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New and Revised NVAR Forms for July 1, 2018
NVAR Standard Forms Changes: Effective July 1, 2018
By Matthew L. Troiani, Esq.
The NVAR Board of Directors has approved the following new forms and forms changes, as proposed by NVAR’s Standard Forms Committee. Click on the title to download the form or download all the forms here.
- K1375 – Assistance Animal Addendum – This is a new form which was created to provide a lease addendum where the landlord has approved a request for an assistance animal in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, and is not the same as the Pet Addendum. The addendum permits a tenant to have an assistance animal in the dwelling, subject to certain tenant responsibilities for the animal.
- K1376 – Assistance Animal Approval Notice – This is a new form which was created to provide a formal notice by which a landlord can approve a tenant’s request for a reasonable accommodation for an assistance animal.
- K1377 – Assistance Animal Denial Notice – This is a new form which was created to provide a formal notice by which a landlord can deny a tenant’s request for a reasonable accommodation for an assistance animal.
- K1378 – Request for Reasonable Accommodation/Rule or Policy – This new form was created to provide a formal request by a tenant or applicant for a reasonable accommodation to a rule or policy. This form will allow the landlord to review and either approve or deny the request. This form will work in conjunction with K1376 and K1377.
- K1379 – Reasonable Modification Addendum/Physical Structures – This new form was created to provide a formal request for a tenant or applicant to make a modification to the physical structure of a dwelling in order to reasonably accommodate a disability. The form is to be provided by the landlord upon request, and incorporated into the lease as an addendum if the modification is approved.
- K1380 – Verification of Disability – This new form was created for a tenant or applicant to complete with the assistance of a verifier who has a therapeutic relationship with the tenant/applicant in situations where a disability is not readily apparent. Once completed, the form will be submitted along with the Request for Reasonable Accommodation/Rule or Policy.
- K1382 – Notice – Lease – This new form was created to provide a blank form in which parties can provide notice under the VRLTA and Common Law Leases.
- K1273 – Notice Sale – This form was updated to distinguish it from the new Notice – Lease form, and to update changes in terminology since 2015.
- K1017 – Property Management Agreement – This form was significantly updated to reflect changes in the law, required disclosures, and property management practice since 2001. The form was also reorganized for convenience of use.
- K1374 – Property Management Information Form – This form was updated to reflect changes in the law, Property Management Agreement, and property management practice.
- K1333 – Lease Common Law – This form was updated to create a new separate Paragraph 11 addressing smoking on the Premises, including electronic cigarettes. Paragraph 31 (formerly Paragraph 30) was updated to provide notice to the parties, not just to the tenant, that separate commission may be owed if the tenant purchases the property. The Assistance Animal Addendum was added as an option in Paragraph 38. Paragraph 43 was added to provide the statutorily-required notice that one or more parties may be real estate licensees. Brokerage Information was added to the end in the same manner as the Residential Sales Contract.
- K1354 – Lease VRLTA – This form was updated as follows:
a) To create a new separate Paragraph 11 addressing smoking on the Premises, including electronic cigarettes.
b) Paragraph 31 (formerly Paragraph 30) was updated to provide notice to the parties, and not just to the tenant, that separate commission may be owed if the tenant decides to purchase the property.
c) The Assistance Animal Addendum was added as an option in Paragraph 40.
d) A new Paragraph 45 was added to provide the statutorily-required notice that one or more parties may be real estate licensees.
e) Brokerage Information was added to the end in the same manner as the Residential Sales Contract.
- K1321 – Residential Sales Contract – This form was updated in four areas:
- Paragraph 4 – The clause requiring that the Settlement occur on the prior business day in the event the Settlement Date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday was moved from Paragraph 33(E) to Paragraph 4.
- Paragraph 13 – Clarifies that while wall mounted electronic components/devices do not convey with the property, related mounts, brackets and hardware do convey with the property unless the parties agree otherwise in writing. This is intended to clarify conveyance and to address disputes between parties regarding the removal of the mounts and the adequacy of repairs of the holes left behind when mounts are removed.
- Paragraph 20 – Adds a check box for situations where no Wood-Destroying Insect Inspection is required or requested by a lender or the parties.
- K1282 – Exclusive Right to Represent Tenant – These changes were administrative in nature to correct a typographical error in Paragraph 15.
Click here to download all of the forms
FAAR Releases 2019 Legislative Package
- Professionalism Issues: FAAR aims to raise the level of professionalism for licensees throughout the Commonwealth by increasing education and broker supervision.
- Housing Discrimination: FAAR recommends adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in Virginia.
- Transportation Infrastructure Funding: FAAR advocates reforming the SmartScale funding process, extending the HOT lanes to Massaponax, continuing investments in mass transit, and allowing all jurisdictions, regardless of size, the right to establish a regional transportation authority.
- Proffer Reform: FAAR advocates for easing the communications restrictions on elected officials and staff with builders and developers when negotiating proffers.
- Virginia Real Estate Board Responsiveness: FAAR encourages VREB to add additional staff to process the expanding pool of licensees and expedite agent transfers.

NAR Issues Call for Action on Flood Insurance
Let your Members of Congress know that extending the program until a long-term reauthorization can be worked out is vitally important to the real estate industry and to our local market. Take action today!
FAAR paints a house!


May Sees Impact from Inventory Shortage

Fredericksburg, VA – (June 14, 2018) – The following analysis of the Fredericksburg, Virginia area housing market has been prepared by the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® based on analysis of brightMLS multiple listing data.
The inventory shortage that the Fredericksburg region is experiencing had an impact on the real estate market in the month of May. Total sold volume remained static, posting a meager .78% increase from May of 2017. May of 2018 saw a total sold dollar volume of $195.2 million while May of 2017 was less $2 million shy of that at $193.6. Median price saw a 6% year-over-year increase going from $282,000 in May of 2017 to $299,450 in May of 2018. A higher median price didn’t translate into a higher sold volume due to the nearly 3.5% drop in units sold. In May of 2017, 630 properties sold in the market compared to just 608 in May of 2018.
Days on market, the time it takes from when a listing enters the market until it receives a ratified contract, fell significantly, going from 55 days in May of 2017 to just 40 for this May. That represents a more than 27% decrease and demonstrates how quickly well-priced homes are moving off the market. “The market is still seeing a real lack of inventory and the inventory that is available often has been on the market for a while,” stated 2018 FAAR President Kevin McGrath.
Inventory numbers continued to increase in May, consistent with seasonal trends. Active listings posted a nearly 3% increase with 1,658 properties on the market in May of 2018 compared to 1,611 in May of 2017. There was also a sizable increase in new listings with 1,128 new homes coming on the market in May compared to 977 in May of last year, representing a nearly 15.5% increase. “If you are a seller with a home that will show well, it’s a great time to list as buyers are struggling to find homes that meet their needs,” continues McGrath.
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About the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS®
Founded in 1957, the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® is the trade association for more than 1,600 Realtor® and affiliate members serving the areas noted above. Members also work in the surrounding counties of Westmoreland, Louisa, Orange and Prince William and in Northern Virginia. FAAR strongly supports the availability of affordable housing for all market segments and supports government policies designed to enhance homeownership opportunities. For more information about FAAR, visit www.faarmembers.com or contact Kim McClellan, Public Policy Director at kmcclellan@faarmembers.com or 540-373-7711.

Creating an Online Presence: A Guide for New REALTORS®
Build your digital presence fast and cost effectively
WEBSITE
Claim your free REALTOR Branding Kit at get.realtor/partners/faar. The branding kit ($69.95 total retail value) includes
- FREE .realtor™ domain using your name for the first year ($39.95 value)
- FREE matching email address for the first year ($30 value).
- FREE Professional Website, a customizable professional single page web site.
- Example website: https://www.dealcloserdoug.realtor.
Whether you use the professional website offered here, connect your domain to your realtor.com profile page, or point it to an existing site …The branding kit includes simplified step by step directions and videos to show you how to take your branding to the next level.
Services like Placester ($59.99/month) or WordPress ($25/month) may also be efficient and budget-friendly website management solutions for your website.
Pay MRIS / Bright MLS for your data feed “idx” ($10/month or if multiple sites, $12.50/month). Embed feed in website.
EMAIL MARKETING
Capture emails of potential clients with Mailchimp, a free (up to so many contacts) mass email service that manages collecting emails, allowing you to build and send emails and email templates, and aiding in keeping your emails CAN-SPAM compliant. Emails to over 500 recipients must contain your business address, an unsubscribe link, and you must honor a contact’s unsubscribe within 10 days. Mailchimp will generate the email capture tool you can embed in your website, the best location to drive your contacts and collect leads.
BUSINESS FACEBOOK PAGE
- Log in to your personal Facebook account
- Go to “Create a Page.”
- Select your business category (local business)
- Upload your profile picture
- Fill in your company information (link to your website and other social sites here)
- Add in a cover photo (link to your website and other sites in the description here too)
- Start sharing engaging updates that drive your audience to your email capture and idx feed
OTHER ONLINE PROFILES
The online portal Realtor.com operates in tandem with NAR through an operating agreement. Claim your Realtor.com profile and fill in your bio and picture. Why? Customers are spending more time on REALTOR.com per session than any other sites excluding amazon, youtube, facebook. They search for realtors by zip code, then highest recommendation or highest rating (so start getting those recommendations and ratings!).
Establish a presence on Zillow and Trulia so you know what consumers are seeing on these sites
Establish a presence on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, or wherever your target audience is present (Manage up to 3 accounts with a tool like Hootsuite.com or set up the tool “If This Then That (ifttt)” to autopublish from one channel to another)
EXPENSE AND MILEAGE TRACKING
Track your mileage and/or expenses easily with apps like Expensify, MileIQ, Everlance, Hurdlr (premium versions cost $60 annually)
REALTOR® EXCLUSIVE TOOLS
Need to run Comps? REALTORS Property Resource (RPR) and RPR mobile are two exclusive REALTOR® tools offered by NAR.
Spread the word—Photofy is a social media sharing application that makes it easy to share NAR’s “That’s Who We R” campaign graphics customized with your contact information.
The Virginia REALTORS® Tech Helpline offers support for hardware, software, networking and digital devices. Members can contact friendly and knowledgeable analysts via phone at 1-800-276-4216, e-mail, or online chat for help with any device. The Tech Hotline will troubleshoot problems and offer solutions, often by ‘remoting in’ to your computer while you relax. The customer care team can advise you on hardware and software purchasing, and most importantly, they are especially attuned to your needs as a REALTOR®.
The Virginia REALTORS® Legal Hotline is a member benefit and the fastest way to get vital answers on questions about Virginia real estate law as well as timely information on legal and regulatory issues concerning the real estate industry.
The FAAR Technology Committee facilitates a Tech Time workshop every other 2nd Tuesday of the month from 10 am-noon. Bring your projects, tech issues, or plan to shoot a video in the Studio—-We’re here to help!
Getting the most out of REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR) and zipForm Webinars


Streamline Your Business
RPR and zipForm have come together to help you get the most of out of these two powerful REALTOR business tools. RPR is NAR’s wholly owned subsidiary and is a national property database, offering a large range of data, tools and reports to better serve your clients and customers. zipForm® is the Exclusive and Official forms software of the National Association of REALTORS®.
We’ll show you how to seamlessly move between RPR and zipForm to improve your business efficiencies.
Looking for ways to give back but not sure how?


The Code of Ethics – Stopping Robber Barons since 1913
by Pat Breme, RCE, CIPS
CEO
A Gift of Vision, that sounds pretty lofty coming from NAR in 1978 but Bill North the Executive Vice President at the time, thought members needed to be reminded of the Code’s significance. The Code was adopted in 1913 and made a condition of membership in 1924. In his article, North describes the Code as a Gift of Vision, a living document. It is the vision of those members in the early 1900’s who dreamed that the business of real estate could become a profession… that the highest and best use of the land required the highest and best measures of professional responsibility. Those members also believed that private property ownership of the land was indispensable to political democracy and a free and prosperous citizenry.
It was not the threat of government sanctions that moved REALTORS® of the time to make a commitment to business integrity and fair dealing. The Code of Ethics was created as a rejection of the fraudulent real estate practices exemplified by the Robber Barons whose motto was Let the Public be Damned. At the time only law, medicine and engineering had ethical standards. Over the years, the Code proved to be a guide in NAR’s growth and development, an impetus for education of its members. It also bound local, state and the national association together in an interdependent relationship.
The Code has evolved and will continue to evolve, reflecting the changes in the business. Its principles will be strengthen, not deluded, to ensure REALTORS® are held to a higher standard. The Code must remain constant, enforceable without being oppressive, meaningful without being dogmatic. The Code is a living document because each Article has a single premise, service to the public. It is the means to that end.
As a condition of membership, REALTORS® agree to uphold the Code but it is not the law and does not supersede licensing regulations. The Code’s relationship to the law is a follows-1. It defines those duties and obligations required in the public interest which are beyond the capacity or power of the law to mandate. 2. The Code supports the law by requiring a higher sensitivity of the duties and obligations which it imposes. The Code is independent of the law but it cannot survive if misused or misapplied. A diligent and fair search for the truth is mandatory and there are procedures in place to ensure that due process is applied to all parties.
To REALTORS®, the Code of Ethics offers the lessons of hindsight, the guidance of foresight and the understanding of insight- a RARE Gift of Vision.
Read the entire article penned by Bill North here.

Test your Knowledge of the Code with this quiz by REALTOR® Magazine
The Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice establishes rules for the highest ethical conduct and professionalism. It’s what distinguishes you as REALTORS® from other real estate licensees. Take this quiz to see how well you know your Code. Send FAAR (lzuza@faarmembers.com) a screenshot, picture, or pdf of your 13/13 completed quiz and be entered in a drawing for a $50 visa gift card!
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