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Record High Median Home Price
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NEW!
Record low interest rates and lack of available homes on the market have pushed the median home price in Spokane County up to more than $300,000 for the first time in history.
"Those two combined are driving prices up," said Rob Higgins, executive officer for the Spokane Association of Realtors. "We've never seen anything like this."
Read the complete article in Tuesday's edition of The Spokesman-Review - front page, above the fold - online here.
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2021 SAR Initial Slate of Candidates
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NEW!
Your SAR Nominating Committee is pleased to announce its initial slate of candidates for 2021 SAR leadership:
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Eric Etzel, Choice Realty
SECRETARY
Doug Hagood,Hagood Real Estate and Mortgage
DIRECTORS
Elizabeth Anders, Professional Realty Services
Gwen Arrand, EXIT Real Estate Professionals
Gregory Barkley, Synergy Properties
Dezda Finn, Dezda Finn Properties, LLC
Bryan Gwynn, Urban Settlements
Britney Inglis, Real Estate Marketplace NW, Inc.
Lee McIntyre, 4 Degrees Real Estate
Additional Candidates
In accordance with Article XIII, Section 13.2 of the Association Bylaws, additional candidates may be nominated by the REALTOR® members.
For those wishing to nominate a REALTOR® member for an Association Officer or Director position, Nominating Petitions will be available from the Association office Monday, October 12th through Monday, October 26th.
Deadline to return petitions is Monday, October 26th!
ALL VOTING WILL BE DONE ELECTRONICALLY!
You will receive Notice on Friday, October 30th of the "Final Slate of Candidates".
Voting begins on Monday, November 2nd.
Deadline to fill out ballots will be Wednesday, November 18th, 4:30 p.m.
Our new leaders will be announced at our Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, November 19th at CenterPlace Regional Event Center (fingers crossed).
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Valuation Notices Mailed this Week
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NEW!
Spokane County Assessor Tom Konis emailed a news release to the SAR, this week, that announces 2020 Valuation Notices for 2021 Property Taxes to be Mailed this Week.
So, 2020 SAR Presdient Tom Clark met up with our County Assessor in the Audubon Park neighborhood (pictured above) to talk about this and get a general updated from the assessor on the work of his department.
Their conversation was shared as a Facebook Live event Thursday morning.
A recording of that conversation is on the SAR Facebook channel - click the image below to watch it now:
Read the news release from the Spokane County Assessor's office (pictured above) online here.
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SAR Attainable Housing Initiative
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Your SAR Governmental Affairs Committee - chaired by REALTOR® member Britney Inglis, and supported by staff member Darin Watkins - has been laboring the past year on the research and writing of an new report : A Case for Change: City of Spokane Attainable Housing Initiative.
This report was presented to the SAR Board of Directors at its August meeting, this week.
This is terrific information, presented in a clear, well-researched and well-written document.
The next step is to get this document under the eyes of regional leaders in both the public and private sectors so we can begin to work together on easing the housing inventory situation in Spokane.
Download your copy of the full report (pictured above)
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SAR Membership Committee
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2020 SAR Membership Committee Chair Ken Sax is here, this week, with a video message to reach out to our local Designated Brokers and Firm's Managing Brokers to ask the question: "What can your Association do for you?"
First, watch his new two-minute video online, below.
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SAR's Membership Committee
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Washington Governor Jay Inslee has paused indefinitely all 39 Washington counties in his Safe Start recovery program due to the increasing numbers of infection from COVID-19 across the state.
This means Spokane County will stay at Phase 2 for the foreseeable future.
UPDATED July 20th
Spokane County remains paused at Phase 2 in the governor's Safe Start recovery plan; Washington state continues to require face coverings in places of public gathering across the state.
View the full Face Covering Requirements document from the governor's office (pictured above) online here.
Spokane County remains in Phase 2 of the governor's Safe Start Recovery Plan.
Each county's status is based on five risk assessment areas: COVID-19 activity, testing, healthcare system readiness, case investigations and contact tracing, and the protection of populations at higher risk.
You can check the status of any county, any time, on the state's COVID-19 Risk Assessment Dashboard, online here.
Updated July 7th Washington REALTORS® and the Northwest Multiple Listing Service continue to revise the FAQ guidance document for Brokers as information changes. The current version of this document is new as of July 7th.
All Washington REALTORS® COVID-19 resources are online here.
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WR Legal Hotline: Form 22EF
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Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons is on a mission to answer all the questions on the Designated Broker Wish List.
We asked DBs around the state to submit questions or topics of discussion to her via email so she could address them and share them as a Friday Video.
TODAY'S QUESTION: "Wouldn't it be prudent for a listing agent to use the 22EF when a buyer is representing that they have non-contingent funds as a down payment in order to close the transaction? So often, we see buyer's brokers making the mistake of representing their buyer who has non-contingent funds when those funds are really contingent. And if the listing agent is not going to use that addendum, at least, have in material communications evidence that they've had that conversation with the seller around using 22EF and why. If the listing agent never does that, then, could the listing agent be accused of not representing their seller to the standard and care of an attorney?"
If you or your Designated Broker would like to have a question addressed, email [email protected].
Watch Annie's new nine-minute video online here:
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DB's Wishlist Q&A: Form 22EF
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Virtual SRS Course
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NEXT WEEK!
August 20 & 21
The TriCity Association of REALTORS® invites all SAR Brokers to participate in its upcoming virtual SRS course!
Adorna Carroll will be virtually teaching an SRS course on August 20th & 21st. 16 clock hours.
This is a great way for you to take a course from an instructor that is very well know from the comfort of home.
No travel required!
The SRS (Seller Representative Specialist) Course will redefine your "normal" and reinvent the way you represent sellers.
It provides a comprehensive foundation of skill development, training and resources to help YOU represent the interests of sellers in today's marketplace.
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SAR Professional Development
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SAR Professional Development
Your SAR Professional Development Committee is pleased to announce we will be holding two virtual classes with local instructors this month - see details below.
Please be in touch with Tami at the SAR if you have any questions about classes or your license education requirements, by phone at 326-9222 or by email.
NEXT WEEK!
Purchase & Sale Agreements with Sabrina Jones-Schroeder
Zoom class - must be present both days for credit
Thursday August 20, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Tuesday, August 25; 8:30 a.m. to noon 7.5 clock hours
To stay current with your continuing education requirements, please visit The CE Shop - Washington REALTORS®' preferred vendor for online continuing education.
These are state-approved, self-paced courses that you can take in the comfort of your own home or anywhere you have internet access.
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SAR CALENDAR
Click on the calendar image below to see
the current SAR calendar showing dates and times
of classes, committees, and events.
Other regional calendars:
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ON NOW!
Due to the pandemic this year, we will not be able to staff the grocery stores like we have in the past so we came up with a great alternative. However, it will only work if we can get enough of us to promote it.
This year's event started August 7th online.
Albertsons/Safeway stores will still prepare and sell $5 and $10 bags, as usual, starting September 1st.
The event concludes September 18th.
We would like your office to participate in a "Friendly, Fun Food Fight" competition by signing your office up for a GoFundMe page.
The winning office who brings in the most money will be presented a nice wall plaque that the office can keep for the year!
Excited yet?
Every year our Food Drive is one of the largest of the year for 2nd Harvest. They are very much depending on us. With your help, we can make this the biggest "Friendly, Fun Food Fight 2020" competition.
If you have any questions, contact the Chair Judy Flemmer 216-1135 or Tami at the SAR 326-9222.
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INW Fair Housing Virtual Conference
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Recording Available Now!
Your Spokane Association of REALTORS® is a sponsor for the Inland Northwest Fair Housing Virtual Conference, this year - made virtual, of course, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our signature event was a panel discussion, last week, on the topic Overcoming the Obstacles to Home Ownership.
This is great content to share with any clients you may have who are on the fence between renting or buying.
The entire presentation is available online here - it runs about an hour:
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Right Tools, Right Now
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The National Association of REALTORS® has relaunched its Right Tools, Right Now program which offers several business resources - many of which are free to members to help them in their businesses.
Right Tools, Right Now offers access to webinars, tips for managing finances, educational resources, and more.
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REALTOR.COM Seller's Marketplace
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A message to brokers from REALTOR.COM:
We are aware that we should/could have done things differently, as it relates to our industry communication, in regards to the Seller's Marketplace.
More specifically we should have provided you with more information about how this exciting new Marketplace aligns with the industry and supports brokers and agents.
We're hoping this email addresses this point.
We put together a webinar to help you and your members learn more about Seller's Marketplace.
Please join us for this webinar.
You will learn how savvy agents are learning to co-exist with new business models to better serve their customers and help make more money.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 11:00 AM
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RPR®: Working with Buyers
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RPR's July episode of "The Wow Factor" takes a look at working with buyers in the current market.
The special guest is Scott Beaudry, a Las Vegas Broker and REALTOR® with Better Homes and Garden Real Estate Universal.
Scott talks about how to work with home buyers virtually by using RPR and zoom video conferencing together to help create a buyer game plan in today's market.
And be sure to stick around until the very end for "The Breakdown", which features a how-to on creating RPR Buyer Tour Reports.
Play the 15-minute video online here:
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The Wow Factor: Episode 5 - Working with Buyers
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Mortgage Assistance Scams
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NEW!
Americans have lost about $106 million to fraud related to COVID-19 so far this year, the Federal Trade Commission warned on Tuesday.
That prompted the commission to issue an alert for consumers to be cautious about solicitations asking them to pay for access to certain financial assistance, such as stimulus checks, job opportunities, and mortgages.
The FTC warns that some scammers are duping homeowners to make them believe they need to pay up front for mortgage help.
"It's illegal for companies to charge you before they help you with your mortgage - but that doesn't stop scammers from trying," the FTC warns.
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SAR Member Roster Update - June
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Updated for June
Click here to view the latest Member Roster Update (pictured above) - approved by the SAR Board of Directors at its most recent meeting.
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SAR Market Activity Report - July
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The SAR Market Activity Report for July is now online.
See the latest full report - a member-exclusive product
See the July 2020Market Snapshot Report
See the 2020 Year to Date Market Snapshot Report (pictured above), online here.
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Presented by your
Spokane Association
of REALTORS®
See what's NEW at |
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Quick Information
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Tech Helpline: 866-610-8939
Legal Hotline: 800-562-6027
Washington State Legislature Hotline: 800-562-6000
MLS Weekly News & Info
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2020 SAR Leadership
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2020 SAR PRESIDENT
Tom Clark
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PRESIDENT ELECT
Coldwell Banker Tomlinson N
951-9331
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT:
Gina Mosey
RE/MAX Inland Empire 953-3410
SECRETARY:
John L. Scott, Inc.
280-8595
TREASURER:
Windermere Airway Heights
688-4151
Executive Vice President
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2020 SAR Committee Chairs
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BUDGET/FINANCE:
688-4151
COMMUNICATIONS:
954-5647
FORMS:
999-7488
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS:
218-8062
GRIEVANCE:
703-0385
MEMBERSHIP:
879-1636
MLS STEERING:
953-1666
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
951-9710
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS:
994-0359
SERVING OUR SPOKANE:
879-5092
SPECIAL EVENTS:
953-3410
TECHNOLOGY:
342-0406
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