Weekly Notices

Friday, October 2, 2015

Leadership Survey

Your REALTORŽ Association is the largest, most influential trade organization in Washington State. We are governed and directed by REALTORSŽ just like you. We have new committees and short term advisory groups where you can make an impact and have your voice heard. You can help direct the Association and benefit while doing so:

Getting involved in your REALTORŽ Association is a pathway to a better understanding of real estate issues impacting your business.
You will have an opportunity to utilize your leadership skills and to develop new skills.
You will network with other leaders and expand your referral base.

Interested? Take the first step by registering for a leadership role & answering 10 questions about your skills and background.

Click here to go to the leadership survey.

2016 SAR Leadership Candidates

Your SAR Nominating Committee is pleased to announce its slate of candidates for 2016 SAR leadership:

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Ken Sax, Keller Williams Spokane - Main

Jennifer Valerien, RE/MAX Inland Empire

TREASURER

Chris Bornhoft, Windermere Manito
Doug Hagood, Hagood Real Estate and Mortgage

SECRETARY

Tom LaLone, John L. Scott Spokane, Inc.

DIRECTORS

Michael Baker,

Century 21 Beutler & Associates Spokane

Bart Cloninger, Windermere Manito

Eric Etzel, Choice Realty

Ken Garceau, Windermere Manito

Steve Hagen, Keller Williams Spokane - Main

Wendy Kennedy, Windermere North

Karene Loman, Coldwell Banker Tomlinson S

Ron McIntire, Choice Realty

Gina Mosey, John L. Scott Spokane, Inc.

In accordance with Article XV, Section 15.2 of the Association Bylaws, additional candidates may be nominated by the REALTORŽ members.

For those wishing to nominate a REALTORŽ member for an Association Officer or Director position, Nominating Petitions will be available from the Association office Tuesday, October 6th through Tuesday, October 27th. Deadline to return petition is Tuesday, October 27th!

ALL VOTING WILL BE DONE ELECTRONICALLY!!

You will receive Notice on Friday, October 30th of the "Final Slate of Candidates". Voting also begins on Monday, November 2nd. You will receive an email invitation to vote. When you click on the link for the ballot, it will take you to the Member Portal. You will need to sign in with your user name and password and then it will take you to the ballot.

Deadline to fill out ballots will be Wednesday, November 18th, 4:30 p.m.

Our new leaders will be announced at our Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, November 19th at CenterPlace.

See a printable list of our 2016 candidates (pictured above) online here.

Form Revisions

Your association Board of Directors has approved revisions to the following forms:

SAR-ELA - Exclusive Right to Sell - Redline Version

SAR-BR - Buyer Representation Agreement - Redline Version

Form 4145 - Termination/Temporary Suspension of Listing Agreement - Redline Version

View the redline copies of each form (click on each above) so you can easily see the changes.

ZipForm and Express Form platforms have posted the revisions effective today, October 2, 2015.

Please remember that if you have templates with any of these forms, you will want to remove them from the template and re-add them to have the current version.

Thanks, Rob, for 30 Years!

Your SAR Board of Directors honored our executive officer, Rob Higgins, for 30 years of service to the REALTORŽ organization at the September meeting of the Washington REALTORSŽ Board of Directors.

SAR photo

The board members presented Rob with a glass trophy (pictured with Rob above) which reads: In recognition and sincere appreciation of your distinguished service and dedication for the past thirty years. We hereby honor Rob Higgins for your hard work and selfless commitment to the REALTORŽ organization.

Congratulations, Rob!

TRID Webcast

The new TRID rule takes effect this weekend!

REALTORŽ Magazine presented a live webcast this past July to help real estate professionals understand the changes to the closing process that are scheduled to go into effect tomorrow, October 3rd.

The new rules include two new forms - the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure - will replace the HUD-1 settlement form and the Good Faith Estimate.

Samples of the new forms are available from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Watch the entire hour-long webcast online here.

Members TeleHealth

NAR announces a new member benefit:

Members TeleHealth, which provides NAR members with 24/7/365 access to on-demand medical care, anytime, anywhere.

Telehealth transforms the healthcare experience through online and on-demand access to a doctor when your family doctor is unavailable. It's currently one of the biggest trends in digital medicine and is an option that top companies have been employing to assist individuals with cost-saving solutions.

Learn more about this new benefit to your NAR membership, online here.

The Voice for Real Estate

Washington REALTORSŽ won tax battles this year thanks to support from other groups and a well-targeted campaign.

This story tops the newest edition of The Voice for Real Estate, NAR's bi-weekly video round-up of real estate news from across the country.

Featured Segments in this edition:

Tools for new closing rules
Digital home buying tools
Washington REALTORSŽ tax wins
Ebby Halliday tribute
Drone rule will up competition
Home sales ease in August

Click on the image below to play the seven-minute video.

Organize Online

Washington REALTORSŽ offers a new video that gives you a quick look at four free online organizational programs to help you track your business and communicate with clients and co-workers.

Stay on top of the transaction from listing to close and stay in touch with clients long after the sale with:

- Slack
- Trello
- Evernote Clearly & Skitch
- Dropbox & Shared Folders

Click on the image below to play the five-minute video.

A Plethora of Programs

NOTE: Washington REALTORSŽ makes no endorsement of these third-party products and only shares them here for your consideration. You alone can determine their value to yourself and your business.

Pack the Pantry - Donate Online Now!

You can still make a financial contribution to the 2015 SAR Pack the Pantry food drive and be counted in this year's event! Just click on the GO button below to visit our Crowdrise fundraising site. This site will be up through the end of the year.

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 right here in our community.

Thank you for your donation! Donate online now!

HUD Home Selling Training

Enjoy FREE HUD Home Selling Training, Thursday, October 22nd, at your SAR.

See the event flyer with time and registration information (pictured above), online here.

Lunch & Learn: Home Warranties

Home warranties - what are they and what do they do?

Uncover the coverage of home warranties at a Lunch and Learn at your SAR on Monday, October 19th.

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.

Statewide Purchase & Sale Agreement

CLASS FULL!

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

Land and Acreage 101: Rural Property

Tuesday, October 20 - Land and Acreage 101: Rural Property - with Jim Palmer Jr.

Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
at the SAR

4.0 clock hours

Code of Ethics: Standards for Success

Friday, October 23 - Code of Ethics: Standards for Success - with Linda Miller Sheets.

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

7.5 clock hours

The "Nekkid" Truth:
Six Principles of Building a Real Estate Business

Tuesday, October 27 - The "Nekkid" Truth: Six Principles of Building a Real Estate Business - with Linda Miller Sheets.

Registration: 8:15 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
at the SAR

4.0 clock hours

Wednesday, October 28 - Smart Growth for the 21st Century - with Washington REALTORSŽ instructor Mike Flynn.

Registration: Noon to 12:25 p.m.
Class: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at CenterPlace Event Center in Spokane Valley

4.0 clock hours

Home Inspections for REALTORSŽ and Appraisers

Thursday, October 29 - Home Inspections for REALTORSŽ and Appraisers - with Matthew Pedersen.

NOTE: This class is approved for REALTORŽ and Appraiser Clock Hours.

Registration: 8:15 a.m. to 8:25 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR

7.5 clock hours

SAR CALENDAR

Click on the image below to see the current SAR calendar

showing dates and times of classes, committees and events.

Reducing the Risk of Being Targeted

RE Technology returns this week with the fourth in its series of articles on REALTORŽ safety: Reducing the Risk of Being Targeted.

The first step in preventing yourself from being the victim of a crime is eliminating as many "attractors" as possible. That being said, a big part of marketing yourself as a real estate agent is making yourself and your picture as prominent as possible. This section is about how to still market yourself, but make minor changes that remove as many "attractors" as possible.

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

Little Red Book

The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŽ

is proud to announce the creation of its newest product, The Little Red Book: Safety Rules to Live By for REALTORSŽ.

Created with input from nearly 1,000 NAR members, The Little Red Book includes tips that are presented in a fun, light-hearted way with realistic advice from REALTORSŽ.

It's a great tool for new agents and seasoned professionals to incorporate into their professional safety protocols.

Read more about the Little Red Book: Safety Rules to Live By for REALTORSŽ, online here.

BevScore

It's been one year since Beverly Carter was found murdered after showing a supposed prospective buyer a vacant bank-owned property in rural Scott, Arkansas.

To honor her memory, a friend of the Carter family released an app this week called BEVscore that seeks to keep people safe when meeting strangers.

Learn more about BevScore, online here.

NOTE: Your SAR makes no endorsement of this third-party product and only shares it here for your consideration. You alone can determine its value to yourself and your business.

Crime Prevention Conference

The Spokane County Sheriff's office is holding its 8th annual Crime Prevention Conference on Tuesday, October 27th.

This all-day event includes sessions on personal safety, active shooter survival, legal use of force, and carrying firearms, among others.

See the event flyer (pictured above), suitable for posting in your office and sharing with your friends, online here.

See the event registration form, with a schedule of all events, online here.

The Search is Tech; the Buy is Touch

2015 SAR President Jack Kestell reads the recently published NAR report, "Real Estate in the Digital Age (published in last week's edition of the Weekly Notices), and acknowledges the search for real estate today is high tech, but the buy remains high touch.

Read his entire guest column, in the Real Estate section of The Spokesman-Review of this past Sunday, online here.

I-90 Landscaping

The Washington State Department of Transportation informs us that its crews will be removing dead and diseased portions of about 50 trees along Interstate 90 in the Spokane Valley this month, replacing the trees later this fall.

The Lombardy poplar trees, which have a lifespan of about 20 to 30 years, are now 25 years old, and some of them are dead or dying. They are brittle and blow down in high winds, making them a hazard for maintenance workers, the traveling public and other healthy native vegetation on site. They will be replaced with Austrian pine and Rocky Mountain junipers, with additional trees planted over the coming years as the budget allows.

Read more about this project - part of a highway beautification project dating back to Lady Bird Johnson and her advocacy for the 1965 Highway Beautification Act - in The Spokesman-Review, online here.

Wellness Celebration

The Spokane - Eastern Washington Chapter of Women's Council of REALTORSŽ invites you to its fifth annual Wellness Celebration and Rally on October 15th.

This year we are doing things a little differently.

We contacted organizations in our area that help women in transition: Anna Ogden Hall, YWCA & Catholic Charities. We asked each of these groups to nominate women who have gone through, or are going through, their programs and are getting ready to enter the workforce.

We selected five women and they have been working with an image consultant. As part of the makeover they will be getting new clothing, hairstyles and makeup lessons.

We are excited to be reaching out to women in our community!

Local companies are helping to sponsor the women and we welcome your sponsorship. We invite you to purchase tickets or a table and join us in celebrating the women in our community.

See the event flyer (pictured above), suitable for posting in your office and sharing with your friends, online here.

Member 2 Member

Ticor Title Spokane welcomes all SAR members to the grand opening of its Spokane operation, Wednesday, October 14th.

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

Washington REALTORSŽ Fun Night 2016

Save the date - September 15th 2016 - for the Washington REALTORSŽ Fun Night!

See the flyer (pictured above), online here.

ListHub Report for August

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

Market Activity Report - September

NEW!

The SAR Market Activity Report for September is now online.

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

NOTE: The September report will be added Friday morning. If it is not yet posted when you look for it, please check back.

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

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

You Be The Judge - September/October

Here is You Be The Judge for September/October:

Case #1-10: Obligations Under Exclusive Listing

Read the case and submit your judgement online here.

NOTE: This edition of You be the Judge covers two months, September/October. Those who decide correctly on this one will be entered in a drawing for two (2) Starbucks coffee cards!

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 REALTORSŽ 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, REALTORŽ 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