in this issue…
Putting a Face on Real Estate since 1995™
• AMBA Top Golf Event • AYREP Happy Hour • NAPMW Let's Bowl Baby Event • RE/MAX Capital City Agent Appreciation Event • and much, much more!
Associates in Progress
Win a Cruise
for Two!
TM
Page 25
Page 35 AUGUST 2015 • VOLUME 20 • ISSUE 4
Continuing ed pays off: don't sell yourself short By Riki Markowitz
B
Printed on recycled paper.
Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Austin, Texas Paid Permit #715
etween December and May, the residential real estate business in Austin is hot. April and May are popular times for those looking for a quick sell, and the highest list and average sales prices are usually set this time of year, according to Ryan France, broker with DMTX Realty and Caldwell Banker United. When there’s flow, typically you can expect to see ebb, but for Austin REALTORS, that break will have to wait because the Austin Board of REALTORS (ABoR) reported that June and July were record-setting
months. By fall, the anticipated decline in activity may leave some agents feeling unsure of how to spend downtime. While it may sound tempting to catch up on sleep, real estate education experts, like Nicole Boynton, director of training and social media at Gracy Title, say that autumn is a great time to start working on a 2016 business plan. The interesting roster of classes offered this time of year can help with everything from marketing strategies to using the MLS, and bolstering income. “I feel like everybody has a ‘back to school’ attitude in September,” says Debby Moran, education director for Williamson County Association of REALTORS (WCREALTORS). “And with kids returning to school, people have more flexibility in their schedule.” At the end of June, Laura Comstock, director of training at Sente Mortgage, announced the dates and times for her September and October license renewal courses. “The response was overwhelming. This is a popular time to enroll in classes because it avoids conflict with the upcoming holidays.”
New Policies
Visit us online 24/7 at www.myRealtyLine.com
P. O. Box 81366, Austin, Texas 78708
TM
austin
RL
Putting a Face on Real Estate since 1995
Before signing up for any mandatory or non-mandatory continuing education classes, everyone in the real estate industry should be
aware of a few changes implemented in 2015. Last January, TREC began charging a $200 deferral fee to agents whose Continuing Education (CE) credits have not posted prior to submitting their renewal application fee. So any broker or agent who still has credits left to acquire, should be sure to get that taken care of before time runs out. A 15-hour Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) program, like those offered by Champions School of Real Estate, will help you get past this particular obstacle. Gracy Title and ABoR offer individual MCE classes and TREC has a list of approved schools that offer MCE programming. Also coming up, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) ‘Know Before You Owe’ three-day rule goes into effect – on Oct. 3. Sente Mortgage and Gracy Title have stepped up to the plate with training sessions. Sente has an aggressive schedule for their partners and Gracy is offering a one-hour, ‘CFPB for Lenders’ course that anyone can sign up for.
Designations and certifications A designation is when you’re affiliated with a membership-only organization and a certification is a specialization one earns through additional coursework. According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), professionals who obtain one designation can earn at least $27,000 more than the industry average, which is a 45 percent increase in income. Jennifer Archambeault, a broker/owner at Urban Provision, REALTORS, has nine years in the real estate industry, including three as a broker. Prior to 2006, she was a licensed loan officer for banks and mortgage lenders. Now Archambeault is in the midst of earning her Council of Residential Brokers (CRB) designation. Membership in the CRB requires more than 24 hours of classroom time, plus an application fee and yearly dues. “This is a designation that very few people in the country have,
Front Page: Continued on page 28
Upcoming Events Wednesday, August 19 CRS Bi-Monthly Meeting 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Westwood Country Club WCREALTORS: TREPAC Bowling Tournament - 3 to 6 p.m. Mel's Lonestar Lanes AYREP Event & Happy Hour 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Baker St. Pub & Grill
Wednesday, August 26 ABoR: TREPAC Wine Tasting 6 to 9 p.m. - ABoR HQ
Thursday, September 10 WCREALTORS: Wild Ride Scavenger Hunt 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. -
Tuesday, September 1 HBA Lakeway/Bee Cave Chapter 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Fore
Thursday, September 17 NEW COMMUNITY: Bryson Grand Opening VIP REALTOR Preview 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Leander
Wednesday, September 2 AMBA Monthly Meeting 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Austin Country Club
More at www.myRealtyLine.com