Suburban West Realtors Association
Suburban West Weekly
March 18th, 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
  • Is Real Estate an Essential or Non-Essential Business?

  • Important Information For Our Members and Students

  • Complete Your Continuing Education From the Convenience of Your Home or Office

  • A License is Required to Show and Sell Property

  • Are You or Someone You Know Doing Great Work in the Community?

  • Make RPR an Important Tool for Your Business

  • How to Get a Mail-in Ballot

  • Calendar of Events 
 

 



Is Real Estate an Essential or Non-Essential Business?

These are confusing times. The Governor and CDC messages do not identify real estate in either category. That being said, Realtors® should take their cue from the purpose of the requested mitigation efforts. That is, to minimize physical contact that might further the spread of the highly contagious and deadly COVID-19 virus.
Real estate firms and related businesses should balance the purpose of the mitigation efforts with the impact on a specific transaction. When in doubt consult your firm's legal counsel. 
The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® has put together an FAQ to assist in the decision making process.

Important Information For Our Members and Students

As the coronavirus situation continues to evolve, the Suburban West Realtors® Association (SWRA) and the Association of Realtors® School (ARS) are committed to instituting procedures and best practices to maintain a safe environment for our members, students and staff.
At this time, the SWRA and ARS offices will continue to remain open for business to serve you, while taking the necessary health and safety precautions.  We will be operating with limited staff members, so we request your patience during this time.
Furthermore, effective immediately through April 13th, 2020, the following policies and procedures will be in effect at SWRA:
* All on-site and off-site SWRA and ARS events and programs (including classes held at the Montgomery County Association of Realtors® office in Blue Bell) are cancelled. This includes, but not limited to, any class, committee meeting, advisory group, task force or other meeting.
* Rescheduling options are being considered and updates will be provided accordingly.
* The deadline for existing MCE pass holders has been extended to May 31, 2020.
* During this time period and beyond, online courses are available as another option to attain your continuing education credits.
* We understand flexibility is key during uncertain times. Should you wish to cancel your registration to reschedule your class, please login to our student portal. For most students, the User Name is your First and Last Name and the Password is the last four digits of your social security number. Once logged in, scroll over “Events” on the toolbar and then click on “My Classes”. From here you can cancel a class under the course details button. You may also contact the School staff at 610-560-4900.
This is a fluid situation, and we will continually re-evaluate these practices as new information becomes available. And as a reminder, our website is always open for business.  Should you wish to contact a staff member directly, please email them and they will respond back promptly.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during these challenging times.

Complete Your Continuing Education From the Convenience of Your Home or Office

The Association of Realtors® School has partnered with OnCourse Learning to offer additional flexible online course options for PA licensees to complete their continuing education requirements from the convenience of their home or office. 

For the past decade we have offered individual course options, but now our School has made available online course packages, to help you bundle your required and elective classes together all while saving you money! Packages are available for first-time renewal agents and seasoned agents and offer both residential and commercial topics. For seasoned agents, the 3.5 PA Required 2018-2020 topic is included in each "existing licensee" package. Click here to access the online schedule and then choose the "Packages" tab to see the options, costs and to register!
Questions? Contact School Administrator, Gail Parke.
Please note that online course packages are a separate option from the MCE Season Pass Program. The MCE Season Pass cannot be used for online classes or online packages.

A License is Required to Show and Sell Property

The merger of the TREND and MRIS MLS systems to form BRIGHT MLS means even more listings available to MLS participants across state lines. This presents a ‘just because you can doesn’t mean you should’ scenario. A real estate license issued by the state in which the property is located is required to perform real estate related activity on the property. This includes all aspects of the sale from showing to closing. 
The MLS, through Showing Time requires agents to confirm proper licensure in order to schedule appointments. This confirmation step serves as a reminder to agents that appropriate licensure is required. When in doubt, MLS participants have the right and duty to check the license status of anyone representing a consumer in the transaction. To verify that an individual has an active PA license, click here. New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland have similar online verification portals.

Are You or Someone You Know Doing Great Work in the Community?

The deadline is quickly approaching to apply for Suburban West’s inaugural "Making a Difference" Community Services Awards initiative. This program's objective is to recognize active Realtor® members who are making an extraordinary impact on their community through volunteer work. Multiple winners will be selected in the Spring by an appointed leadership task force and these winners will receive grants ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 for their US 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and then be recognized at an Association event.
Please note that Realtors® may nominate themselves or may be nominated by someone else by filling out the Community Service Awards Application and returning it to the Association office. Click here for full rules and eligibility. Questions? Contact Kristin Tornetta.

Make RPR an Important Tool for Your Business

The Realtors® Property Resource (RPR), NAR's exclusive online real estate database, is a free tool available for Suburban West Realtors®. RPR provides advanced technology for creating property pricing presentations, research and analytics. The database includes robust, high value property and market specific data, offering REALTORS a competitive edge.
Click here to start using RPR! Please note, you will need your Realtor® NRDS ID and your BRIGHT MLS ID. Questions? Contact RPR Support by dialing 877-977-7576, available seven days a week!

How to Get a Mail-in Ballot

Act 77 of 2019 made significant changes to Pennsylvania elections. The law allows for more convenient and secure voting, including mail-in ballots. Voters can apply for a mail-in ballot in one of three ways:
* Fill out the online form at www.votespa.com if they have a Pennsylvania driver’s license or a PennDOT ID number.
* Download the form (PDF) and mail it to the county elections office.
* Visit a county elections office to apply in person.
The application must be received by the county elections office by Tuesday, April 21st, at 5:00pm to be in time for the primary election on Tuesday, April 28. Absentee ballots are still available to voters, but they require a specific excuse, such as illness, disability or being out-of-town on election day. No excuse is needed for a mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.
For more news items from the Suburban Realtors® Alliance, click here to access their Weekly News Briefs.
Online Continuing Education Packages
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Suburban West REALTORS Association
1 Country View Road, Suite 201, Malvern PA 19355
P: 610-560-4800 | F: 610-560-4801
Association of REALTORS School
1 Country View Road, Suite 101, Malvern PA 19355
P: 610-560-4900 | F: 610-560-4801
  Equal Housing Opportunity Realtor
Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma
Subscribe to our email list.