Weekly Notices

Friday, April 3, 2015

April is Fair Housing Month

April is Fair Housing month.

Download the National Association of REALTORSŽ' 2015 Fair Housing poster (pictured above), online here.

Suitable for posting in your office or sharing on your website and social media channels.

Visit the NAR Fair Housing Month web page for more information and resources to help you support and share the message of fair housing, online here.

All-Member Call to Action

Are you willing to pay 20% more Washington state Business & Occupation Tax and pay a new 5% state capital gains tax in addition to the existing state real estate excise tax?

These changes, proposed in Olympia last week, directly affect REALTORSŽ and homeowners.

Washington REALTORSŽ urges you to take action!

Learn more and send a message to your elected representatives online here.

Read 2015 SAR President Jack Kestell's news release to local media on this issue (pictured above) online here.

2015 SAR Award Nominations

It's time to nominate your choices for the 2015 SAR REALTORŽ Award winners: REALTORŽ of the Year, Steve Flinn REALTORŽ Achievement, REALTORŽ Community Service, Affiliate of the Year, Media of the Year, and Citizen of the Year!

DEADLINE: Friday, April 17th

The winners will be announced at our 2015 Awards Luncheon on Thursday, May 7th, at Red Lion River Inn (see below for details).

Download the nominating flyer (pictured above), online here.

SAR 2015 Awards Luncheon

It's soon time to celebrate our 2015 SAR REALTORŽ Award winners: REALTORŽ of the Year, Steve Flinn REALTORŽ Achievement, REALTORŽ Community Service, Affiliate of the Year, Media of the Year, and Citizen of the Year - and the winners of this year's SAR 3rd Grade Essay/Poster Contest!

Thursday, May 7th, at Red Lion River Inn.

See the event flyer (pictured above, suitable for posting in your office), with more information, online here.

FREE Bus Tour to HUD & REO Homes

See current HUD and REO homes on a FREE bus tour:

April 13th at 10:00 a.m.

Meet at the SAR (1924 North Ash Street)

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

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.

Lunch & Learn - CMAs

Learn how to write your best Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) at your SAR's April Lunch & Learn.

"Mr Seller, You Want to List Your Home at What Price?

Monday, April 20th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at your SAR

See the event flyer, pictured above, online here.

Lunch & Learn - Identity Theft

Learn how to defend yourself against identity theft at your SAR's May Lunch & Learn:

Monday, May 18th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at your SAR

See the event flyer, pictured above, online here.

Free Safety Webinar

April 21st at noon, Spokane time.

Click on the graphic above for more information and to register.

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.

NEXT WEEK!

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

Jim Palmer - Spokane Association of REALTORS(R)

Land & Acreage 101

Tuesday, April 21 - Land & Acreage 101 - with Jim Palmer, Jr.

Registration: Noon
Class: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR

4.0 clock hours

Code of Ethics: Standards for Success

Thursday, May 14 - 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 a.m.

at the SAR

7.5 clock hours

Core Curriculum:
Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate

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

Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals

Code of Ethics for the Real Estate Professional

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

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 family extends its condolences to Linda Miller, Linda Miller Real Estate.

Miller family photo

Linda's husband, Jim Miller, passed away on Friday, March 27, 2015 after a long battle with cancer. The two are pictured in the photo above.

Services will be held on Saturday, April 18th, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at CenterPlace in Spokane Valley.

Linda is a long time member of the Spokane Association of REALTORSŽ and is one of our most popular instructors.

Condolences

The SAR family extends its condolences to Ken Lewis, BHHS First Look Real Estate.

Ken's brother, Bill Lewis, formerly with Prudential Real Estate, passed away this weekend.

Bill was a member of the association for over 10 years and Ken has been a member for over 40 years.

Zillow and Trulia Update

As of April 7th, Zillow and Trulia will no longer receive SAR listings through Listhub.

The SAR has entered into an agreement to maintain the data feed directly.

If your office has been sending listings to Zillow and/or Trulia through Listhub in the past, that will be maintained. If your office didn't send to one or the other, nothing will change.

The benefit in this agreement is that Listing Brokers will always receive top placement on their listings on these sites, at no charge to them. Additionally, they will provide phone numbers, email contacts, and free reporting.

The SAR will be implementing a feature on the MLS dashboard that will allow offices to manage their listings to Zillow and Trulia and view reports direct from logging in to the MLS. Watch for further information on these features.

Property Value Up

Journal of Business

The overall property value in Spokane County ticked upward in 2014 for the second consecutive year.

The total assessed value, at $38.5 billion, also is within a percentage point of 2009's peak value of $38.8 billion.

Byron Hodgson, chief deputy assessor, says the valuation for 2015 likely will surpass the 2009 record.

"Probably this coming year, we'll pass that number up, finally," Hodgson says.

Read more in the current edition of the Journal of Business, online here.

Market is Healthiest in Years

A newly unveiled forward-looking housing index by Nationwide says the U.S. housing market is at its healthiest level since 2001.

The Health of Housing Markets Report will analyze the housing health outlook on a quarterly basis throughout 373 metro areas.

The index's current leading indicator score for the fourth quarter of 2014, was 109.8, the highest level in the 15 years of data already examined by the study's authors.

A reading of more than 100 suggests the national housing market is healthy and shows few signs of a housing downturn over the next year.

Read more in REALTORŽ magazine, online here.

Form 22EF

NEW!

Washington REALTORSŽ Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons shows us how Form 22EF can be used by Listing Brokers and Sellers in a competitive marketplace.

Form 22EF can be used as a tool to help Seller ensure that the Buyer is reliable before the home is removed from the market.

Watch Annie's nine-minute video online here:

Strategies for a Competitive Marketplace Pt 3: Form 22EF

The Voice for Real Estate

NEW!

NAR's regular video report, The Voice for Real Estate, is back with a new edition this week: REO sales, health coverage enrollment, and February's existing-home sales.

Voice for Real Estate 19: REO Sales

ListHub Report for February

See the February ListHub report, online here.

Market Activity Report - March

NEW!

The SAR Market Activity Report for March is now online.

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

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

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

You Be The Judge - April

NEW!

Here is You Be The Judge for April:

Case #1-15: Obligation to Advise Client on Market Value.

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 Jessica Side, EvoReal, our March Starbucks card winner!

MARCH ANSWER
The Hearing Panel concluded that REALTORŽ B had deceitfully used the guise of rendering professional service to a client in acting as a speculator; that he had been unfaithful to the most basic principles of agency and allegiance to his client's interest; and that he had violated Articles 1 and 4 of the Code of Ethics.

From Case #1-4: Fidelity to Client.

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

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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