Dates
General Membership Meeting
Apr. 10,
@ 11:30 ColoVista Country Club
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Stories
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Message from Kevin White, president
Spring is here, and that means that it's time to celebrate Fair Housing Month in April. The REALTOR® organization stands firmly and proudly in favor of equal housing treatment of all Americans. No one in the United States today is doing more to promote equal housing opportunities than REALTORS®, not only because it makes economic sense for the consumer, for the REALTORS®, and for society, but also because it's simply the right thing to do.
While promoting fair housing is a priority for all REALTORS®, complying with the legal, ethical, and technical aspects of fair-housing rules can be complicated. The changing nature of households, the differing views of what constitutes a family, and the varying expectations of housing consumers can make your efforts to comply with all fair-housing laws and ethical standards a challenge.
Because consumers often expect REALTORS® to be knowledgeable in all aspects of fair housing, your role often becomes that of educator as much as agent or broker. In addition, you may find yourself balancing the interests of various parties while guiding clients into compliance with the rules.
While you practice fair housing every day, this month is a great time to brush up on your knowledge. These resources will help you better understand the Fair Housing Act and how it affects your daily business dealings: the HUD fair-housing library and NAR's At Home With Diversity course. Also, look for a new fair-housing quiz in the April issue of Texas REALTOR® magazine.
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Proposed TREC rule helps you comply with fingerprint requirement
The Texas Real Estate Commission has proposed a rule that would enable your salesperson or broker license to renew on active status if you've provided fingerprints and met all other requirements for renewal. Even if your prints won't process and need to be retaken, your license will still renew on time as long as you've met all other criteria. The commission will operate under this policy while the rule is being reviewed.
If you need to submit more fingerprints or additional information, the proposed rule requires TREC to notify you. There is no charge to submit additional fingerprints or information; you should be charged only the first time your submit your prints. The proposed rule also authorizes TREC to take disciplinary action if you fail to provide any requested data in a timely manner. Visit TREC's Web site for more information about the fingerprint requirement and how to comply.
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When should you use new TREC addendum?
The Texas Real Estate Commission released a new form, Addendum Containing Required Notices under §5.016, §420.001 and §420.002, Texas Property Code (TREC 43-0; TAR 1927), that was mandatory to use as of March 1 and contains certain statutory notices. The form has three notices required by certain provisions that were added to the Property Code in the last legislative session. There are checkboxes before each paragraph in the form. So, when is the user supposed to use the form and which boxes should the user check? Basically, there are two types of transactions in which the form may apply:
- If the seller is a builder and is selling a new home, the builder is required by law to include the notices required under §420.001 and §420.002 of the Property Code. These are the notices found in Paragraphs B and C in the new addendum. If the seller fails to include the notices, the contract may not be enforceable against the buyer and the builder could face disciplinary action by the Texas Residential Construction Commission. Most builder-drafted contract forms contain the new notices. If a seller/builder is using one of the TREC or TAR new-construction contract forms, the seller/builder should attach the new addendum to the contract and check the boxes before Paragraphs B and C.
- The form should also be used to help a seller comply with §5.016 of the Property Code, which requires a seller of residential property to provide the notice found in Paragraph A of the new addendum if the property is exempt from Title 16 of the Property Code. This means that the new addendum should be used in a transaction where the home was built by seller (alone or by his employees or contractors) and the home was used by the seller as his primary residence for at least one year after home was built. If this is the case, the seller should attach the new addendum and mark the box before Paragraph A in the new addendum. Hence, the new addendum could be used with any of the TREC contract forms.
For example, an individual who built his own home and lived in it for five years may then choose to sell it. In this case, he may use the TREC One-to-Four Family Contract form (TREC 20-7, TAR 1601) and should attach the new addendum and mark the box before Paragraph A.
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ZipForm Desktop renewal gets easier
If you use ZipForm Desktop, your renewal experience is about to change for the better. The Texas Association of REALTORS® and ZipForm are implementing a new process that will replace the current cumbersome renewal system with one click of your mouse. To get you and other ZipForm users to that point, however, you'll need to do two things:
- Make sure your dues are paid by March 17 to avoid interruption to your ZipForm access.
- On May 1, 2008, you'll be prompted by ZipForm Desktop to renew your access -- even if you already renewed in 2008. Click your mouse in the appropriate place to complete this renewal.
That's it. Beginning in 2009, you'll be prompted to renew only once a year on May 1 with the single-click process. Easy, huh?
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18th Outlook for Texas Land Markets
This annual conference is being held this year on April 24-25 in San Antonio. It provides information on a variety of legal, economic, social, and natural resource issues influencing current land market dynamics. Visit the Real Estate Center's Web site for details and registration information.
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Don't ignore April 1 deadline for exempting your vehicle from taxation
You already know you aren't required to pay property tax on your personally owned vehicle that you also use for business purposes. But do you know how your local appraisal district is handling this exemption?
Each of the 253 appraisal districts in Texas is handling the exemption of these so-called mixed-use vehicles from taxation differently. Some districts don't require an exemption form for such a vehicle if the owner was not charged property tax on that vehicle in 2007. If you haven't previously had to pay property tax on your personally owned vehicle that you use for business, check with your local appraisal district before you make the decision to not file an exemption form. Without filing an exemption form, there is no guarantee that the appraisal district won't tax you. A list of county appraisal districts with each district's contact information is available online. Those districts that require an exemption to be filed must receive your 2007 exemption by April 1; your 2008 exemption is due April 30.
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