Weekly Notices

Friday, May 8, 2015

2015 REALTORŽ Awards

SAR members and friends gathered this week to celebrate the 2015 REALTORŽ Award winners at the association's annual Spring Membership Luncheon at the Red Lion River Inn (pictured above).

This year's award winners are (pictured above, left to right): Joe Garst - Windermere City Group, 2015 REALTORŽ of the Year; Jim Reiter - Store Manager of the Albertsons store at 57th and Regal (receiving the Award was Dan Hardy, Assistant Store Manager), Partner of the Year; Cathy Wahl - County Manager, Stewart Title, Affiliate of the Year; Jim Frank - President and CEO, Greenstone, Citizen of the Year; Jim Palmer, Jr. - R.E. Marketplace NW, Inc., Steve Flinn REALTORŽ Achievement Award; Tom Clark - Kestell Company, REALTORŽ Community Service Award.

Congratulations to all of our 2015 REALTORŽ award winners!

The winners of the 2015 SAR Third Grade Essay/Poster Contest were announced at our luncheon this week. See the posters and essays of the top four entries (pictured above), online here.

Congratulations to our essay/poster contest winners (left to right in photo above): Maisey from Brentwood Elementary, First Place; Chloe from Brentwood Elementary, Second Place; Alyssa from Trinity Catholic Elementary, Third Place; Ian from Jefferson Elementary, Fourth Place.

Special thanks to our SAR contest committee members for the generous gift of their time in reading and judging this year's entries!

Glen Carey - Committee Chair - Woodard Properties

Tony Byrne - Heritage Home Loans
Courtney Carlone - Inland Professional Title
Debbie Crowder - SAR
Angie DeArth - Inland Professional Title
Beale Luebben - Home Warranty of America
Gina Mosey - John L. Scott, Spokane, Inc.
Jennifer Shupe - Keller Williams, Spokane
Cynthia Stevens - Live Real Estate

Spokane REALTORSŽ Open House Weekend

WINNERS!

The prizewinners in the 2015 Spokane REALTORSŽ Open House Weekend were drawn at the SAR Board of Directors' meeting this week:

Our guest winner is:

Jeanette Kroft, who receives a $3,000 gift certificate from Sullivan Homes and a $450 gift certificate from HouseMaster.

Terry Jordahl, Keller Williams, was the listing broker at the winning house, who receives $250 cash.

The other REALTORŽ prizewinners are:

Vincent Miesen, Choice Realty - $50 gas card

Rosie Pittman, John L. Scott - two tickets to see Nickelback at the Gorge Amphitheater

Marianne Bornhoft, Windermere Manito - $150 gift certificate from the Davenport Hotel

Congratulations to all of our prizewinners!

Road Construction Resources

The City of Spokane has begun offering weekly updates to share news of the latest road construction projects around town. These will be helpful as the city completes 43 road construction projects this summer.

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

See these updates, and a map of projects planned and pending, online here.

The City of Spokane has prepared a document to support businesses affected by local road construction projects. If your business is anywhere near a construction site, this will be valuable information. See a copy of the city's Surviving Construction Toolkit (pictured above) online here.

Non-refundable Earnest Money

NEW!

Washington REALTORSŽ Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons returns this week with a fresh video in her continuing series on Strategies for a Competitive Marketplace.

This week, Annie tells us how a buyer can make an offer stand out in this competitive marketplace and the pitfalls of non-refundable earnest money proposals.

Buyer and seller representatives need to see this video!

Learn more in this seven-minute video:

Strategies for a Competitive Marketplace Part 5: Non-refundable Earnest Money?

Lunch & Learn - Identity Theft

SEATS STILL AVAILABLE!

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.

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

See the event flyer, pictured above, online here.

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

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.

Code of Ethics: Standards for Success

NEXT WEEK!

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

In This Issue

SAR 2015 Awards Luncheon

Spokane REALTORS® Open House Weekend

Road Construction Resources

Non-refundable Earnest Money

Lunch & Learn - Identity Theft

Lunch & Learn - Auctions & Real Estate

Lunch & Learn - Safety

2015 REALTOR® Education

SAR CALENDAR

NAR Portlet in MLS Dashboard

Home Sales Surge

Tour of Historic Homes

Member 2 Member

ListHub Report for April

Market Activity Report - April

You Be The Judge - May

Member Roster Update

Suggestion Box

2015 REALTORS® Conference & Expo

SAR CALENDAR

Click on the image below to see the current SAR calendar

showing dates and times of classes, committees and events.

NAR Portlet in MLS Dashboard

MLS subscribers now have access to the National Association of REALTORSŽ resources direct from our MLS dashboard (pictured above).

These new tiles provide direct access to Member Benefits, REALTORŽ University, Safety Resources, and more.

Members will need to log in to these resources to access some of the content.

Home Sales Surge

NEW!

The Voice for Real Estate 21: Home Sales Surge

The spring selling season gets off to a sunny start in March with the sale pace reaching an 18-month high.

Also, NAR President Chris Polychron urges the Senate Banking Committee to take action on overly tight mortgage credit.

Other stories: Hard-hit buyers are returning to the market seven years after the downturn and the Rural Housing Service joins NAR to talk about the advantages of Sec. 502 direct loans for households that otherwise wouldn't be able to get mortgage financing.

Featured segments:

March existing-home sales hit 18-month high
NAR testifies before Congress on credit access
Hard-hit buyers return after the downturn
Sec. 502 direct loans can help low-income rural buyers

See the new six-minute video online here:

The Voice for Real Estate 21: Home Sales Surge

Tour of Historic Homes

THIS WEEKEND!

The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) welcomes you to its 26th Annual Mother's Day Tour of Historic Homes this weekend! Participating homes will be open for tours from noon to 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Jesse Tinsley photo

The Spokesman-Review

This year's event features historic homes on Manito Boulevard, and will be headquartered at the historic 1909 Morgan House (pictured above). The Spokesman-Review features this house in a preview article, online here.

See more details about this event and purchase tickets on the MAC website, online here.

Member 2 Member

Inland Professional Title welcomes Tara Ostlind (pictured at left) to its sales team.

She comes with 15 years experience and will continue to be active in the SAR, WCR and Independent Brokers.

Contact Tara at 509-216-7823 or

tostlind@inlandprotitle.com

Stewart Title of Spokane shares word that it is moving on May 18th to its new offices at 908 North Howard Street, Suite #200.

See the Stewart Title Moving flyer (pictured above), online here.

Member 2 Member is a member benefit of the SAR. It is intended to announce a new product, service, location or affiliate event. If you are a member who wishes to share a message with your fellow members, please email it to Debbie at the SAR:

debbie@spokanerealtor.com

ListHub Report for April

NEW!

See the April ListHub report, online here.

Market Activity Report - April

NEW!

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.

You Be The Judge - May

Here is You Be The Judge for May:

Case #1-5: Promotion of Client's Interests

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 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 REALTORŽ B conceded was apparent to him, it was REALTORŽ 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 REALTORŽ 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.

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.

Suggestion Box