Real Estate Electives

Social Media, E-Commerce Issues

and Internet Resources

This course will appeal to licensees of modest computer literacy.

Course topics include:

•  Appropriate and lawful use of social media, such as Twitter and Facebook.
•  Using search engines and techniques to widen or narrow a search.
•  Significant real estate resources for consumers on the Internet.
•  Virtual violations: copyright infringement, advertising violations, unlicensed activity, spamming.
• Federal laws governing electronic transactions.

Approved in NC

Demographics,

Diversity, and Fair Housing

• Among the topics covered in this workshop are:
• impact of demographic trends on the real estate market.
• why fair housing issues will become more critical in the next decade.
• strategies for cultural proficiency             

Mold, Moisture

and Mildew–Oh My!  

Did you know the Irish fled to America because of the potato famine?  It was caused by mold!   Several of the plagues that Moses "visited" on the Pharaoh involved mold, including the Nile River red.  Mold-induced poisoning probably caused the strange behavior of the girls involved in the Salem witch trials.  The curse of the tomb raiders?  You guessed it--mold.

Mold is a natural part of the environment, but the dramatic increase in recent lawsuits and insurance claims have made mold an occupational hazard for real estate agents.  This three or four-hour course on the latest environmental and health issue facing real estate professionals will help agents:

• Define and describe mold.                    
• Describe litigation and insurance issues.
• Identify those conditions which contribute to the growth of mold.                      
• Describe prevention and remediation methods.
•  Identify the potential health hazards associated with exposure to mold.             
  
•  Identify the real estate licensee’s obligations re: mold issues.

 

This course offers licensees information about the tax consequences of owning, buying, and selling a home and includes opportunities to discuss

• deductions
• capital gains taxation,
• moving expenses,
• vacation homes
• and the impact of foreclosures and short sales on residential homeowners.

By the end of the program, students will be able to apply creative strategies to help consumers in a slow or slowing market, such as:

• Seller/owner financing
• Discounting mortgages
• Using the time value of money
• Seller-paid buyer incentives
• Buyer financing techniques
• Seller pricing techniques

This class involves math techniques.  Students must bring pencils and calculators.

Approved in NC

This course is designed for active real estate practitioners, appraisers, and investor-wannabes who want to understand more about how to value investment real estate.  Students must bring a calculator to class but it can be a simple, hand-held calculator. At the end of a four-hour workshop, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of real estate as an investment                      
• Apply concepts of present value, before- and after-tax cash flow, after-tax proceeds, financial management rate of return
• Compare and contrast various measures of return;                    
• Perform a market/financial analysis of income/rental property.

 Approved in NC

Money Talks: 

Compensation Issues    

The subject of commissions and other fees generates a lot of confusion.   Real estate licensees face increasingly more difficult questions from consumers requiring them to defend their fees and to contrast them with other firms who advertise their commissions in the marketplace. “Minimum services companies” and virtual office websites (VOWs) have entered the market in increasing numbers, and they typically charge non-traditional professional fees, such as hourly compensation or menu-driven fees. Inappropriate answers by licensees regarding fees could lead to price-fixing and antitrust violations.

Licensees are also confused about paying and receiving referral fees and rebates. Whether the payment or receipt of fees is lawful depends on a myriad of state and federal laws and rules as well as ethics. Some states permit referral fees to non-licensees; most states do not. Some states have attempted to regulate minimum services companies but have incurred the wrath of the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission for doing so. 

By the end of this four-hour program, participants will be able to describe and comply with federal and state laws & rules regarding:

• Vendors’ kickbacks or rebates  
• Minimum/discount brokers
• Referral fees                  
• Competitor’s fees

The Realtor Code of Ethics

This program meets the NAR requirement for ethics training for Realtors as well as state license renewal credit.  If needed for REALTOR membership renewal, this course must be completed by Dec. 31, 2012.  This program deals with:

• The new ethical challenges to the real estate profession.
• The purpose of a code of ethics and how it can help resolve ethical dilemmas.
• The critical elements of the REALTOR Code of Ethics.
• The public perception of real estate licensees' ethics and their real ethical literacy.

This course was recognized as North Carolina's Program of the Yea the North Carolina Real Estate Educators Association.

Approved in NC and other states

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This four-hour course covers the following topics:

• Factors influencing international buyers to invest in U.S. real estate and those which influence Americans to buy overseas.
• Behaviors to overcome communication barriers when dealing with international clients.
• U.S. restrictions on foreign investment as well as restrictions on U.S. citizens buying overseas.
• U.S. laws which affect international real estate purchasers and discuss their impact.
• Issues regarding culture, documentation, and financing which affect foreign borrowers and Americans buying overseas.
• Resources for developing an international real estate brokerage business.
• Inappropriate business behavior from the perspective of an international clientele. 

NC Specific Courses

 Mandatory Update for North Carolina for 2011-2012 (NC Update Course 9912.)This course expires June 10, 2012.

Real estate licensees who wish to maintain active licensure must participate in a 4 hour Mandatory Update Course developed by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. This course is NOT available online.  The topics this year have not been finalized.

North Carolina Broker-In-Charge Annual Re Course for 2011-2012.  (BICAR) NC BIC Course 8812. This course expires June 10, 2012.

Virtually all brokers-in-charge (BIC) who wish to maintain their BIC status must take this course (plus the Mandatory Update--see above) every year.  This is a new licensing requirement as of July 1, 2006.  This course is not available online.