If you did not meet the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) mandatory Code of Ethics Quadrennial Requirement, your REALTOR® membership is considered terminated as of March 1, 2009 (according to both NAR and MAAR bylaws).
If you chose to take the Ethics training online at www.realtor.org, please fax a copy of your test completion results to MAAR's Education department at 952.908.2612 for quickest processing. While we will be notified automatically, there is a 24–48 hour lag time. Failure to fax in your test completion before March 1 likely resulted in termination of your membership.
As of March 1, you have lost access to the free online option. The only option available is to pay to take the Ethics course online through Continuing Ed Express.
Upon member termination, all services are terminated. If you are still not in compliance with NAR's mandatory Code of Ethics Quadrennial Requirement, a $100 reinstatement fee will apply after you become compliant as per MAAR's standard policies.
Free Code of Ethics Course from NAR (You may have lost access to this website as of March 1):
Fee-Based Code of Ethics Course from Continuing Ed Express (from the list, choose Minnesota then Code of Ethics Case Studies; cost is $29.95 for 3 CE; you will still need to fax a completion certificate to MAAR.
New Agents: Any agent who has joined MAAR since January 1, 2005 has completed the required ethics course as a part of their orientation process. Your agent could verify their completion by using the IMS process described above.
Transferring Agents: Any REALTOR® transferring to MAAR from another board/association who has completed the current Quadrennial Ethics training requirement shall not be required to complete any additional ethics training for that quadrennial if the REALTOR® can provide satisfactory documentation of completion. Completing the Affidavit of Compliance of NAR Quadrennial Code of Ethics will meet this requirement.
What is the Code of Ethics?
Several years ago in an effort to raise the level of professionalism in the real estate industry and service to the consumer, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) instituted a quadrennial ethics training requirement. This means that all NAR members are required to complete an approved Code of Ethics training course every four years.
The last quadrennial dates were from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2008. All Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® (MAAR) members were required to attend or provide proof of completing the approved course to MAAR by December 31, 2008. NAR established a timeline for consequences for those who did not complete the training by the specified timeframe, including suspension of national, state and local membership.
The Minnesota Association of REALTORS® has developed a Code of Ethics Trainer program and is requiring all local associations, including MAAR, to used certified ethics trainers. The flowchart below—which is also a clickable office handout in PDF format—graphically describes the options available to all MAAR members. Please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Education and Professional Development team at 952.908.2602 with any questions.
What are the reasons for implementing the Code of Ethics training?
There are basically two reasons:
1)The industry is changing fast and the Code is continually updated to reflect new business models and new client relationships. It is a duty and obligation REALTORS® owe their clients, customers and other REALTORS® to know these codes. A vast majority of the complaints reviewed by the Professional Standards Committee are ethical violations and the consequences imposed with the infractions are a range of penalties, including fines in amounts up to $5,000.
2) Adherence to the Code of Ethics is the critical difference between you and the non-REALTOR® licensees in Minnesota. It is the strongest selling point for using a REALTOR®. Keeping up to date with the Code is part of your commitment as a real estate professional and REALTOR®.
What if my agent does not know if they have met the requirement?
Members can verify they have taken an ethics class from MAAR by accessing MAAR's website. Click on Internet Member Services (IMS) and follow the directions to enter the password protected site. Once in the IMS site, scroll down to Education, click Education History and Tracking, click Classes You Have Taken.
More information regarding the NAR Quadrennial Ethics can be found at www.realtor.org.
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