JANUARY 2013
2014 SAR LEADERSHIP IN PLACE
Members of the Spokane Association of REALTORS® gathered this month for their 2014 Leadership Installation Luncheon at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park Skyline Ballroom.
Your 2014 SAR leadership team is pictured at left.
The association’s Leadership Directory has been updated for 2014 – featuring names, photos, and contact information. Download your copy from the supporting documents to this newsletter.
2014 WR LEADERSHIP
Washington REALTORS® has also updated its list of officers and leadership for 2014.
As you are updating your files for the New Year, you may wish to include this one.
Download your copy from the supporting documents to this newsletter.
CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT
"Look for continued improvement in the real estate market in 2014," says the Spokane Journal of Business. This follows significant market upswing in most sectors of the industry last year.
Spokane-area residential sales improved for the second consecutive year last year.
Read the complete article online here:
http://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/real-estate/-spokane-area-real-estate-comeback-is-expected-to-stay-on-track-for-third-year/
YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!
The MLS Steering Committee recently addressed complaints of Home Inspectors with ActiveKeys not contacting the listing agent/office prior to entering a home or setting up an appointment for a home inspection.
REMINDER! Home Inspectors with ActiveKeys do not have automatic access to the properties in the MLS. They are REQUIRED to contact the LISTING AGENT to be sure their inspection time will work for seller. It's the SELLING AGENT'S responsibility to be sure the buyer and home inspector are aware of this and to get the listing agent's contact information to the inspector!
If we all do our jobs, then we won't have more sellers upset at an un-notified appearance of a home inspector!
WHO DO YOU REPRESENT?
Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons discusses scenarios that determine if you are a sellers agent, a buyers agent or a dual agent as defined by Agency Law.
Watch the YouTube video online here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3Hk-s2dLQgw
REALTORS® INSURANCE MARKETPLACE
REALTORS® have unique needs when it comes to finding a health care plan which complies with the Affordable Care Act.
The REALTORS® insurance marketplace provides NAR members with a roster of health and wellness insurance plans and products, including a major medical health insurance exchange.
Go there now by clicking here.
http://www.realtorsinsurancemarketplace.com/
POSTAGE RATES GOING UP
The cost of mailing a First-Class Mail single-piece letter will increase from 46 cents to 49 cents on January 26th.
You may want to stock up on forever stamps (pictured at left) now, which may be used forever at whatever rate you purchased them.
Read more about this price increase in the United States Postal Service news release online here:
http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2013/pr13_077.htm
BLACK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Your SAR offers the James S. Black Memorial Scholarship Fund to help members pay for tuition and expenses for classes leading to professional designation by the National Association of REALTORS®.
Applications for the 2014 scholarship are now invited and must be submitted by close of business Friday, January 31, 2014.
Download an information/application packet among the supporting documents to this newsletter.
YOU BE THE JUDGE – JANUARY
Here is the new You Be The Judge for January: Case #2-4: Obligation to Ascertain Pertinent Facts..
Those who decide correctly will be entered in a drawing for a Starbucks coffee card!
Winner to be announced next month.
Read the case and submit your judgment online here:
http://www.spokanerealtor.com/information-center/code-of-ethics-/you-be-the-judge
Congratulations Jim Parker, EXL Real Estate LLC, December Starbuck’s card winner.
DECEMBER ANSWER:
The Hearing Panel agreed with REALTOR® A’s reasoning and concluded that he had not violated either Article 1 or Article 3.
Last month's case is online here:
http://www.spokanerealtor.com/information-center/code-of-ethics-/prior-month-you-be-the-judge
LISTHUB REPORT FOR DECEMBER
ListHub allows offices to create a free account to manage the third party websites your listings are distributed to automatically. The office can subscribe to receive reports about what those sites are doing for their listings, but the SAR receives a monthly overview.
At the start of each month, we will share these "filtered" reports to help you understand what consumer traffic is doing in the Spokane market on these national websites.
Please note: the report includes listings and sites that are sent through ListHub. REALTOR®.com is not powered by ListHub so is not currently ranked in these monthly reports.
The December ListHub report is included among the supporting documents to this newsletter.
DECEMBER MARKET STATISTICS
Lockbox statistics
SAR members may access the latest Spokane area market statistics any time online here:
http://www.spokanerealtor.com/login.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=33
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