January 24, 2025

SALES AND VALUES UP IN DECEMBER:

In a press release to the media today, Maine home sales increased 15.04% comparing December 2024 to December 2023. The median sales price (MSP) was $400,000, a 14.12% increase in that same time period. NAR reports that existing home sales were up and prices increased nationally and in the northeast, comparing December 2024 to December 2023.

SALES AND VALUES UP FOR 2024:  

For calendar year 2024, Maine REALTORS® sold 14,287 single family homes, an increase of 4.89% over 2023. The statewide median sales price for calendar year 2024 increased 8.39% to an historic high of $390,200. For more information, read the Press Release here...

2025 FORMS NOW IN YOUR LIBRARY: 

MAR's 2025 forms have loaded automatically into your Zipform library and are now live. View the changes for 2025, marked up versions of the 2024 forms are filed in the REALTOR® Access Only section of the MAR website (password: codeofethics)

Please note that the following forms were removed from the MAR forms library:



-Buyer Agreement 2024 Addendum

-Listing Agreement 2024 Addendum

-Property Disclosure 2024 Addendum (Flood Hazard)

-Property Disclosure 2024 Addendum (Shoreland Zoning Violation)

These forms were introduced last year for pending transactions during the transition to implement NAR settlement and Maine law changes, and all of the information on these forms has already been incorporated into the current buyer and listing agreements and property disclosures. 

COPYRIGHT 2025:  

All copyright dates in the forms’ footers now read Copyright © 2025. The Revised dates indicate the last time that MAR amended that particular form. The Published date specifies that the form is a new form as indicated.

ZIPFORMS: START WITH THE COVER SHEET:

For each new transaction in Zipforms, make a habit of first completing the Cover Sheet which is filed alphabetically in the list of forms. When you complete and save the Cover Sheet, many fields will auto-populate into other forms for your transaction which will save you time and data entry. 

TELEPHONE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT:

On January 27, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) new consent rule for robocalls and robotexts will take effect. The FCC aims to close the “lead generator loophole” by requiring marketers to obtain “one-to-one” consumer consent to receive telemarketing texts and auto-dialed calls.

What does this mean for you and how you do business? If you engage in phone-based marketing, you will need to be more cautious and ensure that all calls (whether live or automated) are compliant. 

NAR's legal and advocacy teams are hosting a joint webinar Tuesday, January 28th at 2pm to discuss the impacts on lead generation tactics and ways to reduce your risk with the new rules. No cost registration link is below. Learn more about FCC Updates TCPA Rules for Consent and Revocation

FRAUDULENT SELLER SCAMS RED FLAGS INFOGRAPHIC:

Review this infographic and share it with your colleagues. Recent fraudulent/imposter sellers were targeting properties in Guilford, Windham and Peak's Island.

For prospective sellers who are not physically located near you/the property, ask them to Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime with you for a first meeting – and ask them to show their identification on the screen. While scammers may also have fraudulent identification, they are likely to be unwilling to show their face on a screen. You can use a phrase like, “it’s our office protocol for new customers and clients”. If they’re unwilling, likely a red flag. It is not enough to receive identification via email since scammers are using fake passports and/or drivers licenses.

For potential sellers who are nearby, always schedule first meetings with customers/clients in the office, verify their identity (take a photo of their driver’s license), and introduce them to a colleague.

WIRE FRAUD IS STILL HAPPENING:

We recently heard about a wire fraud in Maine totaling more than $400,000. Please note that a Wire Fraud Advisory is attached to many forms in the Zipform library.

Review the information and share this Advisory with your clients! 

FAIR HOUSING / ANTI-BIAS TRAINING REQUIREMENT:

Effective January 1, 2025, all REALTORS® are now required to complete fair housing/anti-bias training in addition to Code of Ethics training. These training courses must be completed between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2027. Learn more about this new membership requirement...

NAR has developed a NO COST, self-paced, two-hour course (no CE) called Fairhaven 2.0 to help members fulfill this membership requirement. Upon completion of this online course, your NAR member record will automatically update to reflect compliance. Learn more about Fairhaven 2.0

We expect 3-hour continuing education courses to be offered over the coming years, which will also fulfill the fair housing / anti-bias training membership requirement. 

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