Despite ongoing training, agency issues continue to cause ongoing disputes and misunderstandings within the real estate profession. According to the National Association of REALTORS® Legal Scan, 37% of the survey respondents reported a moderate or higher level of current disputes involving agency issues, while 22% of the respondents believe there is a significant need for training on agency issues in general. 

This four-hour course reviews the basics of agency relationships, offers new ways for licensees to explain the Mississippi Real Estate Commission's agency disclosure form, and meets Mississippi's mandatory requirement for CE on Agency Law.    

Course highlights include:

• Types of agency relationships, including single and dual agency
• Working with a Real Estate Broker form and how licensees can help clients and customers understand that form
• Case studies from across the country to show students the results of agency relationship misunderstandings and other issues
• Activities and scenarios to reinforce key concepts

Contract-related laws, rules, and regulations are integral to the practice of real estate. And as the real estate industry evolves, so do the legalities and practices that govern the contracts.  

In this two-hour course, we will review Mississippi real estate contract laws and rules, and learn how to apply that information to the real-world scenarios. 

Course highlights:

• Legal requirements for a valid contract
• Essential elements of a contract
• Mississippi-specific laws and rules relating to real estate contracts 
• Recent amendments to the preprinted contract forms provided by the Mississippi Association of REALTORS® to its members
• Activities and scenarios to reinforce key concepts

To practice professionally without risking your license, you need a complete understanding of Mississippi license laws and the Mississippi Real Estate Commission's Rules and Regulations. Even experienced licensees benefit from a review, especially since regulations change over time.

In this course, we apply your knowledge of Mississippi laws and regulations to real-world scenarios.

Course highlights:

• Requirements (and exceptions) for nonresident licensees who wish to practice real estate in Mississippi
• Broker's price opinions: who is authorized to provide them, and how they must be prepared
• Tasks required of salespersons and brokers, from money-handling to recordkeeping
• Acts that constitute violations of Mississippi's license law and disciplinary actions violators can face
• Agency and property disclosures, and the appropriate timing for various disclosures
• Duties and responsibilities of a brokerage's "responsible broker"
• Activities and scenarios to reinforce key concepts

Fraud has become a major issue in the industry. Lawbreakers use real estate as a vehicle to steal the life savings of unsuspecting homeowners and defraud lenders out of millions of dollars for their own gain. Federal, state, and local governments have taken steps to combat real estate fraud, but it remains a major problem—one you need to have a solid understanding of to ensure you're able to shield your clients and yourself from being defrauded or unknowingly committing fraud.

Keeping It Honest: Understanding Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud has been updated to discuss the latest fraudulent schemes and explain recent government initiatives aimed at stopping fraud and protecting consumers.

Course Highlights:

• Fraud and its impact on the real estate industry
• The newest and most prevalent types of fraudulent schemes
• Red flag behaviors that suggest someone is engaging in fraud
• How to report fraudulent or suspected fraudulent activities to the proper authorities
• Key government initiatives aimed at stopping fraud and protecting consumers
• Activities and scenarios to provide real-world context for course content

Attacks on real estate professionals have made headlines at an alarmingly more frequent rate in recent years. After an incident where a licensee is harmed, everyone vows to do better, and the topic of safety is pushed to the front of training schedules. Then complacency sets in.

Criminals count on complacency.

This course reviews studies and statistics of safety issues in the real estate industry, and best practices for personal safety.       

Course highlights include:

• Crime statistics and studies that challenge preconceived notions
• Risk factors and vulnerabilities that unique to real estate professionals
• Case studies to illustrate how criminals target their victims
• How to develop a personal warning system and trust your instincts when something feels “off”
• Activities and scenarios to provide real-world context for course content

Chances are good that, if it hasn't happened yet, you will one day work on a transaction involves a property that’s part of a tax-deferred exchange. When this happens, will you be ready to guide your client through the process and ensure they meet the critical deadlines?

With an appropriately formed exchange, an investor can defer paying taxes on the profit from one investment and instead use all of the profits to fund another investment. 

This course helps licensees become more comfortable with guiding clients through a 1031 tax-deferred exchange transaction and ensuring critical deadlines are understood and met.  

Course highlights include:

• Section 1031 tax-deferred exchange definitions
• Starker’s Exchange background and application
• U.S. Internal Revenue Code requirements
• IRS Safe Harbor Guidelines
• Investor taxes advantages
• Setting up an exchange
• Selecting a Qualified Intermediary
• Licensee role in a Section 1031 tax-deferred exchange
• The non-exchanger's role in a Section 1031 transaction
• Reverse exchanges
• Rare exemptions to exchange deadlines