90-Hr. WA Broker First Active Renewal Package Plus Professional Development

Newly licensed brokers in Washington are required to complete 90 hours of coursework before their first active renewal: 30 hours of advanced practices, 30 hours of real estate law, 27 hours of approved continuing education courses, and a three-hour core course.

This course fulfills the state's requirement for 30 hours of advanced real estate practices, and it’s divided into eight modules:

• Brokerage
• Agency
• Contracts
• Marketing, Negotiations, and Closings
• Problem Management: When Things Go Wrong
• Business Practice
• Property Management
• Current Topics

Course highlights include:

• Brokerage relationships and responsibilities, with a close look at conflict resolutions strategies
• Fiduciary and statutory duties, as well as a discussion of the differences between clients and customers
• Compensation agreements and related disclosures
• Agency disclosure requirements and required forms
• Risks related to liability, conflicts of interest, and breach of duty
• Complaints and disciplinary actions against state licensees
• Contract usage and management
• Marketing requirements and restrictions
• Negotiation best practices
• Common closing delays and how to manage them
• Commission disputes and resolution methods
• Property disclosure obligations
• Record retention requirements
• Property management and fair housing requirements
• Current topics, including affordable housing issues, the use of introductory letters, and referrals to third-party vendors

Newly licensed brokers in Washington are required to complete 90 hours of coursework before their first active renewal: 30 hours of advanced practices, 30 hours of real estate law, 27 hours of approved continuing education courses, and a three-hour core course.

This course fulfills the state's requirement for 30 hours of real estate law, and it’s divided into eight modules:

• Introduction to Washington Real Estate Law
• Licensing Law
• Agency Law in Washington
• Contracts
• Torts
• Practices and the Law
• Legal Environment
• Current Topics

Course highlights include:

• Specific roles of the real estate broker, designated broker, managing broker, and firm in the context of a real estate transaction
• Ethical, legal, and regulatory considerations in the practice of real estate
• Various agency situations described under RCW 18.86
• State agency law applications
• Appropriate use of contracts in real estate
• Representation agreements, listing agreements, purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, and compensation agreements
• Tort claims, including negligence, fraud and fraudulent concealment, intentional interference, and the Consumer Protection Act
• The many ways law affects real estate practices
• Current topics, including flood zones, property inspections, and consumer privacy

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 purpose of this course is to introduce 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 will teach 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.

The Department of Licensing (DOL) is responsible for developing real estate curricula. This six-hour core course will provide historical and current context to fair housing issues and help licensees understand how to protect consumers in real estate transactions. This course meets Washington's mandatory requirement for CE on Fair Housing topics.

Course highlights include:

• The history of racial discrimination, race-based segregation, and housing discrimination in the U.S. and Washington state
• The context of the Fair Housing Act within the setting of the Civil Rights movement, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and contemporary issues
• Federal and state legislation and applicable local ordinances, including nuances in who's protected and what transactions are covered
• The groups identified as protected classes under federal, state, and local laws
• A review of court cases involving fair housing claims
• A discussion on fair housing practices related to the role of the broker and managing broker and how to navigate common topics
• Common unfair practices
• Financial assistance programs and their connection to protected classes

Proper document management provides proof that a licensee did what was required, when it was required. It serves to protect the consumer and it reduces the licensee's risk of litigation.

Get ready to become more comfortable with selecting and using transactional documents. 

Course highlights include:

• Common documents used in real estate transactions
• Common contract clauses, addenda, and contingencies
• Avoiding the unauthorized practice of law
• Multiple offer management
• Document signatures, notarizations, and identification
• Transaction management methods and best practices
• Document management and retention methods and best practices
• Technology and security for document management
• Legalities of electronic communication
• Activities and scenarios to reinforce key concepts

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

Whether you're representing a seller who's listing a high-efficiency home or working with a buyer to find one, it's important to be able to recognize a home's green features and the value they bring to the property. This means understanding the benefit of big-ticket green items such as solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling systems, solar water heaters, or even energy-efficient windows, as well as knowing the value in quick-and-easy updates like low-flow faucets, LED lighting, and smart thermostats. It also means knowing the difference between HERS and HES and SEER and LEED. Of course, greening up a home isn't cheap. Letting your clients know about available federal and state programs and incentives is another way you can ensure your clients are getting the best service around.

Course highlights include:

• An overview of the green home movement
• Green terminology, certifications, and ratings
• A review of energy-efficient upgrades, including solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling systems, solar water heaters, and more
• Tips for assisting green homebuyers and sellers
• A review of the FHA's Energy Efficient Mortgage and the 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage programs
• Qualifications for the DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program
• Interactive activities and scenarios to seal in the new information and frame it in everyday context

The internet is full of promotional opportunities. Whether it’s a post on Facebook or a tweet linking to your new listing, a status update on LinkedIn, a virtual home tour on YouTube, or photo collage on Pinterest, you can easily promote your professionalism, highlight your expertise, increase your connections, and showcase your listings. Or you can fall flat on your face.

This course shows how to use the unique advertising and marketing opportunities available online to better serve your clients and customers, and further promote your own brand.

Course highlights include:

• How consumers—and agents and agencies—are using social media and how this is impacting the real estate industry
• How to use various social media platforms—including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest—to promote your business and better serve your clients and customers
• How various social media platforms differ and how to select the ones that are best for you and your needs
• Tips for creating an online marketing strategy
• Legal and ethical issues surrounding online marketing
• Copyright law, trademarks, and public domain content
• Tips for avoiding common social media missteps.
• Activities and scenarios to provide real-world context for course content

Attacks on real estate professionals have made headlines at an alarmingly more frequent rate in recent years. After an incident where a licensee is harmed, everyone vows to do better, and the topic of safety is pushed to the front of training schedules. Then complacency sets in.

Criminals count on complacency.

This course reviews studies and statistics of safety issues in the real estate industry, and best practices for personal safety.       

Course highlights include:

• Crime statistics and studies that challenge preconceived notions
• Risk factors and vulnerabilities that unique to real estate professionals
• Case studies to illustrate how criminals target their victims
• How to develop a personal warning system and trust your instincts when something feels “off”
• Activities and scenarios to provide real-world context for course content

The inspection period is a big hurdle to jump over on the way to closing. The inspector’s job is to call out defects. The buyer agent’s job is to negotiate repairs. The seller agent’s job is to mitigate damage. It can sometimes be hard to hold a deal together.

Protecting your buyer as a buyer’s agent means understanding the importance of the home inspection contingency and its deadlines, and identifying the need for specialized inspections.

Protecting your seller as the listing agent means helping the seller understand disclosure obligations, prepare for the inspection, and respond to a buyer’s reasonable repair requests.

Course highlights:

• The importance of the inspection contingency
• The licensee’s role in the inspection process
• Licensee and seller disclosure obligations
• Red flags related to common structural, plumbing, and electrical issues
• Specialized inspection types addressing radon, asbestos, sewer lines, septic tanks, mold, lead, and wells
• Interactive activities and scenarios

Unlike most owner-occupied homebuyers, real estate investors enter the market to make money. By learning about investor motivators and criteria, you’ll be in a better position to help your clients navigate this asset strategy.

Working with Real Estate Investors examines investor goals and strategies, different investment property types, key financial considerations, and your role in locating, negotiating for, and marketing investment properties.

Course Highlights:

• An overview of residential and commercial investment property types
• Short- and long-term investment property acquisition strategies 
• Financial factors that influence investor decisions, including depreciation, 1031 tax exchanges, and cash flow
• Financing options available to real estate investors, including conventional loans, commercial loans, and private money lenders
• Tips for locating and marketing investment properties
• Pros and cons of working with investor clients
• Ethical duties when working with investor clients
• Activities and scenarios to provide real-world context for course content