Weekly Notices

Friday, July 17, 2015

Statewide Forms Revisions

Statewide forms revisions take effect July 24, 2015.

The North West Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) offers two bulletins to help you get prepared for the upcoming changes. A packet of sample forms is also available for your review.

See the bulletins and sample forms by logging in to your MLS Dashboard and selecting Printable RE Forms from the dashboard (see image above).

Go there now: http://sar.paragonrels.com

Statewide Forms Revisions Video

The Statewide Forms and the NWMLS Forms change July 24, 2015.

To help you get acquainted with the forms, the Washington REALTORŽ Legal Hotline attorney Annie Fitzsimmons will present a series of seven videos to explain the impact of the changes on your business.

This video is the first of the series covering the changes to Form 22A.

Watch the 12-minute video online here:

Forms Revision

NOTE: Washington REALTORSŽ typically posts its weekly videos every Friday afternoon. This happens after we send you the Weekly Notices every Friday morning.

If you are eager to get these videos the minute they are posted online, please visit the WR YouTube page directly, online here.

We will continue to feature these videos, as they become available, here in the Weekly Notices so you won't miss them either way.

Home Construction, Sales Climb

New home construction and existing home sales have continued to climb here for the first half of this year, and existing home sales also have risen at a brisk pace, continuing a multiyear rebound since the deep recession-triggered residential real estate market decline, market observers say.

Read the complete article in the Journal of Business, online here.

Spokane Area Home Prices

Spokane-area home prices, as collected and reported by your SAR, were featured in the region's largest daily newspaper last week (pictured above).

Back in January 2014, the median sale price of a Spokane-area home was $152,000, and 284 homes were sold.

In June of this year, the median sale price of a Spokane-area home was $183,500, and 766 homes sold.

Read the complete report in last week's edition of The Spokesman-Review, online here.

National Night Out Against Crime

The National Night Out Against Crime is Tuesday, August 4th, this year. That's the night people across the country turn on their exterior lighting and hold neighborhood gatherings in order to strengthen neighborhood spirit and heighten awareness of crime prevention. The event began in 1984.

Visit the National Night Out website, online here.

The Spokane County Sheriff's office offers a registration form for local events. On it, an event organizer may request a public official, police officer or firefighter to visit a local Night Out neighborhood party.

Feel free to share this registration form (pictured above) with your clients as a way to support safe neighborhoods in our community.

The form is online here.

TILA-RESPA Lunch & Learn

You have probably heard of the changes that are coming to mortgage loan disclosures as a result of the Dodd-Frank TILA (Truth in Lending Act) - RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) Integrated Disclosure rule.

These changes go into effect on August 1, 2015 (deadline extension to October 3rd pending).

The SAR will offer its second of two Lunch & Learn events on this topic Monday, July 27th - with Greg Britton from HomeStreet Bank to help you get ready for the changes.

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

Monday, July 27th
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
at your SAR

REALTORŽ Broker Summits

Two REALTORŽ Broker Summits are coming to Seattle later this summer - August 17 & 18 and August 18 & 19. The second of these will feature a technology edge.

These summits are designed exclusively for designated broker, and broker owner members to come together and learn from presenters, panels and peer leaders in the industry offering fresh insights on current conditions while looking to the future of real estate.

Over two days you will gain valuable insights to make your brokerage and our industry more successful.

Read more about these events, online here.

2015 REALTORSŽ Conference & Expo

Now is the time to start making plans to attend the 2015 REALTORSŽ Conference & Expo, November 13-16th, in San Diego.

The event attracts the best and brightest in real estate (that's you), 400 industry exhibitors, and three-time Superbowl champion Emmitt Smith, this year's keynote speaker.

Here are some of the hot topics being discussed at this year's conference:

Drone usage in real estate - can you or can't you?
How TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) is impacting your transactions
Protecting your business and your clients from cybercrime

More details and registration information is 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.

Linda Miller presents
The Truth about Negotiating

NEXT WEEK!

Tuesday, July 21 - The Truth about Negotiating - with Linda Miller.

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 - Standards for Success

Thursday, August 6 - Code of Ethics - Standards for Success - with Linda Miller.

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

7.5 clock hours

Statewide Purchase and Sale Agreement

Thursday, August 13 - 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

Land and Acreage 200 - Rural Property

Friday, August 14 - Land and Acreage 200 - Rural Property - with Jim Palmer, Jr.

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

7.5 clock hours.

Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate

Thursday, September 3 - Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate - with Sabrina Jones-Schroeder.

Registration: 1:15 p.m.
Class: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR

3.0 clock hours

In This Issue

Statewide Forms Revisions

Statewide Forms Revisions Video

Home Construction, Sales Climb

Spokane Area Home Prices

National Night Out Against Crime

TILA-RESPA Lunch & Learn

REALTOR® Broker Summits

2015 REALTORS® Conference & Expo

2015 REALTOR® Education

SAR CALENDAR

Local Call for Action

Stop Patent Trolls

Pool Safe

WR Summer Social

ListHub Report - June

Market Activity Report - June

You Be The Judge - July

Member Roster Update

Suggestion Box

SAR CALENDAR

Click on the image below to see the current SAR calendar

showing dates and times of classes, committees and events.

Local Call for Action

Your SAR and the Spokane Homebuilders Association, this week, dispatched a Call for Action for all members of both organizations to email Spokane Mayor David Condon and urge him to file a pre-election challenge to the latest Envision Spokane initiative.

See the complete Call for Action that went out to SAR members on Wednesday of this week, online here.

Under the Spokane Municipal Code, the Mayor has the authority to file a pre-election challenge asking the courts to verify the legality of the measure. This is what we're asking him to do.

With provisions mandating wages up to $23 per hour, disallowing higher wages to experienced workers, and restricting the right of employers to let poor performing employees go, this initiative only adds to recent impending measures (such as Mandatory Sick Leave) being levied against business by the City of Spokane. Our local community simply cannot afford it.

PLEASE TAKE TWO MINUTES & ASK HIM TO CHALLENGE THIS BALLOT MEASURE!

mayor@SpokaneCity.org

or call 509-625-6250

Thank you!

Stop Patent Trolls

Tell your U.S. Representative to support H.R. 9, the Innovation Act to stop patent trolls and protect the real estate industry from frivolous lawsuits.

REALTORSŽ across the country receive threatening demand letters and lawsuits alleging patent infringement based on the use of common business tools such as drop down menus or search alert functions on websites and the scanner function on a copier. These patent trolls buy vague patents and use them to turn everyday business practices into potential lawsuits.

H.R. 9 is scheduled for House floor consideration later this summer. Congress must pass this common-sense comprehensive patent litigation reform to protect Main Street businesses and REALTORSŽ from patent troll abuse.

Pool Safe

Have clients with pools - or kids? The Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) has launched Pool Safe, a new public safety campaign to reduce drowning and illness risks associated with having fun in pools.

The campaign's variety of colorful illustrations show simple measures people can take at both public and private pools to waterproof themselves and loved ones from drowning and illness risks.

Read the SRHD news release online here.

Visit the Pool Safe website online here.

WR Summer Social

The Spokane-Eastern Washington chapter of the Women's Council of REALTORSŽ invites all SAR members to its Summer Social at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars' Cliff House.

Thursday, August 6th, at 4:00 p.m.

See event flyer (pictured above) for more information, online here.

This is a stunning venue (see photo above) which crowns the brow of a sheer cliff high above the Spokane river and boasts panoramic views from Spokane to Liberty Lake. It was built in 1924 by inventor and mechanical genius, Royal Riblet, of Riblet Tramway fame. It is a National Historic Landmark and certainly one of the treasures of our area.

ListHub Report for June

See the June ListHub report, online here.

Market Activity Report - June

The SAR Market Activity Report for June is now online.

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

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

See the 2015 year-to-date summary report (pictured above) online here.

You Be The Judge - July

Here is You Be The Judge for July:

Case #1-25: Disclosure of Latent Defects.

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 to Cathy Elmore, Coldwell Banker Tomlinson North, our June Starbucks card winner!

JUNE ANSWER

The Hearing Panel concluded that REALTORŽ B had adequately respected the agency of REALTORŽ A as interpreted by Standard of Practice 16-4. The panel's decision indicated that a listing broker should recognize that his refusal to disclose the type and expiration date of a listing to an inquiring broker frees the inquiring broker to contact the seller directly. If the contact with the seller is made under the provisions of Standard of Practice 16-4, the REALTORŽ is also able to discuss the terms of a future listing on the property or may enter into a listing to become effective upon the expiration of the current listing. The panel found REALTORŽ B not in violation of Article 16.

From case #16-7: REALTORŽ's Refusal to Disclose Nature and Current Status of Listing to Another REALTORŽ.

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