Volume 16 | October 7th, 2025

The SWMAR Spotlight

Welcome to this week's edition of the SWMAR Newsletter! Inside, you'll find a roundup of upcoming education opportunities to boost your skills, events you won't want to miss, ways to get involved through volunteering, and the latest news and updates from our Association.

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MLS Updates

Simplified Listing Sharing

Live Now on Flexmls Desktop

Flex is streamlining the way listings are shared to make your workflow simpler and more consistent across platforms. Similar to how sharing works on mobile, you will continue to have the option to share via email, text, or by copying the link to the search or listings to share on other platforms.

By focusing on this unified approach to sharing, Flex has removing the redundant direct share functions for platforms like Facebook or X (Twitter).

This change aligns the desktop experience with the simplified workflow already available on mobile, ensuring a consistent experience across devices and allowing for greater flexibility in how listings are presented and shared.

Upcoming Education

Need to look-up your license? Click Here.

Need to look-up your CE credits? Click Here.

The Low Down on No Down Lunch and Learn

LMCU & First American Title

When: October 15th, 11:30am-1:30pm

Where: Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors

Cost: Free!

Virtual Friends of Fair Housing Event

Fair Housing Center of West Michigan

The FHCWM and Lakeshore Advisory Board are pleased to announce our 19th Annual Lakeshore Friends of Fair Housing Event to be held on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 9 am to 10 am ET online via Zoom.

This year’s event is focusing on source of income cases and protections with speaker, Heather Abraham (Associate Professor of Law, SUNY-University of Buffalo School of Law).

When: October 23rd, 9am-10am

Where: Via Zoom

Cost: Free!

2025 Legal Update

The 2025 Legal Update will be instructed by Brian Westrin from Michigan Realtors, covering the topics of legislative updates, FAQ's from the Legal Hotline, and more!

When: October 23rd, 1:30pm-3:30pm

Where: Four Winds Casino, New Buffalo, MI

Cost: $35 | 2 Legal CE Credits

*Find this class under the "Education" tab at the top of your Member Portal Home Page.

Agent to Investor- Virtual

The Lancaster Institute

This three-hour course introduces real estate agents to the fundamentals of real estate investment. Agents will learn how to evaluate investment opportunities using key financial metrics, ask the right questions before investing, and understand basic tax implications. The course also covers practical topics like property expenses, management options, and financing strategies. By the end, agents will be equipped to identify profitable deals and begin building their own investment portfolios.

When: October 27th, 10:00am-1:00pm

Where: Via Zoom | Link will be sent prior to class

Cost: $45 | 3 CE Credits

*Find this class under the "Education" tab at the top of your Member Portal Home Page.

Upcoming Events

Volunteer Opportunities

Click to Download Nomination and Volunteer Forms

The Public Relations Committee invites you to lend a hand at one of these upcoming mobile food pantries. There is one remaining volunteer option this year. To sign up, you can click the links below and create an account through United Way.

Bridgman – Woodland Shores -Mobile Food Pantry – 4:00pm – 5:30pm

Wednesday, November 5^th

Caring Cupboard Mobile Pantry November | United Way of Southwest Michigan

Association News

The REIS Tech Committee is excited to launch Tech Talk Tuesday — a new weekly video series designed to keep you ahead of the curve! Each Tuesday, we’ll share a quick video packed with practical tech tips tailored for real estate professionals.

Click to View Video

Michigan Realtors Committee Signups

The Michigan Realtors® 2026 Committee and Task Force Volunteer process is open and will close on October 10, 2025. To volunteer, log into the Member Web Portal, and click “Committee”, then “Volunteer” next to the committee’s name.

If you have any trouble logging in or volunteering, please contact Kaetana Beech, at kbeech@mirealtors.com or 517-334-5554.

Visit Member Web Portal

Summit Governmental Affairs Briefing

Below is a link to the SWMAR bi-weekly Government Affairs update.

The link includes updates/information on real estate and relevant government/political issues at the national, state, and local levels. It also serves as a hub for other documents, including a government affairs report, media briefing, and a state & local legislative tracker.

Click Here to View the Governmental Affairs Briefing