DESIGNATED
REALTOR
®
ISSUE 2: April 2021
NJREALTOR.COM
I M P O R TA N T D AT E S & D E A D L I N E S
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
1
2
8
4
2
3
14
19
April Fools’ Day
NJ Realtors® Office Closed—Good Friday
4
Flag Day
National Association of Realtors® Virtual Legislative Meetings
NJ Realtors Educade Begins
20
Mother’s Day
12
22
17
30
31
Earth Day
Orthodox Good Friday
Father’s Day
9
12
Ramadan Begins
Eid al-Adha Begins
Juneteenth
Cinco de Mayo ®
Independence Day
19
5
Easter
6
Board of Directors Meeting
Orthodox Easter
Eid al-Fitr
Tax Day
NJ Realtors® Office Closed—Memorial Day
WHAT’S BUZZING IN REAL ESTATE?
1 2
EDUCADE is here! Register now and earn all of your mandated continuing education credits before your license expires. Register here.
The current continuing education cycle ends on June 30 and agents who do not complete the mandated 12 credits before April 30 will pay a late fee in addition to the license renewal fee. Read up on all of the requirements here.
3
Harness your leadership skills and apply for a committee on the national level. Apply by May 7 and submit up to five applications for different committees of interest. Learn more about the application process here.
4
As of April 5, real estate, building, and home service workers, including construction workers, code officials, property management, and more will be eligible to schedule their COVID-19 vaccinations. Learn more here.
5
Last month, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, a 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, into law. The plan includes a $1,400 stimulus check, an extension to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, rental assistance, a Housing Assistance Fund, and more. Read more about the American Rescue Plan here.
6
According to the National Association of Realtors® 2021 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, “millennial buyers 22 to 30 years (younger millennials) and buyers 31 to 40 years (older millennials) continue to make up the largest share of home buyers at 37 percent.” Read the full report here.
7
Open floor plans are going by the wayside according to the 2021 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. Only 43 percent of renovating homeowners went with an open floor concept compared to 53 percent in 2019. Read more here.
Honor Fair Housing Month A
s stated in the Code of Ethics, New Jersey Realtors® and the National Association of Realtors® oppose housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and national origin. Article 10 outlines specific standards of practice—read them here. Reconfirm your commitment to fair housing by participating in educational programs and discovering fair housing resources.
Take the Implicit Bias Test The Perception Institute launched an Implicit Bias Test so participants could better understand what implicit bias is and how it impacts our everyday life. According to the Perception Institute, “we use the term implicit bias to describe when we have attitudes towards people or associate stereotypes with them without our conscious knowledge.” Since most times we don’t realize we have these stereotypes, the test helps participants to further understand implicit bias’s impact on society—learn more about the test and take it here.
Visit the Fictional Town of Fairhaven In this interactive educational training simulation, real estate professionals work against the clock to buy or sell four properties while dealing with discriminatory situations. As you work through the training, you will receive feedback on your performance you can bring into the real world to your business. Let’s help combat housing discrimination in New Jersey and across the country—click here to get started with the simulation.
At Home with Diversity Certification Course Take the course for a discounted rate of $20 at NJ Realtors® Educade on April 9. Help buyers of all cultural backgrounds achieve the goal and dream of homeownership by completing the AHWD Certification. The course will help Realtors® develop business practices that promote equality and inclusion so they can work effectively with all populations. Learn more here.
Share Fair Housing Graphics Through Photofy Are you signed up for Photofy? If not, now’s the time! New Jersey Realtors® just added brand-new fair housing assets to its library of premade customizable graphics. Sign up for Photofy for free here.
Want More?
Fair Housing Book List
Fair Housing Movie List
Fair Housing Podcast List
Designated REALTOR® | April 2021 | 1
EDUCADE EDUCADE is Here!
Tuesday, April 6 • 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Code of Ethics and the Fair Housing Act 2 Ethics and 1 Fair Housing Credit NOTE: Satisfies NAR ethics requirement and NJREC Continuing Education ethics and fair housing requirements. Eileen Cahill, CRS, ABR, SRS, SRES, RENE, AHWD, SFR, CNE, CDPE Broker Associate, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
This session will focus on how to practice real estate in the most ethical way possible and the actions taken when ethics are in question. The course will also cover both the Federal and State Fair Housing guidelines in celebration of 50 plus years of Fair Housing to ensure equal housing opportunity for all.
EDUCADE
Tuesday, April 6 • 2–4 p.m. Financial Literacy 100 2 Core Credits Doug Stives, MBA, CPA Specialist Professor, Monmouth University
12 Credits for $21 Join NJ Realtors® April 6-9 and complete all of your mandated continuing education credits before the license cycle comes to a close. The current CE cycle ends on June 30 and agents who do not complete the mandated 12 credits before April 30 will pay a late fee in addition to the license renewal fee.
As an independent professional, there are many ways to improve your present situation while preparing for your future needs. This session will cover recent changes in tax law, what Realtors® can deduct, and best practices for maintaining records. Information on the Like Kind Exchange, the Qualified Business Income deduction, and the Exclusion of Gain on the sale of primary residences will be also be included.
Wednesday, April 7 • 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Maximizing First Time Home Buyer Opportunities with Down Payment Assistance 2 Elective Credits Lakesha Walker
Check Out the EDUCADE Sessions Continuing education credit will only be awarded to those who attend the session for the full amount of time and participate using the polling and/or Q&A features.
Designated REALTOR® | April 2021 | 2
Manager of Business Development, Single Family Division, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
This course will equip you to uncover opportunities for renters, first-time home buyers, and those in Urban Target Areas. You’ll be able to share with potential buyers a greater depth of information about resources available to help them become homeowners. You’ll also learn about the tools to help your clients overcome the issue of funds for down payment and closing costs and learn about NJHMFA’s Home Buyer Programs.
Wednesday, April 7 • 2–4 p.m. Running Your Business in a Low Inventory Market
Thursday, April 8 • 4–5 p.m. Bringing it all Back Home 1 Fair Housing Credit
2 Elective Credits
Bryan Greene Vice President of Policy Advocacy, National Association of Realtors®
Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, CDPE, e-PRO , MRP, MA ®
Realtor®, RE/MAX Around Atlanta
A low inventory market means a skill set shift. You need to know how to generate inventory, market yourself to get more listings, handle multiple offers to the sellers and position buyers’ offers in a multiple offer setting. In this course, taken right from the trenches of today’s market, Neill will even address the psychology of the unrealistic seller and the disappointed/ angry buyer.
Thursday, April 8 • 9:30–10:30 a.m. Legal Issues You Have To Understand To Stay Out Of Real Estate Brokerage Jail 1 Core Credit
This course will cover the fundamentals of fair housing including disparate treatment, the importance of testing to uncover race and national income discrimination, the disparate impact theory of liability, requirements under the Fair Housing Act for residents or applicants with disabilities, protections for families with children, source of income protections, and the NAR ACT Initiative.
Friday, April 9 • 10 a.m.–4 p.m. For an Additional $20 You Can Take the At Home With Diversity Certification Course 5 Core Credits and 1 Fair Housing Credit EDUCADE
Anna Janda
Barry Goodman, Esq.
School Director, NEXUS Association of Realtors®
New Jersey Realtors® Legal Counsel EDUCADE
This course will cover a variety of relevant real estate topics and help you develop risk management techniques that can be immediately implemented.
Thursday, April 8 • 1–3 p.m. Top 10 Ways Tech Can Ruin Your Business 2 Core Credits Craig Grant Chief Executive Officer, The Real Estate Technology Institute (RETI)
As part of your professional duties as a real estate licensee, you regularly collect and store vital client information. You are also encouraged to use technology tools and online resources that open you and your clients up to the risk of viruses, malware, social engineering, identity theft and more. This session will help steer you and your clients through the perilous legal, online and social media world and will provide personal and computer safety tips.
Realtors® know the importance of adapting and remaining relevant in today’s marketplace. By developing a business practice rooted in inclusion and equality, Realtors® can help buyers of all cultural backgrounds achieve the dream of homeownership. The At Home With Diversity® certification course covers how to work effectively with diverse populations so you can build business success in today’s multicultural real estate market. How to Earn the Certification: • Complete this 1-Day At Home With Diversity® certification course • Be a Member in good standing of the National Association of Realtors® • Pay the one-time application fee of $40* (special discounted application fee valid thru May 30).
Designated REALTOR® | April 2021 | 3
Gets a Refresh
A
t the end of February, Realtors Property Resource® launched its latest update—the refreshed website is now cleaner and provides a more intuitive user experience. Click here to get started with RPR®. About RPR® The Realtors® Property Resource is the largest property database in the nation, exclusively for Realtors®. RPR® is included in your Realtor® membership and provides access to different reports, details on properties and pricing, market activity, and more. With the latest update, you’ll be providing your clients with in-depth reports in no time. If you’ve never used RPR®, start by visiting narrpr.com and clicking “Create a New Account.” If you tend to work on the go, consider downloading the RPR® smartphone app so you can dive into data from anywhere.
Walk through the RPR® refresh with National Association of Realtors® President Charlie Oppler.
Designated REALTOR® | April 2021 | 4
What’s in the RPR® Rebuild? A Fresh Home Page The RPR® homepage underwent renovations to provide easy access to the most used features such as research, marketing materials, and reports plus, RPR® added shortcuts to make site navigation painless. Any work you do from previous visits is now saved to your profile so you can pick up right where you left off. Another new homepage feature is quick access to add/edits your markets, saved/recent searches, past/current properties, and more. If you get stuck, scroll to the bottom of the RPR® homepage for links out to the RPR® Facebook discussion page, tech support, and on-demand webinars. Updated Search Tool If you have clients with specific property wants, the updated search tool is for you. Find properties matching your client’s requirements filtering by location, property type, price point, year built, and much more. Save your searches to keep up with new listings and find the perfect property for your client. You can also create your own keywords so you can nail down exactly what you’re looking for with ease. Revamped Map Tool Bring your saved searches over to the map tool and search within certain geographical boundaries such as neighborhoods, school districts, opportunity zones, or freehand your desired area with the advanced drawing tool. The map tool also
features search indicators such as commute time, traffic delays, and journey length to make it easier to find properties that meet your client’s needs. If you have multiple residential indicators you want to search for, use RPR® heat map data layers. The layers allow you to put data points such as flood zones or distressed properties over top of a specific geographic area.
As for market activity, all of the new search features apply to it as well, so you can seamlessly pull market data for your saved searches.
What’s New with Search Results, Property Details, and Market Activity Sections? There are now three ways you can display your search results: list view, photo grid view, and through the map tool. Sort your results by living area price per square foot, the number of bedrooms, and more. Love a property? Click the heart icon to come back to it later. All of the data saves to your account, and you can access it through all of the different views. For example, the properties you liked in the list or photo grid view will appear as a heart icon on the map tool. When you click on a property from your search results, you can see everything from listing photos to historical records. The property detail tabs also received a redesign to match the home page. You can now take notes on the property and even add photographs so you can reference back whenever you want. If a virtual tour is available for the property, you can view it through the RPR® property details.
What’s New on The Commercial Side of RPR® The new toggle feature between the commercial and residential side makes using RPR® easier for agents with more than one specialty. The site selection tools were redesigned, and more tools were added. You can now identify locations for businesses based on attributes such as demographics, household, income, city, and more. The commercial side of RPR® also has access to search and filter tools that the residential side has but caters to commercial needs such as lot size, lease prices, units, land use codes, and much more—streamlining the property search process. The commercial side can also bring search factors into the map tool for easy geographic viewing. Built-in Learn and Help Features The RPR® homepage now features a learn and help tab in the main navigation bar if you have questions or need additional education. Search for articles on specific topics in the RPR® knowledge base, or reach out to them through live chat while you’re working through the platform.
Designated REALTOR® | April 2021 | 5
Apply Today Educational Foundation scholarships are now open until April 9, 2021.
Apply at njrealtor.com/ef Educational Foundation
Donate Today The scholarships are made possible by the generosity of local boards and members across the state. Help the next generation of industry leaders and make a donation to the foundation today.
Donate at njrealtorsef.com/donations