January 15, 2025

Every three years, REALTORS® complete mandatory Code of Ethics training required by the National Association of REALTORS®. This cycle (cycle 8) runs from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027.

Beginning in 2025, all REALTORS® are required to meet updated training requirements. In addition to the 2.5 hours of ethics training previously required, REALTORS® must also complete 2 hours of Fair Housing training within the same 3-year cycle. 

These trainings are separate but mandatory, and there are various options to complete them, including courses that provide continuing education credit.

Fair Housing Training Options

REALTORS® can fulfill the Fair Housing requirement through any of the following options:

Fairhaven 2.0 : Available free through NAR starting January 14, 2025.

Fairhaven is an interactive training platform developed by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) to promote fair housing practices. Through realistic simulations and scenarios, it helps REALTORS® identify and address discrimination in real estate to ensure equitable treatment for all clients.

At Home With Diversity (AHWD) : Available for $125.00 through The Association of REALTORS® School starting January 23, 2025 *Includes 7 hours towards PA license renewal.

Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing : Available for $75.00 through The Association of REALTORS® School starting March 4, 2025 *Includes 3.5 hours towards PA license renewal.

Additional courses that fulfill the requirement will be made available on a rolling basis. All courses are subject to Association approval.

How Will This Be Tracked?

Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® tracks both Code of Ethics and Fair Housing training completion.

Members can verify their Fair Housing training status through their Secure Member Portal starting March 1st, or directly via NAR. 

Questions?

For all information regarding Code of Ethics training, click here.
For all information regarding Fair Housing training, click here.
For further information, refer to the NAR Fair Housing requirement page.

Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® continues to help members communicate the latest real estate market conditions with a set of Monthly Residential Market Statistics for area counties and their respective school districts. Note that these monthly statistics cover all school districts in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. Philadelphia and select Berks County school districts are also available. The reports are updated on or around the 12th of the month for the previous month’s statistics. If you have questions or requests, please contact Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® Director of Marketing and Communications, Lauren Davis.

An assortment of reports is also available to Bright MLS members at BrightMLS.com such as Agent & Office Production, County Information, Home Demand Index & a comprehensive Mid-Atlantic Regional monthly report.  Once logged into their site, click the "Market" tab and choose the "Market Statistics Report" option in the drop-down menu to access the various reports. 

Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® will be closed on Monday, January 20, 2025. Business hours will resume at 8:00 am on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

Annually, Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® members are invoiced for their REALTOR® membership. The Association continues to provide the most benefits for your dues dollars while helping you contain your expenses. 

The final deadline for 2025 dues payment is January 31st, 2025.

As you consider your dues options for 2025, please click here for full information on the payment options or here to access a helpful chart.

How You Can Pay:
(1) Online anytime via Tri-County's Secure Online Portal.
(2) By phone Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm. 610-560-4800 
(3) By check: Mail to 1 Country View Road, Suite 201, Malvern PA 19355. If remitting a check in-person or via mail, please make your check payable to "TCSR".

Questions on membership renewal? Please contact Tri-County Suburban’s Accounting Manager, Tara Lacey, or call the Association office at 610-560-4800.

On January 8th, PAR’s Legal Corner discussed current legal topics related to recent license law changes that define and regulate “wholesale” real estate transactions. Chief Legal Officer Hank Lerner, Assistant General Counsel Desiree Brougher, Associate Counsel Kacy Clouser and Advocacy Managers Jeffrey Dempsey and Marcus Huertas discussed these changes and some of what it may mean in the market during the webinar. Here is a quick recap. 

What Is Wholesaling? 

The Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act now defines a wholesale transaction as “Undertaking to promote the sale, exchange or purchase of an equitable interest or other interest in residential property with the intent to assign, sell or otherwise transfer the interest for a fee, commission or other valuable monetary consideration without having taken title as the owner of record of the interest.” 

A wholesale transaction often looks similar to a typical real estate transaction – in both scenarios a seller and buyer eventually connect though a middleman to transfer ownership rights in a property. But in a typical real estate transaction that middleman is often a real estate broker who owes some sort of legal duty to the seller and/or buyer in exchange for a negotiated fee. In a wholesale transaction, the middleman/wholesaler facilitates the eventual transaction without any duties to either the buyer or seller. That means wholesale transactions were essentially unregulated, which is what the statutory changes are trying to fix. Aside from creating a new definition of wholesale transactions, the act changes the definitions of “broker” and “salesperson” to include those who engage in wholesale transactions. That is what now brings wholesale transactions under the scope of RELRA, and makes wholesale transactions licensed activity. 

To read the full article on PAR's Just Listed Blog, click here. 

To hear about the wholesaling changes in further detail, view the webinar recording here.

The 2025 housing market is shaping up to be a challenging one, with mortgage rates persistently elevated, homes prices at record highs, and inventory stubbornly low. Despite the obstacles, there is significant pent-up demand and many would-be homeowners out there still dreaming of their home purchase. What features and amenities will future homebuyers be shopping for?

What buyers are looking for in a home

Bright MLS conducted a nationwide survey of prospective homebuyers between December 15 and 16, 2024, to better understand the home features and neighborhood amenities that are most important to future homebuyers. According to responses from 672 individuals who were planning to buy a home in the future, the most important factor was the condition of the home. More than half (56.1%) said that it was “very important” to buy a home that was move-in ready, with no repairs or major improvements needed. Another 37.8% said that buying a home that was in move-in-ready condition was “somewhat important” to them.

Most important to buyers is whether there will be sufficient room, with 53.2% of respondents ranking the number of bedrooms as “very important” to them.

After the home’s size, the most sought-after feature was a garage, according to respondents planning to buy a home in the future, followed closely by a primary bedroom with on suite bathroom. Nearly 50% of respondents rated these home features as “very important” when looking for a home to buy.

Click here to read the full report from Bright's Exclusive Market Research & Analysis.

Almost three years after the completion of the 33-home Bayberry Crossing development, Pennsburg Borough Council placed the developer in default. Council members voted unanimously to issue a notice of default to HG Properties 20 LP. Bayberry Crossing is located between 8th and 11th streets near the border with Red Hill. Solicitor Mark Hosterman said a letter sent to the company requests that the work at the community be completed by June 30. The necessary work includes the paving and dedication of Bayberry Drive, dealing with concrete and sidewalk issues, and a stormwater retention basin located near the intersection of Bayberry Drive and Seminary Street. If the developer does not comply with the request, Pennsburg could utilize approximately $200,000 held in escrow to fund the work, and seek additional money to complete the work if needed. 
Source: Town & Country; 1/1/2025

January 16th | 1:00pm-2:00pm 
BrightMLS Buyer Tools I Virtual Webinar
Virtual Webinar

January 16th | 5:00pm-8:00pm 
2025 Board of Directors Installation (SOLD OUT)
Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club

January 23rd | 9:00am-4:30pm 
At Home with Diversity (AHWD) (Fulfills Required 2 Hrs in Fair Housing PA 2024-2026 Renewal) 
Association of REALTORS® School, Malvern

February 6th | 11:15am-1:00pm 
Commercial Real Estate 2025: Market Forecast and Economic Insights
Association of REALTORS® School, Malvern

February 11th & 12th (two-day course) | 9:00am-4:30pm
ABR: Accredited Buyer Representative
Association of REALTORS® School, Malvern

Contact Us
610-560-4800
info@tcsr.realtor

Office
1 Country View Road
Suite 201
Malvern, PA 19355