RED HOT ISSUES
Here is Natalie’s brief on what is happening. I did research into all the bills, documents, and links. Breeze through these topics to get up to date on the issues! You can also take a 3 hour class with this name…. just click and Voila… there it is in pdf!
Red Hot Issues Class Click to Download
You are NO longer required to LIST your clockhours to renew your license. But, there is a more aggressive auditing policy in place. If you do not have your clockhours when you are audited, you could be taking an unplanned vacation! So here is the form to renew if you can’t find yours! You just fill it out, attest that you have taken the hours, and mail it in. Or, you can renew online. The counter at the Dept of Licensing in Olympia will no longer be open to the public… I suggest that you scan certificates and keep a file on your computer with the certificates. You do not have to keep a paper copy.
Rookies
In September 2019 there were 32,943 active Brokers and 8496 active Managing Brokers in the state for a total of 41,439 licensees.
In 2015, there were 25,428 active Brokers in Washington and 8,051 active Managing Brokers. The number of total agents was 33,479 is about 13% higher than in 2010 when the numbers of agents hit a low of 29,171. Because so many taking the exam sneak in with a cell phone, the implementation of metal detectors could happen soon?
Press hard but not at the police station
Every six years real estate agents must be fingerprinted in Washington State. This started in 2010 so the cycle is repeating itself this summer. In 2013, 17% of fingerprints were rejected. This number was cut in half in 2014 as the Dept of Licensing sent out two fingerprint cards. The extra card was kept on file in case there was a problem with the first card. It eliminated over 750 people from having fingerprints retaken.
There is a vendor, MorphoTrust, that will now provide fingerprinting at THEIR locations. They are to have locations within 50 miles of any agent. It will be electronic and say they will have less than 3% rejection rate. Their ONLY location in Seattle is on 4th Ave South at the TWIC center which is only open 3 days a week by appointment. There is a location in Everett, Renton and Bellevue but you have to go online to schedule. You do not want to wait to the last minute. This is the link to the locations. http://www.l1enrollment.com/locations/?st=wa
Get the money into the bank
There were 74 office audits in August 2019. About 1/3 had no violations. The top three violations included trust account out of balance, property mgmt. record keeping, and late earnest money deposits. Get that money documented and in the bank!
An Apple for the Teacher
There only about 817 course approvals and 87 schools this past year and over 500 approved instructors in the state. Of course there isn’t available documentation as to how many live or online classes and many of the schools are national. Thanks for choosing clockhours.com and Natalie as an instructor for your continuing ed!
Really, are you hiding who you work for?
Real estate brokers have to hang their license with a designated broker. Licensing law says that a broker must disclose the firm in a clear and conspicuous manner on all advertising. The guidelines from the Dept of Licensing state that this disclosure must be within “one click” on any webpage. Brokers are making it difficult for a consumer and the Dept of Licensing to find what firm they are licensed with. One proposal that may be discussed is whether brokers should have to display their license number on all advertising as loan officers do.
