October 2014
Volume 31, Issue 10
West Central Association of REALTORS®
Newsletter
"Professionals Meeting Change"
Industry News
What does the REALTOR
Party do and how have
they helped Minnesota
REALTORS? Find out
more here....
Inside:
President Message
2
DOC Ad Requirements 3
WCAR Affiliates Page
4
Membership update
5
Legal hotline question
6
MLS Tips
7
Help Clients Understand
Credit Scores. Neekia
McCoy of REALTORS®
Federal Credit Union talks
about the topic from a
lender’s point of view and
offers tips on how
households can improve
their credit scores. Access
and share the five-minute
video.
REALTOR Action Center
When Congress is
considering legislation that
affects the real estate
industry, NAR calls on its
members to act. Simply by
contacting your Member
of Congress through an email or a phone call, you
can ensure that your
business remains strong.
NAR members join
together and speak with
one loud, powerful voice.
Read More
Download the NAR App
today, access your NRDS
number, view member
benefits for the National
and State Associations,
Industry News, Special
Product Offers and
Events. Find "NAR
Member Center" in your
App Store.
We look forward to seeing you October 21st!
CE programs
coming to
Marshall,
Fairmont and
Willmar. See
pages 8-11
Come and visit with
13 WCAR Affiliate
Members and find
out what services
they have available
for you in your
everyday Real
Estate business.
Where: Willmar
American Legion
conference room
When: October 21st
11 am to 1 pm
Free lunch provided
for all who attend.
Register for a chance
to win a $200 gift
certificate at
Slumberland.
PRIZES!
FREE LUNCH!
WCAR Newsletter
Page 2 of 12
From the President's Desk
Sandra Russen
WCAR President
October useless
trivia:
Pumpkins are
fruits, not
vegetables.
Dear Members ,
The WCAR Annual
Appreciation event was
well attended. It was
great seeing everyone
there. The Silent Auction
for “REALTORS Helping
Communities” raised
$1486 just short of our
$2100 goal. Donations are
still welcome. Don’t
forget each member can
contribute $1 per closed
side to help support this
great program. Contact
your Broker and/or Sue
at WCAR to get started.
Last month I shared the
NAR Challenge for all us
REALTORs to “remain the
first point of contact with
consumers” through
Community, Education
and Political Advocacy.
This month's focus is
Education.
Knowledge is Power, as
the saying goes! Staying
abreast of changes in the
real estate industry from
septic systems to
legislative issues brings
added value to your
clients and customers so
they can make informed
decisions throughout the
nuisances of the buying
and selling transaction.
As REALTORs we can
continue to hone our
professional development
using the Code of Ethics
and Standards of Practice
as our guide.
Your association is here to
help you get the
education you need to be
the best you can be.
WCAR offered free
education for the
required modules at the
Annual Appreciation
Dinner last month. RPR
training was offered Oct
1st & 2nd. Check out other
upcoming classroom
education training at
http://www.wcarmn.com
/index.asp?ID=50 or the
WCAR website for online
training. MNAR
education options can be
found at
http://www.mnrealtor.co
m/mn-educationinformation or through
NAR at
http://www.realtor.org/e
ducation
We should be proud of
our accomplishments
working for American
property owners to create
vibrant communities in
which to live and work.
Share your knowledge
and let your communities
know Home Ownership
Matters.
Have a great October!
Sandra Russen
WCAR President
Having problems when trying to save in Instanet on a
MAC Computer?
We have been notified that there is a caching issue after a recent Apple
update that is not allowing information to be saved properly. If you
encounter this issue you will want to do the following:
Click the safari button at the top and then click preferences - then go to
the privacy tab - then click remove all website data and then remove now,
go back to the safari button at the top and select quit safari - once it
completely closes, re-open and the issue should be corrected. Instanet has
24 hr customer service 800-668-8768
Upcoming Events
November 20- Full Day CE in Marshall
October 18 - Affiliate Expo
November 10-New Member Orientation-Marshall December 3- New member orientation-Fairmont
December 3- Ethics Class in Fairmont
November 10- Ethics Class-Marshall
All class registrations can be found online at www.wcarmn.com or you can register and pay
online HERE
WCAR Information
There is frequently only one
person in the WCAR office if
you receive voicemail please
leave a message. We will
return your call as soon as
possible or send an email to
Sue at [email protected] or
Maggie at
[email protected]
“REALTORS Helping
Communities” Donations can be
sent to the WCAR office monthly,
quarterly, or yearly. The Public
Relations committee requests
that each WCAR member
contribute $1 per closed side to
help support this great program.
WCAR Website find upcoming
classroom education, online
education, online registration for
WCAR events, association
bulletins, contact information for
WCAR members and the
Payment services site with
access to current and paid
invoices. www.wcarmn.com
Popular websites:
West Central Association
www.wcarmn.com
Minnesota Association
www.mnrealtor.com
National Association
www.realtor.org
Paragon
www.wcarmnmls.com
Paragon Mobile
wcmnmls-sasi.mobile.paragonrels.com
Online Continuing Education
wcarmn.360training.com
New Advertising requirements from the DOC
by: Paul Eger and Ryan Hamilton, MNAR Governmental Affairs
Current law language in
MN Statute 82.69
regarding advertising
requires a licensee to
“…identify himself or
herself as either a broker
or an agent salesperson in
any advertising This
requirement has been the
subject of a number of
recent enforcement
actions initiated by the
DOC against licensees,
which has highlighted
that this particular
requirement may
potentially be putting
many more licensees at
risk of enforcement
action.
New law language
enacted this Session will
result in an individual
licensee no longer being
required to identify
himself or herself as
either a broker or agent
salesperson in all of his or
her advertising. Instead,
the new law replaces the
existing language with
language that is meant to
be more flexible and
subjective and more
closely aligned with what
most licensees are
already doing, thereby
reducing the risk of an
enforcement action being
initiated against a
licensee.
The new language is as
follows:“Any advertising
by a licensee must
include the real estate
brokerage name more
prominently displayed
than the licensee’s
name.”
The new law does not
proscribe any specific
requirements such as a
font size ratio between
licensee name and
brokerage name. In other
words, “more prominently
displayed” is a subjective
standard, in contrast to
the black-and-white
standard in existing law
and allows a licensee
more flexibility in
designing his or her
advertising.
WCAR Newsletter
Page 4 of 12
WCAR Affiliate Members
Antique/Home Goods
Title Companies
Lenders Con't:
Long Lake Antiques
Johnson Moody, Schmidt &
Kleinhuizen
Clearwater Mortgage
Builders:
Energy Concepts
Kandiyohi Abstract & Title
Lyon County Abstract & Title
Minnesota Abstract Title Company
Home Inspectors:
Advanced Property Inspections Inc
Quality Title of Willmar, LLC
Title & Abstract Services, LLC
Pro-Spec Home Inspections
Sportel Home Inspections, LLC
Tischer Home Inspections
Tom's Home Inspections
Werder Home Inspections Inc
Mick Quinn Insurance Agency
Coop Credit Union-Montevideo
First Independent Bank
Granite Community Loan Center
Heritage Bank
Home State Bank
Lake Region Bank
Lenders:
Ag Star Financial
Atwater State Bank
Bank of the West
Bremer Bank-Willmar
Insurance Agents:
Concorde Bank
Lake Region Mortgage
North American State Bank
United FCS
United Prairie Bank
Wells Fargo
Bremer Bank-Marshall
Central Minnesota Credit UnionBelgrade & Paynesville
Town & Country Agency
Well & Septic Companies
Environmental Well & Septic
Thein Well Company
Appraiser Members
Agri-Realty
Neu LLC Appraisal
Appraisals by Ralph Thoren
Orlin Bruss Appraisal Services
Asburn Appraising
Pool Appraisals
Fagerlie Appraisal
Southwest Appraisal & Consultants
Grandprey Appraisal Services
Tri State Appraisal Services
Guggenberger Appraisal Service
William Latham Appraisal
Haynes Real Estate Appraisal
Holmgren Appraisal
JLS Appraisal Services
John Brown Appraisals
Klein Appraisal Services
Lac Qui Parle County Assessor
Mahoney Appraisal
McCoy Appraisal Services
.
"Affiliate Contact
information can be
found on the WCAR
website under "Our
Affiliates"
www.wcarmn.com
Membership Report
New Members:
Beth Blomme, Realtor®,
Wilson O Brien,Marshall
Emily Blomme, Realtor®,
Wilson O Brien,Marshall
Krista Weiszhaaar,
Realtor®, Prudential Elite
Realty, Marshall
Full Members: 351
Affiliate Members: 42
Secondary: 7
Sally Otmanns, Realtor®,
River's Edge Realty,
Windom
Darla Maxwell, Realtor®,
New Key Realty, Grove
City
Shelley Standafer,
Realtor®, Johnson
Brothers Realty,
Worthington
Transfers:
None
Scenic Valley Realty,
Realtor®, Granite Falls
Remember to notify the
association of any
licenses changes
Drops:
None
Don Pearce Receives 2014 REALTOR Volunteer of the Year Award at
Annual Appreciation Event
Willmar was named the
REALTOR® Volunteer of
the Year 2014 by the
members of the West
Central Association of
Realtors®.
Don served on the West
Don Pearce, a REALTOR® Central Association of
with Lakes Area Realty in Realtors® (WCAR) Board of
Directors, the Public
Relations Committee,
WCAR Membership
Committee and the MLS
Committee. Don also
served as the 2012
President for WCAR. His
volunteerism extends to
his community where he is
a member or the West
Silent Auction raises $1486 for REALTORS® Helping
Communities.
This year's recipients
are:
Women’s Safe House
Of Willmar
Big Buddies Generation
Next
Of Marshall
In December a check
will be presented by the
Public Relations
Committee to each
nominee.
from WCAR members
and by members
donating $1 per closed
side. If you would like to
participate donations can
be sent to the West
Central Associatoin of
REALTORS office.
All funds come from the
Silent Auction,
voluntary donations
Thank you for our
support of this WCAR
program.
Grace Place of Willmar
Of Willmar
Out Back Youth Day
Of Graceville
Central Builders
Association and a
volunteer at Tripolis
Lutheran church.
WCAR Tutorial Videos
WCAR has created short
video's to help you
navigate Instanet Forms
and the MLS system.
Click the link next to each
video title to view the
tutorial.
1. What is a Client
Connect Site View Now
4. Create a Transaction in
Instanet . View Now
5. Save a Default Search
in Paragon. View Now
6. Set up an Auto Email in
Paragon. View Now
7. Authentisign Esignatures. View Now
2. Setting up a Client
Connect Site View Now
8. Add addn'l Document to
a transaction View Now
3. Authentisign NEW Help
Videos for Tablets View
Now
9. Add Single Document to
Authentisign View Now
Legal Hotline Question
Question: Buyer and
seller executed a
purchase agreement
with no financing
contingency, despite
buyer needing to obtain
financing to pay the
agreed purchase price.
Buyer later finds he is
unable to obtain the
financing he anticipated
receiving and thus
cannot close. Does the
seller have any
remedies?
Answer: Yes. Buyer’s
failure to close,
particularly where
there are no
contingencies in favor
of Buyer, is a breach of
the purchase
agreement. Seller has a
variety of options for
legal recourse, which
include but is not
limited to suing the
buyer for breach of
contract (and seeking
damages), or
Any of the MLS Tutorials
can be found under MLS
Documents in the upper
right corner of Paragon
and then in the Video
Tutorial Folder.
Do you have something
you would like to see a
short tutorial on? Email
Sue at [email protected]
Instanet has a new
format when using
Chrome, MAC or tablets
all the same features
they just look a little
different.
By: Brad J Boyd, Esq
negotiating an agreed
cancellation of purchase
agreement with
forfeiture of earnest
money (or other agreed
damages to be paid by
buyer).
Display your Open Houses on the WCAR website
Open Houses will be
displayed on the WCAR
all month long, just email
your open house
information to the
association office and it
will be posted for the
consumers to view.
each month will continue
to be WCAR Open House
Weekend and be
advertised on the front of
the Homes Plus magazine
however all open houses
will be posted regardless
of the date.
The second weekend of
Take advantage of this
WCAR Video Tutorials watch
at your convenience.
free advertising by
emailing your listing
information to Maggie at
[email protected]
 MLS#
 Address
 Date
 Time
 Price
Online Credit Checking
through Experian
Connect.
How Does It Work?
Your clients can purchase
their credit report and
score for $14.95 and then
grant you access to view it
for 30 days from purchase
for no additional fee.
Find out more about
the Experian Connect
program HERE
MLS Tips
To have your phone
number displayed on
reports go to
Preferences - system
Preferences- Result
option and check the
box by Show phone
number with Agent
name
Paragon Helpline is
open
Mon-Fri 6 am to 8 pm
Saturday 9 am to 3 pm
Sunday 1 am to 3 pm
Call 877-657-4357
MLS Handbook has
been updated and can
be viewed in Paragon
under MLS Documents
Remember to do a
Partial Save before you
walk away from the
computer or stop to do
something different
while inputting a listing
or you could lose all the
date you entered.
Add
@bookashwoing.com to
your safe sender list in
your email account to
ensure email delivery
find out more at
www.bookashowing.co
m/safe
When accessing the
MLS on a Mobile device
always choose Full
Version, the mobile
version will display an
error.
*There are frequently
Auction Properties
that will meet your
clients requirements
however the price in the
MLS is $0, take an
extra minute and
search for Auction
Properties by adding
the Auction Field to
your search and
selecting Yes
Client Connect
creates an individual
site for your clients to
go to view properties
that meet their criteria
Tutorial Here
*You can view
information for your
inventory or changes
for the entire market by
going to Market Monitor
on the right side of the
Paragon Home Page
and clicking the tabs at
the bottom of the box.
*If you cannot find an
agents name you are
searching for click the
search tool next to the
listing agent or selling
agent field for the entire
list of agents in the
system.
*Open House
information can be
added in Paragon and
then will be exported to
realtor.com. Each
office has the option to
have it pulled to their
website too, your web
provider will need to
start pulling the fields in
order for the Open
Houses to be exported
to your site.
*Temporarily
Unavailable to Show the MLS committee has
reserved this status for
the following situations:
1) A Bank has asked
the agent to
Temporarily take off the
MLS due to title or
transactions issues. 2)
The homeowner has
had an emergency and
cannot show the
property. This status
cannot be used if the
owner has just listed
the property but isn't
ready for showings a
MLS Exclusion must be
used in this situation
*Any Report that has
Client in the title can be
given to the Public, any
report that displays
compensation or Agent
to Agent Remarks
should Never be given
to the Public
Additional MLS Tips
can be found in
Paragon under MLS
Documents in the right
corner and then in the
MLS Tips Folder
Year Built is required
and if the home owner
does not know it every
effort by the real
estate professional
must be taken to find
it.
WCAR Home Search
Mobile App is now
available in both the
Android and Apple
Store. This is a free
app that contains all
home in the WCAR
MLS that are for sale
and is available for both
members and the
public. Go to your App
Store and Search
WCAR Homes For Sale
IF a Closing date is
extended remember
to update the MLS all
data needs to be
current and correct.
WCAR Newsletter
Mail to: WCAR, 1025—19th Avenue SW Suite 5, Willmar 56201 , email: [email protected] - or—
Page 8 of 12
Fax to: 320-231-3405
November 10, 2014
New Member Orientation
NAR Approved Ethics Class
SW/WC Cooperative –1420 E College Dr-Marshall
9:00 a.m.-11:00 am
New Member Orientation
2 CE
Presented by: Charles Holland
New member Orientation attendance is required for all new Realtor® members within the first year of
membership. This class will acquaint you with the three levels of Association membership, the services
provided by each and your responsibilities as a member of a professional organization.
MN West Campus Auditorium
This course has been approved by the MinnesotaWillmar
Commissioner of Commerce for 2 hours for real estate
continuing education.
Noon —2:30 p.m.
Code of Ethics– NAR approved
2.5 CE
Presented by: Charles Holland
This class has been designed to give you instructions on the duties and obligations imposed by the
National Associations Code of Ethics for REALTORS in their day to day real estate business. These duties
mirror obligations required under state law and case studies and examples will help agents understand
the required obligations.
ALL MEMBERS MUST COMPLETE AN ETHICS COURSE BETWEEN 2013-2016
*Meets NAR Ethics requirements This course has been approved by the Minnesota Commissioner of
Commerce for 2.5 hours for real estate continuing education.
Name
_________________________________________ ____ New Member Orientation FREE
Company
____ Code of Ethics $20
_________________________________________
Home Address
_________________________________________ Register Early,
Prices increase $5.00 after Nov 3rd!
City /Zip________________ Phone ______________
License # _________________________________
For credit card payment, please provide email address:
Email invoice to :
________________________________________________________
No Refunds will be given
Mail to: WCAR, 1025—19th Avenue SW Suite 5, Willmar 56201 , email: [email protected] - or—
Fax to: 320-231-3405
November 20, 2014
Financing Today’s Buyer & Business & Communication Technology
SW/WC Cooperative
1420 E College Dr, Marshall ( South Side of Marshall Mall)
8:30 a.m.—12:15 p.m.
Financing today’s buyer
3.75 CE
Presented by: Chris Prescott
This course is designed to educate real estate agents on the pros and cons of using Contract for Deed financing.
The instructor will outline various types of seller financing with a focus on assumption of existing financing, which is
important when so many loans have been written using FHA financing. Students will also learn about the rent to
own concept and how it may be a viable solution for today’s buyer. This course has been approved by the
Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce for 3.75 hours for real estate continuing education.
1:00 p.m.—4:00 p.m.
Business & Communication Technology
3 CE
Presented by: Rob Mehta
Are you thinking about buying technology devices, software or apps to improve your real estate business but don’t
know where to start? Are you struggling to reach consumers because you don’t know which communication
methods are the most effective ones to utilize? Do you have concerns about data security, virus protection, legal
issues, etiquette and personal safety in using these new tools? By attending this course you will learn how to run
your real estate business safely in the most cost & time efficient manner by leveraging technology.
*This class will apply to the GRI designation. This course has been approved by the Minnesota Commissioner of
Commerce for 3 hours for real estate continuing education.
Name
_________________________________________
Company
_________________________________________
____ Both Classes $65 (box lunch included)
____ Financing today’s Buyer $35
____ Business & Communication Technology $35
Home Address
_________________________________________
City /Zip________________ Phone ______________
License # _________________________________
Register Early,
Prices increase after November 13th!
For credit card payment, please provide email address:
Email invoice to :
___________________________________________
No Refunds will be given
WCAR Newsletter
Page 10 of 12
Mail to: WCAR, 1025—19th Avenue SW Suite 5, Willmar 56201 , email: [email protected] - or—
Fax to: 320-231-3405
December 3, 2014
New Member Orientation
NAR Approved Ethics Class
Holiday Inn –1201 Torgerson Dr-Fairmont
9:00 a.m.-11:00 am
New Member Orientation
2 CE
Presented by: Charles Holland
New member Orientation attendance is required for all new Realtor® members within the first year of
membership. This class will acquaint you with the three levels of Association membership, the services
provided by each and your responsibilities as a member of a professional organization.
This course has been approved by the
MNMinnesota
West Campus
Commissioner
Auditorium
of Commerce for 2 hours for real estate
continuing education.
Willmar
Noon —2:30 p.m.
Code of Ethics– NAR approved
2.5 CE
Presented by: Charles Holland
This class has been designed to give you instructions on the duties and obligations imposed by the National
Associations Code of Ethics for REALTORS in their day to day real estate business. These duties mirror obligations
required under state law and case studies and examples will help agents understand the required obligations.
*Meets NAR Ethics requirements This course has been approved by the Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce
for 2.5 hours for real estate continuing education.
Name
_________________________________________ ____ New Member Orientation FREE
Company
____ Code of Ethics $20
_________________________________________
Home Address
_________________________________________ Register Early,
Prices increase $5.00 after Nov 26th!
City /Zip________________ Phone ______________
License # _________________________________
For credit card payment, please provide email address:
Email invoice to :
____________________________________________
No Refunds will be given
Mail to: WCAR, 1025—19th Avenue SW Suite 5, Willmar 56201 , email: [email protected] - or—
Fax to: 320-231-3405
February 5, 2015
Working the Cloud & Social Media Update
MinnWest Campus Auditorium
Willmar
8:30 a.m.—12:15 p.m.
Working the Cloud
3.75 CE
Presented by: Rob Mehta
Get on board and start using tools that will lead to interaction, collaboration, and sales.
If the cloud is still a meteorological term to you or your team, it's time we change that mindset. This
program is designed to introduce low-cost ways of integrating some of the most proven cloud-based
tools available today. We will focus on tools that facilitate collaboration and enable the agent or
employee to better service their client while reducing overhead expenses, and making lives just a bit
easier.
This course has been approved by : MN Commissioner of Commerce for 3.75 hours for real estate CE.
1:00 p.m.—4:45 p.m.
Social Media Update in 2014-15
3.75 CE
Presented by: Rob Mehta
What's happening with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and the rest.
OK, it is 2015. And your employees and agents are on all the right social media sites. And nothing is happening
(or very little anyways). What to do now? Our program how to engage and build an audience that actually
listens, and how to convert that audience into real interaction. Where to spend time, and what not to waste
your time on as well.
This course has been approved by: MN Commissioner of Commerce for 3.75 hrs for real estate CE.
Name
_________________________________________ ____ Both Classes $65 (lunch included)
Company
____ Working the Cloud $35
_________________________________________
____ Social Media Update $35
Home Address
_________________________________________
City /Zip________________ Phone ______________
License # _________________________________
Register Early,
Prices increase after January 29!
For credit card payment, please provide email address:
Email invoice to :
________________________________________________________
No Refunds will be given
WCAR Newsletter
Page 12 of 12
WCAR Board of Directors and Volunteer Committee Members
1025 19 Av SW
Suite 5
Willmar MN 56201
Officers:
President: Sandy Russen
President Elect: Linda Harris
PHONE:
(320) 235-6881
Treasurer: Ann Anderson
Past President: Charles Holland
FAX:
(320) 231-3405
MLS Committee:
Lacey Aalderks
Linda Harris
Cynthia Rogers*
Larry Sandven
Dawn Scott
Lori Schroeder
MNAR & WCAR Director
E-MAIL:
[email protected]
Geri Theis
Roberto Trevino
Public Relations Committee
Ann Anderson
Jolene Ervin
Tyler Hanson
Tina Nelson
Mary Peterson
Valerie Stephens*
* denotes Committee Chair
Brian Wixon
Directors:
Kelly Baeth
Nan Kaufenberg
Brent Prouty
Paul Ryan
Education Committee
Doug Fenstra
Association Executive
Jan Sanow
Sue Blumhoefer
Dawn Scott*
Bruce Vogel
Jan Sanow
Kevin Swanson
We’re on the Web!
See us at:
www.wcarmn.com
1025 19 Av SW, Ste 5
Willmar MN 56201
WCAR…
Working To Keep Home
Ownership Strong