| 2015 NAR Legislative Meetings |
More than 8,000 REALTORS® arrive in Washington to help ensure federal legislation and regulations help rather than hurt real estate. The REALTORS® are in town for the 2015 NAR Legislative Meetings. To learn about the issues, The Voice for Real Estate host Stephen Gasque talks with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and NAR Chief Lobbyist Jerry Giovaniello talks about priorities in NAR's legislative town hall meeting. The video also covers lawmakers getting tough on patent trolls and NAR Senior Counsel Finley Maxson provides advice on preparing for August 1 changes to closing procedures.
Featured segments:
- 2015 NAR Legislative Meetings
- NAR Town Hall on legislative priorities
- Lawmakers move on patent trolls
- Advice on upcoming changes to closing forms
Watch the six-minute video online here:
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The Voice for Real Estate 22:
Legislative Meetings, HUD-1
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| Home Inspections |
NEW!
Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline lawyer
Annie Fitzsimmons returns this week with a fresh video in her continuing series on Strategies for a Competitive Marketplace.
Buyers (and their Brokers) are getting creative trying to come out on top among multiple offers.
Waiving the home inspection or doing a verbal pre-inspection may not be a good idea.
Annie Fitzsimmons explains the ramifications of pre-inspections from both the buyer and seller's point of view.
Learn more in this eight-minute video:
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Strategies for a Competitive Marketplace
Part 6: Home Inspections
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| Lunch & Learn - Identity Theft |
Bring a group from your office or invite a friend or two so you can all learn how to defend yourselves against identity theft:
Monday, May 18th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at your SAR
See the event flyer, pictured above,
online here.
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| Lunch & Learn - Auctions & Real Estate |
Learn the good, the bad and the ugly in real estate sales by auction at your SAR:
Monday, June 8th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at your SAR
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| Lunch & Learn - Safety |
Learn how to reduce opportunities that make you a target - from a retired deputy sheriff - at this valuable, new Lunch & Learn at your SAR:
Monday, June 15th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at your SAR
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| 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.
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Core Curriculum:
Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate
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NEXT WEEK!
Tuesday, May 19 - Core Curriculum: Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate - with Sabrina Jones-Schroeder.
You must take this class every two years for your renewal.
Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
at the SAR
3.0 clock hours
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Code of Ethics for the Real Estate Professional
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NEXT WEEK!
Tuesday, May 19 - Code of Ethics for the Real Estate Professional - with Linda Miller.
This Code of Ethics class is for you if you are past your first license renewal. You are required to take a Code of Ethics class once between January 2013 and December 2016.
Registration: Noon
Class: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR
4.0 clock hours
Thursday, May 28 - The Nekkid Truth: Six Principles of Building a Real Estate Business - with Linda Miller.
By popular demand - this all-new class is especially helpful for those just getting their real estate license and asking the question, "What now?"
Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
at the SAR
4.0 clock hours
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How to Work with Difficult People
and Conflict Resolution
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Thursday, June 4 -
How to Work with Difficult People and Conflict Resolution - with
Linda Miller.
Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
at the SAR
3.- clock hours
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Fair Housing: R.E. Licensee Accountability
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Thursday, June 4 -
Fair Housing: R.E. Licensee Accountability - with
Linda Miller.
The SAR highly recommends this class.
Registration: 12:30 p.m.
Class: 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR
3.5 clock hours
Friday, June 5 -
Land and Acreage 200: Rural Property - with
Jim Palmer, Jr.
BIGGER! BETTER! This is a new 7.5 hour Land and Acreage class. You may take it whether or not you've already taken the original 4.0 clock hour class. Lots of good information in this new class.
"At some point, every broker will have the opportunity to represent a client in a transaction that involves a well, septic system or acreage," Joe Garst, SAR immediate past president.
Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR
7.5 clock hours
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Purchase & Sale Agreement
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Thursday, June 11 -
Statewide Purchase & Sale Agreement - with
Sabrina Jones-Schroeder.
This class is full. Please see below for a second offering.
Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
at the SAR
7.5 clock hours
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Purchase & Sale Agreement
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Thursday, July 2 -
Statewide Purchase & Sale Agreement- with
Sabrina Jones Schroeder.
Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
at the SAR
7.5 clock hours
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SAR CALENDAR
Click on the image below to see the current SAR calendar
showing dates and times of classes, committees and events.
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| Learn from Last Year's Murder |
 Pleading for the real estate community to learn from last year's murder of Arkansas agent
Beverly Carter (pictured at left), her son implored practitioners during the 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. to make safety a higher priority in their businesses.
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| Washington Housing Market Strong |
Washington state's housing market was strong in the first quarter of 2015, with both sales and new building permits up compared with a year ago and the market remaining largely affordable, according to a new report from the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the Runstad Center.
Housing affordability for all buyers statewide continued to rise in the first quarter; however, affordability varied widely across the state.
The Center's findings were discussed further with UW Today, online here.
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| Drone Tests Expanded |
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it will expand its tests on the use of UAVs - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles systems or commonly referred to as "drones" -- for commercial purposes.
FAA's studies will include tests over the safety of flights taking place over urban areas and over distances farther than the pilot can see.
FAA's latest announcement has been viewed by industry advocates, who have been awaiting to use UAVs, as a possible sign of greater openness by the FAA in permitting commercial use of drones.
Read more in REALTOR magazine, online here.
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| Doc Overhaul |
August 1 will be a big day for real estate professionals because that's when two new closing forms - a Loan Estimate and a Closing Disclosure - will replace the three forms you're used to working with: the HUD-1 Settlement Statement, the Good Faith Estimate, and the Truth-in-Lending disclosure form.
These updates are part of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and Truth in Lending Act (TILA).
Read more in the new issue of REALTOR® magazine,
online here.
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| Market Activity Report - April |
The SAR Market Activity Report for
April is now online.
See the latest report - and archived reports -
online here.
See the April 2015 summary report (pictured above) online here.
See the 2015 year-to-date summary report (pictured above) online here.
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| You Be The Judge - May |
Here is
You Be The Judge for
May
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Case #1-5: Promotion of Client's Interests
Those who decide correctly will be entered in a drawing for a Starbucks coffee card!
Winner to be announced next month.
Congratulations
Anne-Marie Ophus, Exit Real Estate Professionals, our April Starbucks card winner!
APRIL ANSWER
The Hearing Panel pointed out that brokers have no hesitation in advising clients that properties are overpriced when this is the case, and they are obligated to be equally candid in providing their best judgment to clients when properties being offered for sale are obviously underpriced.
The panel concluded that in view of the wide discrepancy between the owner's asking price and the property's market value, which REALTOR® B conceded was apparent to him, it was REALTOR® B's obligation as an agent to advise his client that the house was worth considerably more, especially since it was apparent that Client A had been away from the community for years and was out of touch with local values. The Hearing Panel found REALTOR® B in violation of Article 1.
Case #1-15: Obligation to Advise Client on Market Value
See the full text of last month's case,
online here.
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| Member Roster Update |
 NEW!
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.
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| Suggestion Box |
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Presented by your Spokane Association of REALTORS® 
See what's NEW at
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| 2015 Officers & Directors |
993-1003
SECRETARY:
Century 21 Beutler & Associates
323-2100
TREASURER:
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