January 2019

Monthly Newsletter

January 2019 #1


Our First Edition

Making You Aware

Members Corner

By: Joshua James      Member Services


Code of Ethics

Code of Ethics is a requirement by the National Association of REALTORS®. There are no exceptions, no grandfather rule; in other words, everyone needs to take it. One cycle has ended and now we have entered the next two year cycle which runs from January 1st, 2019 to December 31st, 2020. You’re probably saying, “2020 is a long way away, why are you telling us about this now”. Well, from one procrastinator to another, lets get it done now so I don’t have to put coal in you stocking at the end of 2020. I want to challenge all our members to get this out of the way before Spring arrives.  You can also go to REALTOR.org and take it there for free. 

State Licensing

Don’t get confused by NAR Code of Ethics requirements and Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TREC) requirements for your state licensing. Neither entity are affiliated with each other and each have their own requirements for you. As stated in the previous article NAR requires Code of Ethics but TREC doesn’t. However, you can take a Continuing Education (CE) Code of Ethics Course for your license and that will satisfy NAR requirements too but because the two entities don’t converse between each other, you need to report any Code of Ethics CE courses taken for TREC to us so we can add it to NAR for you. I know it’s confusing and that’s why it’s better to get that requirement out of the way early. As of this publication, licensing requirements for TREC are

 “Successful completion of 16 hours of CE (10 elective and 6 mandatory TREC CORE) is a condition precedent to renewal and must be completed on or before the expiration date of the license.”

The TREC Core course is mandatory for TREC only not for NAR, again confusing. 

NAR Requirements: Code of Ethics every two years starting now

TREC Requirements: 10 hrs of CE with 6 hrs of TREC Core before license is renewed.

Website

For those that don’t know, we have a web page, www.gsmar.org. It is not affiliated with Paragon. On it we have our calendar page with all our upcoming classes, committee meetings, orientations, breakfasts and more. We have an education page that describes upcoming classes in detail and it also gives you links to sign up for the classes listed. Classes will be posted two weeks in advance. We have a Code of Ethics page that gets you information and links to take the Code of Ethics course online (hint). We have tons of information on our website and it changes continually, so visit it frequently and bookmark it.


On A Personal Note: 

From Joshua James 

Member Services

I’d like to thank everyone for the much appreciated welcome I’ve received and the positive comments from some of you. It’s nerve wracking and very stressful to move from a job that you have known for 23 years. Some of you already know but I worked at Walmart for that period of time and I wore many different hats and experienced so much fun, made many friends, and had lots of negative and positive experiences. It was tough to leave the friends behind but I believe I have already made many new ones here at GSMAR.

 A little about me: I was born in Santa Barbara, CA and moved with my family to Sevierville, Tennessee when I was only three. So, I’m basically a native. I went to the Sevierville schools and graduated from SCHS (go bears), then went on to Walter State for an Associates degree. I’ve been married for 23 years and have one son. 

I’m looking forward to creating something truly special here at GSMAR and if I learned anything with my 23 years in retail it’s this: Customer care is the number one priority. When we interact with the public or with each other, I believe in putting our best foot forward and trying our best to be helpful and respectful. It’s the little things that keep people coming back for more and it’s what is sorely lacking in our social media society. I thank everyone at GSMAR for the open arms and I will do everything I can to return that love. 





Committee Highlight

Young Professionals Network: Jason Spade Committee Chair 

YPN is a FREE networking chapter for ALL REALTORS brought to you by  NAR and your local board GSMAR. This is a great way to get involved with not only your local board but build relationships  with your fellow REALTORS, Affiliates and be a face in your community. YPN is brand new with GSMAR but we're excited about this chapter. There are several events already planned for 2019 starting with REALTORS Night Out that will be held Feb 21 at 6:00 p.m at the Ghost Bar in Sevierville. Free food and giveaways throughout the evening. For more information or to join YPN email Jason Spade at jasonrspade@remax.net

MLS Minute of the Month

Check out Bryan Kendrick’s MLS Minute of the Month with his Youtube video. How to set Proper locations and mapping in Paragon. https://youtu.be/gdZduR98sUM


Affiliate of the Month

Justin Beasley of   Beasley Images  https://www.beasleyimages.com/

Justin helped us with the Christmas Party, the Meet and Greet and the January Broker Breakfast. He is fairly new to Real Estate Photography but creates excellent results. Here are some of his own words about him and his business.

Thanks Justin for being there when you were needed for both your clients and GSMAR. 





Board of Directors 

Meet our new Board of Directors for 2019

Contest

Hey Guys and Gals,

We need a name for our Newsletter. 

This will be a monthly newsletter highlighting different aspects of GSMAR and we need you to come up with a name for it. All entries need to be sent to joshua@gsmar.org and entered no later than February 14th. The winner will receive a prize.