Florida 14 hours Residential 101 course.

Approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

This course contains the required 3 hrs core law. The topics chosen for this course are intended for every day use.

Continuing Education is required for both active and inactive Florida real estate brokers and salespersons. Active or inactive brokers or salespersons must take a 14-hour continuing education course during each 2-year license period. The course must contain 3 hours of core law and 11 hours of "specialty" topics that focus on real estate issues relevant to Florida Statute, Chapter 475. This course meets the prescribed 14 hours of continuing education.

Florida Real Estate License Law Update

Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Understand the recent law changes enacted by the Florida Real Estate Commission.
• Learn the process of becoming a real estate practitioner.
• Explain the qualifications required to practice real estate.
• Explain the steps a licensee must take to renew their license.
• Know the difference between an active license and a voluntarily inactive license.
• Audits and inspections, understand why the Department of Business Professional Relation requires them and how to be in compliance.
• Know what is required of nonresident licensees and what states Florida has a mutual recognition agreements.

Registration and Licensing Requirements

Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Learn about the real estate recovery fund and why it was created.
• Discuss the duties of a designated sales associate.
• Discuss the duties of a designated salesperson.
• Explain what the guidelines a broker must apply while maintaining an escrow account.
• Understand interest bearing escrow accounts and the types of disbursement methods that are allowed.
• Learn the other important areas of real estate knowledge.

Other State and Federal Laws

Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Understand the Florida Vacation Plan and Timesharing Act.
• What disclosure is required in a residential rental agreement.
• Explain the landlord's and tenant's obligation to maintain the premises.
• Explain the brokerage relationship disclosure act and the required disclosures.
• Explain the "Bert J. Harris, Jr., Private Property Rights Protection Act" and why it was created.
• Learn the other state and federal laws.

Violations and Penalties

Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Explain the range of penalties, from lowest to highest, are available to the Florida Real Estate Commission.
• Explain how can a respondent object to a violation.
• Understand what is a citation is and to whom can it be issued against.
• Name 6 violations that constitute grounds for Notice of Noncompliance.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted on July 26, 1990 provides comprehensive civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Learn why it was created and state who is covered under the Act.
• What can employers ask and do?
• What is required of a public entity?
• Learn the requirements to be in compliance with proper public accommodations.
• Know who is most protected under Title IV.
• Learn the deductions that are allow to small businesses.
• What 3 different requirements must met to be classified as having a disability?
• Know when a complaint must be filed.
• State the different types of methods used to resolve a complaint about the ADA.
• Learn the advantages to states obtaining code certification from the ADA.

Fair Housing

Thirty-three years ago the United States Congress passed Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, on April 10, 1968, 6 days after the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. This Act essentially outlawed for the first time private and public discrimination in housing. Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Understand why the Fair Housing Act was created.
• Know what exemptions exist under the Fair Housing Act.
• List 6 types of complaints HUD allows.
• Who can file a complaint and what can they expect.
• Know the severity of penalties that exists.
• List 8 different discrimination offenses that the Florida Fair Housing Act covers.
• Know the broker's obligations under the Fair Housing Act.
• Know the guidelines and who is covered.

Code of Ethics

This module is designed to provide basic information on the Realtors Code of ethics. The Code is enforceable against Realtor members and sanctions can be applied against Realtor members who violate its provisions. The Code can also be viewed as a standard of conduct real estate practitioners in general could observe with positive results for both the practitioners and the public who utilize their services. Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Briefly describe the history of the Code of Ethics as it relates to its origins, its influence on state licensing laws and its establishment of arbitration as the monetary dispute process among Realtors.
• Identify concepts in the Preamble to the Code of Ethics, including concepts such as the wide distribution of land ownership, highest and best use of the land, principles of competency, fairness and high integrity and the concept of adherence to the code regardless of an inducement of profit and/or an instruction from clients to the contrary
• Identify the golden rule as one of the foundations upon which the Code of Ethics is built
• List the major categories of Articles in the code (Duties to Clients and Customers, Duties to the Public and Duties to Realtors).
• Describe the structure of the Code and its supporting materials (Articles, Standards of Practice and Case Interpretations)
• List the articles of the code which are commonly the subject of complaints
• Describe the concepts of these commonly cited Articles of the Code, including Articles 1, 2, 9, 12 and 16
• Given case studies, fact scenarios or similar interactive learning methods, identify possible violations of the Code of Ethics, specifically related to the commonly cited Articles
• Describe the professional standards enforcement process of the board or association, including the distinction between an ethics complaint and an arbitration petition, and the differences between the Grievance Committee and the Professional Standards/Arbitration Committees.

Eminent Domain

To put the issue of eminent domain in perspective, it is one of the powers of the government. The powers of the government include taxation, the power to tax, police power, the power to regulate the use of property for the health, safety and welfare of the populace, escheat, the power to take property if a person dies without a will (intestate) and no heirs can be found, and eminent domain, the power to take land, even from an unwilling owner, for a public use. Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Understand what Eminent Domain is and how it applies to real and personal property.
• Know the duties an agent representing a principle must provide.
• Explain the process of invoking the power of eminent domain along with the rights for the property holder.
• Know the powers of the condemning authority as it relates to eminent domain.
• Know the type property that is subject to eminent domain and how property value is determined.
• Explain what types property the government considers public use.
• Understand how the value is placed on property taken under the power of eminent domain.

Realtors And The Internet

The Internet is a communications tool. It was created for this purpose, and you'll get the most out of it if you use it as such. There has never been an easier or more cost-effective way for a business to reach its target audience, and there never will be. So take full advantage of it. Use the power of the Internet to reach millions of customers all over the world. And then use it to provide them with the sort of customer service that was impossible without it. Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Understand what the internet is and how it relates to the licensee.
• Understand how to get connected to the Internet and how it can be used to supplement the licensee's marketing efforts.
• Understand how to establish an effective email communication system.
• Understand email ethics and how to organize, sort and use advanced email features.

Information Retrieval Trends

The Internet has millions of sites at this point and growth is exponential. To find the needle in the haystack, you may use two basic approaches: a search engine or a subject guide such as Yahoo, Snap, Look Smart, and Magellan. Subject guides are fine for browsing general topics, but for specific information use a search engine. Your output can be greatly improved by spending time learning the nuances of several search tools. Their on-line help pages have in-depth information. Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Understand how to retrieve informational from the internet and how to access public records from the County Property Appraiser, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Geographic Information Systems, Public Works, and Vital Records Information web sites.

Timeshare

Under chapter 721, Florida Statutes, the Bureau of Timeshare is responsible for the regulation of certain activities relating to the creation, sale, exchange, promotion, and operation of timeshare plans offered for sale or created and existing in Florida. Most of the current laws established for Time Share were adopted over 15 years ago and although the legislature has been implementing statutory updates, the market has changed substantially since then. Learning objectives for the licensee:

• Know the purpose of the Bureau of Time Share and why it was created.
• Explain the concept of timesharing and what common types of ownership exist.
• Understand resale purchase agreements, what are they, and who uses them.
• Know what exchange programs are all about and understand the cancellation process.