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SAR President's COVID-19 Roundtable
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TODAY!
Join 2020 SAR President
Tom Clark as he convenes a live roundtable discussion to answer your questions about the business realities for Spokane area REALTORS® during the governor's COVID-19 statewide shutdown.
Friday, March 27th at 12:30 p.m.
Confirmed panelists include:
Abbey Parsons, CB Tomlinson
Ken Sax, Keller Williams
Kristy Hamby, Windermere
Tom Hormel, WA Realtors and ReMax
Rob Higgins, SAR Executive Vice President
If you'd like to pre-ask a question, email it to:
Meeting ID: 133 890 422
Password: 411944
This program will be recorded and posted to the SAR YouTube channel following the discussion.
If you are reading this after the event, click here to watch the video:
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Dear SAR member:
It is the official position of the Spokane Association of REALTORS® that all Members must comply with the governor's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order, beginning
Wednesday, March 25th, at midnight and ending
Monday, April 6th, at midnight (unless continued by the governor).
This means:
All in-person contact with your clients must cease: no meetings, no showings, no open houses.
Virtual/electronic activity may continue and is encouraged: video meetings, virtual tours/open houses, and electronic documents/signing.
It may be a violation of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics and possibly also a violation of law to conduct business as usual, in person, during this time.
Writing for the SAR Board of Directors
Tom Clark, 2020 SAR President
March 24, 2020
All Spokane Association of REALTORS® COVID-19 resources are
online here.
Many national, state, and local governmental agencies are making resources available to businesses during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Your Spokane Association of REALTORS® Governmental Affairs committee is picking the best of these to share with you
online here.
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NEW!
Washington REALTORS®, last night, published a "Frequently Asked Questions" document to answer many of the questions that are coming in from Members across the state.
This document was created by Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline lawyer Annie Fitzsimmons and NWMLS counsel Justin Haag t
o help us all understand how Governor Inslee's "Stay Home,
Stay Healthy" emergency order impacts real estate brokers and related professionals.
Download your copy of this fresh document (pictured above), online here.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a Stay Home - Stay Healthy
Order (pictured above) across Washingt
on State effective at midnight tonight (Wednesday, March 25th).
This order prohibits
all people
in Washington State from leaving their homes or participating in social, spiritual and recreational
gatherings of any kind regardless of the number of participants, and all non-
essential businesses in
Washington State from conducting business."
This prohibition shall remain in effect
until
midnight on Monday, April 6, 2020, unless extended beyond that date
.
Real Estate activity must be conducted remotely for the next two weeks, starting this (Wednesday) evening.
In-person showings, physically touring houses with buyers, and holding open houses are not consistent with the Governor's message. These activities must stop for the next two weeks.
Read Governor Inslee's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order online here.
See the list of "Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers" online here.
Read "What the Governor's Emergency Order Means for REALTORS®" online here.
All Washington REALTORS® COVID-19 resources are
online here.
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Legal Hotline: Stay Home
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The say at home order is just that.
It orders Washingtonians to stay at home unless you are engaged in an essential service.
The order provides a list of essential services.
Real estate brokerage services are not on that list.
Washington REALTORS® Legal Hotline attorney
Annie Fitzsimmons is working from home like the rest of us.
That's where she recorded this video to say "physical showings of seller's home are not permitted based on the language of the order. Virtual tours certainly are."
See Annie's new nine-minute video online here:
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NAR has created a new guide for REALTORS®: "Shelter in Place During COVID-19," pictured above.
This document addresses concerns for REALTORS® across the country who - like us here in Spokane - are ordered to cease non-family person-to-person contact for a period of time and "shelter in place."
This document includes some handy information and is good to share with your team/associates.
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Spring Business Conference
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County Customer Service Goes Virtual
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In response to Governor and Health Authority mandates limiting public crowd size, the Offices of the Spokane County Treasurer, Auditor, and Assessor will moved their customer service operations to a virtual format effective Thursday March 19th and lasting until May 1st.
Citizens can still receive services online, via email or regular mail, and by phone.
This means citizens wishing to access Treasury, Auditor or Assessor services who arrive on site at the Courthouse will not be served in person at the front counters.
Citizens who have a complex issue that may require a face-to-face meeting with staff will be able to call or email to schedule an in-person meeting.
Contact information for Treasurer, Auditor & Assessor Offices:
- Treasurer: (509) 477-4713 (Property Tax Collection, Excise Taxes)
- Auditor: (509) 477-2270 (Recording & Marriage Licenses)
- Auditor: (509) 477-2222 (Vehicle Licensing & Titling)
- Assessor (509) 477-3698 (Property Assessment, Senior & Disabled Exemptions)
See the Board of County Commissioners order (pictured above) online here.
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2020 SAR REALTOR® Award Nominations
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DEADLINE: Friday, April 17th
Applications are now being accepted for all 2020 SAR REALTOR® Awards!
You and your REALTOR® colleagues will decide who will be our honorees for:
2020 REALTOR
® of the Year
Steve Flinn REALTOR
® Achievement
REALTOR
® Community Service
Affiliate of the Year
Partner of the Year
Spokane's Citizen of the Year
The deadline by which you must submit nominations to the SAR for them to be considered is Friday, April 17th.
The 2020 SAR REALTOR® Awards will be announced and presented on
Thursday, May 7th, at the SAR's annual REALTOR® Awards Luncheon at Ruby River Hotel (formerly Red Lion River Hotel).
Download the 2020 SAR REALTOR® Award Nomination Form (pictured above)
online here.
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2019 Gary Fox Memorial Award
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DEADLINE: April 20th
Nominations are now being accepted for the
2019 Gary Fox Memorial Designated/Managing Broker Award.
This award recognizes a Designated Broker or Managing Broker who serves as an example of loyalty, ethical behavior, and leadership in the real estate profession.
The deadline to submit applications to the SAR is Monday, April 20th.
The 2019 Gary Fox Memorial Designated/Managing Broker Award honree will be announced and presented on Thursday, May 7th, at the SAR's annual REALTOR® Awards Luncheon at Ruby River Hotel (formerly Red Lion River Hotel).
Download the award information/application packet (pictured above)
online here.
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2020 James S. Black Memorial Scholarship
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DEADLINE: April 17th
Applications are now being accepted for the
2020 James S. Black Memorial Scholarship.
This scholarship helps members pay for tuition and expenses leading to professional designations such as GRI, CRS, CPM, SIR, or MAI.
The deadline to submit applications to the SAR is Friday, April 17th.
The 2020 James S. Black Memorial Scholarship will be announced and presented on Thursday, May 7th, at the SAR's annual REALTOR® Awards Luncheon at Ruby River Hotel (formerly Red Lion River Hotel).
Download the scholarship information/application packet (pictured above)
online here.
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2020 SAR Legacy of Service Award
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DEADLINE: Friday, April 17th
Your SAR is now accepting nominations for its
2020 SAR Legacy of Service Award.
This award is created as a "Lifetime Achievement" award to honor those REALTOR® members who are respected in our profession by colleagues and serve our profession through various Association committees.
Additionally, this award honors those who spend the majority of their years as active REALTORS® mentoring newer members, helping to define regulations within our field, all the while giving back to the community.
Nominations are due Friday, April 17th.
The
2019 SAR Legacy of Service Award will be presented at the SAR Awards Luncheon on
Thursday, May 7th.
Download the information/nomination form (pictured above) online here .
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SAR Professional Development
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SAR Professional Development
SAR professional development classes and events bring the best local and state instructors/presenters here to Spokane to make it easy and affordable for you to stay current in your profession.
Click on each class title,
underlined in blue, to bring up a flyer for that class - suitable for posting in your office.
Register for these classes
online here:
Please be in touch with
Tami at the SAR if you have any questions about these classes or your license education requirements, by phone at
326-9222 or by
email.
All SAR professional development is cancelled until further notice.
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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Form 22FM - Force Majeure
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Many real estate attorneys now recommend you begin using Form 22FM in your contracts to manage risk under Force Majeure (an event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Parties to an existing purchase and sale agreement should consider amending their agreement to include Form 22FM.
Buyers and sellers who are not yet under contract, should consider using Form 22FM with new agreements for the foreseeable future.
Form 22FM (Force Majeure and Closing Addendum) is currently available on ZipForms and Transaction Desk."
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2nd Quarter MLS Fee Due - Fee Relief
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Your second-quarter MLS Fee is due at the end of this month, March 31.
HOWEVER - your SAR Board of Directors, meeting in emergency session, last week, approved one-time fee relief because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation.
This gives all members a 60 day extension on this deadline.
While MLS Fees remain due and payable on March 31st, no one will be cut off for non-payment until after May 31st.
If you'd like to take care of this now, click on the button below:
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COVID-19 Local Information
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Accurate, timely information is critical in times of public emergency - the closer to home the better.
We offer two links to help you keep up to date on news and information about the COVID-19 situation on the ground in Spokane.
Spokane Regional Health District is the public health authority in Spokane County.
It has the latest local details on this pandemic, as well as excellent collateral pieces to help you share accurate information about COVID-19 with your audiences.
Click on the image below to go directly to that page:
The Spokesman-Review is posting all of its COVID-19 local news reporting outside of its paywall through this pandemic.
You can also sign up for a COVID-19 newsletter that will send breaking news about local COVID-19 directly to your email box.
Click on the image below to go directly to that page:
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Important Form Revisions
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IMPORTANT!
The Spokane Addendum to Purchase and Sale Agreement (SAR-SA) is revised and now available on TransactionDesk and ZipForms.
Please read the Memo from Brian Balch, Layman Law Firm, PLLP, explaining the revisions.
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SAR Classes Zoom
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You SAR has moved all of its local classes to the Zoom platform so that Member may enjoy learning new skills to improve their businesses without the person-to-person non-family contact currently prohibited by state law.
More than 20 Members attended this recent class (see photo above), Intro to MLS by instructor Denise Ware.
Information on upcoming online SAR classes will be shared here in the Weekly Notices.
Click on the button below to download the Zoom software now.
Then, get ready to Zoom with us!
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SAR Governmental Affairs Brief
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The 2020 Regular Session of the Washington State Legislature adjourned sine die on March 12, 2020.
For a look at how we fared in the recent Washington Legislative Session, check out the SAR Governmental Affairs Brief online here.
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Open House Weekend - Stay Tuned
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The SAR Communications Committee will take up the question of what to do with this year's Open House Weekend event when it holds its next meeting on
March 31st.
Members will decide, at that time, whether to cancel the event outright, delay it until the governor's social distancing order is lifted, or do something else.
Stay tuned!
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Member Roster Update - February
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Updated for February
Click here to view the latest Member Roster Update (pictured above) - approved by the Board of Directors at its February meeting.
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Market Activity Report - February
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The SAR Market Activity Report for
February is now online.
See the latest full report -
a member-exclusive product
See the
February 2020
Market 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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