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Fairhaven is a town every REALTOR® should visit
In November 2020, NAR launched Fairhaven, a new fair housing simulation training for REALTORS® that uses the power of storytelling to help members identify, prevent, and address discriminatory practices in real estate. Inspired by real stories, this innovative online experience has agents work against the clock to sell homes in the fictional town of Fairhaven while confronting discrimination in the homebuying process. Learners will also walk in the shoes of a homebuyer facing discrimination. The training provides customized feedback that learners can apply to daily business interactions.
This innovative training platform is available to all 1.4 million NAR members at no additional cost. Be an advocate for fair housing and the future of our industry. Commit to combating discrimination in real estate.
Get started by visiting Fairhaven to explore the fictional town of Fairhaven and assess how well you are adhering to fair housing principles.
Upcoming Code of Ethics courses
All REALTORS® must complete the required Code of Ethics class by the end of 2021. Failure to complete the course by year’s end will result in the suspension of your REALTOR® membership. If you have already completed the requirement for this 3-year cycle, the COE Complete statement on your Member Portal will indicate Yes. If you have completed the course and your Portal indicates No, please contact the EMR membership team.
There are several very convenient ways you to complete the requirement.
NAR’s free online course for existing members. Register online. (Members can customize this course to include an appraiser module where applicable).
The MS REALTOR® Institute’s course that awards CE credit. The cost for this course is $25. Register online. These are virtual classes with MRI instructor Kris Davis, and are available on the following dates:
April 13
May 18
June 24
The CE Shop offers a course that awards CE credit. The cost for this course is $25 (without a promo code- but there is always a promo code through (https://emr.theceshop.com). The course is entitled: The Code of Ethics in Action: Real-Life Applications.
McKissock offers a course that awards CE credit. The cost for this course is $29.95 (40% off here: Using promo code EMR through our CE page). The course is entitled: NAR: May the Code Be With You.
Pending Home Sales Retreat 2.8% in January, but Climb From Last Year
Pending home sales took a step backward in January as inventory constraints continue to hold back prospective buyers, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The South was the lone region with a modest gain from the month prior, while the other three major U.S. regions experienced month-over-month decreases in January. However, all four areas saw contract transactions increase from a year-over-year standpoint, including two regions reaching double-digit gains, spurring an all-time high for pending home sales in the month of January.
Realtors® Call for 2021 Applications for its Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Program
For 12 years, the National Association of Realtors® has given Realtors® who have demonstrated a commitment to public service an opportunity to enhance their charitable work through the Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Program. The program, which matches mentors with Realtors® who want to expand their community service outreach, is now seeking entries for 2021.
This year’s entry deadline is February 28, 2020. For a Volunteering Works entry form, visit nar.realtor/gna and click on “Nominate.” Applicants must be NAR members.
NAR Announces May Legislative Meetings Will Be Held Virtually in 2021
The National Association of Realtors® announced today that its REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo will be held virtually for the second straight year from May 3-14, 2021. Registration for the event will open on February 24. While approximately 9,000 Realtors® typically descend on Washington, D.C. for the conference every May, over 28,000 NAR members and real estate professionals participated in the first-ever virtual REALTORS® Legislative Meetings in 2020.
"After careful consideration, the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo will be held virtually again this year," NAR President Charlie Oppler, a Realtor® from Franklin Lakes, N.J., and the CEO of Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty, said in a video to NAR members on Friday afternoon. "Although this was a difficult decision – and one that we did not take lightly or without soliciting feedback from numerous members – our choice, in the end, was clear."
NAR’s Utility Model for Fannie, Freddie Garners Support
Placed under conservatorship in 2008, the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now at the center of a debate over their future and the next step in their evolution. On Thursday, the National Association of REALTORS® presented a refined version of its own proposal, first released as a white paper in February 2019—that the GSEs should be transformed into mortgage market utilities.
During a webinar Thursday, “The Future of the GSEs Webinar: Readying Fannie and Freddie for the Next Chapter,” NAR brought together policy, academic, and financial experts to discuss new research and to explore the benefits to consumers, taxpayers, and markets of NAR’s market utility option.
A utility would serve the dual objectives of creating competitive outcomes and achieving the charter goals of both Fannie and Freddie to provide liquidity, stability, and affordability to the mortgage market, said Ken Fears, senior policy representative at NAR. Fears is co-author of both the original NAR white paper and the update, titled "GSEs: Their Viability as Public Utilities."
