Weekly Notices

Friday, September 11, 2015

Pack the Pantry Today!

TODAY!

Our 2015 SAR Pack the Pantry Food Drive is here!

Thank you if you signed up for a volunteer shift yesterday or today!

Donations of food or cash can be made at all area Albertsons stores.

We're trying something new this year - Crowdrise!

This online site is a great tool to make your food drive donation from the comfort of your office or home.

Share the link with your family and friends - they can donate too!

Remember for every $1 donated, 2nd Harvest provides six pounds of food - the equivalent of 5 meals for hungry people. The gift of food changes lives and gives people an opportunity to succeed and thrive.

Thank you for your donation!

Donate online now!

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 REALTOR� 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 Friday, 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!

Fourth Quarter MLS Fees Due

Fourth quarter MLS fees have been posted to the SAR member portal. They are due by September 30th.

Click on the button above to pay now. (Click on the MY ORDERS tab once in the portal).

If you have signed up for the recurring payment plan, your debit/credit card will be charged on or around September 10th.

Please email Brenda, SAR bookkeeper and membership administrator, if you have a question about your fees or dues by email here or by phone at 326-9222.

Thank you for your prompt payment and for being a valued member of your SAR!

2015 SAR Christmas Party - Save the Date!

December 9th

Download an electronic copy of this postcard (pictured above), online here.

Counter Offer Best Practices

Washington REALTORS� Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons discusses a Counter Offer practice (Seller only signing Form 36) that should be avoided.

Watch the five-minute video online here:

Counter Offer Best Practices / Bad Habits

Members Surveyed on TRID

The new TRID rules that go into effect next month will change the way closings are performed across the country.

NAR Research recently surveyed members about their awareness and preparation for the changes.

Highlights:

More than 80% of respondents had taken some form of training on TRID
In preparation, more than half of respondents will alter their purchase agreements to include a longer time horizon.
Over the 12-month period ending in August, 9.1% of closings were delayed due to an issue in the lending process, while only 1.2% were canceled.
71.2% of REALTOR� members rated their level of preparedness as average or better.

See the full NAR Research report, TRID: REALTORS� and the New Closing Process (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.

RPR Mobile Webinar

NEXT WEEK

REALTORS� Property Resource (RPR) is offering a webinar to get you started using its new RPR Mobile application:

Jumpstart RPR Mobile on your Tablet
Monday, September 14
12 noon Spokane time

Maximize your on-the-go access to property data, market trends and client-friendly reporting with RPR Mobile for your Apple or Android tablet.

Register for the webinar online here.

The registration page features links to get the application on both our Apple and Android device.

Even if you can't make it, sign up anyway. RPR will send you a recording of the webinar to view at your convenience after the event concludes.

2015 WR Fall Business Conference

NEXT WEEK!

The Washington REALTORS� 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.

WR Tech Symposium

The Washington REALTORS� Tech Symposium is an education event for REALTORS� 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

ReLaunch for REALTORS�

Washington REALTORS� is not offering EdCon this year.

However, the Tri-City Association of REALTORS� (TCAR) is offering a new program on September 23rd and 24th called "ReLaunch: Right Here, Right Now for all REALTORS�" for only $99 - regardless of which association you belong to!

This event includes 15 hours of NEW continuing education credits, all in one place, and includes two breakfasts and two lunches.

See the event flyer for more information, online here.

2015 REALTOR� 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 - 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 REALTORS�

NEXT WEEK!

Thursday, September 17 - Mortgage Awareness for REALTORS� - 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 REALTOR� 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.

Condolences

The SAR extends its condolences to the family and friends of Darren Lawson, Windermere City Group, whose daughter, Alaina Lawson, was tragically killed in a car accident on Saturday, September 5th.

Services will be held on Saturday, September 12th, 3:00 p.m. at Turning Point Open Bible Church, 11911 North Division Street.

Safe Business = Smart Business

NAR presents a new online REALTOR safety class:

Real Estate Safety Matters: Safe Business = Smart Business.

Developed in partnership with NAR's REALTOR� Safety Program, this online three-hour course teaches real estate professionals how to limit risk and increase safety for themselves and their clients.

Students will learn how to assess potential risks and develop safety protocols for client meetings, open houses, showings, online interactions, and other business activities.

The course will guide students through strategies for data security, including protecting personal and electronic information for real estate professionals and the clients they serve.

See more details and register online here.

Member Safety Report

NAR offers its 2015 Member Safety Report to measure and understand the scope of the problem so that real estate professionals can develop the resources, programs, and technologies they need to keep themselves safe.

This report contains the results of a survey of REALTORS� which asked about:

How safe or unsafe they feel
The root causes of any unsafe feelings
Steps or procedures they follow to ensure safety
What methods of self-defense they use

See the entire 2015 SAR Member Safety Report (pictured above), online here.

Crime Prevention for RE Agents

Real estate agents face an entirely different set of challenges than the general population when it comes to safety.

The general population stays safe by not being alone with strangers in areas hidden from the eyesight and earshot of others. However, this is how a real estate agent makes a living.

The general population removes themselves from a situation where they begin to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, but a real estate agent will keep himself/herself in a situation where he/she feels uncomfortable or unsafe because he or she does not want to risk losing the sale.

Read the rest of this article on the RE Technology website, online here.

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month.

While the wildfires for which this past summer was infamous didn't burn anything near Spokane, it is one of the natural disasters for which we can and should prepare. Another is a significant power outage.

If these words get you thinking about how you can prepare your office and home for a disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a rich collection of resources on its website.

Visit the 2015 National Preparedness Month website, online here.

Member 2 Member

Spokane County Title invites SAR members to its Fall Fiesta on Wednesday, September 23rd.

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

Introducing...Ruby Suites...luxurious, one bedroom, boutique serviced apartments. Come in for a tour today! Sheryl Stone - 509-309-2398.

See the Ruby Suites informational 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

Constitution Day

Esther Reed Chapter NSDAR photo

Do you know what important event in U.S. history happened on September 17th, 1787? Odds are good most of your clients don't either.

If not, you may want to invite your clients to join you at an event that happens this weekend in Manito Park - 1:00 p.m. Saturday across from the Park Bench restaurant.

The Esther Reed Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will convene a cadre of a dozen or so people, dressed in period attire, to dramatize the events surrounding the signing of the United States Constitution with a town crier and dramatic speeches (see photo above).

Read more about this free fifth-annual event in The Spokesman-Review, online here.

ListHub Report for August

See the August ListHub report, now featuring data from Zillow and Trulia, online here.

Market Activity Report - August

The SAR Market Activity Report for August is now online.

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

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

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

You Be The Judge - September

Here is You Be The Judge for September:

Case #1-10: Obligations Under Exclusive Listing

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 Mary Guderjohn, Exit Real Estate North, our July/August Starbucks card winner!

JULY/AUGUST ANSWER:

The Hearing Panel disagreed with Seller S's contentions. It noted that while REALTORS� do, in fact, have an obligation to preserve confidential information gained in the course of any relationship with the client, Standard of Practice 1-9 specifically provides that latent material defects are not considered "confidential information" under the Code of Ethics. Consequently, REALTOR� A's disclosure did not violate Article 1 of the Code of Ethics.

From Case #1-25: Disclosure of Latent Defects

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

Member Roster Update