Louisiana REALTORS® Resource - January 3, 2018
Amy P. Fennell • January 3, 2018
THINGS TO HELP YOUR SUCCESS IN 2018
#1 CYBER SECURITY & WIRE FRAUD ALERT FORM
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cyber crime damages will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021. This represents the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history, risks the incentives for innovation and investment, and will be more profitable than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.
The real estate industry is experiencing the dangers and risks associated with cyber security and wire fraud at alarming rates. Reports of these incidents are not only occurring around the country, but in Louisiana. Louisiana REALTORS® has created a Cyber Security Resource
page and sample Wire Fraud Alert form to assist REALTORS® and their clients with preventative measures and warns of the dangers and signs in real estate transactions. Information will be added to the resource page as this develops and as more resources become available.
#2 NEW MEMBER SERVICE: TECHHELPLINE
A new member service, Tech Helpline, began on January 2, 2018. The service provides U.S. based tech support to help REALTOR® members troubleshoot and resolve challenges with office and personal tech devices.
"LR recognizes that experiencing downtime with technology could keep REALTOR® members from being able to service their clients and hinder their productivity. Staying true to our mission to provide optimum member resources, we sought out this great service that supports nearly 600,000 practitioners and understands the unique needs of the real estate industry," said Norman Morris, CEO.
#3 CODE OF ETHICS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
January 22-26 & 29-30 -February 6 & 7
The 4 hour Professional Standards Training: Code of Ethics
class is being offered throughout Louisiana! The class taught by an industry practitioner and national instructors discusses common situations REALTORS® face in which it is easy to break the Code of Ethics while trying to do the right thing. Examine each article and discuss how it applies to the real estate business and professionalism. Attendees will also get a good understanding of how the Code is enforced.
4 hours of Louisiana CE credit and satisfy the 2.5 hour Code of Ethics training requirement
established by the National Association of REALTORS®.
NO CHARGE TO ATTEND. REGISTRATION REQUIRED. SEATING IS LIMITED
February 20-21 |Metairie
The 2-day Seller Representative Specialist (SRS)
Designation Course provides comprehensive training and resources to help real estate professionals represent the interests of sellers in today’s marketplace.
Students learn to:
· Increase listings and grow their business
· Demonstrate and communicate their value package to seller clients
· Understand and apply the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
· Understand and comply with state license laws when representing sellers
· Understand and apply methods, tools, and techniques to provide the support and services that sellers want and need
8 hours Louisiana CE credit, SRS Designation credit, and GRI Designation credit
#4 Know the Issues & Protect Homeownership
#5 How Tax Reform Affects Your Taxes & Changes to Residential Property Disclosure
January 4, 2018 at 1:00 pm Central
Evan Liddiard of the National Association of REALTORS® Government Affairs and Peter Baker, a CPA with Business Planning Group, will host a Facebook Live
session on How Tax Reform Will Affect Your Taxes
and walk you through provisions in the tax bill passed by Congress that affect you as a real estate practitioner.
If you are looking for a way to better track your business expenses and do a better job keeping records for your taxes, take advantage of a free trial of the Taxbot
app.
Coming March 2018 - New Property Disclosure Form
Louisiana REALTORS® has been working with the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC) on some proposed changes to the Residential Property Disclosure form following a Louisiana court case. The revised form is being formatted and finalized and will be released for use in March 2018.
Be on the lookout for a full rundown on what led to the changes and what these changes mean for you and your clients!

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Louisiana REALTORS® CEO Norman Morris issued the following statement after SpaceX announced plans to invest $100 billion in a new launch facility in Vermilion Parish. The project is expected to create 3,000 direct jobs and more than 8,100 indirect jobs across Acadiana. “SpaceX’s investment is an extraordinary economic win for Louisiana. We congratulate Governor Jeff Landry, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois, Vermilion Parish leaders, and everyone who helped bring this historic project home. The housing and infrastructure improvements needed to support more than 11,000 new job opportunities should generate a huge economic boost to the Acadiana and Gulf Coast region. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, each typical Louisiana home sale generates approximately $88,600 in economic activity. Even if only half of the new SpaceX related jobs lead to a home purchase, the impact would generate nearly half a billion dollars across our state's economy. That improves our tax base and school systems, and ripples through our economy touching builders, bankers, hardware stores, appliance dealers, contractors and so many more. “Housing is not downstream of economic development; it is an essential infrastructure. Louisiana REALTORS® and our partners stand ready to help turn these new jobs into homes, stronger communities and lasting roots in Louisiana. Economic development creates jobs, but housing turns those jobs into homes. Let’s make Louisiana home again, together.” Economic-impact estimates are illustrative calculations by Louisiana REALTORS® using employment projections from Louisiana Economic Development and the National Association of REALTORS®’ estimated economic impact per typical Louisiana home sale. They are not forecasts or recurring annual-impact figures. Enjoy the video below from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development .









