Education

Kentucky REALTOR® Institute Prelicensing Program

www.kyrealtorinstitute.com > Pre-licensing

In order to meet the needs of today’s student, KRI is offering the entire 96-hour pre-licensing program online. This newly revised course is available 24/7 and can be taken at your own pace. All the materials and resources needed to get started in real estate are included in the $679 price

Online Courses

www.kyrealtorinstitute.com > Courses > Online Education

KRI offers a wide selection of online education, with both local and national instructors. You will find courses covering both law and elective CE, PLE Hours, and Ethics. The newer courses are video-based putting the instructor right in front of you – it’s just like being face to face. Courses are available to you 24/7 and can be taken at your pace – all you need is a computer and internet access. The deadline for receiving credit is December 31 so sign up now and complete before the end of the year!

REALTOR® Code of Ethics

NAR's Board of Directors approved a change to the Code of Ethics training requirement, extending it from every two years to every three years. This extends the current cycle deadline from Dec. 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021.

REALTORS® are required to complete ethics training of not less than 2 hours, 30 minutes of instructional time. The training must meet specific learning objectives and criteria established by the National Association of REALTORS®. View all courses below.

Training may be completed through local REALTOR® associations or through another method, such as home study, correspondence, classroom courses, or online courses. Additionally, KRI offers multiple online courses that can satisfy your CE, as well as your Code of Ethics requirement.

Post-Licensing Education (PLE)

www.kyrealtorinstitute.com > Post-License

Post-licensing Education (PLE) law went into effect on January 1, 2016, which requires all new licensees to take 48 hours of approved PLE courses within two years of license activation.

KRI has you covered as all 6 GRI courses (GRI 100-600) satisfy the 48 hours of PLE requirements and can be taken in classroom or live webinar. KRI also offers a variety of traditional online PLE courses, including our very popular 48 Hour Online PLE Packages. Our PLE packages offer a variety of courses for different types of learning styles. Keeping you on your toes!

Kentucky License Law Manual

Order Your Copy Today bit.ly/krilawbook

Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI) Designation

www.kyrealtorinstitute.com > GRI

The GRI program has been redesigned to meet the needs of today’s real estate professional including one-day courses and a full year’s worth of CE per course. The courses also count for broker and PLE credit. With GRI, you can build your business and expand your knowledge through courses that offer specific training in key areas of real estate. And, you will increase your network of real estate professionals that can assist in generating leads and referrals from across the state. Get started now on the most popular national designation in real estate. GRI is available in the classroom and live webinar.

2019 GRI Recipients:

Valerie Threlkeld Angela Yearry Steven Briner Kane Johnston Dawn Long Noemi Bonham Joan Theiss Nancy Becker Tammy Pulley Michelle Wiesman Kathy Crowe Lisa Williams Jennifer Todd Marilyn Brown Jerry Dempsey Keith Cooper Adam Gullett Mary Ann Anderson Jennifer Stallings Diane Wagers Missy Brown Rebecca Snyder Scott Edberg Tara Dixon Bertie Shea Kathleen Walls Karen Gross Jacob Mercier Epp Walls Dustin Gilbert Drew Martin Jason Bellamy Melanie Scott Jones Cullen Wainscott Catherine Corbett Kenny Cravens Renee South James Johnson Teresa Perkins

KRI Scholarships Recipients!

www.kyrealtorinstitute.com > Scholarships

The KRI Trustees award scholarships on an annual basis as a way to meet its mission – to enhance real estate professionalism and knowledge by providing quality educational services and programs for the real estate industry and the public. KRI makes scholarships available to members who want to obtain the GRI designation, as well as provide scholarships to Kentucky residents who wish to pursue a career in real estate. Scholarship winners for 2020 were:

GRI Scholarship Winners

Kim Whalen John Kopperud Jen Swendiman Charles Robert Hammonds

Pre-License Scholarship Winners

Ashley Himes Jeremy Slone Leslie Banados Valerie Lynne Curry

College Scholarship Winners

Alicia Soldat

Mediation Scholarship Winners

www.kyrealtors.com > professional-standards-scholarships

KRI is pleased to announce the 2020 recipients of the Mediation Scholarships are Pam Featherstone, a member of the THE HEART OF KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, and Susannah Stevenson, a member of THE GREATER LOUISVILLE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

They were selected to attending the NAR Mediator/Mediation Training in Chicago, IL. As part of the scholarship, each winner receives up to $2,100 to cover expenses. Given the ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the planned September 9-11, 2020 Mediator/Mediation in-person training in Chicago will not be held. NAR plans to announce the rescheduled dates in November during the all-virtual 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo, and will open registration for the training on nar.realtor in mid-January, 2021

REMINDER

Former Madison County Board members are eligible for GRI course reimbursement. As part of the dissolution agreement, funds are available on a first-come first served basis for GRI course rebates. Any former Madison County association member that has not yet earned the GRI designation is eligible. Email kri@kyrealtors.com to begin the process.

New & Upcoming

NEW

Ohio Reciprocity Course (Online)

COMING SOON

Fundamentals of Real Estate Appraisal (Online) Property Management (Online) Real Estate Safety & Beyond Certification Program Day 1 & Day 2 (Online) Online CE Packages (Online)

CURRENT OFFERINGS

Pre-licensing (Online)

96 Hour Program (NEW: Fully Revamped w/NewRegulations)

Broker Education (Online)

Broker Management (48 Broker Hours) - NEW Essentials of Finance (48 Broker Hours) - NEW Commercial & Investment (20 Broker Hours) - NEW Principles of Home Inspection (96 Broker Hours) - NOW 96 HOURS NAR Designation Courses

Post-licensing

Available with GRI 100-600 Classroom Education Live Webinars Online Education & 48 Hour PLE Packages KREC Compliance - Newly Updated

Continuing Education & Ethics

Available with GRI 100-600 Live Webinars Classroom Education Online Education Kentucky CORE Online - NEW

Professional Standards

Professional Standards Training - Classroom Mediator & Ombudsman Training - Classroom/Webinar

The Graduate Realtor Institute Designation (GRI)

Available in Classrooms Throughout Kentucky Webinar Classes

Check out our calendar on the KRI website to find what classes are available.

reasons why every real estate agent should embrace podcasting5

And some reasons why you should look into advertising on a podcast

Real estate agents are always looking for that competitive edge, that unique way to stand out and be found, known, and remembered in their local market. But how?

While there are many great ways to dominate the mindshare in your local market, today I believe that podcasting very well could be the best, most powerful, and easiest to start. Do not underestimate the power of being the host of a show in your town.

No doubt, podcasts are hot right now. It seems like everyone and their dog has a podcast. Hell, some of those dogs actually do have their own show! New podcasts launch every day. Stats show that now more than half of the U.S. population listen, or have listened, to podcasts. Furthermore, the vast majority of those listeners listen to more than one podcast, and an overwhelming majority listen to each episode of their favorite shows. So it’s safe to say that podcasting is hot.

But what if I told you there were still less than 1 million podcasts total? On Apple Podcasts 800,000 podcasts total? That’s right. As much as it feels like podcasts are everywhere, and everyone has one, there are still a shockingly low number of podcasts.

This is fantastic news for real estate agents, especially at a local level. I don’t care which city or market you live in, there aren’t hundreds of podcasts that serve your community. Maybe a few? Maybe a few dozen even in bigger cities?

When I launched the Massive Agent Podcast in January 2018, I had no idea what it would lead to, how life-changing it would be and how many doors would open along the way. We just published episode 113 yesterday, and we’ll hit 200,000 downloads within the next two weeks. I can honestly say that of all the things I’ve done in my career, nothing has been more powerful or “performed better” than my podcast.

The Massive Agent Podcast is for real estate agents and loan officers, anywhere in the world. It’s not even a local show! But I’ve absolutely sold more homes in Salt Lake City because of it. So imagine the power of your own local podcast, with all the focus on one geographical area. There’s some real opportunity to grab big chunks of market share for local podcasts.

Because of the very low barrier to entry for starting a podcast and the power of voice, podcasting very well could be “the thing” you’ve been looking for.

Here are just a few benefits of podcasting for real estate agents: 1. Local celebrity: Podcast hosts build a ton of influence and credibility in the community over time. The same way local news anchors or local radio show hosts are seen as local celebrities, podcast hosts can be too.

Hosting your own show is one of the quickest ways to build credibility in the eyes of others. 2. Referrals from other agents: when you become known as the local real estate expert in your market, it’s not just consumers who notice. Other agents do too, inside and outside your market. Podcasts often show up in Google search results, so agents in other markets can find you and send deals your way. That credibility you built as a show host isn’t just consumers. 3. Networking: If you interview guests for your podcast (which you absolutely should!), you’re growing your network with each new guest. Especially when interviewing more prominent, well-known community leaders. Once you’ve done a bunch of interviews, you naturally become one of those prominent local leaders.

Let’s call it, “guilt by association” in the most awesome way possible. Now you are the one that influential, prominent local people come to. 4. Extra Income: If you want to create new revenue streams, you can directly monetize your podcast. Like any other popular podcast you listen to, you can have sponsors of your show too. A vendor can sponsor the whole podcast, or sponsor individual episodes. I’ve done it both ways for my podcast (Shameless plug alert: I’m actually looking for a new sponsor or two, so holler if you know anyone wanting to get in front of real estate agents).

Podcast advertising is actually one of the most effective forms of advertising these days. Think about it, you have

an audience that mostly listens to every episode, and they listen to 75% or so of each episode. They obviously trust or respect the host. So when the host recommends and/or endorses a product or service, most within that audience are much more receptive to that product, brand or service than if they just saw a random Facebook Ad or tv commercial. If you choose your sponsors wisely, they become partners that will help to promote the show. Often, just having a sponsor gives your show more credibility in the eyes of some. 5. Advertise on other podcasts: Real estate agents should absolutely sponsor other local podcasts in their markets!

You can usually sponsor an episode for as little as $50$250, and that reaches thousands of people in the exact area you want to be known in. Even larger shows with large audiences can still be a great value to advertise with. When you break down the cost of each impression (or listen), it’s cheap!

For example, if you’re paying $250 to sponsor an episode that will get on average, say 2,000 listens, that comes out to only 12¢ per listener! This is amazing considering that most listeners listen to an average of 65-75% of each and every episode!

One final tip though about advertising on other podcasts: You have to give it time. Don’t even think about ROI right now. This is branding, not direct conversion or sales. Don’t expect to sponsor one or two episodes and close three listing transactions from them.

The “ROI” doesn’t work like that with podcast advertising, although you can absolutely get some direct conversion if you’re doing smart calls to action. I recommend sponsoring a podcast consistently for a minimum of three months, otherwise, you’re not giving it enough time to work.

But when it works, boy does it pay off. Just ask Zip Recruiter, Squarespace, Wix, Audible or any of the countless companies that built their brand off podcast advertising. If it works for them, it can absolutely work you and your real estate business. Just make sure the podcast is a good fit, that they actually have some influence, and then commit to doing it long enough for it to pay off.

As I said earlier, podcasting has absolutely changed my life and my career in more ways than I can count. It’s inexpensive and fairly simple to do once you learn a few things in the beginning.

It just takes the dedication to learn something new and the stubbornness to do it long enough to be successful. As with anything, if you commit to doing it consistently every single week, and improve every time you do a new episode, eventually you become a master.

Content provided by HousingWire Dustin Brohm, Columnist To learn more, visit www.housingwire.com

RECIPROCITY WITH OHIO

About ten years ago, at the recommendation of the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO), Kentucky switched from real estate license reciprocity to license recognition. None of Kentucky’s bordering states followed suit, creating a condition where Kentucky’s real estate licensees were disadvantaged in that they were no longer able to reciprocate with those other states. To do business in the other states, Kentucky licensees had to complete the full education course requirements specified by those other states in order to obtain a license in those states.

On March 2nd of this year, the licensing entities in Ohio and Kentucky formalized a reciprocity agreement. Working hand-in-hand with the Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors®, their President Mike Spicer and C.E.O, Janie Wilson where the problem has been most acutely felt, the Kentucky REALTORS® made the case to the Kentucky Real Estate Commission to work with Ohio to create a cooperative agreement. The Commission was proactive and found Ohio favorable to working out such an agreement.

A license reciprocity agreement means that the holder of a real estate license in one state can fast track the process of getting a license in another state, often bypassing the prelicense requirements and moving straight to the licensing exam. Licensing law may vary from state to state and the reciprocal state may require additional law classes to ensure real estate licensees become familiar with its local issues, but those education requirements may not exceed 40 hours.

NKAR 2020 President Mike Spicer thinks this agreement is a game changer for the agents in the Northern Kentucky market in particular. “This now makes acquiring an Ohio license less burdensome and allows REALTORS® to focus on their clients, customers, and their business as a whole.”

In the past, the barrier was far greater for Kentucky real estate agents to practice in Ohio, while their Ohio counterparts had a much easier path. This had the effect of creating a competitive disadvantage for Northern Kentucky REALTORS®.

NKAR C.E.O. Janie Wilson is relieved this issue has finally been corrected. “This particular issue was one that I heard from REALTORS® about on a monthly basis”, she said. “This is a much-needed change and certainly lessens the burden dramatically for our members who want to obtain an Ohio license.”

KYR President Lester Sanders and the association’s leaders give high praise to the focus and relatively quick work put onto this issue by the KREC. “We applaud the diligent work of the Commission to bring this issue full circle in a very short amount of time”, he said. “That’s government efficiency and what the private sector appreciates most out of its state agencies.”

Since the announcement of the KREC and Ohio Department’s actions, CEO Steve Stevens has received contact from two other states hoping to follow the same path. “I’m excited to see the interest”, he said. “I know that KREC will help us bring about more cooperation with neighboring states that will create even more opportunity for our Kentucky REALTORS®”.