Bell, Chandler, Dunklin Win Awards At 2011 Educators Conference

By Pamela R. Rori= e, Continuing Education Officer

An eager crowd of 218 real estate instructors and sc= hool officials from across the state attended the Commission-sponsored 2011 Real Estate Educators Conference in Raleigh, March 7-8, 2011.

Larry Outlaw, Director of Education and Licensing, op= ened the conference with a summary of the significant revisions to the 2011-2012 North Carolina Real Estate Manual. Mr. Outlaw also presented the updated syllabi for the three postlicense courses and g= ave a progress report on the real estate license examination program.<= /span>

Following Mr. Outlaw was a lively agency disclosure discussion and role play using the Working With Real Estate Agents brochure presented by Thomas Ma= hlum, DREI, with assistance from Kandyce Ellis, Travi= s Everette, and Sam Pyrtle.=

Another highlight of the morning’s program was a joint presentation on the new Offer to Purchase and Contract by Miriam Baer, the Commission’s Executive Director, Tricia Moylan, Legal Education Of= ficer, and George Bell, DREI and member of the Joint Forms Committee. The trio discussed the history and rationale for the contract changes, pinpointed potential problem areas regarding the use of the new form, and gave attende= es the opportunity to ask questions about teaching its use to licensees.<= /o:p>

During the first day’s luncheon, the North Carolina R= eal Estate Educators Association (NCREEA) held its spring meeting under the direction of President Jo-Ann C. Lavecchia. Fol= lowing the business meeting, the traditional awards presentation was officiated by Immediate Past President Tim Terry. The Association presented its “Program of the Year” award to George Bell for his continuing education elective course, The NCAR Residential Forms, and its “Educator of the Year” award to co-honorees Cindy Chandler and Garth Dunkli= n.

Also during the luncheon, Commission Chairperson Mars= ha Jordan presented the Commission’s Billie J. Mercer Excellence in Education = Award to NCREEA’s Educators of the Year, Cindy Chandler and Garth Dunklin. This award is presented annually in mem= ory of former Commission member and chairperson, Billie Mercer, who was especially dedicated to the cause of real estate education. The names of all award win= ners are engraved on the Mercer Award cup that is displayed in the Commission’s lobby. Commission members Everett = “Vic” Knight and Alice Mosteller also attended the aw= ard presentation.

Later in the day, Lisa McQuillen= , Education and Licensing Officer, informed the group about the new online br= oker license application process. Ms. McQuillen also reminded instructors and private school directors about license renewals, a= nd recognized prelicensing schools and instructors= whose students had exhibited outstanding performance on the license examination.<= o:p>

Afterwards, Kristi Matthews of Advanced Energy presen= ted Green and Energy Efficient Homes - What You Need= to Know, which informed attendees of requirements for a home= to be designated “green.” The first day’s program concluded wit= h Pamela Vesper, Auditor/Investigator, who presented suggestions for the electronic handling of trust accounts.

On the second day, Karen Hamilton of the North Caroli= na Americans with Disabilities Act Network discussed ADA requirements when real estate prelicense students and/or exam candidat= es request special accommodations. Next, Continuing Education Officer Pamela <= span class=3DSpellE>Rorie discussed proposed topics for the 2011-2012 Upd= ate and BICAR courses, gave a status report on current continuing education pro= jects, and reminded instructors and CE sponsors of upcoming renewal deadlines.

The conference concluded with the highly anticipated “Miscellaneous Legal Issues and Open Forum” session presided over by Commis= sion Legal Counsel Tom Miller, who outlined proposed legislative changes and then took questions on a variety of topics including broker price opinions and s= hort sales.

The Commission thanks North Carolina’s real estate educators for their continued interest and support, and congratulates Cindy Chandler, Garth Dunklin, and George Bell for their achievements.=