Weekly Notices

Friday, February 12, 2016

Home Prices Back Where they Were

Photo: Marianne Bornhoft

KXLY4 News reports: It has been a slow and steady migration as the housing market continues to move upward in Spokane.

The Spokane Association of REALTORS� says home prices are back to where they were pre-recession.

Rob Higgins, Executive Vice President for the Association of REALTORS�, says in 2015 homes sales were up 17.7 percent, the biggest jump since the housing market crashed.

See the story on KXLY4 News, online here.

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 REALTOR� education designed specifically for Designated Brokers, Branch Managers, and Team Leaders.

Plan now to attend the Washington REALTORS� 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.

NAR TechEdge

NAR TechEdge is coming to Coeur d'Alene -

Tuesday, March 8th!

This full-day event teaches REALTORS� the latest business technology skills and trends changing the real estate industry.

Register for this professional development event and walk out with action items to build your business.

If you're a real estate agent eager to learn about how the latest technologies can impact real estate, this event is for you!

Visit the NAR TechEdge website 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 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 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.

Code of Ethics: Standards for Success

NEXT WEEK!

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

Land and Acreage 200: Rural Property

Thursday, March 3 - 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

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

Tuesday, March 22 - The "Nekkid" Truth: Six Principles of Building a Real Estate Business - with Linda Miller Sheets.

Registration: 8:!5 a.m.
Class: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
at the SAR

4.0 clock hours

The Truth about Negotiating

Tuesday, March 22 - The Truth about Negotiating - with Linda Miller Sheets.

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

3.0 clock hours

The Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals

Wednesday, March 23 - The Code of Ethics for Real Estate Professionals - with Linda Miller Sheets.

Registration: Noon
Class: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
at the SAR

4.0 clock hours

In This Issue

Home Prices Back Where they Were

Membership Meeting & Ethics Class

Spokane/Kootenai Real Estate Forum

Broker Symposium

NAR TechEdge

2016 Education Requirements

2016 REALTOR® Education

SAR CALENDAR

Open House Event Advertising

Legal Hotline Mailbag: CO Detectors

Old House Workhop

Live Regional Traffic Map

Six Reasons

WCR March Event

ListHub Report - January - NEW!

Market Activity Report - January

Member Roster Update - NEW!

Suggestion Box

SAR CALENDAR

Click on the image below to see the current SAR calendar

showing dates and times of classes, committees and events.

Open House Event Advertising

Your SAR Communications & Member Services Committee has negotiated special advertising packages for members participating in the Spokane REALTORS� Open House Weekend, April 23rd and 24th.

This sixth-annual event will attract hundreds of potential buyers to hundreds of participating open houses in the largest open house event of the year!

Watch the Weekly Notices for more event details in coming weeks.

See the special SAR member advertising opportunity offered by The Spokesman-Review, online here.

See the special SAR member advertising opportunity offered by The Inlander, online here.

Legal Hotline Mailbag: CO Detectors

Is the location of a Carbon Monoxide monitor within a home significant, or is it only significant that a carbon monoxide monitor be in the home prior to Buyer's possession?

Washington REALTORS� Legal Hotline attorney Annie Fitzsimmons answers that question, this week, in her ongoing video series, Legal Hotline Mailbag.

See the three-minute video online here:

Legal Hotline Mailbag

Old House Workhop

Small Houses: Big Changes is the theme of this year's

Old House Workshop by Spokane Preservation Advocates.

Two sessions remain in this month-long series:

February 16th and February 23rd, including a presentation on the Parent House, a Craftsman-style home on Spokane's South Hill.

The workshop is a great way to connect your clients with old-house projects, people, and resources!

Visit Spokane Preservation Advocates website for more details, online here.

See an article about this year's Old House Workshop in The Spokesman-Review, online here.

Live Regional Traffic Map

Getting there may be half the fun, but it can also be half the frustration if you're stuck in urban traffic.

Know before you go with the new and improved live regional traffic map, presented by your Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center (SRTMC).

The site posts traffic camera images and traffic information, including slowdowns and road closures. It offers links to all traffic cameras in the area, and the images can be streamed live.

Transportation officials say it's part of an ongoing effort to get drivers to know what kinds of conditions they can expect before they journey out.

See the new regional traffic map, online here.

Six Reasons

Share this one with your clients on the fence . . .

It's a slow Sunday morning. You've just brewed your Nespresso and popped open your laptop to check out the latest home listings before you hit the road for a day of open houses.

You're DIYing this real estate thing, and you think you're doing pretty well-after all, any info you might need is at your fingertips online, right? That, and your own sterling judgment.

Oh, dear home buyer (or seller!) - we know you can do it on your own. But you really, really shouldn't. This is likely the biggest financial decision of your entire life, and you need a Realtor� if you want to do it right.

Here's why.

See the article on REALTOR.com, online here.

WCR March Event

The Spokane - Eastern Washington Chapter of Women's Council of REALTORS� invites you to its March event - Thursday, March 3rd - New Tools for your Toobox!