Real Estate School Online

Key industry professionals responding to NAR’s recent Legal Scan frequently indicated “breach of fiduciary duty” as the basis for a significant number of current disputes, and over 71% of them ranked the topic among their top three current issues. Knowing what to disclose, when to disclose it, what to keep confidential, and all the other detailed requirements built into agency relationships are crucial for a successful, legal real estate practice. 

Course Highlights

• Review of agency options in Maryland and how to establish agency relationships
• Scenarios and examples to ground the fiduciary duties in context
• Activities to instantly reinforce agency concepts

This course meets the 3 required hours of the MD Agency-Residential Topic mandatory requirement (Category H).

Credit Hours: 3

This course is powered by The CE Shop, Inc.

With short sale transactions, the negotiating parties' motivations are entirely different than they are in a traditional, standard transaction. Throw in lender approvals, junior lien holders, and inflexible timelines, and you end up with a whole new ball game. As the professional in the transaction, both parties will be relying on you to lead the process. This course will cover appropriate listing price, negotiation with the lender's representative, sorting through the terminology of debt settlement, and carrying the deal through to closing. The short sale process will also be examined from a buyer's agent perspective, including consideration to cautions and fraud prevention tactics critical to advocating on behalf of bargain-shopping buyers. 

This course meets 3 Elective hours in Category F (Professional enhancement for practicing licensees) in Maryland. 

Credit Hours: 3

This course is powered by The CE Shop, Inc.

Your clients should be aware that tax consequences occur as a result of each real estate transaction. While real estate professionals should not provide tax or legal advice, this online course will provide valuable information that will help you identify potential income (and other) tax effects on your clients, and advise them to seek appropriate legal and tax counsel.

This course includes:

• Details outlining in-home office deduction requirements, and an explanation of how to calculate these deductions
• A clear definition of qualified residences
• Details about loans that commonly qualify for interest deductions
• Instructions on calculating an adjusted basis, a capital gain/loss, a net selling price, and a gain or loss on the sale of assets
• An overview of commercial real estate 1031 Like-Kind Exchange requirements

Credit Hours: 4.5

This course is powered by The CE Shop, Inc. 

As a real estate professional, you have a legal and ethical obligation to treat each client objectively. It is critical that all agents understand the principles of fair housing in order to do business with fairness and honesty.

This course includes:

• Video skits depicting real fair housing cases
• Instructions on creating advertisements that comply with fair housing laws
• Details about federally protected classes, as outlined by the Fair Housing Act
• An explanation of how practicing fair housing will benefit your real estate business
• A list of red flags of discrimination for listing agents, selling agents, and brokers
• A video Public Service Announcement from the Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding fair housing

Credit Hours: 1.5

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

Your success in real estate relies on your ability to understand how each client’s background influences their desires and decisions in a real estate transaction. This online course helps real estate professionals better serve the diverse races, ethnicities, lifestyles, and cultures represented in the U.S. real estate market.

This course includes:

• Resources that will help you identify the diversity of the population living in your area
• Numerous examples of characteristics and beliefs that can be present in a diverse population
• Statistics from the National Association of REALTORS® relating to diversity
• A summary of requirements outlined in various fair housing laws and details about federally protected classes
• Suggestions that will help you in your efforts working with a diverse group of clients

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 1.5

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

In today’s real estate marketplace, foreclosures and short sales are a part of the landscape. This online course will help you to gain a clear understanding of the steps of the foreclosure process.

This course includes:

• Details about legislation that has been enacted to assist distressed homeowners
• Rebuilding steps for homeowners recovering from foreclosure
• An explanation of the differences between judicial foreclosure and trust deed non-judicial foreclosure processes
• Foreclosure avoidance tips and ideas
• Details outlining the foreclosure process

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 1.5

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

The financing of a home is as integral to real estate transactions as finding the home itself, and it is beneficial for you to have a clear understanding of the entire financing process. This online course will help you gain a better understanding of the changes the mortgage market has experienced over the years.

This course includes:

• Details outlining the history and purpose of real estate financing
• Explanation of the roles and regulations of FNMA, GNMA, FHLMC, FHA, and VA
• Video outlining the rise and fall of the mortgage market and global economy
• Information about HAFA and the Making Home Affordable program
• Statistics from the Center for Responsible Lending and the Federal Reserve
• Affordability Worksheet, to assist clients in calculating their maximum affordable purchase price
• Homebuyer Do's and Don’ts flier with tips for your clients
• Instructions on calculating LTV, front-end and back-end ratios, and monthly mortgage payments
• Details and qualification requirements for several popular financing options

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 6

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

This online course will help you better understand the mortgage process, and give you the knowledge to help your clients though the anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty that often accompanies it.

This course includes:

• Video outlining the mortgage process
• Tips on helping your clients avoid predatory lending
• Updated statistics from the Center for Responsible Lending
• Current lender disclosure requirements
• 2011 updates to 1003 loan application
• Homebuyer Do's and Don'ts flier that agents can pass on to their clients
• Tips on compiling and managing your short list of reputable lenders
• Current loan documentation rules
• Details regarding closing and closing documents

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 6

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

The real estate market, and society as a whole, is focused now more than ever on sustainable living. This online course will explain what “green” means in real estate, and help you better understand how to serve clients living an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

This course includes:

• Tools you can be share with clients that help them measure the impact their lifestyles leave on the environment, along with helpful tips for reducing their negative impact.
• Descriptions of and videos about popular "green" building, design, and landscaping materials, which will help you identify "green" features during showings.
• Videos and Internet resources providing details on programs such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), and ENERGY STAR®, and details about "green" property requirements, as outlined by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
• Recommendations that you can share with your seller clients on how they can make inexpensive, effective "green" changes to their homes that appeal to eco-conscious buyers.
• Suggestions on ways you can "go green" in your real estate business, and details about going paperless.

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

Real estate fraud and identity theft have become major issues in the industry. This online course identifies several types of real estate fraud schemes, both minor and major, and helps you understand how to protect and educate your clients on this growing problem.

This course includes:

• Details about property disclosures that are required in real estate transactions
• Statistics regarding fraud cases and the top 10 states with significant mortgage fraud problems
• An explanation of sub-prime lending and how it impacts mortgage fraud
• A summary of the steps of a purchase process that will help you identify where major buyer misrepresentation can occur
• A handout from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that will help you understand how "house stealing" can occur

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

The internet is a valuable prospecting and advertising resource for real estate professionals. Social media, blogs, property listing websites, and email services are all great tools to help you build your business. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, this online course will help you understand the legal, regulatory, ethical, and professional issues that should shape your online content and conduct as a real estate professional.

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 1.5

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

The client work, the showings, the negotiations, the contracts, and the back-and-forth communication between sellers and buyers are all important to a real estate transaction. This online course will cover all of the details pertaining to the most important part of a real estate transaction—the closing.

This course includes:

• Details that will help you protect ownership rights and understand liens, encumbrances, and title insurance
• A list of the four basic rights of owning and possessing property and explanations of how these rights impact property owners
• Characteristics of a valid deed, and descriptions of grant deeds, warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, tax deeds, gift deeds, and deeds in lieu of foreclosure
• Items included on a full title report, an ownership and encumbrance property report, a legal and vesting report, and a land title report
• Details about items covered by the lender's title insurance policy and those covered by the borrower's policy
• An explanation of the contents of the HUD-1 Settlement Statement

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc. 

Electronic transactions and e-signatures can give you the competitive edge you need to attract new business, better serve existing clients, and improve your bottom line.

Course highlights include:

• A look at what it takes to make an e-mail a legally binding agreement, including a discussion of the “mirror image” rule
• Tips for ensuring that your e-mail communications remain blunder free
• A discussion of the pros and cons of e-mail disclaimers and how much protection they really provide users
• A look at how e-signatures are becoming more and more commonplace in the real estate industry, with institutions like the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and mortgage giants like Freddie Mac accepting e-signatures and the National Association of REALTORS® partnering with DocuSign, an e-signature provider
• A detailed discussion of several national and international e-signature laws, including the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN), the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), and EU Directive 1999/93/EC
• A review of several precedent-setting case studies and their influence on the use of electronic negotiations in the real estate industry
• An examination of the financial and practical benefits of using e-signature technology
• Tips for selecting an e-signature technology that fits your needs as a busy real estate agent
• A description of the crucial security features and authentication methods to look for in an e-signature software
• Tips for successfully integrating e-signature technology into your day-to-day business transactions

This course meets 3 Elective hours in Category F (Professional enhancement for practicing licensees) in Maryland.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is powered by The CE Shop, Inc.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) acquires thousands of homes every year through foreclosure on properties that had Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured mortgages. This online course explains the processes and procedures involved in listing and selling HUD homes. It details how properties are awarded to individual brokers for listing, how brokers and agents are compensated for these sales, and how they are listed and marketed.

This course includes:

• Overview of increased commission opportunities
• Explanation of FHA financing, and the FHA foreclosure process
• A summary of the roles created through HUD's Management and Marketing III program, and details regarding the duties associated with each role
• A description of the documents involved in the sale of a HUD home
• Rules outlining the advertisement of HUD homes
• Details about the HUD home bidding process

This course is presented in a user-friendly online learning platform, ideal for the visual learner.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is powered by the CE Shop, Inc.