12-Hr. MI CE Package Plus ProPath

You assist consumers with what’s for most of them the single largest investment of their lives, and you do this while working mostly independently. That’s why broker supervision is required, especially for the first few years of licensure. Not only do you need to rely on your broker for advice and guidance, you also need to act ethically on you own and avoid federal and state antitrust violations.

This two-hour course provides a review of topics related to the broker/salesperson working relationship, client and customer duties, ethics for real estate professionals, antitrust laws, Michigan’s Antitrust Reform Act, and antitrust violations and penalties.

Course highlights:

• Elements of the broker/sales associate relationship
• Licensee employment status
• Compensation and commissions in Michigan
• Duties licensees owe to clients and customers
• National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics
• Federal antitrust laws
• Michigan’s Antitrust Reform Act
• Common real estate antitrust violations and their potential penalties
• Strategies for avoiding antitrust violations

The real estate market reflects our nation's diverse population, and the successful real estate professional understands and adapts to each client's needs.

What's new in fair housing? What isn't? 

Course Highlights:

• The newest fair housing guidelines relating to criminal background screening, reasonable accommodation for assistance animals, and hoarding
• A look at the socioeconomic impact of discriminatory practices in housing
• An online test to check your own inherent bias 
• The court case that led to sexual orientation and gender identity being afforded federal fair housing protection 
• Resources that will help you identify and better serve the diverse populations within your market
• Statistics and demographics on homeownership from:
  • The National Association of REALTORS®
  • The U.S. Census Bureau
  • The National Fair Housing Alliance 
• Two proposed additions to the seven federally protected classes

Real estate professionals wear many hats: expert communicator, attentive listener, trustworthy confidant, obedient servant, loyal advocate, and knowledgeable educator, to name just a few. To juggle these roles effectively—and within the lines of the law—licensees must remain informed. Real estate professionals are in a position to provide an invaluable level of consumer protection as they support consumers through their real estate transactions.

This course explores licensees' role as advocate and educator, and how they can protect consumers and their business from the threats of antitrust and fair housing violations and predatory lending. We'll start by looking at what federal protections are in place to combat these unfair practices. We'll also provide the steps you can proactively take to protect the consumers you work with day in and day out and the business you've worked so hard to create.

Course highlights include:

• Federal antitrust laws and violations
• Avoiding antitrust violations and protecting consumers from them
• Antitrust complaint process and penalties
• Federal fair housing laws and violations
• Redlining, blockbusting, and steering
• Buyer love letters
• Fair housing complaint process and penalties
• Predatory lending
• Truth in Lending Act
• Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act
• Protecting consumers from predatory lending
• Reporting predatory lending

Whether you're representing a seller who's listing a high-efficiency home or working with a buyer to find one, it's important to be able to recognize a home's green features and the value they bring to the property. This means understanding the benefit of big-ticket green items such as solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling systems, solar water heaters, or even energy-efficient windows, as well as knowing the value in quick-and-easy updates like low-flow faucets, LED lighting, and smart thermostats. It also means knowing the difference between HERS and HES and SEER and LEED. Of course, greening up a home isn't cheap. Letting your clients know about available federal and state programs and incentives is another way you can ensure your clients are getting the best service around.

Course highlights include:

• An overview of the green home movement
• Green terminology, certifications, and ratings
• A review of energy-efficient upgrades, including solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling systems, solar water heaters, and more
• Tips for assisting green homebuyers and sellers
• A review of the FHA's Energy Efficient Mortgage and the 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage programs
• Qualifications for the DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program
• Interactive activities and scenarios to seal in the new information and frame it in everyday context

Click a button. Raise a paddle. Buy a house. It's just that easy--and that risky. Auctions offer opportunities and benefits and they don't only take place on the courthouse steps. They also provide the opportunity to lose one's shirt.

In this course, you’ll learn how properties end up at auction and the types of auctions you and your clients may encounter. You’ll explore the benefits and detriments of buying or selling at auction, and you’ll finish with a greater understanding of your auction-related responsibilities when working with buyers, sellers, or on your own behalf as an investor, listing agent, referral source, cooperating agent, or even auctioneer.

Going once ...