September 5, 2025

SEPTEMBER IS SAFETY MONTH AND EVERY DAY IS SAFETY DAY

SHOWING SAFETY REMINDER: 

MAR and Maine Listings remind all REALTORS® if there is a substitution of agent for a showing, please let the listing agent know prior to the scheduled showing time. It can be alarming to the listing agent if he/she is expecting a certain agent at the showing and a different person shows up, especially if they have not met prior to the showing and the house is vacant. Stay safe and be courteous!

Trust your instincts, be safe, and let law enforcement and others know about any suspicious and unsettling interactions. Always.

For more safety information: visit here

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Maine’s local Board and Council REALTORS® of the Year!  

VA TOOL KIT TO HELP SERVE VETERAN HOMEBUYERS:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published a Real Estate Professionals VA Home Loan Tool Kit with resources designed to help real estate professionals better serve veteran and active-duty service member homebuyers.

The tool kit aims to address common misconceptions about VA loans and includes downloadable resources such as quick reference guides for answering VA loan questions, basic information flyers for prospective homebuyers, eligibility guidelines, and pre-written social media and newsletter content for marketing materials.

The VA Home Loan Guaranty program has helped American veterans secure more than 28 million home loans. In 2023, the VA Home Loan Guaranty provided financing for roughly 400,000 home purchases and refinances. Over half of the 300,000 purchase loans were for first-time buyers.

FEDERAL TAX UPDATE:

Following a long and difficult congressional process that started early this year, on July 4^th the President signed into law H.R. 1, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the Act). This enormous piece of legislation includes several important tax provisions that will have a large impact on real estate professionals and on real property investment. You can read an analysis of the real estate impacts of the new law here

REMINDER TO USE CURRENT FORMS:

Please be sure that you are using the most current version of MAR’s contracts and forms. Copyright dates in the footers should be 2025.

MAR CONVENTION REGISTRATION

Save the dates! Team Maine – Achieve Together (the MAR Convention) will be an in-person only event October 7-9 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland. View the preliminary convention schedule, registration details and deadlines here

REASONS TO ATTEND:

Earn up to 15 hours of Maine continuing education credits including national educator Kimberly Allard, choose non-credit workshops relevant to your business, attend the MAR Annual meeting and trade show, get hands-on training with FlexMLS and Maine Listings’ suite of products, celebrate our 2026 officers and local Board REALTORS® of the Year, and network with your colleagues and industry partners!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AND EXHIBITORS!

Only a few exhibit spaces left!. Thank you to our convention sponsors, exhibitors, and industry partners! Contact Tanya for exhibit and sponsorship opportunities.  

BrokerBay IS LIVE:

Maine Listings has retired ShowingTime services and moved to BrokerBay for showing management. BrokerBay is a modern, user-friendly platform that will simplify your workflow, save time, and give you powerful tools to better serve your clients. 

For any questions about the transition to BrokerBay: help@mainelistings.com

SEPTEMBER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES:

PLANNING & ZONING: ADVOCATING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE 2 spots remain!

DATE: Thursday, September 18, 2025

LOCATION: Augusta Armory, Augusta (Western Avenue)

TIME: 8:30am Registration; Course 9am - 5pm (includes morning coffee & lunch)

COST: $25/person (approved by the MREC for 6 hours of Maine CE credits)

Instructor & Course Sponsor: EJ Demers of Real Estate Institute of New England

Approved by the Maine Real Estate Commission for 6 hours of continuing education credit and also fulfills NAR’s ABR designation elective requirements for current or future ABR designees for a period of 3 years. To learn more and register:

LUNCH AND LEARN SEPTEMBER 22: INSURANCE UPDATES AND EMERGING TRENDS

On September 22 from noon – 1:00 p.m., Cale Pickford, Compass Group Director at Allen Insurance and Financial, joins Maine REALTORS® via Zoom to provide an update on essential insurance industry happenings and what lies on the horizon as it relates to real estate. He will provide insight into what emerging issues to prepare for and how you can best support your clients for the future Register via the button below.

INVESTIGATE ALL LEADS:

Recently we have been notified that 532 Langley Shores Drive in Acton is NOT for sale by its lawful owners.

Use your Forewarn app (a NO-COST member benefit provided by Maine Listings).

• Conduct a reverse lookup of the telephone number in FOREWARN and if it comes back with anything other than the expected person – investigate further. 
• Conduct a reverse name search in FOREWARN and call the number(s) provided to confirm the person’s identity and whether they did indeed contact you to list the property. 

In addition, you should verify information about the listing property and owner with the town/municipal tax records and the registry of deeds. 

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. 

Save the Date:

Member Portals: