Recap: Broker Virtual Cocktail Hour

Louisiana REALTORS®  successfully hosted the first virtual Broker Cocktail Hour on Thursday, November 18. This event was geared to providing brokers and office managers with some key updates and helpful tools and provide support for the day to day operations. The recording of the full event (approximately an hour) can be viewed at the YouTube video above and the following information provides a quick highlight and contains follow up links and resources to reference.

Update from Capitol Hill | Helen Devlin, NAR Director of Legislative and Political Affairs

• Discussed the infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better (BBB) legislation
• Updates on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which expires on December 3, 2021
• Risk Rating 2.0 and the second phase of rollout on April 1.  Our Congressional delegation has been heavily involved in this issue and is making sure FEMA is being responsive. 

• If you are interested in the Broker Involvement Program which allows NAR to send Calls to Action to your agents under your name, please consider doing so at: https://realtorparty.realtor/member-consumer/brokers/enrollment-form.html

• Got a new agent or simply want your agents to have a better understanding of what it means to be a REALTOR® vs a real estate professional? Get them started with the Commitment to Excellence program at www.c2ex.realtor . Brokers can send agents tasks to complete, plus there is the added benefit of meeting NAR’s Code of Ethics requirements.

• Want to make sure your agents are well versed in fair housing and related issues? Have them visit www.fairhaven.realtor . The fair housing simulation uses the power of storytelling to help members identify potential violations while learning more about Fair Housing laws.

• Learn how to showcase your value as a REALTOR® in the court of public opinion. Visit the newly launched www.competition.realtor for ways to promote the value of the REALTOR® brand to your customers and consumers.

Louisiana Politics & Post-Storm Housing | Jeremy Alford, LaPolitics Weekly & the Tracker

Alford provided insight into upcoming elections, next year’s session, and housing concerns after Hurricane Ida. His weekly newsletter is provided to LARPAC Major Investors. To find out more about becoming a Major Investor, contact Kim Callaway. Some ideas which are starting to gain traction include best practices, mortgage companies, and the building code.

Legal Services | Troy Villa, Eric Landry, and Kristin Oglesby from Breazeale, Sachse, and Wilson

Louisiana REALTORS® newly selected legal counsel talked about the Legal Hotline service. Brokers can access the service with questions when seeking guidance and advice on legal matters. While the hotline responses do not provide legal advice on specific transactions, they do provide general advice on a variety of questions.

Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC) Update | Rick Roberts, LREC Commissioner

The session closed out with a sneak peak of the 2022 version of the Residential Buy or Sell Agreement and discussed other resources and items that will be helpful including a new Due Diligence and Inspection (DDI) document and flow chart. View a brief overview on the forms here.

Perhaps the best news delivered is that license transfers can now be completed online. View the list of LREC forms, here.

More to come in our efforts to support brokers and office managers!

If you joined the session, give us feedback and if you are interested in seeing specific areas or topics discussed send us a message.