Weekly Notices

Friday, February 5, 2016

Supreme Court Opinion Favors SAR

The Supreme Court of the State of Washington filed an opinion, this week, favorable to the Spokane Association of REALTORSŽ and other petitioners in a case against Envision Spokane.

In its opinion, the Supreme Court reverses the Court of Appeals in the Envision Spokane case, concluding that the "the Envision initiative exceeds the scope of local initiative power."

This is great news for Spokane and helpful statewide as it establishes that land use/zoning or other "citizens bill of rights" types of proposals are beyond the authority of local initiative power.

See the complete opinion (pictured above), filed Thursday, February 4th, online here.

Pocket Listings

Who cares whether a property is posted to the MLS or not? Why should you not just keep a listing in your pocket?

REALTORSŽ care and consumers care - and you need not go any further than the REALTORŽ Code of Ethics to learn why.

NAR General Counsel Katie Johnson discusses the questions arising from this type of listing, and explains why the NAR Code of Ethics makes this issue important to all REALTORSŽ and consumers.

Watch this new, five-minute, Window to the Law, online here:

Window to the Law: Off-MLS Listings

NOTE: Your SAR reports no specific local concern over pocket listings at this time but, since this concerns an important issue for all REALTORSŽ and consumers, we thought it important to share this new video.

Membership Meeting & Ethics Class

Your SAR is pleased to share details on its next quarterly Membership Luncheon and Education Excellence event:

Thursday, March 31st, at CenterPlace Event Center in Spokane Valley.

This event will feature a 7.5 clock hour Code of Ethics class, which meets your four-year requirement.

If you have not taken a Code of Ethics class since January 1, 2013, you need to take this class (before the end of the year)!

Get a discount on this required class - and - enjoy lunch with the latest news from your association - all for only $40 ($55 after March 21st)!

See the event flyer (pictured above) online here.

Spokane/Kootenai Real Estate Forum

The popular 2016 Spokane/Kootenai Real Estate Market Forum will be held on Thursday, February 25th, at the Spokane Convention Center.

Your SAR sponsors this event - it is always a valuable experience.

This year, attendees will hear from these featured speakers:

Jim Frank - founder, Greenstone Corp., on Economic and Demographic Drivers

Dave Black, CEO, NAI Black, on Real Estate Impacts of a Completed North/South Freeway Corridor

Mark Mansfield, executive director, Spokane University District Board, on the Spokane University District

See more details and register online here.

Have a product or service of interest to the local real estate community? Reach local real estate leaders from your vendor table at the event! All sponsors will be in the main event room.

For details, see the sponsorship flyer (pictured above) online here.

Broker Symposium

Enjoy REALTORŽ education designed specifically for Designated Brokers, Branch Managers, and Team Leaders.

Plan now to attend the Washington REALTORSŽ Broker Symposium, Thursday, March 17th, at the SeaTac Convention Center.

Take away actionable and useful information to use in your business for improved function, profitability, and fun!

Visit the event web page to learn more and register, online here.

2016 Education Requirements

By the current rule, you need to take a Code of Ethics class once in every four-year cycle. That means that if you have not taken a Code of Ethics class since January 1, 2013, then you need to take a COE class before the end of this year!

This COE requirement also applies to appraisers.

Check the SAR's class schedule and register for a class via the Member Portal:

By the new rule, which starts on January 1, 2017, you must complete a Code of Ethics class once in every two-year cycle. The first two-year cycle will begin January 1, 2017, and end December 31, 2018.

Email Debbie at the SAR, or call her at 326-9222, to confirm your status.

While you're checking, NAR, SAR, and WA-DOL require you to take other classes in varying cycles, too.

For example, SAR requires you to take a Purchase & Sale Agreement class once in a four-year cycle; the Washington State Department of Licensing requires you to take the Core Curriculum class once in a two-year cycle.

If you have not taken a Purchase & Sale Agreement class since January 1, 2013, then you need to take a P&S class before the end of this year!

This P&S requirement does not apply to commercial members or appraisers

See a handy guide to WA-DOL, NAR and SAR education requirements (pictured above), online here.

2016 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 2016.

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 and Sale Agreement

NEXT WEEK!

Tuesday, February 9 - Statewide Purchase and 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

Home Inspections for REALTORSŽ and Appraisers

NEXT WEEK!

Thursday, February 11 - Home Inspections for REALTORSŽ and Appraisers - with Matthew Pederson.

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

7.5 clock hours

The Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals

NEXT WEEK!

Friday, February 12 - The Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals - 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

Code of Ethics: Standards for Success

Tuesday, February 16 - 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

In This Issue

Supreme Court Opinion Favors SAR

Pocket Listings

Membership Meeting & Ethics Class

Spokane/Kootenai Real Estate Forum

Broker Symposium

2016 Education Requirements

2016 REALTOR® Education

SAR CALENDAR

ListHub Report - December

Form 22E Revisions

Save the Date

ListHub Report - December

Market Activity Report - January - NEW!

You Be The Judge - January

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.

2016 NAR New Member Orientation

The National Association of REALTORSŽ released its brand-new 2016 New Member Orientation video this week.

This 23-minute video covers valuable information to help new members realize their full benefits of membership from the National Association of REALTORSŽ.

Even "seasoned" REALTORSŽ will enjoy this reminder of the benefits of our national membership.

Pour a fresh cup of coffee and see the video online here:

2016 NAR New Member Orientation

Form 22E Revisions

There is a new Form 22E - FIRPTA Certification.

FIRPTA - Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act - provides that a buyer of a U.S. real property interest must withhold tax if Seller is a foreign person, unless one of the exceptions in the Act applies.

Form 22E informs Buyer and Closing Agent whether withholding is required.

The new Form 22E will be published in TransactionDesk on Wednesday, February 10th. NWMLS.

We do not have a time frame for ZipForm.

See the full Notice of Form 22E revisions online here.

See a redline copy of the form, which details the changes (pictured above), online here.

Save the Date

Your SAR Christmas Party Committee announces it has chosen a time and place for the association's annual Christmas Party:

Thursday, December 8, 2016, at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park in the Skyline Ballroom from 4:00 p.m, to 8:00 p.m.

Mark your calendar now!

ListHub Report for December

See the December ListHub report, online here.

Market Activity Report - January

NEW!

The SAR Market Activity Report for January is now online.

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

See the January 2016 summary report (pictured above) online here.

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

You be the Judge - January

Here is You Be The Judge for January:

Case #2-3: Obligation to Disclose Defects.

Read the case and submit your judgement online here.

Winner to be announced next month.

Congratulations, Patrick Martin, Martin Partners Real Estate, our December Starbucks card winner!

DECEMBER ANSWER

The Hearing Panel concluded that REALTORŽ B's actions to encourage his buyer-client to pressure the seller to try to modify the listing agreement with REALTORŽ A was an unwarranted interference in their contractual relationship. The Hearing Panel noted that Article 16, as interpreted by Standard of Practice 16-16, required REALTORŽ B to determine, prior to presenting an offer to REALTORŽ A and her seller-client, whether REALTORŽ A was willing to contribute to REALTORŽ B's commission, either directly or by reducing the commission as agreed to in the listing contract and, if so, the terms and amount of such contributions. It was the decision of the Hearing Panel that REALTORŽ B had violated Article 16.

From Case #16-16: Buyer Agent's Demand that Listing Agent Reduce Commission.

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

Member Roster Update