VanEd - Real Estate School News

California Bureau of Real Estate issues alert about Price Gouging - Important Ethics Reminder for all Licensees

Ed Note: The CalBRE issued the following alert which we are re-posting in order to help all licensees identify key regulatory (and frankly, morale) issues related to pricing after emergencies and natural disasters.  Please remember that the clients and customers coming to you for help in these situations need your help and you are charged with assisting them without price gouging.  Further, REALTORS® will want to consider how the Code of Ethics plays into these situations and we would argue that the Preamble of the Code dictates how we should react in these situations:

From the Preable:

(REALTORS®) identify and take steps, through enforcement of this Code of Ethics and by assisting appropriate regulatory bodies, to eliminate practices which may damage the public or which might discredit or bring dishonor to the real estate profession.  REALTORS® having direct personal knowledge of conduct that may violate the Code of Ethics involving misappropriation of client or customer funds or property, willful discrimination, or fraud resulting in substantial economic harm, bring such matters to the attention of the appropriate Board or Association of REALTORS®. (Amended 1/00)

 

Alert to Real Estate Licensees and Others Who Lease or Rent, or Offer to Lease or
Rent, Residential Real Property in the Fire-Ravaged Counties of California Where
a state of emergency Has Been Declared:

The Critical Importance of Not Taking Unfair Advantage of Consumers, and Knowing -- and
the Pitfalls of Failing to Strictly Follow -- the Laws Pertaining to “Price Gouging”

By Wayne Bell, California Real Estate Commissioner

This Alert has been written because the California Bureau of Real Estate (“CalBRE”) has been informed
that one or more real estate licensees may be involved in unlawful “price gouging” (with respect to the
rental of residential real property) in one or more counties devastated by the recent fires and where a
state of emergency has been proclaimed.

California law provides, in section 396 of the California Penal Code, that upon and after the declaration
of a state of emergency (including one resulting from fire), those persons who rent or lease, or offer to
rent or lease, rental housing [for a term of less than one year] at a rate more than 10 percent above the
rate immediately prior to the onset of the state of emergency, are committing a misdemeanor and
engaged in an “unlawful business practice”.

Violations of the law are punishable by imprisonment or a fine of not more than $10,000, or by both
that fine and imprisonment.

“Unlawful business practice” actions can also be brought against those who violate the anti-price
gouging law, under section 17200 of the California Business and Professions Code.
CalBRE will also carefully investigate claims in connection with price gouging by its licensees and take
appropriate disciplinary action.

The people who have suffered losses due to the horrific fires should never have to suffer further from
price gouging. In exercising its disciplinary functions, and in enforcing the Real Estate Law with respect
to residential rental services in the State of California, CalBRE will continue to make protection of the
public its highest priority.

######################################################
(Issued on October 16, 2017)

First Quarter Wrap Up - Our favorite stories included new rules, Penquins and yeah, Zombies

In the first quarter of 2016 home price indicators showed some volatility but new construction permits increased. Market rates have risen only slightly while oil prices came up from near record lows.  Unemployment is holding and we wait for the Fed to make decisions about rate increases (or...not) in the coming months.

These stories were important and may have an effect on the real estate marketplace, but the stories below were the ones that our team paid attention to the most. See if you agree with out staff picks. 

 

Resales fall sharply in February - But New Home Sales Surge

U.S. home resales fell sharply in February in a potentially troubling sign for America's economy which has otherwise looked resilient to the global economic slowdown. NAR reported greater than a 7% decrease while home prices were still up more than 4% around the country.  Is this trouble for the economy on the whole or is this a normal winter slowdown? 

Perhaps - as Bloomberg noted that February New Home sales surged, especially in the Western part of the country. This conflicting piece of information may only signal a leveling of the playing field when it comes to the pricing of new and existing homes. We want a few more months of data before making any determination. 

View the full resale breakdown and story online at Reuters.

To read more and see the stats for the New Home sales in February, visit Bloomberg Online here. 

TREC Rules Take Effect

The Texas Real Estate Commission made many rule changes that took effect at the start of 2016. Among these was the requirement that all licensees in their first renewal cycle complete 8-hours of Legal CE as a part of their Salesperson Apprentice Education (SAE) requirement.  Did we say 8-hours? Yes. The Legal and Ethics requirement of 6-hours was changed to an 8-hour requirement consisting of two 4-hour Legal courses.  (Note that this may also have an affect on REALTORS looking to complete their NAR mandated Ethics requirements. Check with your local board to determine if you will now be required to complete and additional Ethics course moving forward.)

VanEd previously reported on the proposed changes on our site (click here) and we have now updated and made all of the courses available online to meet the new requirements. You can also click here to learn more about the new Legal I and Legal II courses required for all Texas Licensees (errr.... License Holders now. Sorry, just another rule change.)  

 

CREC/DRE Director Gives 2016 Update

In a webcast presented by the Colorado Association of REALTORS (CAR) Division Director Marcia Waters discussed the sunset review and upcoming rulemaking hearings taking place that affect real estate brokers in Colorado. Our key takeaway from the presentation was that the Director has an excellent handle on what is going on currently in the Colorado real estate marketplace.

We have posted the entire presentation online on the VanEd Newslog. 

 

Oregon is the most popular State

In January CNN Money reported that the number of people moving to Oregon has increased by 10% in the past six years. This is not surprising considering the number of new businesses has also increased providing new jobs, and housing prices have increased as well. A sign of housing popularity that is a direct result of new residents moving to popular areas.

Learn more online at CNN Money

 

Tech Tools to help your Business

How can you tell if a tech tool will be good for your business and which are just shiny new toys?  Inman tackled this question in February in an article we found to be right on point. The key challenge for most people is either integration or implementation. In other words, how long will it take to to get yourself up to speed on the tool, and then how long does it take you to put it into practice?

Take a look at this article for tips that may help you separate the good from the bad (or in the case from the shiny) online at Inman News.

 

Raising the Bar in Real Estate

We were happy to see another article on how real estate professionals can work to raise the bar every day. Increasing the reputation of everyone in the industry starts with each of us, and this second article from Inman News hit the mark with us in a number of ways.

You can find our favorite tip (Be Humble) and 9 others online at Inman News.

 

Can Government Housing also be Sleek?

In February Curbed reported on some government housing getting a new, stylish design. The fact that these are in Eastern Europe doesn't change our feelings much - these are much better designs and we hope more U.S. affordable housing might be created from older, out of date, properties.

Learn more at Curbed.com

 

Any Stories where Penguins get on a Treadmill? You Bet!

The Guardian posted on a study that shows that fat Penguins fall over more often than slim ones when they're put on a treadmill. With this information apparently not being scientifically proven up until this point, this study was critical.

(It also defines, clearly, the validity of my own less-than-scientific-survey of 1, in which I discovered that I am just like a penguin.)

Seriously though, you have got to watch the video associated with this story online at The Guardian. 

 

And, of course, Zombies and how they relate to Amazon

If you are developer who uses Lumberyard (tools to create video games) with Amazon's cloud services, you will be happy to know that the Acceptable Use language in the Terms of Service agreement do create an exemption to certain rules if the CDC certifies an outbreak that causes human corpses to reanimate and seek to consume living human flesh exist.

In other words, Zombies.

If there are zombies those developers can use Lumberyard with life critical systems. This is important: This does NOT mean that Video Games can keep you safe from Zombies. We had hoped otherwise, but, alas, no. We're still not safe.

We recommend reading the CNN Money Article linked into this Newser post before looking at the bottom for the link to the article on how to stay safe from Zombies. Because that's really all we were looking for in the first place.

Housing Quote of the Quarter

On March 25th U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement upon conclusion of the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee hearing titled “The Future of Housing in America: Government Regulations and the High Cost of Housing.”

“The purpose of today’s hearing is simple: to examine the high cost of housing in America. Today, we heard testimony that 40 percent of rental costs are due to regulation. Rising costs and lack of availability paint a bleak picture for the future of workforce housing in America. Unfortunately, the stock of affordable market-rate housing is not plentiful for those seeking it. This subcommittee will continue to examine these issues and methods to lift Americans from poverty and ensure they don’t just have a place to live, but also a place to have a life.”

 - See more at: http://missouri.realestaterama.com/2016/03/25/luetkemeyer-subcommittee-examine-high-cost-of-housing-in-america-ID0924.html#sthash.BlHIsHjb.dpuf

 

 

VanEd Presents: Nebraska GRI 103: Ethics & Legal Issues ~ On Sale!

This two module course covers the interpretation and application of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice as well as Legal Issues in real estate. This course is on sale through August!

Students will receive both CE (6hrs) & GRI (15 hrs) credit for completing both modules. The course contains multiple choice exams & quizzes, interactive exercises, and is completed with a multiple choice final exam covering both the Legal Issues and Ethics modules.

Legal Issues in Real Estate

The purpose of this class is to alert licensees to those situations that may cost them large amounts of money, or their license, or both. The course will help protect the public by educating licensees to recognize bad business practices while making them aware of the ongoing legal issues in real estate.

Ethics and Professional Practice

This course has been developed to meet the NAR Ethics requirements. The code of ethics, which is similar in nature to the Code of Professional Responsibility to be followed by all lawyers, was enacted by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and must be followed by all REALTORS®.

This course Includes the 2015 Code of Ethics Updates and meets the criteria for the NAR Ethics renewal requirements! Ask your local association or State association regarding credit.

 These two modules cover the following topics:

• Fair Housing
• Agency
• Contract Risk
• Liability
• Ethical Behavior
• Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
• Anti-trust
• Process for Enforcement
• Arbitration and Procuring Cause
• Pathways to Professionalism

The courses include numerous case studies and examples as well as clear definitions of various elements and articles.

Learn more about the classes and register online by clicking here or use the link below to learn more about the GRI Program for REALTORS®.  

http://www.vaned.com/GRI

Live Class: Ethics for REALTORS® ~ July 9th in Pueblo, CO ~ Hosted by PAR

The NAR Mandatory Ethics course is required to be taken in order for REALTORS® to meet the ethics renewal requirements (formerly known as the quadrennial ethics requirement). This course is being held in Pueblo on July 9th at 9:00am - 1:00pm at the Pueblo Association of REALTORS®.

Popular instructor Lorraine Roemer will present the Code of Ethics in an entertaining and engaging course that will highlight the following areas;

• Duties to Customers & Clients
• Duties to The Public, and
• Duties to Fellow REALTORS®

Students may register for this course by visiting http://VanEd.com/Classroom.

VanEd offers this course online for our partner associations and in the classroom in certain locations. Don't wait to complete this 4-hour course. You can complete it online or in a classroom. Use the following links to find out more information today.

NAR Mandatory Ethics online     -       NAR Mandatory Ethics in the classroom

Lorraine Roemer (GRI) is an independent Colorado real estate broker. She has served as President of the Longmont Association of REALTORS® as well as other positions on the Board of Directors. Roemer has served as NE district VP, Director, Administrative VP for CAR. She has also served as NAR Director. Roemer has taught many classes including Ethics, Closings, and contracts through outt the state. Roemer is known for her sense of humor, wealth of knowledge, and many feel she is a true "edutainer!"

Our Favorite Stories from March: 2014 Housing predictions, key ruling for Property Managers and ... of course ... Zombies.

This month was filled with interesting stories. We've collected a few of our staff favorites and posted them here in brief.

Wind Energy - Twenty Six Senators urged the Senate Finance Committee leadership to Extend wind production tax credits. The credits support 80,000 American workers. A bipartisan coalition of 118 members of the U.S. House sent a similar request to the House Committee on Financial Services.  We were excited by three things in this announcement, including the support of a Green industry that creates jobs for people all over the country and the positive effect the wind industry has on real estate markets, but mostly we were impressed that the support was bipartisan. Really, when does that happen in Congress?

 

Housing in 2014 - Economist David Berson wrote the 3 things you need to know about housing in 2014 for Housingwire. We think his #3 item (Mortgage availability shouldn't worsen and may improve) is a bellweather statement. This leads him to state that is interest rates rise then refinance applications will fall, which should lead lenders to eae lending standards to the extent possible under the new QM rules. A boost in lending activity means a boost to home sales, and that would be good for all of us.

 

Vampires - Vampire Gravesites in Poland? Yep. As reported by Newsy, a vampire grave site seems to have been unearthed. Typically we're more concerned with zombies, but the finding of vampires also raises many questions for us. We have concerns.

 

This month's best Tech item - CNN published the map of underwater cables wiring the internet. The The Washington research firm Telegeography logged the map in its Submarine Cable Map. Find the article by clicking here. The gallery truly is facsinating - if you like tech as much as we do.

 

Key Court Ruling for Property Managers - The city of Farmers Branch, Texas, passed an ordinance requireing potential tenants to prove citizenship, creating the possibility that immigrants could no longer rent property within the city. The ordinance was immediately challenged in court and was never enacted. Earlier this month, Farmers Branch lost a long and expensive court battle when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case. The ruling says two things: First, for real estate professionals, you cannot demand proof of U.S. Citizenship in order to rent property to a prospective tenant. Second, some have suggested that this affirms that Immigration law is the responsibility of the Federal Government, not local municipalities.

The case may have ramifications on another case that is being litigated out of Fremont, Nebraska as well where the Court of Appeals has issued an opposite ruling on a similar ordinance. Read more about the Farmers Branch case in the Dallas News.

 

Dateline: Las Vegas: A man went into the Excalibur hotel and in a failed attempt at burglery was "detained" (possibly "defeated") by the men in the cast of the Thunder Down Under male review. We tried to tweet this but couldn't think of any combination of hashtags that would be ...ya' know... oh, forget it. Just insert your own comment here.

 

Zombies can't get us here! - Turns out Estately was finally able to put some resources into one of the issues we think is most critical: Determining where we need to be when the zombie apocolypse begins. Their list of U.S. States Most and Least likely to survive a Zombie Apocolypse finally hit their blog. Turns out where we are is fairly safe (which we are grateful for) but there are a few states that need to do a better job preparing their citizens for the eventual ... or at least, concievable ... We're afraid of zombies. That is all.

 

Just in Time for Spring - In an article from Wired magazine we learned that the U.S. Mint will releae a 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin that will be unlike any other. In 2012 Congress passed an Act that gave birth to the coin, which will be domed (as in, roundish) to reflect a baseball on one side.  

 

Think we missed a great story this month? Let us know! Comment here or tweet it to us at http://vaned.com/twitter. 

 

VanEd Presents: The Ethics of Technology: Etiquette for the Age of Engage

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The Ethics of Technology: Etiquette for the Age of Engage is now available online! VanEd is proud to be the home to the REALTOR® Ethics courses, and the Ethics of Technology course has been designed to meet those requirements. To see the Learning Objectives and requirements information for Associations, please review the course details page for your state.

New and emerging technology, the advent of social media and the use of services and applications changes how we perform our daily tasks in business but does not take away our responsibility to the industry or the consumers we serve to act in an ethical manner.

In this course we will look at emerging technology and discuss how Ethics plays a role in our interaction with others online just as it does “in real life”.

During this course students will be introduced to how ethics and technology intersect in a variety of online formats. Students will also be introduced to various ethical concepts, including:

• identifying the role ethics plays in our business practices 
• the process of enforcing the Code of Ethics 
• proper application of the Standards of Practice 
• overcoming obstacles in real estate communication in a variety of formats

Don't let outdated strategies or ideas plague your business plan in the new real estate economy. Log on today to learn this timely and valuable information and to prepare yourself for future success.    >>> Click Here for more information!

To learn more about the REALTOR® Code of Ethics family of courses offered by VanEd, visit us online at http://www.vaned.com.

This course is approved for Continuing Education Credit in Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and Washington state. If you are interested in taking this course for continuing education for real estate in another jurisdiction, please email us at [email protected].   

VanEd Presents: South Dakota Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation available online

In today's competitive business environment you need more than just motivation and initiative to succeed, you need the advantage of the education you receive in the GRI program.

The Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation indicates to buyers, sellers and other real estate industry professionals that you have made the commitment to provide a high level of professional service to your clients by securing a strong educational foundation.

VanEd is proud to provide the GRI program on-line for the State REALTOR® Associations in Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. And VanEd is proud to announce that in October we will celebrate the third anniversary of hosting the South Dakota GRI Program.  Click on the links to learn more about earning the GRI in your state, or visit http://www.vaned.com/GRI for more information.

Update for South Dakota Students:

 

The GRI program has been re-approved for continuing education and post license credit! Take a look at the credit hours that you need to fulfill your requirements!

http://www.vaned.com/index.cfm/fa/CE/fa2/gri/state/SD 

Ethics Renewal information for active Colorado REALTORS®

We want to be sure all our students are up on the latest and as you know 2012 is coming swiftly to a close!  2012 marks the end of a 4-year ethics renewal cycle for REALTORS® (members of NAR or your local board) where you need to have proof of completion of an approved Ethics course.  This was formerly known as the quadrennial ethics requirement.  

If you haven’t taken an Ethics course between January 1st, 2009 and now you are due to complete one BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR!

Again, this only applies to active REALTORS® who are members of a local board or association or
NAR.  To read all about the requirements CLICK HERE.

VanEd offers several online course options to meet this requirement and for a limited time we are offering a 20% discount on ALL CE courses including ethics!  To take advantage of this discount, use the promotion code ‘ethics20’ during checkout. Hurry! This offer expires 11/14/2012!  

• Ethics for REALTORS® - 4 hrs CE Credit
• G01 - The Ethical and Professional Practices of REALTORS®-GRI – 6 hrs CE Credit & 6 hrs GRI Credit in some states

Either class above meets NAR’s requirements for Code of Ethics training and counts for elective CE credit in Colorado.  You can sign up anytime and though VanEd gives you a year to complete courses, you must finish your Ethics course by the end of this year to meet the NAR requirement.  You can work online at your convenience, and once complete your certificate will be available immediately within your student account. 

Some local associations have also already approved our Ethics of Technology course for renewal credit. To learn more about this new compliance option, click the link below.

• The Ethics of Technology: Etiquette for the Age of Engage - 4 hrs CE Credit

CLICK HERE to sign up for either course from our main CE course list.  If you have any questions on licensing or ethics requirements, please feel free to email us at [email protected]. We’re here and happy to help!

 

Have questions or comments?  Let us know! Send us an email at [email protected] 
And don't forget to follow the VanEd NewsLog, fan, like and link with us online!

The most successful people in Real Estate use VanEd.  See what they say by clicking here.