Every year, the state of Minnesota’s Department of Commerce takes recommendations from a trade association (like the State Association of REALTORS ®) and a private state-wide education provider (like the MN Realty School) to identify a course that would be required to be taken by most licensees in the state. A new topic is chosen for the year beginning July 1st and ending the following year on June 30th.
The required module is typically a topic that is germane to the industry at that point in time. When foreclosures and short sales were a large part of the housing inventory, the required module was about that very topic. Imagine learning about something that is relevant to the consumer at that point in time!
The Department of Commerce has announced the new module for the July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 season. The title of the class is: Agency, Fair Housing & Energy Efficiency. This is the only required class that a nonexempt licensee would need to take in the time period of July 2019 to June 2020. This course includes one hour of agency and one hour of fair housing!
Please note that commercial-only salespersons and brokers are exempt from these module requirements and must apply for the commercial-only waiver when the broker submits verification of this between April 1st and June 30th each year on Pulse Portal at www.pulseportal.com.
This course covers Agency Law, its history, foundation, and Minnesota License laws regarding Agency relationships in a real estate transaction. This course will also look at federal Fair Housing law, its history, laws, and regulations. Prohibitions under the federal Fair Housing Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act will be covered.
The energy efficiency portion of the course will cover the importance of home energy assessments in existing homes and an overview of the MN market for energy efficiency in new homes and building codes. It will also cover the need and importance of a pre-construction HERS report and provide resources for more information. After attending this class, real estate licensees will understand Agency Law and MN license laws on agency relationships; learn about the Federal Fair Housing Act; understand the Minnesota Human Rights Act; understand prohibited acts under Fair Housing law; understand energy efficiency and surrounding laws; be better equipped to serve buyers and sellers in today’s complex real estate transactions; why Energy Efficiency Matters; what makes a home green?; home energy assessments for existing homes and justifying costs: pre-construction HERS report.
This course should prove to be enlightening and educational when it comes to the important considerations that consumers make when they are making a buying decision of the largest and costliest item in their life. Attendees will be given a quiz at the end of the course and a passing grade of 75%+ will allow the credits to be applied.
Look for the course in the near future from your favorite educational provider! Mike Brennan
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