Continuing Ed PA: What’s That Course About?

PA Continuing Education: What's That Course About?

Here’s a list of real estate continuing education live classroom being offered during the 2018-2020 Pennsylvania license renewal cycle by Polley Associates.

This list is a work in progress. Polley regularly develops new course titles, and occasionally revises content in existing ones. Descriptions may be temporarily unavailable for courses undergoing changes, or those that are awaiting state approval.

Live classroom titles

General Module* (7 Hours)

The General Module provides licensees with a review of duties, zoning issues, real estate environmental concerns, client representation and agency, the agreement of sale and related addenda, clauses, title reports and closing costs. Most importantly, it makes it all easily understood by licensees, who can make it easily understood to others.

Residential Module* (7 Hours)

The Residential Module offers agents ways to handle almost anything they’re likely to encounter in residential sales. It delves into the uniform construction code and zoning, land development, real estate environmental issues, home inspections and home warranties, mortgage information, fair housing, and agreements of sale.

*All licensees renewing for the 1st time must take the General Module (7 hours) AND the Residential Module (7 hours) OR the Commercial Module (7 hours, online only)

“Mandatory” Property Management & Advertising (3.5 Hours)

This is the PA Real Estate Commission required content labeled as “Mandatory Topics for the 2018-2020 Renewal Period.” It is needed to renew a PA sales or broker license for the period ending May 31, 2020. (for all non-first time renewal licensees). It covers laws pertaining to property management, outlining responsibilities and roles a licensee may assume, as well as those they cannot assume, before transitioning into a review of PA Real Estate Commission advertising regulations, paying close attention to technology and its effects on real estate advertising.

Standard Agreement  of Sales Forms (7 Hours)

The newest version of the Standard Agreement of Sale, issued by the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS®, took effect in April 2019. Do YOU know how to use it? This course highlights and explains key changes broker and sales licensees must understand to properly utilize the form for customers and clients. Changes to contingency and inspection clauses, as well as pre- and post-settlement addenda and issues arising from the PA Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law and the Seller’s Property Disclosure form, will be addressed.

Forms Update (3.5 Hours)

The Agreement of Sale form revised by the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS is just the tip of the forms iceberg. You’ll find not only a host of forms covering every conceivable contractual need in the profession, but recent changes to frequently used forms as well. Participants will learn tips, tricks and shortcuts in form usage; how and why to choose the right form; and how using the right form can save an agent’s commission, yield a happier client, and generate repeat business.

Ethics, Your Promise of Professionalism (3.5 Hours)

This course addresses the specifics of the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics and ethical practices and decision-making for real estate professionals. It may qualify for REALTORS® who wish to fulfill the biennial Code of Ethics requirement from the National Association of REALTORS®. (Check with your local association.)

R.I.S.K: The Game of Real Estate (7 Hours)

Risk management is the process of identifying potential risks and creating a plan to control them. The capacity to manage potential risks in real estate depends on an individual’s ability to appropriately assess a variety of scenarios to discern the legal, professional, and ethical implications that must be considered. Participants will identify common risks through analysis of real-life scenarios in an interactive quiz show format. This course will help participants understand and identify common risks in the daily practice of real estate through analysis of real-life scenarios in an interactive quiz show format.

Navigating the Digital World of Real Estate (7 Hours)

Phones, WiFi, Tablets, Thermostats, Cameras – Much of our lives are “connected” parts of the Internet of Things, or IOT. More than 80 billion such devices are expected to be operating within the U.S. by the end of 2020. This course explores how IOT pervades home ownership, property use, and real estate marketing/sales. It offers best practices to avoid IOT problems in the real estate business. In addition to IOT, it will delve into modern-day practices of real estate and explore how to avoid technology-related consumer issues. Popular phone and tablet apps, digital lending, and future trends in real estate technology will be discussed.

Performing  Quality BPOs (3.5 Hours)

This course is designed to meet the minimum continuing education requirement set for Broker Price Opinions (BPOs). It is designed to teach brokers and their agents how to complete quality broker price opinion reports that can benefit consumers. It will compare BPOs to appraisals and explain why the BPO has become a well-received report. In addition, we will explore the legal vs. illegal uses of BPOs. This course covers the entire BPO process including  requirements, qualifications, and limitations of BPOs, as well different types of BPOs, requirements of each, and how to complete a BPO form.

Beyond the Stucco (7 Hours)

Homes built after the 1980s have experienced an increase in leaking stucco systems that can cause deterioration of the building envelope, resulting in a potential reduction in property value and increased health risks from possible organic growth inside the home. Understanding why this happened; what are the signs, symptoms and clues; what the testing process involves; and how to interpret a stucco report are primary topics for this course.

Flood Insurance Fundamentals (3.5 Hours)

The need for flood insurance is greater than ever. Navigating the troubled waters of complex regulations and ever-changing guidelines can be overwhelming, and flood insurance can have serious implications on the real estate transaction. This course is designed to build a fundamental understanding of the risk of flooding, dispel common misconceptions regarding  flood insurance, and to provide additional resources that are available to the public.

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