SR Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 17th.

2022 Gary Fox Memorial Award

2022 Gary Fox Memorial Award nomination form.

2023 Gary Fox Memorial Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Gary Fox Memorial Designated/Managing Broker Award.

This award recognizes a Designated Broker or Managing Broker who serves as an example of loyalty, ethical behavior, and leadership in the real estate profession.

Nominations are due Friday, April 14th.

The 2022 Gary Fox Memorial Designated/Managing Broker Award will be presented at the SR Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 17th.

2023 Eddie Education Award / 2023 Hugh Hawkins Education Award nomination form.

2023 Eddie Education Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2023

Eddy Education Award.

The Eddy Education Award symbolizes the importance of quality education by promoting REALTOR® professionalism. Award winners could have contributed through committee work, course development, program development, teaching, assisting in course delivery, or other activities deemed appropriate that contribute to real estate education.

Nominations are due Friday, April 14th.

The 2023 Eddy Education Award will be presented at the SR Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 17th.

2023 Hugh Hawkins Education Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2023 Hugh Hawkins Education Award.

The Hugh Hawkins Education Award recognizes excellence in real estate teaching. It will be given to the instructor who best reflects the values and skills that Hugh Hawkins brought to the classroom and the industry. Accordingly, the Awards Committee will consider not just the instructor’s teaching style, but also the extent to which those nominated for the Award imparted information in a way that influences their students, i.e., the extent to which students were inspired to change their behavior and/or the way they do business as well as their commitment to Education.

Nominations are due Friday, April 14th.

The 2023 Hugh Hawkins Education Award will be presented at the SR Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 17th.

FREE - INCLUDES LUNCH!

Don't be the Invisible Agent -

Online Marketing Bootcamp

Wednesday, March 15th, 2 p.m.

at your SR association office!

Tap/click on the event flyer for details.

Join Elm Street Academy for an information

packed Online Marketing Boot Camp where

we will teach you how to be active, consistent

& intentional on the top online marketing

platforms so you can stay of mind for clients

and prospects!

Limited to first 30 who register:

SR Blood Drive

Wednesday, March 29th

SAR Parking Lot

Your SAR peers will be donating blood aboard the Vitalant mobile blood bus parked in the SAR parking lot on Wednesday, March 29th.

Join them by booking a personal appointment between 1:15 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Book your appointment here.

Get a full-size copy of the blood drive flyer (pictured) by tappping/clicking on the image.

A bill that would strip single-family zoning regulations from neighborhoods across the state to allow duplexes or four-plexes to be built passed the Washington state House of Representatives late Monday.

The measure, which passed 75-21 with bipartisan support, is aimed at alleviating the housing shortage by encouraging builders to put more people into existing city neighborhoods rather than encouraging urban sprawl.

Read the article.

The House bill still needs to pass the state Senate and receive the governor's signature before it becomes law.

The Spokane City Council has already approved a temporary zoning ordinance to allow duplexes, triplexes, quad-plexes and town-homes on all residential zones citywide for a year.

Opponents of the bill include a number of cities, among them Spokane Valley.

Those cities want zoning decisions left to local control rather than a state mandate.

2023 Snapshot of

Race and Home Buying in America

Get the report.

Housing affordability reached historic lows in 2022.

Rising mortgage rates and home prices significantly hurt affordability, forcing many buyers out of the market.

Mortgage rates have doubled from the previous year, while home prices reached all-time highs in 2022.

Buyers need to earn more than $100,000 if they want to purchase the median-priced home without going beyond their budget.

Home-ownership rate in

Washington state:

White: 68%

Asian: 64%

Hispanic: 47%

Black: 35%

There's a Form for That!

Part 2, Form 35C

Washington Realtors' Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons and Camden Schutte (DB for Coldwell Banker 360 and 360 Property Management, Whidbey & Fidalgo Islands) are back, this week, with part two in their series: There's A Form For That!

This episode features Form 35C-Notice of Seller Consent Inspection Report, which allows seller to receive all or some of the inspection report at the time of mutual acceptance.

The video runs about eight minutes.