Latest Blogs

New Agents | The Benefit of REALTOR® Mentors & Networking

By Missouri REALTORS posted 6 days ago
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Congratulations on getting your real estate license! We know it can be overwhelming when you’re new, but there are plenty of members willing to help get you started. Just ask! And of course, attend networking opportunities is of great benefit as well.   With three businesses conference taking place throughout the year – January, April and September – we encourage all REALTORS ® to attend. Our conferences boast over 400 members in attendance, many of which are career brokers and top producers from across the state, so there’s plenty to learn. Visit our Upcoming Events page to learn more. More importantly, our members are happy to help get you pointed ...
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Is Your Realty Website Accessible to Everyone?

By Lisa Scoble posted 14 days ago
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Is Your Realty Website Accessible to Everyone? It is common to think about accessibility in terms of physical spaces, and most likely your realty office can accommodate clients with a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), a civil rights law that prevents discrimination against individuals with disabilities, mandates such accommodations. A disability under the law is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, and working, among other activities. With over 8.1 million people who are visually impaired and 2 million people who are ...
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2020 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings Review

By John Sebree posted 06-01-2020
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This year’s virtual REALTORS ® Legislative Meetings felt very different than being in DC together. While we were not able to be on Capitol Hill, I am happy to report Missouri REALTOR ® leaders had a very successful conference. I want to thank our National Directors , members who serve on committees at the national level as well as all members who participated in this national event. Your dedication to our state association and industry is appreciated. More than 28,000 REALTORS ® registered for the streamed event. You can still watch the following recorded sessions (through June 15): NAR360 Federal Legislative & Political Forum featuring ...
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Capitol Update: May 21 | 2020 Legislative Highlights

By Missouri REALTOR Party posted 05-21-2020
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Chief Lobbyist  @Sam LICKLIDER  recently joined me to discuss the 2020 Missouri Legislative Session, including our many accomplishments that took place as the spring session came to a close. Even more exciting, The Missouri Times included Missouri REALTORS ® in its list of winners this session stating, “All they do is win, and they did again this session.
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Hands Off the Seller's Disclosure Notice

By Lisa Scoble posted 05-13-2020
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Hands Off the Seller's Disclosure Notice No one likes completing paperwork. And there’s a lot of it in a real estate transaction. But resist the urge to help your client with this task. Real estate professionals may place themselves at risk if help becomes more like do . It is critical to remain impartial and guard against situations that could be interpreted as prior knowledge, or even concealment, of information. The following is a real-world situation that placed a real estate professional at risk and led to the defense of a claim due to the appearance of wrongdoing. SITUATION After a seemingly successful real estate closing, a buyer finds ...
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Beyond the Screen: Take Your Social Media to the Next Dimension

By Missouri REALTORS posted 04-30-2020
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By:  Ally Stegman You're surely aware of how social media can help you build contacts and ramp up your networking, but you may be less familiar with the array of micro-tools available that can improve the quality of your engagement with clients and prospects. Because a strong online presence, especially during these days of major uncertainty in business and the world, will help you be seen as a steady and knowledgeable professional, now's a great time to ramp up your social media skills. Your clients and prospects are spending more time than ever on screens, so reach out to them where they are. Here are some features on Instagram and Twitter, ...
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Member Spotlight: Angie Mullings

By Missouri REALTORS posted 04-29-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® are not only real estate professionals, they’re so much more. They dedicate their time to serving on school boards, in elected positions, and volunteering their time to make communities a better place to be. They’re educators, serving on panels and facilitating industry discussions. Their philanthropic efforts are inspiring and the difference they are making within their communities is significant. Our Member Spotlight series highlights these efforts and introduces some of our wonderful members! This month, we are shining the Member Spotlight on Angie Mullings. Angie serves as Broker/Owner of Century 21 Integrity Group in Springfield, ...
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Capitol Update: April 20 | Changes Brought About By COVID-19

By Missouri REALTOR Party posted 04-20-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® CEO @John Sebree and Chief Lobbyist @Sam LICKLIDER discuss how the legislature is dealing with changes brought about by COVID-19. Most notably, Governor Parson deeming real estate as an essential service and seeing the need to temporarily implement E-Notary via an executive order. Additional information can be found on the coronavirus page of our website - Coronavirus: A Guide for REALTORS ® . ​
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Lending a Hand Without Placing Your Business at Risk

By Lisa Scoble posted 04-08-2020
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Lending a Hand Without Placing Your Business at Risk We all tend to go out of our way to help clients. However, lending a hand can often be a tricky proposition (especially in the age of social distancing) and might just place your business at risk. So thinking twice before acting once is a good check to ensure your assistance to clients is fair and equitable across the board. Here is a real-world scenario involving a real estate agent’s professional recommendation. The advice seemed straight-forward enough, but in retrospect, it should have been presented differently in order to assist the client and protect the agent. SITUATION A buyer exercised ...
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Stay in Your Wheelhouse. It's Less Likely to Lead to a Claim.

By Lisa Scoble posted 03-05-2020
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Stay in Your Wheelhouse. It's Less Likely to Lead to a Claim. It’s easy to fall into the trap of making a property sound better than it really is. An extra adjective or two can make an average property sound like the best thing since sliced bread. But when agents cross over into blatant promises of profitability, performance, or future value, the risk of a claim and unwanted litigation becomes excessive. Here’s a real-world scenario where a real estate agent went too far with promises and guarantees with perilous consequences. SITUATION A real estate agent marketed a commercial property that included street level retail and residential units on the ...
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President’s Blog | Join Me for the Capitol Conference & April Business Conference!

By Jeff Kester posted 03-04-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® , It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, it’s the most wonderful time of the year for REALTOR ®  advocacy, anyway. As your 2020 President of Missouri REALTORS ® , I’d like to personally invite you to attend this year’s Capitol Conference and April Business Conference , April 22-24 in Jefferson City and Columbia. With each business conference, we focus on one of our three key values, and it’s just natural that this time we focus on ADVOCATE. Our REALTOR ® Party continues to be the voice for real estate in Missouri and the American Dream of homeownership. Only with your help does that voice become one of action and turning ...
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Capitol Update: March 2 | Industry Related Bills on the Move

By Missouri REALTOR Party posted 03-02-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® , It’s getting a little hectic in the Capitol. Spring break is just around the corner, the final day to file bills was last Friday, and bills are beginning to move. I’ve highlighted Bill specific information below. Notary Senate Committee Substitute (SCS) for SB 578, Senator Crawford’s Notary bill, has been passed out of committee. The SCS contains elements of both Senator Crawford’s bill and Senator White’s SB 593. The House hearing on Notary was held on February 26, 2020. Both HB 1690 by Representative Grier, and HB 1874 by Representative Gregory, were heard and they are likely to move forward with a compromise similar to the ...
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Now Accepting 2021 02 Leadership Applications!

By John Sebree posted 03-02-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® , Although we are still early in 2020, it’s time for us, as an association, to begin planning our 2021 governance structure known as Outreach & Output  (02). This structure was designed to align our governance work with our mission and provide a variety of opportunities for members to participate in the process of leading our association into the future. To get involved, I encourage you to  sign up for a role within a leadership or mission committee, output group , and/or  statewide professional standards committee .  The deadline to apply for all 2021 leadership positions is May 1, 2020.   Remember, you can  become a member of ...
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Member Spotlight: Gerrie Moore

By Missouri REALTORS posted 02-27-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® are not only real estate professionals, they’re so much more. They dedicate their time to serving on school boards, in elected positions and volunteering their time to make communities a better place to be. They’re educators, serving on panels and facilitating industry discussions. Their philanthropic efforts are inspiring and the difference they are making within their communities is significant. Our Member Spotlight series highlights these efforts and introduces some of our wonderful members! This month, we are shining the Member Spotlight on Gerrie Moore .  As a member of the Tri-Lakes Board of REALTORS ® ...
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Real Estate Photography 101

By Missouri REALTORS posted 02-19-2020
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A picture is worth 1,000 words, especially in real estate. Property photos can make or break an online listing. Some REALTORS ®   prefer to hire professionals while others opt to take the photos themselves. Here are a few testimonies from Missouri REALTORS ® on how they approach photography with their businesses.  Hiring a professional Many REALTORS ®  opt to hire a pro to take the best possible photos of their listings. Here are a few thoughts from Missouri REALTORS ®   who choose to hire professionals.  While it's an extra cost, it doesn’t have to break the bank. “For the unheard price of $75-$150 (based on ...
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Capitol Update: February 18 | Trespass, Remote Online & E-Notary, LIHTC

By Missouri REALTOR Party posted 02-18-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® , On Tuesday, February 11 the House Committee on Judiciary heard House Bill (HB) 1413; Representative Shelia Solon’s trespass legislation. This bill gives law enforcement additional tools to enable them to remove “squatters” from real property. This has become a significant issue in St. Joe, and other communities with vacant properties. Noting additional legislation; there has also been movement on Notary. The Senate Committee on Local Government and Elections heard both Senate Bill (SB) 578 and SB 593. Introduced by Senator Sandy Crawford, SB 578 deals only with E-Notary and Remote Online Notary. The Missouri Land Title Association (MLTA) ...
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Presidents' Day Inspiration

By Missouri REALTORS posted 02-17-2020
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Presidents’ Day is an opportunity to remember all the great leaders of our country. To celebrate, we asked past presidents of Missouri REALTORS ® to share their favorite leadership quotes. Here are some pieces of wisdom to help inspire you this year. “I think the purpose of life is to be useful, responsible, honorable, and compassionate. It is, above all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” - Leo Rosten…submitted by Richard Mendenhall “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do & let them surprise you with the results.” - George S Patton…submitted by Larry ...
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Are All Your I’S Dotted and T’S Crossed?

By Lisa Scoble posted 02-13-2020
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Are All Your I’S Dotted and T’S Crossed? No matter how many times we hear the old adage “Get it in writing”, we still seem to forget the importance of this simplest preventative measure. The conversation in our head usually goes something like this, “Oh, that’s common sense” or “Why would you not do…”. Making assumptions may be easier in the short term, but they can mean confusion, misunderstandings, and possible claims in the long term. Here’s a real-world scenario where important responsibilities were not spelled-out in writing, execution was not verified, and the transaction ultimately led to a claim that could have been prevented. Situation  A ...
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NAR Examines Racial Homeowner Gap

By Missouri REALTORS posted 02-12-2020
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While housing affordability concerns intensify throughout the U.S., the gap in homeownership rates between white and black Americans recorded at the end of 2019 is larger than it was over 50 years ago. At the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the National Association of REALTORS ®  hosted discussions examining the issue and the various factors pushing homeownership out of reach for American families. During a session at NAR’s second-annual Policy Forum, panelists highlighted proposals that would tackle housing supply constraints; improve access to credit for mortgage-ready Americans; and increase post-purchase support and counseling programs, among ...
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Capitol Update: February 10, Remote Online & E-Notary Legislation

By Missouri REALTOR Party posted 02-10-2020
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Missouri REALTORS ® , The first month of any session of the General Assembly is always busy. You have a burst of new, well somewhat new legislation, and some new members. Not to mention the Missouri REALTORS ® January Business Conference. The priority issue for this session is updating the Notary Statute to include electronic notary and remote online notary. Frequently they are viewed as the same thing, but they are not. An electronic notarial act is a face to face transaction where the documents, rather than being on paper, are in digital format. This includes the notary seal and signature. A remote online notarial act takes place when the parties are separated ...
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