State Director Report from VAR
Despite how busy everyone is with our day-to-day business, your VAR Board has been hard at work this summer creating new opportunities, protecting our interests and monitoring issues that impact realtors, homeowners and the process of buying and selling property. Highlights from the August 12 VAR Board of Directors Meeting are listed below.
Please don’t ever hesitate to call me if you have any questions or have an issue that you think should be brought to the state association’s attention.
Stay healthy and safe (and busy)!!
Claudia Harris
VAR Board of Directors
Vermont Association of REALTORS’ Annual Meeting – October 28
VAR will host its 76th Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 28 from 9 AM-4 PM at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa in Stowe, VT. Focus this year will be on managing buyers and sellers in a HOT MARKET with multiple offers, low inventory etc. The event will include two continuing education classes (Pricing and Appraising in an Overheated Market (3CE) and Multiple Offers: Keeping it Legal, Ethical and Sane), luncheon with the VAR Annual Meeting, and an award celebration.
Remine/DotLoop Transition
The VAR Board approved a move to Remine at the May 2021 meeting. DotLoop has agreed to extend its contract through the end of 2021 so that there can be a smooth transition. Remine will go live on November 1 so there will be two full months for training and transition. VAR is setting up Beta testing for the Remine system. If anyone (specifically office admins or managing brokers) wants to be a part of the Bata testing, contact Kathy Sweeten at VAR at kathy@vermontrealtors.com.
Remine will be migrating all docs off DotLoop between 11/1 and 12/31 with an initial “data dump” 11/1, another at the end of December and probably a third and last time after the transition is complete.
Your DotLoop files should be available on Remine but you may also want to back up your work and print them off or save on a hard-drive in case a future transition isn’t possible.
Education
Starting November 1, Remine will be offering training at the local board level. Local boards can contact Kathy Sweeten for more information.
VAR is also ramping up fall education opportunities – including mandatory, ethics and the free Zoom into Real Estate programs. There are some great classes coming up including both the 40-hour agent and broker pre-licensing classes.
VAR sponsoring Seller’s Representative Designation (SRS) in late September. Reg is open.
Government Affairs
- The VAR staff and committee have continued to focus on the Office of Professional Regulations (OPR) Chapter 57 Review of the Real Estate Commission and rules.
- Looks like a lot of municipalities around the state (and country) are starting to work on local ordinances regarding short-term rentals (zoning, COs, inspections). VAR is monitoring.
- Workforce housing and affordable housing are VAR priorities. NAR is working on boilerplate guidelines for states to use so everyone does not constantly have to reinvent the wheel.