There’s a reason real estate agents often rank among the least trusted professionals in the U.S. But what can you do to improve the public’s perception? And what should you do when you run into an ethical dilemma or into a licensee who’s not behaving ethically? As a real estate professional, you can help raise the bar and improve the reputation of the industry. You can lead by example.

Aligned to the requirements of the current NAR cycle, this course will empower you to recognize and respond to ethical dilemmas, inspiring consumer confidence. For answers to ethical dilemmas, we’ll look to several articles of the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics, and draw from real-life ethical scenarios. In three short hours, you’ll be better prepared to exemplify the professionalism and cooperation that’s the true foundation of the real estate industry.

Course highlights include:

• Meets both regular ethics renewal requirements and new licensee ethics course requirements
• The importance of ethical behavior in NAR members and non-members alike, fostering a spirit of cooperation
• History and evolution of the Code, the preamble, and the Code’s influence on state licensing laws
• Structure of the Code
• Review and application of articles 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, 15, and 16 of the NAR Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
• Case studies of real-life ethical challenges
• Mediation and arbitration, with arbitration as the monetary dispute resolution process between REALTORS®
• Application of Article 17 of the NAR Code of Ethics to the complaints and hearing process
• Grievance committee vs. professional standards committee
• Best practices for demonstrating ethical behavior every day

*This course was designed by us to meet the REALTOR® Code of Ethics Training Requirement. Please confirm that your local association, who administers the Code of Ethics training, will accept this course.

The real estate profession is dynamic and related legislative, legal, and business practices adapt in response to the rapidly evolving business environment. Virginia’s recent legislative session resulted in statutory changes that may impact your everyday real estate practice.

This two-hour course also helps reduce risk for consumers in real estate transactions, because licensees equipped with the most up-to-date state practices will help guide consumers through their real estate transactions with expertise and confidence as well as meet the state’s regulatory and licensing requirements.

Course highlights include:

• Updates to licensing laws related to business continuity and unlicensed assistants
• The impact of incomplete homeowners association and condominium resale documents
• Revised disclosures, including mold, mineral rights, Special Flood Hazard Areas, and stormwater
• Rules relating to landlord access during pandemic
• Rent reservation and right of redemption changes (HB 1889
• How someone making solicitation calls on a licensee’s behalf can create liability for the licensee
• A program addressing eviction issues in the state
• The addition of accessible parking to reasonable accommodation vs modification
• Legal changes related to unlawful detainer appeal bonds and hearings
• Property management updates, including lease agreements and renter’s insurance
• Activities and scenarios to reinforce key concepts

The purpose of this course is to address a range of recent state legislative updates that impact the real estate profession, helping licensees understand what the changes were and their applicability in everyday practice.

This two-hour course helps reduce risk for consumers in real estate transactions by equipping licensees with the most up-to-date state practices they'll use to help consumers navigate real estate transactions.

Course highlights include:

• Updates to licensing laws related to business continuity and unlicensed assistants
• The impact of incomplete homeowners association and condominium resale documents
• Revised disclosures, including mold, mineral rights, Special Flood Hazard Areas, and stormwater
• Rules relating to landlord access during pandemic
• Rent reservation and right of redemption changes (HB 1889)
• How someone making solicitation calls on a licensee's behalf can create liability for the licensee
• A program addressing eviction issues in the state
• The addition of accessible parking to reasonable accommodation vs modification
• Legal changes related to unlawful detainer appeal bonds and hearings
• Property management updates, including lease agreements and renter's insurance

The purpose of this course is to review for Virginia licensees the concept of agency and evaluate the agency environment in the wake of the NAR Settlement.

Agency in Virginia differs from that of many other states because Virginia law defines the brokerage relationship and establishes the parameters of agency representation. Buyers and sellers have specific legal rights when they work with licensees in the capacity of either their listing agent or buyer's agent. Staying in touch with the legalities of agency is critical to licensees' abilities to fulfill their statutory obligations to clients and customers, as well as protecting the interests of consumers with whom they work.

By now, you've probably heard of the Sitzer-Burnett case. This federal class-action lawsuit out of Missouri revolved around residential real estate commission rates, which the plaintiffs alleged led to unacceptably high payouts for buyer brokers at the expense of home sellers. In 2023, the court agreed. The following year, the plaintiffs, the National Association of REALTORS®, and other parties in the case reached settlement terms that will have significant effects on the ways real estate professionals across the country do their jobs.

This two-hour course, which meets the real estate agency requirement for all renewing salespeople and brokers, provides a summary and review of Virginia's rules and regulations specific to agency relationships and discusses the practical implications of the NAR Settlement.

Course highlights include:

• Legal and ethical responsibilities of listing agents, buyer's agents, rental listing agents, and leasing agents
• Commonly used contracts and agreements, including listing agreements and buyer/broker agreements
• Dual agency, designated dual agency¸ and the differences between the two
• Limited service agencies (LSAs) and the duties they are required by law to provide
• Terms of the settlement in the Sitzer-Burnett class-action case.
• Practice changes affecting seller and buyer agreements following the NAR Settlement.
• Negotiating broker compensation following the NAR Settlement.
• Activities and examples to seal in the new information and frame it in everyday context

The purpose of this course is to provide licensees with a thorough understanding of the core components of the variety of contracts they use in the course of their business. We'll start by laying the groundwork, examining the essential elements and the language that makes a contract truly binding. But this course goes beyond the basics. We'll unpack a variety of real-world contracts, from listing agreements to buyer-broker deals, and everything in between.

This two-hour course, which meets the real estate contracts requirement for renewing salespersons and brokers, analyzes common agency agreements, Virginia-specific contract guidelines, and explicit requirements. Next, we'll turn our attention to licensees and their role in crafting airtight purchase agreements. Finally, get ready to master the art of contract negotiation, see how agreements are put into action, and even explore what happens when things fall apart (and how to fix them!).

Course highlights include:

• Contract terminology and the elements of a valid contract
• The three key types of listing contracts—exclusive right to sell, exclusive agency, and open agency—and the benefits and defining characteristics of each
• Void and voidable contracts
• How offers can be terminated
• Virginia's guidelines for correctly handling each contract
• Activities to seal in the new information and frame it in everyday context
• Preparing for a sales transaction
• The licensee's role in preparing purchase agreements
• Negotiating the sales contract
• Understanding the types of performance—performance, partial, specific and impossibility of performance
• Contract breaches and remedies
• Virginia's statute of limitations for real estate transactions

Open houses have been a standard practice in seller representation for decades, but they're not always a smashing success. By carefully selecting which listings are suitable for an open house, then preparing the sellers for the event, you're far more likely to have a productive open house.

During an open house, you're responsible for the security of the seller’s property, as well as the safety of the visitors and yourself. But open houses aren't the only safety risk real estate professionals face. Due to the nature of the business, licensees face more risks than the average professional. With a few strategies, common sense, and intuition, you can protect yourself, your family, and your business.

This two-hour course walks you through the steps involved in planning for and hosting a successful open house, including safety aspects to consider. We also look at safety concerns for real estate professionals.

Course highlights include:

• Evaluating when to choose an open house and when to choose a virtual tour instead
• Preparing properties and sellers for an open house
• Establishing guidelines for a successful and safe open house
• Developing an overall safety plan that includes marketing materials, client relationships, and home and office settings
• Protecting your personal safety through your everyday actions
• Activities and scenarios to reinforce key concepts

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