Weekly Notices

Friday, August 28, 2015

SAR Quarterly Meeting

SAR photo

SAR members gathered this week for the association's third quarter membership meeting at CenterPlace event center in Spokane Valley (photo above).

Two action items were decided by voice vote of REALTORŽ members at the meeting:

1 - Three REALTORŽ members were confirmed as at-large members to the SAR Nominating Committee, for the purpose of managing our association elections this fall.

Dave Crosby, EXP Realty; Loretta Huss, Real Estate Marketplace NW, Inc.; and Ron McIntire, Choice Realty, were elected on voice vote at the meeting.

The Board of Directors will elect one more person to the committee next Wednesday at its regular meeting.

Other members of the Nominating Committee are: 2015 SAR President/Chair - Jack Kestell, Kestell Company;
2015 SAR President-Elect - Susie Luby, John L. Scott Spokane, Inc.; and Immediate Past President - Joe Garst, Windermere City Group.

Ballots are scheduled to be sent out November 2nd with deadline for voting November 18th. Your 2016 Leadership Team will be announced at our Annual Membership Meeting on November 19th.

2 - a change to our association bylaws revising the qualifications for the position of SAR Director was approved. A redline markup of the change is available here.

SAR Executive Officer Rob Higgins encouraged all members to respond to NAR's current Call for Action on the matter of patent trolls (see item elsewhere here in the Weekly Notices).

Rob shared that the easiest way to respond to this and future important Call for Action events is to download the NAR REALTORŽ Action Center app to your mobile device. The app will both alert you to coming Call for Action events and make it easy for you to respond to them right in the palm of your hand.

You can find the application, for either your Android or iOS device, online here.

SAR photo

SAR members who attended last year's Christmas Party were recognized at the membership meeting for their generosity towards Wishing Star with a public "thank you" for donating $5,021 - enough to grant a wish for Kevin and a little more.

Wishing Star Executive Director Sarah Wallin (right, photo above) presented a recognition plaque to
2015 SAR President Jack Kestell and 2014 SAR Christmas Party Committee Chair, Cheryl Sontag.

Wishing Star photo

The plaque features a photo of Kevin (photo above) during his wish experience, and reads: "Wishing Star thanks you for creating the 2015 Spokane Association of Realtors Wish. Because of your generosity, Kevin's dream to meet Spongebob Squarepants came true!"

The plaque will be added to the Wall of Honor, just inside the door of your SAR.

Director Nominations 2016-2017

Your SAR is seeking a few good men and women - five, to be exact - to serve as directors for the association.

There are five, two-year terms available on the board. Nominees for directorships must be REALTORŽ members who have served on a minimum of two (2) standing committees within the past seven (7) years or on one (1) standing committee within the past three (3) years. If a candidate has served on only one (1) standing committee within the past three (3) years that candidate must also attend two (2) Board of Directors meetings within the twelve (12) months prior to running for Director. Beginning in 2015, candidate committee attendance must be at a minimum of 80%, inclusive of excused absences, in order for service on said committee to be used to meet eligibility requirements.

To place your name in nomination with the Nominating Committee, please complete the application (pictured above), online here.

You may FAX your completed form to the SAR at 324-8650 or mail to: SAR, 1924 North Ash Street, Spokane, WA 99205 by Monday, September 25th.

If you have questions, please contact Sharon Houston at 326-9222 or Jack Kestell at 838-2002.

Thank you for participating in the leadership of your association!

Safety Webinar Summit

September is REALTORŽ Safety Month.

NAR will be offering an all-day Safety Webinar Summit on Wednesday, September 9th.

The online event will feature four REALTORŽ safety content packages:

Don't Get in the Pen With the Bull - and Other Safety Tips for Rural Land Professionals (9 a.m. local time)

REALTORŽ Safety: Everyday Actions That May Compromise Safety (10 a.m. local time)

Discover REALTORŽ Safety Through Technology and Change Management (11 a.m. local time)

Online Thievery: What to Do If You Experience a Data Breach (12 p.m. local time)

Join one, several or all - registration is free and unlimited. Register now to reserve your place and learn valuable tips to keep you safe in your job.

See the full list of the day's safety webinars and registration information for each/all, online here.

Statewide Forms Revisions Video Series

The Statewide Forms and the NWMLS Forms changed last month.

To help you get acquainted with the new forms, your Washington REALTORŽ Legal Hotline Attorney Annie Fitzsimmons presents a series of videos to explain the impact of the changes on your business.

In her seventh and final video, Annie discusses changes to forms 22T, 90T, 35 & 35E.

See the three-minute video online here:

Statewide Forms Revisions #7

NOTE: If you would like to watch the other videos in this series, please visit the WR YouTube page, online here.

Great REALTORSŽ are Story Brokers

A great REALTORŽ offers technical expertise. This seems the most obvious reason to hire one. A great REALTORŽ also offers a less tangible but more important reason to hire one.

2015 SAR President Jack Kestell recently received a letter at the office, addressed to his late father - also a REALTORŽ. His resulting guest column for The Spokesman-Review makes it clear: great REALTORSŽ are story brokers.

The article is scheduled to appear in The Spokesman-Review this Sunday. Read it before it's published online here.

See the original letter, which Jack quotes in his article (pictured above), online here.

Member Value Reporting

REALTOR.comŽ is proud to announce a new feature: "Member Value Reporting."

This new free benefit provides detailed reporting to Agents and Brokers on the display performance of their listings on REALTOR.comŽ. These new reports are accessible through the REALTOR.comŽ Control Panel.

See the one-page flyer which explains this new feature of REALTOR.comŽ (pictured above), online here.

See the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document about this new REALTOR.comŽ feature, online here.

CRS Courses in Tri Cities

NEXT WEEK!

The Tri Cities Association of REALTORSŽ invites SAR members to participate with its members in two CRS classes on Monday, August 31.

"It's a Price War to the Door" and "Negotiations: The Games People Play," with Jackie Leavenworth.

See class details and registration information in the event flyer (pictured above), online here.

WR Tech Symposium

The Washington REALTORSŽ Tech Symposium is an education event for REALTORSŽ and real estate licensees.

Technology is integrated into almost every facet of real estate today. Learn from the experts what's expected of you from your clients, how to best utilize the tools available, and how to choose what technology is right for you.

September 30, 2015 | 8:30am-5:00pm

Confluence Technology Center
285 Technology Center Way
Wenatchee, WA 98801

Lunch & Learn: TRID-TILA-RESPA

OK, so we have a little more time (October 3rd) now, but the TRID - TILA RESPA Integrated Disclosures - are still on the track and they're coming our way!

Join us Tuesday, September 8th, at your SAR for a Lunch & Learn to discuss further how to best integrate these new rules into your real estate business.

We will discuss teamwork, managing expectations, timelines (as they directly relate to your closings), and more!

See the event flyer, pictured above, online here.

Lunch & Learn: Renovation Loans

Come and find out why renovation loans are so important on homes needing a little TLC.

Join us Monday, September 21st, to learn about this product that allows your clients to finance both the purchase price and any required repairs/upgrades on a property so they can move in with financing in place for their chosen improvements.

See the event flyer, pictured above, online here.

2015 WR Fall Business Conference

The Washington REALTORSŽ 2015 Fall Business Conference will be in Wenatchee, Washington, this year, at the Wenatchee Conference Center, September 16-18, 2015.

Visit the event website, with the latest conference information and online registration, 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.

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

Code of Ethics: Standards for Success

CLASS FULL!

Tuesday, September 15 - Code of Ethics: Standards for Success - with Linda Miller Sheets.

You are required by NAR to complete a Code of Ethics
class once in every four-year cycle. The current cycle began January 1, 2013, and will end December 31, 2016.

Registration: 8:!5 a.m.

Class: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

at the SAR

7.5 clock hours

Mortgage Awareness for REALTORSŽ

Thursday, September 17 - Mortgage Awareness for REALTORSŽ - with Cristi Zacherle.

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

3.0 clock hours

Statewide Purchase & Sale Agreement

Tuesday, October 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

The Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals

Wednesday, October 14 - The Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals - with Linda Miller Sheets.

A Code of Ethics course is required as a condition of retaining REALTORŽ membership with NAR & must be repeated every four years. January 1, 2013 thru Dec. 31, 2016 is the current cycle. Don't delay, sign up today!

Registration: noon
Class: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 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.

NEXT WEEK!

SAR Third Quarter Membership Meeting and

Education Excellence coming

Thursday, August 27th

Condolences

The SAR family sends its condolences to

Mitch Swenson, NAI Black, and SAR 1998 Past President, whose wife has passed away.

A funeral service for Laura Rae Sinnard will be held at First Presbyterian Church (318 South Cedar Street) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29th.

Call for Action - Patent Trolls

Washington REALTORSŽ are just 335 action takers away from reaching the 20% participation goal established by NAR.

Please help us reach this important goal and take action!

It will only take a minute to tell Congress to support H.R. 9 - "The Innovation Act of 2015." This vital legislation is being debated in the Halls of Congress and we cannot stress enough how important this issue is to our industry.

Click here for a one pager on H.R. 9.

Click here to watch a video further detailing why REALTORSŽ should care about patent trolls.

It may not be obvious, but patent trolls are targeting REALTORSŽ, brokers and Multiple Listing Services at alarming rates for simply using common business technologies like dropdown menus and search functions on websites or scan-to-email technologies found in every office scanner.

Patent trolls exist solely to purchase old patents and to use the threat of expensive lawsuits to extort money from legitimate businesses. Without menaingful reform, REALTORSŽ will remain targets of extortion. It's incredibly alarming and something we all should be concerned about.

Be one of the Washington REALTORSŽ that helps propel the state to the 20% participation goal. Take Action Today!

2015 Legislative Recap

Washington REALTORSŽ Government Affairs Director Nathan Gorton recaps the longest legislative session in Washington State history in this video.

This is a great example of your REALTORŽ dues dollars working for you.

See the nine-minute video online here:

2015 Legislative Recap

New Health & Wellness Offerings

NAR's Strategic Alliances Team is pleased to announce the introduction of two new offerings which expand the REALTORSŽ Insurance Marketplace platform, under the Association's REALTOR BenefitsŽ Program: Members Telehealth, a telemedicine service plan,and Accident Deductible Protection, a supplementary health plan to major medical.

See a fact sheet on these new benefits, available to you now, online here.

Pack the Pantry - Volunteer Now!

Our 2015 SAR Pack the Pantry Food Drive is just around the corner!

Mark your calendar now for Thursday and Friday, September 10th and 11th, to participate in this valuable and heartwarming community event.

Our partner again, this year, will be Albertsons. Collection events will be held at all eight local stores.

Contact the store captain of the location nearest you to sign up for a two hour volunteer shift. The shift is easy - all you need to do is collect donations of food and/or money that are brought to the event table, and represent your SAR!

See the list of stores and store captains (pictured above), online here.

We're trying something new this year - Crowdrise!

With Crowdrise, anyone can donate through the SAR Food Drive directly to 2nd Harvest.

What's especially exciting, your office can set up its own account on the SAR Crowdrise page so that donations through your office can be tracked as they come in and sub-totaled when the event ends.

To set up your office on the SAR Pack the Pantry Crowdrise page, see the instruction flyer (pictured above), online here.

WCR Wellness Celebration

The Spokane - Eastern Washington Chapter of the Women's Council of REALTORSŽ invites you to its annual Wellness Celebration, Thursday, September 3rd.

See the event flyer, pictured above, for details - online here.

RPR Mobile

If you believe in the phrase, "Show, don't tell," then you will love the latest update from Realtors Property ResourceŽ (RPRŽ).

RPR Mobile™ is now optimized for iPad and Android Tablets.

The new refactored design makes it a snap to show clients the complete story to any U.S. property. The lightweight, always-on nature of Tablets matched with the power and depth of the RPR Mobile app create a winning combination for REALTORSŽ.

Learn more about RPR Mobile, online here.

REALTORŽ Team Store

You're proud to be a REALTORŽ. Why not show the world your REALTORŽ pride with a branded item from the REALTORŽ Team Store!

Among the store's August specials is this REALTORŽ - branded iPhone gel case (see above)

For this and other REALTORŽ - branded products, visit the REALTORŽ Team Store, online here.

REMEMBER to enter your member code - SAR - to receive a 5% discount on your purchase!

Friends of Manito Plant Sale

The Friends of Manito (TFM) invite you to its 25th annual Fall Plant Sale this weekend: Saturday, August 29th, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Manito Park.

This popular community event will have a large selection of perennials and long blooming plants on offer. In addition, unusual and hard to find shrubs and vines, drought tolerant plants and ornamental grasses will be for sale.

Kids activities will be going on throughout the day and music will be performed by the Barking Katz.

For a complete list of plants for sale and other information, visit www.thefriendsofmanito.org

Member 2 Member

Home Warranty of America (HWA) announces its "Miracle Month," August 13th to September 13th, during which you can join them in supporting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

Contact Beale Leubben, local HWA account executive, at 509-551-0256 for information on their partnership with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and for information on HWA's 13 month home warranty programs.

See the event 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 July

See the July ListHub report, online here.

Market Activity Report - July

The SAR Market Activity Report for July is now online.

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

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

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

You Be The Judge - July/August

Here is You Be The Judge for July/August:

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.

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