By Pamela R. Rorie, Continuing Education Officer
An eager crowd of 218 real estate instructors and school officials from across the state attended the Commission-sponsored 2011 Real Estate Educators Conference in Raleigh, March 7-8, 2011.
Larry Outlaw, Director of Education and Licensing, opened the conference with a summary of the significant revisions to the 2011-2012 North Carolina Real Estate Manual. Mr. Outlaw also presented the updated syllabi for the three postlicensecourses and gave a progress report on the real estate license examination program.
Following Mr. Outlaw was a lively agency disclosure discussion and role play using the Working With Real Estate Agents brochure presented by Thomas Mahlum, DREI, with assistance from Kandyce Ellis, Travis Everette, and Sam Pyrtle.
Another highlight of the morning’s program was a joint presentation on the new Offer to Purchase and Contract by Miriam Baer, the Commission’s Executive Director, Tricia Moylan, Legal Education Officer, and George Bell, DREI and member of the Joint Forms Committee. The trio discussed the history and rationale for the contract changes, pinpointed potential problem areas regarding the use of the new form, and gave attendees the opportunity to ask questions about teaching its use to licensees.
During the first day’s luncheon, the North Carolina Real Estate Educators Association (NCREEA) held its spring meeting under the direction of President Jo-Ann C. Lavecchia. Following the business meeting, the traditional awards presentation was officiated by Immediate Past President Tim Terry. The Association presented its “Program of the Year” award to George Bell for his continuing education elective course, The NCAR Residential Forms, and its “Educator of the Year” award to co-honorees Cindy Chandler and Garth Dunklin.
Also during the luncheon, Commission Chairperson Marsha Jordan presented the Commission’s Billie J. Mercer Excellence in Education Award to NCREEA’s Educators of the Year, Cindy Chandler and Garth Dunklin. This award is presented annually in memory of former Commission member and chairperson, Billie Mercer, who was especially dedicated to the cause of real estate education. The names of all award winners are engraved on the Mercer Award cup that is displayed in the Commission’s lobby. Commission members Everett “Vic” Knight and Alice Mosteller also attended the award presentation.
Later in the day, Lisa McQuillen, Education and Licensing Officer, informed the group about the new online broker license application process. Ms. McQuillen also reminded instructors and private school directors about license renewals, and recognized prelicensing schools and instructors whose students had exhibited outstanding performance on the license examination.
Afterwards, Kristi Matthews of Advanced Energy presented Green and Energy Efficient Homes – What You Need to Know, which informed attendees of requirements for a home to be designated “green.” The first day’s program concluded withPamela Vesper, Auditor/Investigator, who presented suggestions for the electronic handling of trust accounts.
On the second day, Karen Hamilton of the North Carolina Americans with Disabilities Act Network discussed ADA requirements when real estate prelicense students and/or exam candidates request special accommodations. Next, Continuing Education Officer Pamela Rorie discussed proposed topics for the 2011-2012 Update and BICAR courses, gave a status report on current continuing education projects, and reminded instructors and CE sponsors of upcoming renewal deadlines.
The conference concluded with the highly anticipated “Miscellaneous Legal Issues and Open Forum” session presided over by Commission Legal Counsel Tom Miller, who outlined proposed legislative changes and then took questions on a variety of topics including broker price opinions and short sales.
The Commission thanks North Carolina’s real estate educators for their continued interest and support, and congratulates Cindy Chandler, Garth Dunklin, and George Bell for their achievements.
This article came from the May 2011-Vol42-1 edition of the bulletin.