A home is so much more than housing, most real estate licensees agree.

A home is also an investment, a potential retirement vehicle, and a reservoir of equity in times of need. It’s a structure and grounds that demand regular repair and upkeep, scheduled and emergency maintenance, and occasionally expansion or rearrangement. It’s also a personal statement, a reflection of its occupants, their lifestyle, and their desires.

It’s often said that those in the business of marketing residential properties are in fact selling dreams. While that may be true in many cases, would-be buyers and sellers must also deal with the realities of state and federal law, the transitory nature of the marketplace, and the fluctuating thoughts and emotions of those on the other side of any transaction.

Polley’s Residential Module continuing education course offers agents ways to handle almost anything they’re likely to encounter in residential sales. The course fulfills 7 hours of CE for all participants, veteran licensees and newcomers alike.

The Residential module delves into the uniform construction code and zoning, types of construction, land development, real estate environmental issues, home inspections and home warranties, mortgage information, fair housing, and agreements of sale. Real estate case studies and a review of Real estate Commission disciplinary actions are included too.

Its content complements, but is different from, Polley’s General Module course.

Course State Approval: Continuing education for Pennsylvania real estate broker and salesperson license renewal.

This is a one-day, 7-hour, live classroom course. No post-course exam is given. It is approved by, and meets 7 hours of continuing education requirements set by, the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission. It can be combined with other courses to fulfill all 14 hours of continuing education required by the Commission for a real estate salesperson’s or broker’s biennial license renewal during the 2014-2016 cycle that ends at midnight on May 31, 2016.

Price: $75

Student Material: This course may be accompanied by in-class materials distributed by Polley Associates.

Related:

• PA Continuing Education: What’s That Course About?
• PA Continuing Education: Live Course Attendance
• PA Continuing Education: License Renewal And Reactivation
• PA Continuing Education: License Renewal Online
• PA Continuing Education: First-Timer Requirements
• PA Continuing Education: Re-Activate A License In Escrow

Find Courses For:

• Pennsylvania Real Estate Salespersons and Brokers CE
• Pennsylvania Real Estate Salespersons’ First-Timer CE
• CE For Pennsylvania Commercial Real Estate Practitioners

The post Polley Courses: ‘Residential Module’ appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.

Here’s a basic premise: people don’t want to be “sold” anything. Not a box of cornflakes, not a car, and most certainly not a property. What they want is to be fully informed of their options, their choices, their alternatives … and then make a decision for themselves.

Accept the premise and the key question then becomes: “How can real estate licensees deliver the most valuable information – the stuff on which decisions will be made – in the most understandable way possible?”

You’ll find the answers in Polley’s General Module continuing education course. It fulfills 7 hours of CE for all participants, veteran licensees and newcomers alike, and it represents a back-to-basics approach in dealing with clients.

A majority of clients lack an education in real estate. They’re likely to be unfamiliar with current law. They probably won’t know today’s terminology or (worse!) its jargon and alphabet soup of acronyms. They may have opinions on and some knowledge of environmental issues, but maybe not as they relate specifically to the sale or purchase of real property.

Among an agent’s jobs is to be their guide and interpreter.

So the General Module reacquaints licensees with their duties, zoning issues, real estate environmental concerns, client representation and agency relationships, the agreement of sale and its addenda and special clauses, title reports and closing costs. It serves as the foundation for material presented in related modules as well.

Most importantly, it makes it all easily understood for licensees, who in turn can make it easily understood to others. In short, this is all about satisfying client needs. Once that’s accomplished, the “right property” makes itself evident, and buyers and sellers alike will be thankful they found an agent as smart as you.

Course State Approval: Continuing education for Pennsylvania real estate broker and salesperson license renewal.

This is a one-day, 7-hour, live classroom course. No post-course exam is given. It is approved by, and meets 7 hours of continuing education requirements set by, the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission. It can be combined with other courses to fulfill all 14 hours of continuing education required by the Commission for a real estate salesperson’s or broker’s biennial license renewal during the 2014-2016 cycle that ends at midnight on May 31, 2016.

Price: $75

Student Material: This course may be accompanied by in-class materials distributed by Polley Associates.

Related:

• PA Continuing Education: What’s That Course About?
• PA Continuing Education: Live Course Attendance
• PA Continuing Education: License Renewal And Reactivation
• PA Continuing Education: License Renewal Online
• PA Continuing Education: First-Timer Requirements
• PA Continuing Education: Re-Activate A License In Escrow

Find Courses For:

• Pennsylvania Real Estate Salespersons and Brokers CE
• Pennsylvania Real Estate Salespersons’ First-Timer CE
• CE For Pennsylvania Commercial Real Estate Practitioners

The post Polley Courses: ‘General Module’ appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.

The Commission reported it had received “numerous calls” about the implementation date of the new, shorter-form notice from licensees whom, it said, “may still have a substantial supply” of older, long-form notices available. Because “there is no substantive distinction” between the two forms, the Commission said, it decided to allow continue use of the long form through mid-September.

Licensees can use the short form too, if they want, but one or the other must be presented upon an initial interview with a prospective client, the Commission emphasized.

As of Sept. 16, the Commission added, the long-form will be officially phased out and only the new short form will be acceptable.

Related:

• June 13 Deadline Looms For PA Consumer Notice

This article was originally published on the Polley Associates‘ blog
Art from Clipart.com

The post Pennsylvania Commission Extends Older Consumer Notice appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.

That’s when a new Consumer Notice, required by the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission to be distributed by agents and brokers to their clients and potential clients, goes into effect. After that date, experts say, distributing any earlier consumer notices will be considered a violation of the Real Estate License and Registration Act.

The new Consumer Notice clarifies roles and responsibilities of licensees, the Commission reports, in part because both its text and format have been modified to improve readability. The notice’s re-design is a result of feedback received over several years from consumers and licensees alike, the Commission says.

Download a copy of the new notice here.

Changes of particular note include:

• Re-positioning the definitions of various agency relationships above the list of duties that all licensees owe consumers. The move is meant to allow consumers to better and more quickly understand the distinctions between types of agents;
• Re-wording agent definitions to be more easily understood by consumers, and re-positioning language about compensation closer to where the form must be signed on the back;
• Clarifying the role of designated agents;
• Clarifying the disclosure duties of transaction licensees;
• Clarifying the list of duties of licensees;
• Clarifying language regarding negotiable contract terms; and
• Re-positioning where notice recipients must sign and provide contact information for themselves.

Find a review of the changes here.

All references to Buyer and Seller throughout the revised document can be construed as Tenant and Landlord, respectively, when the Consumer Notice is being given for a rental property.

There has been no change to the Oral Consumer Notice or the Consumer Notice for Tenants.

This article was originally published on the Polley Associates‘ blog
Image from Clipart.com

The post June 13 Deadline Looms For Pennsylvania Consumer Notice appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.