Designated Realtor®–April 2023

APRIL MAY JUNE JULY

Fair Housing Month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

1 April Fools’ Day

2 Palm Sunday

5 Passover

7 Good Friday

9 Easter 16 Orthodox Easter

18

Tax Day

21

Eid al-Fitr

22 Earth Day

27

A Conversation on Fair Housing

5 Cinco de Mayo

National Homeownership Month Pride Month

4

5 Vesak

6-11 Realtors® Legislative Meetings

14 Mother’s Day

25-27

Shavuot 29

NJ Realtors® Office Closed—Memorial Day

13 Board of Directors Meeting

14 Flag Day

18

Father’s Day

19

NJ Realtors® Office Closed—Juneteenth

WHAT’S BUZZING IN REAL ESTATE?

With a renewed focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, you can build a brokerage where everyone belongs. Consider using this plan to put DEI at the forefront of your business.

NJ Realtors® Educational Foundation scholarship applications are closing soon. Students must complete and submit their applications before April 10. Share this link to the application

NJ Realtors® Office Closed Independence Day 1 2 3

According to the National Association of Realtors® latest housing report, home prices fell in February for the first time in 131 months, which could bring more buyers to the market just in time for spring. Some experts believe the increase in February’s housing activity is a positive indication the market is adapting to mortgage rates that have almost doubled compared to last year. Read more here

4 5 6

The DEI Summit is back. Attend this regional two-day conference June 5-6 and take your first step toward building a more inclusive and equitable industry. Register by May 1 to receive early bird pricing. Click here to register.

Join members and association leaders at the Realtors® Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C. May 6-11, to attend special issues forums, network with other engaged members, and stay up to date on legislative activities. Learn more here .

Boost your business and develop your brand voice with the most effective social media strategies to generate new business with NAR’s free webinar. Sign up now.

5 Productivity Tools to Keep You on Track in Q2

If your agents struggle to stay on track or want to simplify their workflow, send them this list of productivity tools to try.

Trello

trello.com

Best for Team Management and Onboarding

Between afternoon closings, evening showings, and constant client calls, Realtors® are always on the go. Trello is a platform to keep tasks moving and helps involved parties stay on the same page. Realtors® can organize tasks into different workspaces and share boards with colleagues.

And when it comes to onboarding a new agent, Trello is a valuable tool that combines a resource hub with to-dos and progress tracking. It will make closing the first deal easier for your new agent with a place to reference documents.

Google Keep

keep.google.com

Best for Individual To-Do Lists and Shared Notes with Clients

When clients begin touring homes, it’s essential to put together a wants and needs list with any co-buyers. With Google Keep, agents can collaborate with clients, share photos of potential homes to tour, and take notes on each home before deciding if they want to formulate an offer. Access your notes and lists from a computer, phone, or tablet and access them wherever you go.

Asana

asana.com

Best for Task Management and Collaboration

If you have an agent making endless to-do lists and managing multiple listings at the same time, Asana may be the tool to help them organize all their lists in one place. While Asana is best known for team project management, it’s customizable to any user’s preferences and needs. Add tasks to a calendar format to see everything in store for the day, create a workflow to reuse for each new client, create a timeline to visualize where you are in the transaction, or agents can set goals they can reference throughout the year.

Notion

notion.so

Best for Individual Notetaking and Organizing Tasks

If you have countless tabs open, Notion can help simplify everything into one workplace to bounce from task to task quickly and easily. Get started with one of its pre-made templates, or customize your Notion to satisfy all your productivity tool needs. This platform is trending among Gen Z, and they have taken to TikTok to share their tips and tricks on how they use Notion.

Todoist todoist.com

Best for Organizing Your Professional and Personal Tasks

Whether you want a simple or complex to-do list, Todoist can help you stay on track personally and professionally. Add tasks, break them into subtasks, set up reminders, and more. You can even connect tools such as your calendar, email, time tracking, and more.

FULFILL YOUR CE AND STAY AHEAD IN THE INDUSTRY

NJ CONTINUING EDUCATION LICENSE RENEWAL PACKAGE #1

NEW JERSEY REAL ESTATE: 2 Ethics Credits, 1 Fair Housing Credit, 3 Core Credits, 6 Elective Credits

$31.50

This course package fulfills all continuing education requirements for New Jersey Real Estate license renewal.

Realtors® Code of Ethics

Visit

njrealtorsace.com to register for courses.

Time is running out to complete continuing education credits for the 2023 term. All CE credits must be completed by April 30 to avoid a late fee of $200, in addition to the license renewal fee. Keeping up with continuing education not only ensures your license remains in good standing but also provides an opportunity to enhance your skills, stay updated on the latest industry practices, and make informed decisions for your business.

Members can benefit from a variety of CE courses offered through NJ Realtors® Academy of Continuing Education, including comprehensive license renewal packages.

For access to NJ Realtors® Academy of Continuing Education, visit njrealtorsace.com and log in to view the CE requirements, available courses, certificates, and access the NJ Real Estate Commission’s PSI online CE tracking system to track your CE record.

Learn more about these highlighted CE courses and share this article with your agents to ensure they’re familiar with the process of accessing NJ Realtors® ACE and encourage them to complete their CE requirements ahead of the deadline.

This course will briefly describe the history and structure of the Code of Ethics, including key concepts in the Preamble, Articles of the Code that are commonly the subject of complaints, and describe the key concepts related to this article. The course will also identify possible violations of the Code, and describe the professional standards enforcement process, describe the basis on which procuring cause claims are decided, and identify key concepts in Pathways to Professionalism.

Complying with the Fair Housing Act

Barry Goodman, General Counsel of New Jersey Realtors®, will present two essential topics for your day-to-day business: The Fair Housing Act and New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. You’ll learn what is and is not acceptable when it comes to advertising, as well as what you can and can’t say in your daily client interactions.

Risky Business—Protecting Your License and Brokerage

In a regulated industry such as real estate, there are specific laws and regulations in place that mitigate the risks of doing business. Real estate licensees are expected to maintain high standards of professional conduct in their dealings with all parties to a real estate transaction. This course presents some of the issues that can put a real estate licensee and a brokerage business at risk, and it provides sound advice on ways to avoid them.

Taking the Distress Out of Distressed Properties

Alleviate the challenges of working with foreclosures and short sales. You’ll learn from experienced professionals who have excelled in their real estate careers by handling distressed property transactions. By tapping into this real estate market, you can grow your business and cater to the needs of sellers, buyers, and lenders.

Property Management Leases

The course introduces property management leases and helps students learn and retain knowledge using a variety of techniques including instructional content, activities, and video advice from experts.

NJ CONTINUING EDUCATION LICENSE RENEWAL PACKAGE #2

NEW JERSEY REAL ESTATE: 2 Ethics Credits, 1 Fair Housing Credit, 3 Core Credits, 6 Elective Credits • $31.50

This course package fulfills all continuing education requirements for New Jersey Real Estate license renewal and focuses on the commercial real estate sector.

Realtors® Code of Ethics

This course will briefly describe the history and structure of the Code of Ethics, including key concepts in the Preamble, Articles of the Code commonly the subject of complaints, and describe the key concepts of several Articles. The course will also identify possible violations of the Code, and describe the professional standards enforcement process, describe the basis on which procuring cause claims are decided, and identify key concepts in Pathways to Professionalism.

Complying with the Fair Housing Act

Barry Goodman, General Counsel of New Jersey Realtors®, will present two essential topics for your day-to-day business: The Fair Housing Act and New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. You’ll learn what is and is not acceptable when it comes to advertising, as well as what you can and can’t say in your daily client interactions.

Real Estate Contracts

Examine the different classifications and statuses of contracts, as well as the necessary components for creating a valid contract. This course will cover what constitutes a breach of contract, explore the various methods available for remedying such breaches, and introduce you to the different types of real estate agent contracts.

Commercial Real Estate 101

This course offers a fundamental understanding of commercial real estate that is beneficial for those who are new to the field or are still contemplating it as a career choice. The course provides an overview of commercial and investment real estate, examining the market and the advantages and disadvantages of dealing with commercial and investment properties. It then delves into leases and how licensees earn commissions from commercial real estate transactions.

Commercial Real Estate Transaction Flow

This course will cover investment and lease transactions for commercial real estate. You’ll learn to help clients find what meets their needs, such as real estate market forces, investor motivations, investment terminology, and risks associated with real estate investing. You’ll also learn about methods for analyzing real estate investments for buyer clients, and look at the flow of an example lease transaction for a national retail client.

NEED JUST A FEW CREDITS? CONSIDER THESE COURSES:

Taking the Distress Out of Distressed Properties

Online Course • Continuing Education Credit: New Jersey Real Estate: 3 Elective Credits • $10.50

This course is designed to take some of the distress out of working with foreclosures and closed sales. Learn from experts who have achieved success in their real estate careers by dealing with distressed properties. This market can help expand your business while addressing the needs of buyers, sellers, and lenders.

Helping Clients Understand Real Estate Finance

Online Course • Continuing Education Credit: New Jersey Real Estate: 3 Elective Credits • $10.50

This course will cover the history of mortgages and those involved, discuss financing, security instruments, and legal clauses often included in these documents. It will also go over different loan types, mortgage fraud and predatory lending, the loan process, who qualifies for a loan, and the laws related to mortgages.

Keeping It Real: Property Law and Case

Studies Online Course • Continuing Education

Credit: New Jersey Real Estate: 3 Core Credits • $10.50

Review some basic property concepts, such as ownership, property rights, and restrictions on those rights. To help best understand these concepts, the course will look at real legal cases from CaseBriefs.com that deal with property issues.

Social Media Ethics

Online Course • Continuing Education Credit: New Jersey Real Estate: 3 Ethics Credits • $10.50

In this three-hour course, we’ll discuss the Realtor® Code of Ethics and learn how to follow it when using social media and technology. You’ll learn how to stay updated on potential issues with social media and ways to keep your reputation safe.

Housing discrimination can take many forms, from denying someone the opportunity to rent or buy a home based on their protected class, to imposing unfair terms or conditions on a sale or lease agreement. Not only is housing discrimination illegal, but it also undermines the values of fairness and equality that are central to the Realtor® Code of Ethics.

Fair housing laws ensure all individuals have the opportunity to live in the neighborhood of their choice, can access housing without fear of discrimination, and have the benefit of homeownership or rental housing. They can also promote diversity and inclusion in communities.

Discrimination can negatively impact the real estate industry as a whole, as it can damage the trust and confidence potential clients place in real estate professionals. It can significantly harm the reputation of the real estate sector and hinder Realtors® ability to succeed in their businesses.

According to the National Fair Housing Alliance’s 2021 Fair Housing Trends Report, in 2020, there were 28,712

How to Recognize and Combat Housing Discrimination

reported complaints of housing discrimination in the U.S. Race-based complaints constituted 16.79% of complaints, while familial status discrimination accounted for 7.93% of complaints. Whether intentional or unintentional, discrimination can take many forms, from subtle bias to outright denial of housing opportunities.

One of the most significant steps you can take as a Realtor® is to be aware of protected classes. Under the Fair Housing Act , it is illegal to discriminate against individuals

based on their race, color, national origin, creed/religion, sex, ancestry, familial status, or disability. The NJ Law Against Discrimination has additional protected classes and is “one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country,” according to the NJ Division on Civil Rights. In addition to the aforementioned protected classes, the NJ LAD also prohibits discrimination and bias-based harassment in gender identity or expression, marital or civil union status, domestic partnership status, pregnancy and breastfeeding,

I am incorporating diversity and inclusion into my business with the launch of a podcast gearing toward the inclusion of women into areas of real estate where most are intimidated to go, like investments, home construction, land development, and acquisitions with residential and commercial investments, and more.” –Yvonne, Maplewood

I actively seek out and engage with diverse real estate professionals, including agents, brokers, appraisers, inspectors, and contractors, to increase representation and equity in my referral network. Additionally, I continue to promote my involvement with and spread the word about the importance of joining the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance.” –Christine, Brick

source of lawful income (Section 8 housing, State Rental Assistance, or Temporary Rental Assistance), and armed forces, according to the NJ LAD. These laws protect people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housingrelated activities. It’s most important to be familiar with these protected classes and be mindful of any actions or statements that could be construed as discriminatory.

Discrimination may not always be obvious, but it can often be identified by patterns in the housing market. For example, if certain neighborhoods consistently have lower levels of diversity, it could be a sign of discriminatory practices taking place. Since discrimination could be more subtle

than outright bias or refusal to rent or sell property, it can also manifest in the language used in housing advertisements or during showings. According to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD), ‘Discrimination includes advertising or making statements that may suggest a preference or limitation based on protected characteristics, such as stating that a property is not suitable for families with children, or to advertise a property in any way that discriminates against prospective tenants based on source of lawful income. For example, advertisements stating “No Section 8,” “Sorry, No CVERAP,” “TRA Not Accepted,” or “This property is not approved for Section 8” violate the NJ LAD, according to the NJ Division on Civil Rights

I prioritize open and honest conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion with my clients, and continuously educate myself on DEI and Fair Housing. I maintain ethical standards and discourage negative behavior, while promoting Fair Housing and advising clients on associated penalties. My approach results in positive outcomes, repeat business, and referrals.”

Realtors ® can play an active role in understanding and combatting discriminatory practices and creating an equal and diverse market with these tips:

Educate themselves and their clients about fair housing laws and their obligations under those laws.

Avoid making any statements or taking actions that may discriminate against individuals or groups based on their protected characteristics.

Use diverse and inclusive marketing practices to target all potential buyers and renters, regardless of their protected characteristics.

Ensure listed properties are marketed and shown to all potential buyers and renters in a non-discriminatory manner.

Report any suspected fair housing violations to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and/or with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights

Participate in fair housing training and continuing education to stay up to date on fair housing laws and best practices.

Visit NJ Realtors ® Fair Housing & Diversity page or the National Association of Realtors ® Fair Housing website for more information, resources, classes, and training.

SINGLE FAMILY & TOTAL MARKET OVERVIEW