Education

New Information about Criminal Background Checks

2009-11-05T21:47:54Z

At the September Virginia Real Estate Board meeting the board decided that criminal background checks were only good for 45 days. Anyone desiring to obtain a Virginia real estate license should wait until after they have taken and passed the state exam and are ready to apply for a license before requesting a background check. This will ensure that the background check will be current and not cause an undue delay in having a license issued.

Background checks can be ordered and fingerprinting done by PSI testing services on a walk-in basis only. For more information from PSI Click Here.

]]> Furthermore, a licensee with a current Virginia salesperson license who desires to obtain a Virginia Broker's license must submit to fingerprinting and a background check. Those individuals who currently have an Virginia Associate Broker's license who desire to obtain a Principal Broker's license or become a Sole Proprietor in Virginia do not have to go through the criminal background check. And last, Individuals who desire to obtain a Virginia Real Estate License by Reciprocity must have a background check completed

New On-Line Continuing Education Course Offerings

2009-10-29T21:23:51Z

We now have expanded CE course offerings to better serve your needs with fulfilling the Continuing Education requirements for license renewal. You now can take an 8 hour package of mandatory courses and choose from a variety of topics including Understanding Credit and Improving Credit Scores, Sustainable Housing and Building Green, Foreclosures, Short Sales, REOs and Auctions, Risk Management and some Commercial topics. To see our full selection of course offerings Click Here. Also, don't forget we have the 60 hour Principles of Real Estate course as well as a Virginia Exam Prep Course on-line. To view these course offerings Click Here.

]]>

Post License Training Confusion! When do I really have to complete the Classes?

2009-10-23T20:41:09Z

Post License Education is required within the first 12 months of licensure for anyone initially licensed on or after July 1, 2008. The time frame has confused many licensees and has caused some to have their license placed on inactive status much to their surprise.

The rule is that you must complete the 30 hours of post license training within 12 months of the date your license was issued and not until the end of the 12th month. Therefore if you were initially licensed on September 14, 2008 you must complete the post license training by September 14, 2009 and not by the end of September as many assume. Failure to complete the required training will result in your license automatically being place on Inactive by the state.]]> To activate your license you must complete the required training, fill out an Activate Transfer form and send in the appropriate fees to get your license back on Active status.

Remember, you may NOT practice real estate while on Inactive.

If you fail to complete the required post license training within the first 2 years of licensure, your license will be automatically terminated. To get your license back you must show evidence that you have met the current educational requirements for licensure, take and pass the state exam, apply for the license and send in the appropriate fees.

To read all the requirements Click Here

Education this week offers something for everyone!

2009-10-19T18:08:00Z

Post License classes this week include two mandatory topic classes;

Agency on Monday Oct. 19th 6-9pm, and

Contracts (offer to Purchase) on Tuesday Oct 20th 1-4pm.

Also a full day of CE/PL elective classes on Thursday the 22nd to include

Red Flags Property Inspections with Home Inspector Keith Reeve of Home Inspection Professionals (9-12pm),

FHA Loans with Senior Loan Officer Dan Goldsby of Prospect Mortgage (1-2pm),

Land Acquisition with custom home builder Charlie Little of Fairhaven Homes (2-3pm)

Renovation Loans with Loan Specialist Adam Davis of Wells Fargo(3-5pm).

]]> And finally,

8 hours of Continuing Education Mandatory Topics Wednesday October 21st (8:30am - 5:00pm)

Special Meeting: Loudoun County's Latest Housing Opportunity Programs for your Clients!

2009-10-19T16:58:30Z

Loudoun County's Department Housing and Community Development will discuss a number of housing opportunity programs available for your clients on Wednesday, October 28th, 10-11:30 am at DAAR.

The special meeting will highlight properties available through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, down-payment and closing cost assistance and home improvement programs. Featured speakers include Kelly Marrocco, Project Manager, Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Loudoun County Government and Dawn Klassen, Land Acquisition Manager, Office of Capital Construction Loudoun County Government. Registration is free. Sign-up today.

Understanding Loudoun County's 860-page Zoning Ordinance Presentation Available

2009-10-08T16:40:33Z

Over 40 members attended DAAR's Lunch Matters (formerly Lunch Speaker Series) to learn about Loudoun County's ever-changing 860-page zoning odinance. Marsha Keim, Loudoun County's Zoning Permit Manager and Keith Fairfax, Zoning Enforcement Manager, discussed the county's sign placement rules, residential occupancy requirements, overlay districts and subdivision regulations. For a glimpse at their presentation,

click here.

Are You Ready to Launch a Career in Real Estate?

2009-08-14T11:26:00Z

Are you ready to launch your career in real estate? To obtain a real estate sales person's license in Virginia an individual must be at least 18 years of age, a high school graduate or equivalent, successfully complete a 60-hour course in the Principles and Practices of Real Estate, pass a state exam and become affiliated with a real estate broker in Virginia.

]]> The Dulles Area Association of REALTORS® Real Estate School is pleased to offer the 60-hour Principles and Practices of Real Estate course that fulfils the educational requirement for initial licensure as a real estate sales person in Virginia. The course offers a unique educational experience for the real estate sales associate licensing candidate and goes beyond basic requirements to help prepare students for a career in real estate. Taught by Allan Marteney, a 30-year veteran in the real estate industry and one of the area's top instructors, the course covers brokerage, agency, property rights, interests in real estate, forms of ownership, legal descriptions, liens, contracts, title, financing principles, appraisals, fair housing laws, environmental issues and closings.
The 8-week course meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September 8th through October 27th from 6:00pm - 10:00 pm and includes a complimentary preparatory session for the state exam. Course registration fee of $265 includes text books. You may register on-line, call 703/579-0305 or email amarteney@dullesarea.com for more information. The course is also available on-line.

Congratulations to the following members!

2009-08-07T14:45:39Z

Congratulations to the following members for completing the New Member Orientation Course this week. They were sworn in as REALTORS® after completing their requirement for membership in the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS® and are now officially recognized as having REALTOR® status by DAAR, Virginia Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®:
]]> Congratulations To:
KRISTINE CONDIE
VALERIE GARCIA
ROGER GILMORE
TONYA MARTIN
ELLYN MILLER
EARL RITTER
GARY SIMPSON
KIMBERLY WAGNER

As a reminder, the New Member Orientation Course and Swearing-In are required of all our members. If you have not taken this course our next offering will be on Monday October 5th. To sign up for the next session Click Here.

Master Social Media With Free Webinars

2009-07-24T18:11:37Z

This month, REALTOR® magazine is offering two webinars to help you better understand the social media universe and how it can enhance your business. The next live event on July 30 -- "Use Social Media to Get Results" -- will feature three real estate pros who are leveraging social media to generate new leads and close deals. Register online for this free webinar event, sponsored by REALTOR Magazine's Young Professionals Network.
]]> Another webinar, "Getting Started in Social Media," took place on July 16 and included a detailed discussion on the key tools and concepts involved with the social Web. As always, you can find information about upcoming webinars or view this and other archived events at REALTOR® magazine's webinars page or Take a Quiz to Prep: Using Social Networking for Business.

Courtesy of REALTOR Magazine

Virginia 60 Hour Principles of Real Estate Course Now On-Line!

2009-07-06T13:15:32Z

Can't wait until our next classroom course starts in September? Not able to attend classes because of your schedule? No problem! We now offer the Virginia 60 Hour Principles of Real Estate Course on-line. This self study course allows students to work at their own pace and start at any time. For those who need a review course, we also offer a Virginia Exam Prep Course on-line as well as a "MathMaster" Course.

To make it even better a student may enroll in "The Works" which includes the Virginia 60 hour Principles of Real Estate Course, The Virginia Exam Prep Course, MathMaster Course and as a bonus, the e-book "Starting and Succeeding in Real Estate".

To learn more about these course offerings or to enroll in one of these courses
>Click Here<

The Issue with Short Sales and REOs

2009-06-26T19:18:55Z

The National Association of Realtors recently reported that 40% of all Realtors have been involved in the sale of a distressed property over the past year. Over the past several months distressed sales have accounted between 35 and 50 percent of all existing home sales nationally. The Issue- Realtors skirting, expoiting and defying the Code of Ethics and MLS rules and banks' actions or inactions causing Realtors to be in violation of the Realtor Code of Ethics. Local, State and National Associations of Realtors are actively working on this issue.

In the meantime, Realtors should be talking with their brokers about how to solve this issue and if needed contact the VAR Legal Hotline if you don't know how to handle a certain situation. Also, Special Counsel Lem Marshall has a great video "Ethical Considerations in Short Sales" that is worth the time to watch. - Stay Tuned for More!

Still More News About Criminal Background Checks

2009-06-25T14:38:42Z

After an inquiry by Schaefer Oglesby, Past Chair & Member of the Virginia Real Estate Board to PSI about the lenghly time frame for criminal background checks as stated in the PSI bulletin, PSI contacted the State Police and now has revised their information bulletin.The timeframe for criminal background checks is now Up to Two Weeks instead of the previous Ten to Twelve weeks as originally published. Now that's great news!

Important Announcement about Criminal Background Checks

2009-06-19T19:37:29Z

The following information has been provided to us from PSI Exams about the new criminal background checks for initial licensure in Virginia;

Effective July 1, 2009 fingerprinting will be mandatory. Before submitting an application for a Virginia real estate license, each applicant must submit a set of fingerprints to the Virginia Central Criminal Records Exchange for the purpose of conducting a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history record.]]> You will be electronically fingerprinted at one of PSI's testing sites, during regular testing hours. It is offered for walk-ins only, on a first come first served basis. The fee is $62.00 for the fingerprinting service. Upon completion of PSI's electronic fingerprinting service, all data is forwarded to the Central Criminal Records Exchange, which conducts a statewide criminal history check. The Central Criminal Records Exchange also sends your fingerprint data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which conducts a national fingerprint based criminal background check. This is a time consuming process that takes between ten and twelve weeks. The results of both your state and national data checks are sent directly to the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) as soon as they are complete.

When you apply for a license with the DPOR you must submit, with your application, the verification form provided by PSI that is proof that your fingerprints have been submitted for a background check.
It is requested that you do not contact the DPOR, FBI or PSI during this process.
PSI is providing this fingerprinting service for the applicant's convenience. It is the applicant's responsibility to determine if they need this service.

So the bottom line is....According to DPOR;
No license will be issued until the background check is complete which means that an application for licensure can be held up for 2 or 3 months before a license will be issued. If the report comes back and there is a criminal record, it could take up to 6 months or longer for an applicant to be issued a license and it would require that the applicant appear before an Informal Fact Finding Conference in Richmond to determine whether or not a recommendation be made to DPOR that a license be issued. And of course, there is now an additional cost of $62.00 involved in getting licensed.

DAAR Members Graduate from Leadership Loudoun Class of 2009

2009-06-18T16:24:28Z

DAAR is pleased to recognize REALTOR® members who graduated from the 2009 Leadership Loudoun Program, a nine-month leadership development program which engages leaders to improve their knowledge of the community, to explore challenges and issues, and to increase their effectiveness as leaders by becoming agents of positive change. Jackie Hagenston, Long and Foster's Team Works in Sterling, and Jay Thomas, Keller Williams, Leesburg graduated along with twenty-seven other leaders from the area. www.leadershiploudoun.org or call Robin Geiger, Program Manager at 703-771-5511. ]]>

Don't Miss this great Opportunity to obtain any or all of these Professional Designations On-Line!

2009-06-18T14:44:59Z

Until midnight on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 you can take any or all five of Realty U's nationally recognized online designation courses for HALF OFF!

Accredited Home-Staging Specialist (AHS),
Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS),
Certified Neighborhood Specialist (CNS),
Certified Negotiations Expert (CNE),
Certified Short Sale Professional (CSP)

Plus check out these bonuses....

]]> Take One/All Of These Online Designation Courses For 50% Off And Get All These Bonuses!

Bonus #1
Upgraded access for busy agents - Take up to 6 months to finish the online course if needed.
Bonus #2
Priority shipping - Official Certificate of Completion and fashionable lapel pin
Bonus #3
Ultra Special Bonus - 1 Year FREE Council Membership -
Includes all your support services

Access to all course updates and member support
"Ask the instructor" question and answer support
Downloadable logos for your marketing
Access to the database for networking opportunities
Customizable press release templates
Customizable CMA insert template - helps explain to your consumer how your new Customizable listing presentation insert template
Customizable lead generation postcard templates
Class handouts and workbooks for easy printing
Access to all past and upcoming webinars with experts
Premium profile with picture in our searchable
database of agents

NOTE - you must use this unique promo code "halfoffspecial" to get half off.

Here's exactly where you can go and enroll for half off:

Accredited Home-Staging Specialist (AHS)
http://www.ahsdesignation.com
Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS)
http://www.becomealuxuryagent.com/
Certified Neighborhood Specialist (CNS)
http://www.cnsdesignation.com/
Certified Negotiations Expert (CNE)
http://tinyurl.com/cfkckn
Certified ShortSale Professional (CSP)
http://www.cspdesignation.com/