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Property Assessor Panel  February 2025 Industry Update Instructors: Beth Botke (Bath Charter Township) Heather Bouck (City of Mt. Pleasant) Jennifer Czeiszperger (City of Lansing) Heather Hoffman (Contract Assessor) Ashley Winstead (Meridian Township)   1.    Understanding the Assessing Process: Property assessments follow a three-tier process: Local assessment County equalization State [...]

Economic Summit on Housing January 2025 Industry Update Instructor: Dr. Jessica Lautz, Deputy Chief Economist, National Association of REALTORS®   1. The Housing Market Divide: Homeowners are gaining significant equity, while first-time home buyers face record-low market participation due to rising costs and limited inventory. 2. Housing Inventory Challenges: Inventory [...]

Starting January 30, 2025, Flexmls is updating the way floor plans from any source are managed, displayed, and integrated within Flexmls. When editing or adding a listing, there will be a new section called Floor Plans, where you can upload floor plans. The process to upload and manage a floor [...]

Did you know that 80% of borrowers using FHA mortgages are eligible for DPA, but only 15% receive it? Access to information on down payment assistance has never been easier for agents than with Down Payment Resource, which is built right into our MLS! How can agents close the gap [...]

FEMA and Flood Zones November 2024 Industry Update Instructor: Karol Grove, Professional Land Surveyor Alpine Land Surveying 1. It is possible for homes to be removed from a flood map! Federal Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are not static and can be amended through processes such as LOMA (Letter of Map [...]

2024 Legal Review October 2024 Industry Update Instructor: Brian Westrin, Esq., General Counsel at Michigan Realtors® 1. The buyer negotiates the broker’s commission, either paying it directly or asking the seller to cover it. 2. Buyers can ask the seller to pay buyers agent fees in the purchase agreement OR [...]

Members who want to elevate their career and take designation or certifications (like the GREEN Designation) can apply for a REALTOR® Scholarship to help alleviate costs. The REALTOR® scholarship is awarded to 2 members annually. This scholarship awards up to $300 each. Scholarship Details!  The scholarship shall be awarded based [...]

Putting REALTOR® Safety First September 2024 Industry Update Instructors: Jenny Chaney, REALTOR® Lexi Hass, REALTOR® 1. In 2019, 87 real estate professionals died from fatal injuries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One-third of those were caused by violence. 2. Safety habits should become second nature, not just [...]

We asked candidates for the 2025 - 2027 Board of Directors to answer the following questions to help members make informed decisions regarding who they choose to lead the Association into the future. These are their responses. Discuss the industry issues you would CHAMPION if elected to the Board of [...]

Case # 12-7 : REALTOR® Advertising Free Market Analysis (Reaffirmed Case #19-9 May, 1988. Transferred to Article 12 November, 1994. Revised November, 2001 and May, 2017.) REALTOR® A advertised on his website as follows: “Free Market Analysis With No Obligation.” A property owner complained about REALTOR® A’s attempts to solicit [...]

Short But Sweet, from TikTok to Reels to Shorts August 2024 Industry Update Instructor: Heather Haase, Realtor® and Speaker   1. Social media works best when you WANT to be on social media. If your business is working for you, you don't have to be on social. 2. Why is [...]

Case #2-4: Obligation to Ascertain Pertinent Facts (Revised Case #9-10 May, 1988. Transferred to Article 2 November, 1994.) Shortly after REALTOR® A, the listing broker, closed the sale of a home to Buyer B, a complaint was received by the Association charging REALTOR® A with an alleged violation of Article [...]

Who do you know that exemplifies leadership and the REALTOR® spirit in service to the industry and community? Now is the time to highlight them! It is the season to round up candidates to represent the Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS® for the REALTOR® of the Year, REALTOR® Active in [...]

Case #1-1: Fidelity to Client (Originally Case #7-1. Revised May, 1988. Transferred to Article 1 November, 1994. Revised November, 2022.) Client A complained to an Association of REALTORS® that two of its members, REALTORS® B and his sales associate, REALTOR® C, had failed to represent the client’s interests faithfully by [...]

Members who want to elevate their career and take designation or certifications (like the Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) course) can apply for a REALTOR® Scholarship to help alleviate the cost of this designation. The REALTOR® scholarship is awarded to 2 members annually. This scholarship awards up to $300 each. GRI [...]

Instructor: Becky Berke, ESQ. Director of Legal Education, Michigan Realtors® NAR Settlement 1. Practice changes from the NAR Settlement will be implemented in August 2024. 2. Offers of compensation will no longer be permitted through the MLS or any platform using MLS data or data feeds (i.e. showing services) 3. [...]

Case #16-5: Solicitation of Expired Exclusive Listing (Reaffirmed Case #21-11 May, 1988. Transferred to Article 16 November, 1994. Revised April, 1996 and May, 2017.) A property was exclusively listed with REALTOR® A who advertised it widely and invited cooperation from other REALTORS®. The property was not sold during the term [...]

Instructor: Mariah Shafer, Outreach Director, Refugee Development Center 1. St. Vincent Refugee Services is the primary resettlement agency in the local area. Samaritas and Bethany Christian Services are two other agencies helping. 2. The Refugee Development Center is a grassroots organization serving as a link between newcomers, the public, private [...]

(Adopted April, 1998. Revised May, 2017.) In developing his website, REALTOR® A decided he would offer two pages of listings: his own and some featured listings of his competitors. Being careful not to present a misleading picture in his advertising, he was very careful to list the company name and [...]

The Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS® first-ever Crowdfund "Fore" the Community fundraising event was a huge success! Thanks to all participants, golfers, and sponsors who helped raise $2,000 for community projects. Funds will be used toward community projects. For more than a decade, the Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS® has [...]

Instructors: Grant Solik, American Portfolio Mortgage Shelly Starr, Supreme Lending Jim Thelen, Lake Michigan Credit Union Nicole Wing, ATA National Title Angel Romero, Down Payment Resource   1. There has not been any guidance from government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) regarding whether buyer's agent commissions can be financed with the current proposed [...]

(Originally Case #7-2. Revised May, 1988. Transferred to Article 1 November, 1994. Cross-reference Case #2-18. Revised May 2017 and November, 2022.) As the exclusive agent of Client A, REALTOR® B offered Client A’s house for sale, advertising it as being located near a public transportation stop. Prospect C, who explained [...]

SentriLock released an update on March 6: App versions: iOS: 5.47.5 Android: 5.47.6 Fixed Items: -App Crashing when scheduling an appointment: -Unable to upload Lockbox Location Photo -App crashing when submitting feedback: -Sever corrections to improve itinerary building on Android devices. -Additional crashing issues corrected for iOS. App performance Update: [...]

  The National Association of REALTORS® At Home with Diversity certification course is back at the Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS®. Instructor and REALTOR® Nate Johnson will be returning to lead this session. Equip yourself with the tools to work successfully with and within a rapidly changing multicultural market. It [...]

SentriLock released an update on February 22 with the following improvements: 1. Main App Dashboard was only displaying wrong counts for confirmed and unconfirmed. This is updated to reflect accurate information. Agents can now click to see full dashboard for their review. 2. Advanced Showing Notices – Added parameters for [...]