30-Hr. WA 2024-2025 CE Package

Real estate is an exciting and dynamic business; staying informed on the latest best practices is the only way to stay at the forefront. With this in mind, the Washington State Department of Licensing and the Washington State Real Estate Commission release a set of Current Issues (CORE) curricula every two years. In this iteration, licensees examine state forms, including a few new ones, and learn how best to use them effectively in their real estate practice. The course also reviews several 2023 legislative changes that impacted real estate-related statutes.

This mandatory three-hour course also explores professionalism in real estate, including key practices, risky business situations, and top violations in Washington. Licensees will also review the proper way to present written offers promptly and current best practices in handling multiple-offer situations. 

Course highlights include:

• Forms review and updates 
• Inspection addendum and response 
• New forms 
• Early or delayed occupancy best practices 
• Revised agency law pamphlet 
• Earnest money best practices 
• Legislative update 
• Raising the bar of professionalism in interactions 
• Managing broker responsibilities 
• Multiple-offer scenarios 
• Risky practices in an abundant market 
• Transaction coordinators and agency issues 
• Top violations by brokers 
• Broker personal safety 

The federal Fair Housing Act reached its 50-year milestone anniversary in 2018. But the work isn't done yet in ensuring that everyone is treated fairly when seeking housing opportunities. When disparities in housing opportunities exist, there are far-reaching consequences that impact whole communities. As a real estate professional working in your local community, being informed leads to understanding how the old real estate adage "location, location, location" has a different context in light of fair housing, with greater implications. To understand where we are and where we're going, it's helpful to review the road we've traveled. While great strides have been made, history must still be written in the years ahead so that discrimination in housing truly becomes "history."

This three-hour mandatory course introduces real estate brokers and managing brokers to the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) and the Washington Law Against Discrimination (chapter 49.60 RCW) as it relates to real estate transactions. The course teaches real estate brokers and managing brokers the historical and societal context of housing discrimination, legal framework intended to prevent housing discrimination, and steps to take to prevent housing discrimination.

Course highlights include:

• Different types of racism
• Disparate treatment and disparate impact
• Historical context of U.S. and Washington fair housing law
• Contemporary issues in fair housing
• U.S. and Washington fair housing protected classes
• Fair housing case studies
• Gender pronouns
• Cross-cultural communication and negotiation
• Property management and reasonable accommodations
• Love letters
• Avoiding unfair practices
• Unfair bias in financing
• Washington financial assistance programs
• Fair housing-related complaints process

Financing is integral to real estate transactions, and the more you know about how buyers qualify, the better you'll be able to help both buyers and sellers in your practice. 

Course highlights include:

• Roles and regulations of FNMA, GNMA, FHLMC, FHA, and VA
• Affordability Worksheet, to assist clients in calculating their maximum affordable purchase price
• Homebuyer Do's and Don'ts 
• Calculating LTV, front-end and back-end ratios, and monthly mortgage payments
• Details and qualification requirements for several popular financing options

Real estate professionals wear many hats: expert communicator, attentive listener, trustworthy confidant, obedient servant, loyal advocate, and knowledgeable educator, to name just a few. To juggle these roles effectively—and within the lines of the law—licensees must remain informed. Real estate professionals are in a position to provide an invaluable level of consumer protection as they support consumers through their real estate transactions.

This course explores licensees' role as advocate and educator, and how they can protect consumers and their business from the threats of antitrust and fair housing violations and predatory lending. We'll start by looking at what federal protections are in place to combat these unfair practices. We'll also provide the steps you can proactively take to protect the consumers you work with day in and day out and the business you've worked so hard to create.

Course highlights include:

• Federal antitrust laws and violations
• Avoiding antitrust violations and protecting consumers from them
• Antitrust complaint process and penalties
• Federal fair housing laws and violations
• Redlining, blockbusting, and steering
• Buyer love letters
• Fair housing complaint process and penalties
• Predatory lending
• Truth in Lending Act
• Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act
• Protecting consumers from predatory lending
• Reporting predatory lending

Did you know that a report issued by Census.gov, An Aging Nation: The Older Population in the United States, notes that “In 2050, the population aged 65 and over is projected to be 83.7 million”? That’s almost double what that population numbered in 2012. This population group’s numbers are rising fast, and that adds up to opportunities for licensees.

The senior market needs the services of real estate professionals who understand its unique real estate needs. Working with seniors comes with some of its own challenges, concerns, and rewards. A comprehensive understanding of the particulars and practicalities of this market segment will equip licensees to serve older adult clients with the respect and honor they deserve.

In this course we’ll explore best practices in addressing the distinctive considerations in the senior marketplace. Course highlights include:

• Senior market stats in the U.S.
• Important financial and lifestyle considerations for older clients
• Seniors and legal competence
• Senior seller and property preparation for listing
• Four significant considerations for older adult buyers
• Potential snags and how to overcome them
• Options in senior adult communities, both traditional and noteworthy
• Housing programs for low-income seniors
• The senior market as a niche

Thanks in part to movements such as #MeToo and Time’s Up, sexual harassment and discrimination have moved to the forefront of the national conversation. Responsible agents not only reject sexually predatory behavior but also actively dismantle toxic workplace environments to ensure a safe place for all. It’s up to agents to reject behaviors or ideologies that could damage neighbors, clients, and each other.

In this course, we’ll take a closer look at how sexual harassment is defined and the impact such behavior can have on your clients, your brokerage, and your reputation. Additionally, we’ll discuss actions you can take to ensure that your office is inclusive and welcoming to all, and that your clients’ best interests are always protected. This includes tips for putting together a comprehensive office policy that thoroughly addresses sexual harassment and discrimination.

Course highlights:

• How sexual harassment is defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)
• Protections offered through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the federal Fair Housing Act
• Ramifications of sexual harassment within a brokerage, including how it affects clients and customers
• Federal Sexual Harassment Housing Initiative
• Federal and state laws protecting sexual orientation and gender identity in housing
• Landmark legal cases relating to sexual harassment and gender discrimination
• Tips for putting together a comprehensive office policy that addresses sexual harassment and the complaint process
• Activities and scenarios to reinforce key concepts

Whether for a buyer or seller, the comparative market analysis, properly done, can mean several thousands extra dollars in their pockets, and can determine whether a deal can be struck at all. But because it’s such a well-worn tool, it’s tempting for a licensee to get complacent with the CMA, and “phone it in.”

Don’t be that licensee!

This course covers the how-tos of a professionally researched  comparative market analysis.          

Course Highlights:

• The three-step approach to market analyses: the market, the property, the numbers
• Sources for subject property data and market data
• Using expired and active listings to inform pricing strategy
• How to prioritize criteria when selecting comparables
• How to adjust and homogenize selected comparables 
• How to weight selected comparables when selecting a list price range

For many real estate professionals, property management is a natural extension of their expertise. Whether you’re thinking about taking on your first property or looking to grow your property management business, this is a niche business requiring specialized skills and knowledge.

Explore the role of the property manager, common tenant issues, and federal laws.

Course highlights include:

• Property management contracts
• Property types and evaluating factors
• Tips for building a successful working relationship with property owners
• Landlord and tenant obligations
• Tips for screening and retaining tenants
• Informal rental agreements and the risks involved
• How to deal with delinquent tenants
• Fair housing guidelines and exemptions

Note: This is an introduction and overview of property management.

Tactics that work with motivated, excited sellers don't always translate well when working with short sale sellers and short sale buyers. Add lender approvals, junior lien holders, and inflexible timelines into the mix, and you end up with a whole new ball game.

In a short sale transaction, the motivation for each party is different than the standard transaction, and as the professional in the scene, you need to adjust accordingly. This course speaks to your interaction with short sale sellers, and how you can help them through a tough process while diligently advocating on their behalf.  We cover how to figure out an appropriate listing price, negotiate with the lender's representative, sort through debt settlement terminology, and carry the deal through to closing. We also look at the process from a buyer's agent perspective. Additional cautions, considerations, and fraud prevention tactics are required when advocating on behalf of these deal-seeking buyers.