January 25, 2008

 

 

The SCAOR staff have a few upcoming training sessions and meetings scheduled. During these brief times the phones will be turned to "message" mode.

January 31	8 am - 9 am
February 26	3 pm - 4:30 pm

The office will be re-opened immediately after each session. We appreciate your cooperation!

 

Agents are required to have a total of 15 continuing education credits by April 30, 2008. Mandatory classes are Real Estate Concepts and Legislative Update. NAR Ethics is required by the end of 2008, but not mandatory by April. It can be taken as one elective during the re-licensing period. Each class is three credits.

Sign up online at www.thescaorstore.com for your classes, and get done before the April madness begins!

 

Due to the onslaught of spam, mail servers today need to be configured differently than they did in the past.

Today, Internet service providers (ISPs), like AOL, work harder to verify that e-mail is legitimate by looking up where it came from. Yet many associations and smaller ISPs do not have a verifiable identity record on their mail servers, which can lead to undelivered mail.

Here are some steps to take to ensure that SCAOR e-mails will be delivered with the fewest difficulties to your mailbox. You may be blocking our association e-mails and not even realize it.

Here are some tips on how to unblock our SCAOR e-mails:

1. Add the association's e-mail address, info@scaor.com, to your e-mail address book.

2. Look for association e-mail in your spam folder and click the "not spam" button.

3. Move your e-mail filter level from high to medium.

4. Make sure your filter is not blocking HTML e-mail or e-mail sent to more than one recipient.

5. Provide your Internet service provider with the association's e-mail (info@scaor.com) and request that it not be blocked. If your ISP has questions concerning unblocking the association's e-mails, please have them contact support@cybernetworkers.com.

 

On January 23, 2008, twelve Sussex County REALTORS^® met at SCAOR as an exploratory meeting to establish a Local Chapter of the Women's Council of REALTORS^® (WCR). A presentation was made describing "what is" the Women's Council of REALTORS^® and how a Local Chapter is formed. There was overwhelming support and enthusiasm to begin to form a Local Chapter in Sussex County. The next meeting of the WCR will be held on Thursday, February 14, 2008 from 3:30 - 5 pm at SCAOR.

Come to find out what Women's Council is all about and bring a friend. For further information contact Brad Riedle at 302-227-4800 or briedle@remax.net. To register, click on the link below.

Please RSVP Here >>       

 

During this very busy continuing education period, please do the following to ensure your class choices are obtained:

• If at all possible, sign up online through www.thescaorstore.com. Once your order is submitted, you are guaranteed a space in your class.

• When signing up online, if you are registering more than one person, or registering someone else, note in the comments section who is attending the class.

• Faxing a class registration does not ensure a class will be available.

• Credits must be completed by April 30, 2008.

• January and February classes are $5 cheaper, and you can beat the rush!

• Please note the location of your class(es). Most are held at the SCAOR, but other locations include the CHEER center or Administrative building on the Circle.

 

FEBRUARY CLASSES ARE NOW SELLING OUT See the Full Schedule of Open Classes and Register Today >> $5.00 PRICE INCREASE IN SCAOR CLASSES AS OF MARCH 1 The SCAOR Education Committee has voted to increase the price of education classes. In January and February, SCAOR members pay $40.00 per class; non-SCAOR REALTORS®, $45; and non-members/non-REALTORS®, $50.00. In March, prices increase $5.00, so sign up now for February classes, and SAVE! As of now, January classes are SOLD OUT and February classes are also starting to sell out. Classes will sell out even more quickly as we approach the April 30, 2008 license renewal deadline. There are upcoming classes with more than 10 seats still open as of today: Risk Reduction for the Real Estate Agent on February 12 approved for 3 hours Legislative Update and taught by Ruth Vella, and Septic Training on February 20 approved for 3 elective hours and taught by Gerry Desmond. BROKER ALERT! — We know your schedule is busy. Please look at your calendars and register for your Broker's Core Credits now. The January offering sold out. Please register now while your choice of days are plentiful. DATE TIME CLASS INSTRUCTOR Wednesday, February 13 9 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Broker's Core - 6 hours Class Location - SCAOR Office Vincent White Tuesday, March 4 9 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Broker's Core - 6 hours Class Location - CHEER Center Gene Millman Thursday, March 13 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Broker's Core - 6 hours Class Location - SCAOR Office Vincent White Thursday, April 10 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Broker's Core - 6 hours Class Location - SCAOR Office Vincent White ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT THE SCAOR OFFICE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. Registration will not be taken over the phone. No credits will be issued to late arrivals. Please notify SCAOR of any disabilities requiring special accommodations.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated January as National Radon Action Month. Learn more about the national effort to take action against radon by reviewing:

A Citizen's Guide to Radon:
The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon.

 

 

True Picture in Your Advertising

The other day I received a flyer from a fellow REALTOR^® showing a list of properties that were sold in a particular community. There was no disclosure indicating that the SOLDs represented the efforts of REALTORS^® associated with the Sussex County Association of REALTORS^® multi-list system.

Find Out What You Need to Know Here >>

 

If you are working with the Seller or the Buyer of a Manufactured home, you may wish to verify that the home is assessed and classified as Real Estate (Class "C") and not a motor vehicle. The following steps, provided by Sussex County Department of Assessment, explain the process from an owner's point of view.

Click Here to Read the Steps >>

 

Below is a case interpretation related to Article 5. Please read the complaint and make a judgment on how the Professional Standards Panel should rule. The Hearing Panel's decision will be published in next week's newsletter.

Case #5-1: Contemplated Interest in Property Appraised
(Revised Case #13-6 May, 1988.
Transferred to Article 4 November, 1994. Revised November, 2001.)

Seller A and Buyer B were negotiating the sale of an apartment building, but couldn't agree on the price. Finally, they agreed that each would engage an appraiser and they would accept the average of the two appraisals as a fair price. Seller A engaged REALTOR^® C as his appraiser, and Buyer B engaged REALTOR^® D. Both REALTORS^® were informed of the agreement of the principals. The two appraisal reports were submitted. The principals averaged the two valuations and made the transaction at the price determined.

Six months later, it came to the attention of Seller A that REALTOR^® C was managing the building that he had appraised. Upon making further inquiries he learned that REALTOR^® C for several years had managed five other buildings owned by Buyer B, and that he had been Buyer B's property manager at the time he accepted the appraisal assignment from Seller A.

At this point Seller A engaged REALTOR^® E to make an appraisal of the building he had sold to Buyer B. REALTOR^® E's valuation was approximately 30% higher than that arrived at six months earlier by REALTOR^® C.

These facts were set out in a complaint against REALTOR^® C made by Seller A to the local Board of REALTORS^®. The complaint charged that since REALTOR^® C was an agent of Buyer B; since he managed all of Buyer B's properties; since he had become manager of the property he had appraised for Seller A in connection with a sale to Buyer B; and since he had not disclosed his relationship to Buyer B, he had acted unethically, and in the interest of his major client had placed an excessively low valuation on the property he had appraised for Seller A.

At the hearing, Seller A also brought in a witness who stated that he had heard Buyer B say that he had made a good buy in purchasing Seller A's building because Seller A's appraiser was his (Buyer B's) property manager.

Buyer B, appearing as a witness for REALTOR^® C, disputed this and protested that he had paid a fair price. He substantiated REALTOR^® C's statement that management of the building formerly owned by Seller A was never discussed between them until after it had been purchased by Buyer B.

How do you think the Professional Standards Panel ruled?
Find out in next week's At a Glance.

 

If you are utilizing the police icon on the MLS to send an email to a fellow REALTOR^®, please remember the Golden Rule. Treat others as you wish to be treated. A friendly email asking if something is incorrect is better than a "flaming" email in ALL CAPS!!!, which is considered rude and offensive. Although the sender is anonymous, this does not remove common courtesy as an expected behavior. SCAOR staff is always happy to answer questions about MLS entries, possible errors or omissions. Contact Kristi or TracyLee at 302-855-2300 to clarify before entering, and avoid a compliance email completely.

 
 

 
Listing of January 29, 2008 through February 25, 2008
Delaware News & Meetings

 

 
 
 

 

Did you know there was a listing of answers and instructions for Frequently Asked Lockbox Questions?   Find them here at the SentriLock Q&A Archive >>

 
Congratulations to our SentriSecure Offices!

SentriSecure Brokerages as of 1.24.08 >>

Brokerages with Combo Boxes as of 1.24.08 >>

 

© Copyright 2008 Sussex County Association of REALTORS^®
23407 Park Ave., Georgetown, DE 19947, USA
Phone (302) 855-2300  ~  Fax (302) 855-2319  ~  info@scaor.com  ~  www.scaor.com