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January 2, 2009  Distribution of the new SafeMLS tokens has been set for
There are 6 sessions on January 29th and 7 sessions on January 30th to choose from!
Thursday, January 29th, 8:00 a.m. >> Token distribution will take place at the SCAOR office. You will need to bring photo ID with you in order to collect your token. After you receive your token, you will be given a short 15 minute training session on how to use it. If you are unable to attend January 29th or January 30th, there will be a "makeup" day on February 28th where you will have one last chance to retrieve your token. By March 2nd, if you do not have your SafeMLS token, you will not be able to log onto the MLS. You must attend one of these short, convenient token distribution and training sessions to be ready for March 2nd. Saturday, February 28th Makeup Sessions Thank you for your attention! See the full schedule to select from at www.scaorstore.com >>
THANK YOU FROM 2008 PRESIDENT, BILL LUCKS
SCAOR OFFICE HAS MADE THE MOVE!
If time allows, staff will be happy to give a short tour of our facility, as our "old" building is rehabbed for staff offices.
20+ year pins will also be awarded at the 2009 Installation. Come and help welcome the new 2009 KCAR Board of Directors.
Go to www.thescaorstore.com to register for the classes you need, and beat the rush. Delaware REALTORS® may begin taking classes now towards their April, 2010 renewal requirements. PRE-LICENSING COURSE - COMING IN 2009
BE ON THE LOOKOUT... SENTRILOCK CHANGE IS ON THE WAY
SentriLock is working on an improvement with lockbox ownership. Lockboxes will be owned by an office keycard, not individual broker keycards. This will alleviate issues when an office has a change in broker. More news as it becomes available! If you have questions, call Gail at 855-2300 ext 200, or email her at gail@scaor.com. MULTI-FAMILY vs. DUPLEX CLARIFICATION
Multi-Family is a designated Property Type in the MLS. A property should be listed as a Multi-Family residence if the property sits on a single parcel of land, does not have separate unit numbers as part of a condominium ownership, and can only be sold together to a single entity. The property contains more than one residence and can be occupied by multiple families.
Duplex is a style of home that is found under "Coded Features" in the MLS.
Did you know that you can login to www.realtor.org and view your office roster to see who has an outstanding invoice?? Click Here for Instructions >>
ETHICALLY SPEAKING... Our Duties to Clients and Customers
Code of Ethics Case Study #6-5: REALTOR® X, a principal broker in the firm XY&Z, prided himself on his state of the art website that he used both to publicize his firm and to serve the firm's clients and customers electronically. REALTOR® X maintained positive business relationships with providers of real estate-related products and services including financial institutions, title insurance companies, home inspectors, mortgage brokers, insurance agencies, appraisers, exterminators, decorators, landscapers, moving companies, and others. Given the volume of business REALTOR® X's firm handled, several of these companies advertised on the XY&Z home page and some of them, including the Third National Bank, included links to their own websites. Buyer B, who had earlier entered into an exclusive buyer representation agreement with XY&Z, received frequent, automated reports from REALTOR® X about new properties coming onto the market. Hoping to purchase a home in the near future, he took advantage of REALTOR® X's rich website to familiarize himself with the real estate-related products and services advertised there. Hoping to expedite his purchase experience by pre-qualifying for a mortgage loan, Buyer B went to REALTOR® X's website and clicked on the Third National Bank's link. Once at the bank's website, he found a mortgage to his liking, completed the on-line application process, and learned in a matter of days that he was qualified for a mortgage loan. In the meantime, Buyer B's property search, guided both by REALTOR® X personally and through periodic updates from REALTOR® X's Web site, proved fruitful. REALTOR® X and Buyer B visited a new listing on Hickory Street several times. Buyer B decided it met his needs and made an offer which was accepted by the seller. A few weeks after the closing, Buyer B hosted a housewarming attended by his friend D, a website designer who had, coincidentally, been instrumental in developing REALTOR® X's website. Buyer B told D how helpful the information from REALTOR® X's website had been. "You know, don't you, that each time a visitor to REALTOR® X's website clicks on some of those links, REALTOR® X is paid a fee?", asked D. "I didn't know that," said Buyer B, "I thought the links were to products and services REALTOR® X was recommending." Buyer B filed an ethics complaint against REALTOR® X alleging a violation of Article 6 for having recommended real estate products and services without disclosing the financial benefit or fee that REALTOR® X would receive for making the recommendation. At the hearing, REALTOR® X defended himself and his website, indicating that the advertisements for real estate-related products and services on his website were simply that, advertisements, and not recommendations or endorsements. He acknowledged that he collected a fee each time a visitor to his website clicked on certain links, regardless of whether the visitor chose to do business with the "linked to" entity or not. "In some instances I do recommend products and services to clients and to customers. In some instances I receive a financial benefit; in others I don't. But in any instance where I recommend a real estate-related product or service, I go out of my way to make it absolutely clear I am making a recommendation, and I spell out the basis for my recommendation. I also disclose, as required by the Code, the financial benefit or fee that I might receive. Those advertisements on my website are simply that, advertisements, no different than classified ads run in the local newspaper." Based on your understanding of the Code of Ethics Article 6, how do you think the Professional Standards Panel ruled? Find out in next week's At a Glance!
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© Copyright 2009 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 |
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