VanEd Newslog

The Confident Rookie Series with Jennifer Allan - SECRET #2 - Practice with Your Printer!

Picking up from my last installment of the Confident Rookie Series about how important it for rookies to Master Their Systems before they need them; today I'll add just a little bit more to that project.

Practice with Your Printer. This may sound silly, but when you're writing an offer for a buyer, it's nerve-wracking if you can't get the printer to work. Seriously.

I wrote my very first offer back in 1996 at 6:00 pm on a Friday night in my Coldwell Banker office. I called my broker away from Happy Hour to help me. I'd had training on the contract software and was pretty comfy there, but had never actually printed a contract.

Using my own brand new contract software (registered under my name & all!), I created the contract with my broker's help, and then went to print it out. Oops.Great big DRAFT watermark across every page. Hmmmmmm. Tried again. Same thing. My buyer was sitting in the conference room waiting for me, but neither I nor my broker could figure out what was wrong. And, being Friday night, there wasn't much chance of finding any customer service at the software company.

I was a mess and felt like an idiot. I ended up re-writing the entire contract on pre-printed forms and life went on. Turns out that I needed some activation code to remove the DRAFT watermark.

But there are all sorts of things that can go wrong when printing from new software, aren't there? Especially if you're in a networked real estate office.

So, as you're practicing with your contract software, be sure to also practice printing out the contracts. Please don't hesitate to waste paper. If your software requires legal paper, be sure you know where it is and how to load it. If you have the option of either legal or letter, be sure you know how to select the one you want. Know how to "insert" or "remove" n/a's and such.

And... always have a back-up plan. Here's mine:

• Plan A:  Business as usual - use the regular office printer
• Plan B:  If that fails, try the other printer at the office (we have two)
• Plan C: If both of those fail, email the contract to the receptionist to print out
• Plan D: If I'm really crashing & burning, know where the pre-printed contracts are and write it up manually.

Again, I know this sounds trivial and even silly, but just wait until YOUR buyer is sitting in the conference room waiting to sign his offer and you can't produce anything for him to sign!

The Confident Rookie Series:

1. Know Your Systems
2. Practice with Your Printer
3. Preview, Preview, Preview
4. Drive Your Route Ahead of Time
5. Cheerfully Waste Your Time
6. Find Your Handyman
7. Let Your Seller Prospect Do Most of the Talking
8. Get Comfy with Your Commission
9. Admit that You're New
10. What to say when you don't know the answer

Stay tuned...

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Guest Author Jennifer Allan has authored five books and multiple courses designed to teach agents her Sell with Soul philosophy that centers on four interrelated principles: Respect, Competence, Confidence and Enthusiasm.  The latest release of her book Sell with Soul is available in the VanEd bookstore. Visit her online at www.sellwithsoul.com.

Designation Spotlight: EcoBroker

Van Education Center has affiliated with EcoBroker to deliver the Nationally recognized EcoBroker Designation program to all VanEd students. EcoBrokers stay current with the growing green real estate market and are better able to help their customers get the most when buying or selling a home. The EcoBroker designation provides the latest and most comprehensive energy and environmental real estate training.

The EcoBroker online courses may be approved for continuing education credit and all designees receive a full profile page on EcoBroker.com. Students have up to a year to complete all three online courses. Designees also have access to proprietary marketing templates and advertising opportunities.

You can view detailed program information, information about courses and benefits or register for the EcoBroker online courses by clicking here!

VanEd Presents RESPA: Keeping Current

Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) reforms go into effect January 1, 2010 and it is critical that you familiarize yourself with the new forms and regulations. Forms designed primarily to help consumers become more informed about settlement services will go into effect on that date, and lenders and title agencies must use the new Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and HUD-1 Settlement Statement. It is important to note that lenders can begin using the new Good Faith Estimate (GFE) at any time.

In order to ensure your transactions go smoothly, you should find out all you can now about the new HUD-1 and the new GFE forms. VanEd's "RESPA: Keeping Current" course covers the new Good Faith Estimate and HUD-1 that are mandatory beginning January 1, 2010. This course is available now by clicking here.  

You can also read the RESPA FAQ from HUD here -- http://www.hudlite.com/HUD_respa_FAQ_2010.pdf

(Follow VanEd on Twitter and receive special discounts and promotions on all of our new courses - perhaps even on the new "RESPA: Keeping Current" course!)

VanEd Presents: Building Green ~ Catch the Green Wave!

Catch the GREEN WAVE!  Our popular Building Green courses have been updated and approved for CE credit in Colorado and Nebraska, and MCE Credit in Texas:  Building Green: The High Performance Home for 4 hours of credit and Building Green: Marketing the High Performance Home for 3 hours of credit are available anytime online at VanEd.

With universal concern about global warming and ever-rising energy costs, the time is right to build energy efficient, eco-friendly homes.  Discover the practical benefits of going green and what it means to builders, buyers and sellers alike. 

CLICK HERE to login to your VanEd account and enroll today!

If you have questions about your education requirements or any of our courses, please feel free to contact us, info@vaned.com. 

Which USPAP course should I take in December?

The 2010 USPAP courses are out and will be available shortly online by VanEd, but should you take it in December? Probably not. USPAP is required to be completed every two years. By taking the course early appraisers put themselves in jeopardy of not having a new course available when they need it during their next two year cycle.

Further complicating the issue is that many states may not allow the 2010 courses to be completed in 2009 or will require that the 2008-2009 courses be completed during that time frame. To avoid any complications, VanEd continues to recommend that appraisers complete the 2008-09 USPAP course prior to December 31st, 2009 in order to ensure compliance with the continuing or qualifying education rules.

VanEd makes it easy on you by offering our 7-hour and 15-hour USPAP courses online.  

Enroll for the 2008-09 USPAP course online and receive the already discounted course--$119 for the entire 7-hour online course, $199 for the 15-hour course and we will INCLUDE for FREE a hard-copy of the 2008-2009 USPAP MANUAL!  The course can be done completely at your pace and a certificate will be available in your student account immediately upon completion.

These prices are good for the month of December only online at http://www.VanEd.com. Find out why the most successful people in the industry use VanEd.  CLICK HERE to select your state and sign up for USPAP today! 

Feel free to contact us with any questions at info@vaned.com.  

VanEd Presents: Nevada real estate continuing education ~ now available online!

What if continuing education (CE) wasn’t a chore? What if it actually helped you be a more successful agent? That’s the idea behind VanEd’s online CE courses. And the most successful people in real estate choose VanEd, and now we are proud to announce our most recent state approval - Nevada!

We are now offering the following courses for Real Estate Continuing Education credit in Nevada:

• Taxation in Real Estate (CE.5037000-RE) - 6 hours CE credit
• Finance in Real Estate (CE.5038000-RE) - 12 hours CE credit

These courses are available online anytime and can be completed on your schedule. Instructional support is available online within the course itself, and both courses are certified by ARELLO. To find out what other courses and programs are available, please click here or follow the link below for more information. Have questions? eMail us at info@vaned.com. We are here to help!

Click Here for information on our new Nevada CE programs, or for more information on all of VanEd's real estate continuing education programs, click here.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at VanEd

VanEd will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday today, November 26th and Friday, November 27th. We will re-open on Monday, November 30th for regular business hours. We wish you and yours the best this holiday weekend.

While our staff is out for the holiday weekend, our online courses are still available and students can still complete any course, including continuing education courses online. For those students registering for Mortgage Broker licensing, Real Estate pre-license or Appraisal Qualifying education courses during the weekend, VanEd will be shipping textbooks and materials on Monday the 30th.

If you have any questions while working in a course, please don't hesitate to post them on the Q&A's within each course. Our Instructors will respond as quickly as possible. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

VanEd offers discounts on 7-hour and 15-hour USPAP courses

Need USPAP?  Make it easy on yourself—our 7-hour & 15-hour USPAP courses are online.  

Enroll now and receive the already discounted course--$119 for the 7-hour online course, $199 for the 15-hour course and we will INCLUDE a hardcopy of the 2008-2009 USPAP MANUAL!  The course can be done completely at your pace and a certificate will be available in your student account immediately upon completion.

 Best course, best price!—www.vaned.com

 CLICK HERE to select your state and sign up for USPAP today! 

 Feel free to contact us with any questions at info@vaned.com.

Q&A with Jennifer Allan ~ Listing Exclusions

We asked author Jennifer Allan to answer questions based on her teaching and experience in the real estate industry. Jennifer is a regular contributor to Realty Times and RE/MAX Times. This week she answers the question of whether or not to agree to a "listing exclusion."

Question: "What if the seller asks for a 'listing exclusion?'"

JA: For those who haven’t encountered a “listing exclusion” yet, it’s simply a request from a seller that if a certain person or persons buy the home after it goes on the market, your listing commission won’t apply. For example, perhaps the seller knows a guy at work who says he’d be interested in purchasing the house, but he’s still thinking about it. Your seller doesn’t want to wait for him to make up his mind to go on the market, but neither does he want to pay you if the guy actually ponies up. So, the seller asks you to “exclude” this particular person from your listing agreement.

Should you do it?

My advice? Sure. Don’t argue, don’t explain, and don’t make a big deal out of it. Write in the exclusion and get on with putting the house on the market. The chances that this guy is actually going to purchase the house are slim, but if he does, the seller will probably need your assistance to get the contract written and to closing. For which you most certainly may charge a reasonable fee.

No reason to go to battle over this. Save your energy for bigger things!

Subscribe to "The Daily Seduction: Tips & Inspirations to Generate Business from Your Sphere of Influence." (a free newsletter)

Guest Author Jennifer Allan has authored five books and multiple courses designed to teach agents her Sell with Soul philosophy that centers on four interrelated principles: Respect, Competence, Confidence and Enthusiasm.  The latest release of her book Sell with Soul is available in the VanEd bookstore. You can also visit her online at www.sellwithsoul.com.

Designation Spotlight: At Home with Diversity

NAR's Equal opportunity and Cultural diversity program is designed to help REALTORS® help buyers of any cultural background achieve the American dream of homeownership. The AHWD course is designed to present a clear view of the changing face of the real estate industry. And with a the current price on the course there has never been a better time to get started in learning how to maximize your earning potential by learning how to more effectively communicate with real estate buyers and sellers from other cultures.

VanEd is proud to offer our students the AHWD course online. Visit http://www.vaned.com/AtHomeWithDiversity/ for more information or to sign up for the At Home with Diversity course online.

This course may also qualify for GRI credit in some states.