Let’s review 2016

The goal of JustListed is to educate the members of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® on relevant business happenings in the real estate market. Each and every day, we aim to share helpful information centered on keeping you at the forefront of the real estate industry in Pennsylvania. We take this seriously, and it looks like you do too.

Our review of 2016’s best articles highlights how you, our reader, wants to be a better-educated real estate professional and provide top-notch service to your clients. With that in mind, I want to share the top 10 articles from 2016 according to Google Analytics:

Bye-Bye, RR! Hello BRI
PAR is dismissing the Reply to Inspections/Reports Addendum to the Agreement of Sale (Form RR) and introducing its cousin, the Buyer’s Reply to Inspections/Reports or Written Corrective Proposal. Here’s what you need to know.

Hands off, Buster! The CD is all mine
In regards to CDs, what options are available to you, as the buyer’s agent, and the title company who wants to keep you happy?

Small change to the Seller’s Property Disclosure
Stay updated on the latest update to our standard form, the Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement.

Standard Forms Committee updates, new forms for residential addenda
Revised and new forms for residential addenda will be hitting the market on March 7. Here is what you need to know.

Real estate commission approves change in CE requirements
Real estate licensees are required to take 14 hours of continuing education in each renewal cycle. But for the 2016-2018 cycle that began in June, licensees are now required to take at least three of those hours in topics related to the real estate commission rules and regulations.

Three PA cities land in realtor.com®’s top 10 list for first-time homebuyers
Allentown, Harrisburg and Philadelphia were recently named to the top ten best cities for first-time homebuyers, according to realtor.com®, thanks to their affordability, inventory, mortgage availability, job growth and livability.

Denying access to the “bad” home inspector
Can sellers deny an inspector’s access to the property because the listing agent believes that inspector is a known problem-finder?

Commitment Issues
On Jan. 1, a new Standard Agreement for the Sale of Real Estate will be published with a noticeably different paragraph 8.

Seller Disclosure requirements when an estate is selling
If your client is selling a property from an estate, what does (s)he need to disclose?

Accidental discrimination: What you need to know
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) issued a formal guidance on April 4, 2016, to address how denying someone access to housing based upon their criminal history can have unlawful discriminatory effects because members of a protected class have been treated differently.

As with previous recap articles, I like to highlight some honorable mentions that were just as important but did not make our top 10.

HB 1437 signed by governor
Realtors® sent almost 14,000 emails to legislators regarding HB 1437, making it one of the most talked about pieces of legislation in the capitol. Yesterday’s article highlights the changes that go into effect on Jan. 2, 2017.

FAA releases drone rules for real estate agents
Want to use a drone for real estate photography? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a long-awaited set of regulations on the commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – or drones – on June 21.

Best of the hotline: Refrigerator included “as is”
What happens when an appliance is no longer working at the pre-settlement walk-through?

Thank you for your continued support of JustListed. In 2017, look forward to a new daily article notification email and leading real estate industry news.