Division Continuing Ed C.E. Bank Changing Requirements

C.E. Bank Update: Division Continuing Ed C.E. Bank Changing Requirements.

The Division of Real Estate allows Utah licensees to personally “bank” their own “unbanked” CE hours…which are then later verified by your Course Certificate and/or the C.E. course provider who also must bank your credit hours within ten days of course completion.

The feature has been available to licensees during a current two year crossover period… but the two years is up soon.

The Division announced in its March 2008 Newsletter that personally banking your “unbanked” credits is expiring and going away effective July 1, 2008. CE hours can be banked only by the course provider after July 1, 2008.

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Class Star personnel have always banked your CE credits within a few hours of completion of the course, and this course provider is presently refining automatic submission of your credits to the C.E. credit bank. Try Class Star when you’re at the last minute …

Some online course vendors place all of your CE credit info and certificates in the U.S. Mail—the very slowest method possible.

The reason to be aware of the changing requirement is that your credits must be banked by your license renewal date. This is not the same as “course completed” by your renewal date. Your CE course vendors still have ten days to get your info reported—regardless of when your license renews; and so for those of you who wait until the last minute (I think I’m one of them); check with the vendor first to determine how soon your credits will be banked.

Talk to me about CE banking. I’m happy to help in any way possible.

See you again.

from The Porch…

Mike B. Class Star^®

Dollar and Euro and Yen This Week

On April 25, 2008 the U.S. dollar hit a three-week high trading against the euro and the yen.

The Wall Street Journal posits that investors think the Fed is going to pause its tightening cycle…and perhaps leave interest rates unchanged over the next few weeks.

Talk to me about interest rates.

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from The Porch…

Mike B. Class Star^®

Some Ideas for Selling in a Soft Market - 3

Offer Home-Buying Incentives, Rather Than Throwing Goodies at the Deal…

There are very effective ways to do this…and not some so effective methods. Although a flat-screen TV is appealing, or leaving the car in the garage are certainly eye-catching …not all of your sellers can do afford these maneuvers and they can be counter-productive.

The buyers are trying to decide upon a house to buy. Help them buy the house your clients are trying to sell.

Use closing costs as incentives. Cash-strapped buyers may tend to favor your seller’s home over others when your seller offers to help with closing costs. I’d suggest this is far more appealing that a flat screen TV.

Your sellers can also offer to pay for an interest rate buy down. Pay a point or two…when we’re talking about moving a $300,000 property and it’s urgent; a “point” costing the seller $500 to $1000 or so can be fairly enticing to the buyers when they see their proposed mortgage interest rate drop and their monthly payments reduce.

I think a “normal” buyer would opt for the interest rate reduction and lower monthly payments far more readily than a big television
screen.

The foregoing costs less as incentives than perhaps leaving the piano or buying plane tickets to Maui for buyers…and these items help with the home buying decision-making where it makes a big difference— a big enough perceived difference to persuade the buyers to purchase your property rather than moving on to the next dozen or so down the street.

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Here’s a link for some help on fixing up stuff: naturalhandyman.com

from The Porch ...

Mike B. Class Star^®