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| Agency Responsibility Act Passes Legislature: Heads to Governor's Desk for Signature The Michigan Legislature passed one of the MAR’s top industry priorities last week. The Agency Responsibility Act (ARA) passed through both the House and Senate chambers and is on it’s way to the Governor’s desk for her signature. The passage of the ARA bills is a huge accomplishment for the MAR, and its success has been years in the making. The ARA legislation (House Bills 4416 and 4417 ) is a product of a MAR Public Policy Task Force assigned with the task of providing a framework for consumer protection to all individuals entering into an exclusive agency relationship. As a regulated industry, there is an expectation from consumers that laws have been established to protect them from brokers that would take advantage of them. The ARA model clearly define those basic duties and services owed under an exclusive agency agreement and provides for a uniform state wide disclosure form when the consumer and broker choose to waive any of those services. Once enacted into law, the implementation date for the revised agency disclosure form as well as the check-off waiver is July of this year. The MAR has already started the process to update the forms. Representative Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton) and Representative Barb Farrah (D-Southgate) introduced the two-bill bipartisan package on behalf of the real estate community. The MAR Public Policy team met with legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle to stress the importance of passing the bills in order to promote homeownership while keeping industry standards high. The hope is that the Governor will sign the legislation in the coming weeks. Please visit our Advocacy page for further updates on these issues as well as other pertinent legislation affecting the real estate industry. NAR Surround Sound Toolkit Available Online The National Association of REALTORS® is committed to helping REALTOR® associations across the country change public perceptions about the vitality of their local real estate market, particularly among potential home buyers who are on the fence about making the move. To address skepticism about the health of residential real estate, NAR has created a national media outreach program called “Surround Sound”. A major feature of Surround Sound involves local association executives conducting community media outreach to advance the real estate message. To ensure consistency of messaging and to provide ideas on ways to reach out to your community and to the media, NAR has created a comprehensive toolkit available for download here. NAR’s national resources, together with support at the state and local level, will make Surround Sound an important voice in communities nationwide. The Michigan Association of REALTORS® MLS Exploratory Task Force has retained Jerry Matthews, Advisor, to conduct a confidential survey. The survey will be emailed to you through Zoomerang from Jerry Matthews. The email contains a unique link which can only be used once. The purpose of the survey is to gather information about how Michigan's REALTORS® access and use MLS data. A primary focus is the ease of use, efficiency and satisfaction with your MLS system functions and structure. The survey results will be compiled and presented to the task force and will provide the basis for a final report from the task force. Broker Summit Adds Value for REALTORS® Broker Summit is adding value as the event grows closer. With 8 hours of CE credit, the speakers are sure to inspire, inform and amaze. CE approved speakers include John Tucillo, Sherry Chris, Greg McClelland, Brian Westrin, Kelly Myers, Nancy Haynes, Steve Harney and Lawrence Yun. Sponsorships for the Summit are also on the rise. Sponsors for the event include CompuTaught, Bluegreen Communities, MiRealSource, Exit Realty Michigan, Title Source, QuickConnect U.S.A, MSHDA and T-Mobile. Remind members the Summit takes place April 15-16, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, and registration is still open. Attend the Leadership Luncheon at NAR's Midyear Conference Learn "How to Make REALTOR® Leadership's Media Interaction Effective" at this event on May 16, in conjunction with the 2008 Midyear Meetings in Washington, D.C. Do you and your leadership struggle with media interviews? Do you try to avoid them altogether? Don’t miss this great opportunity to promote your Association when the media calls. Attend NAR's Midyear RCE Leadership Luncheon when Peter Mosca shares thoughts about talking points, sound bites, and getting your message out, When the Media Calls . . . Time is Running Out - Register for Land Use Academy Today! The 2008 Land Use Academy is right around the corner! The informative retreat, with con ed credits available, takes place April 28-May 1 at Thunder Bay Resort in beautiful Hillman, Michigan. The Academy provides useful tools and information to REALTORS® involved with development initiatives at the local level on how to address various land use concerns. It also creates an avenue for networking with fellow members from around Michigan to hear what other communities are doing to revitalize and enhance properties in their region. Featured speakers include: Gil White – Gilbert M. White REALTOR® Inc.
MAR Calendar of Events
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Michigan 48901-7925 Copyright © 2005 Michigan Association of REALTORS® |
