Weekly Notices

Friday, March 20, 2015

Education Excellence/Quarterly Meeting

NEXT WEEK!

Mark your calendar now and plan to join us for the first SAR Education Excellence and Quarterly Membership Meeting of 2015:

Thursday, March 26th
CenterPlace Regional Events Center

Land and Acreage 200 with Jim Palmer, Jr.
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
7.5 clock hours

SAR Quarterly Membership Meeting and Luncheon
Noon to 1:30 p.m.

The new winner of the Gary Fox Memorial Designated/Managing Broker Award will be announced and presented with his/her award at our quarterly membership meeting.

Lunch and meeting included in class registration fee: $40 if registered by Friday, March 20th, $55 after this date.

If attending Meeting/Luncheon only, price is $20. Please RSVP to Debbie and either pay in advance at the SAR or pay at the door.

Download the event flyer online here.

Free HUD Homes Bus Tour

NEXT WEEK!

Free breakfast, prizes too! Tour HUD homes on a free chartered bus tour. Learn about IE-insured escrows and FHA 203K loans.

Monday, March 23rd
10:00 a.m. to Noon
at the SAR

See the event flyer (pictured above), online here.

Negotiation Strategies

NEW!

Is it okay for seller's broker to tell competitive buyers they are not the highest offer on the table?

Washington REALTORSŽ Legal Hotline lawyer, Annie Fitzsimmons, discusses this and other negotiation strategies for a competitive marketplace in a new video.

Watch Annie's ten-minute video online here:

Negotiation strategies for a competitive market

Construction Busy Season Begins

Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review

Spokane Mayor David Condon (left, above) announced this week, "It's going to be a busy season," with 43 road construction projects planned for this summer at a cost of $73 million.

Projects range from street maintenance to pollution mitigation to building new bikeways, sidewalks and roads.

Read more in The Spokesman-Review, online here.

See a map showing this year's construction projects online here.

WSJ Picks Spokane for Food Lovers

Inlander

The Wall Street Journal recognizes Spokane as one of "six small towns for food lovers."

From the Inlander: Now the Wall Street Journal is on board, recognizing Spokane as one of "six small towns for food lovers" in an article today that offers some love to Durkin's Liquor Bar (the "over-the-top meat menu ... sets this place apart") and Italia Trattoria ("Spokanites love the changing menu of house-made pastas"), among other spots. For some reason, the Journal thinks Casper Fry is in Sacramento, but we'll cut them a little slack.

Read more - with a link to the WSJ article - in the Inlander, online here.

The Internet of Things

The buzz is escalating about the "Internet of Things." The catchphrase refers to the next wave of technology but also to a mindset, one that's already evident in the moment a four-year-old tries to operate a paperbound book by tapping on an illustration.

The concept behind the Internet of Things, or "IoT" (also known as the "Cloud of Things" or "real world web"), is that we'll rely on actual computers less and less over the next decade as technological interfaces are woven directly into products. Tech watchers say 2015 is the year IoT will start to go mainstream.

Read more in the current edition of REALTORŽ magazine, online here.

Lunch & Learn

Join us for the next SAR Lunch & Learn: Sell more homes with 203K/USDA

Monday, March 30th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at your SAR

See the event flyer online here.

WCR April Event

The Spokane - Eastern Washington Chapter of the Women's Council of REALTORSŽ invites you to come see what's new at Kendall Yards:

Thursday, April 2nd
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

See the event flyer (pictured above), online here.

2015 REALTORŽ 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.

Home Inspections - Red Flags and Proper Procedures

Home Inspections for REALTORSŽ and Appraisers

NEXT WEEK!

Tuesday, March 24 - Home Inspections for REALTORSŽ and Appraisers - with Matthew Pedersen.

This class is approved for both REALTORSŽ and Appraisers. Invite your favorite REALTORŽ/appraiser to join you!

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

7.5 clock hours

Mortgage Awareness for REALTORSŽ

NEXT WEEK!

Wednesday, March 25 - Mortgage Awareness for REALTORSŽ - with Cristi Zacherle.

Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 11:30 a.m.
at the SAR

3.0 clock hours

Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals

NEXT WEEK!

Wednesday, March 25 - Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals - 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

The Truth about Negotiating

Tuesday, March 31 - The Truth about Negotiating - with Linda Miller.

Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
at the SAR

3.0 clock hours

Wednesday and Thursday, April 8 and 9 - Instructor Development Workshop - with Linda Miller.

First time offered by your SAR - this two day, 15 clock hour class offers curriculum approved by Washington DOL and facilitated by a state approved instructor, from which you can apply to become a state certified real estate instructor.

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

15 clock hours

SAR CALENDAR

Click on the image below to see the current SAR calendar

showing dates and times of classes, committees and events.

MLS Fees Due

2nd Quarter MLS fees have been posted to the SAR member portal. They are due by March 30th.

Please email Brenda at the SAR if you have a question about your fees or contact her by phone at 326-9222.

Thank you!

Rural Housing Survey

NAR asks us to share word that it is conducting a survey on rural housing loans.

If you have some experience in this area (RHS Direct and Guaranteed Housing Loans), would you please take this short survey? The more who respond the better the data will be.

Thank you!

Past President Letter to Members

To my friends and colleagues in the Spokane Association of REALTORSŽ:

It is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement from actively working in real estate.

Since 1992, I have had more fun making a living in real estate in and around Spokane than anything
else I have ever done. For those of you who have touched my life in that capacity, thank you.

Sometimes challenging, but always rewarding, this business has afforded me a life of richness and the opportunity to make a difference.

When I was serving as President in 2011, we were able to have a grand celebration of our centennial. Thanks for allowing me to fill that role and the opportunity to work with some dedicated, can-do people who made that celebration happen. It was a blast!

For those of you with whom I had cross sales, thanks for your patience with me. This business is not about us, but rather the people we serve. The vast majority of you get that and are totally professional. I will tip a glass for each of you in my retirement.

For those of you I didn't have the privilege of working with, please know you have chosen a great way to make a living. To serve others and then get paid to do so is a tremendous reward.

As I learned from being a Go-Giver, your worth as a human can only be measured by how much
value you add to other people's lives. Real estate is the perfect way to do that. Please never lose sight that you serve others by adding value to their experiences.

Joe Mann
Past President 2011
Member 1993 - 2015

2015 WR Spring Business Conference

Washington REALTORSŽ invites you to its 2015 Spring Business Conference in Vancouver, Washington, April 15-17th.

For program details and registration information, click here.

2015 SAR Special Events

Come join us as we begin planning our 2015 SAR Golf Tournament!

Committee kickoff meeting: Tuesday, March 31st, at 2:00 p.m. at the SAR.

If you have any questions, please contact your 2015 SAR Special Events Committee Chair, Tanna St. Marie, Prime Real Estate Closing and Escrow, 466-9200.

ListHub Report for February

See the February ListHub report, online here.

Real Life Dilemmas

Working in real estate comes with its fair share of irritations. Agents who don't return calls in a timely manner or clients who make inappropriate demands can be frustrating, to say the least. But discerning when difficult behavior crosses the ethical line can sometimes be tricky-whether it pertains to your dealings with other REALTORSŽ, clients, or the general public.

To help you distinguish actual infractions from misunderstandings or simply poor manners, we look at five real-life business dilemmas and describe how the REALTORSŽ Code of Ethics applies.

Read more in the current edition of REALTORŽ magazine, online here.

Market Activity Report - February

The SAR Market Activity Report for February is now online.

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

See the February 2015 summary report (pictured above) online here.

See the 2014 year-to-date summary report (pictured above) online here.

You Be The Judge - March

Here is You Be The Judge for March:

Case #1-4: Fidelity to Client.

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 Stephanie Peterson, Windermere City Group, our February Starbucks coffee card winner!

FEBRUARY ANSWER
The hearing panel disagreed with REALTORŽ Z's reasoning, pointing out that a reasonable consumer would certainly conclude that referring to a provider of real estate-related products or services as being "preferred" by a REALTORŽ constituted a recommendation or endorsement. Further, since REALTORŽ Z received a fee each time a consumer "clicked through" to one of REALTORŽ Z's "Preferred Providers," REALTORŽ Z received a referral fee, and disclosure of that fee was required under Article 6. REALTORŽ Z was found in violation of Article 6.

From case #6-6: Disclose Affiliated Business Relationships Prior to Recommending Real Estate-Related Products or Services.

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.

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