April 2004 Issue
Page 3

STATE NEWS

Indiana Real Estate Commission to Charge Transfer Fee

Last fall the Indiana Real Estate Commission authorized a $10 license transfer fee and it is now in effect. The transfer form is being revised to reflect this new fee, but if you are transferring, please be sure to include the $10. If a transfer request is sent in without the fee, the IPLA is supposed to notify the licensee of the need for the payment of the $10. However, there are some situations where the transfer request was sent in and the person did not get anything back until they called and were told about the need for the fee. If you have sent in a transfer and have not heard back, we would suggest you call IPLA (317-232-2980).

Taken from IARAE Updates

The following is a quick summary of top REALTOR® legislative priorities. Legislation containing language covering each of these key issues is on its way to the Governor. We are awaiting final action by the Governor if these bills are to become law:

Indiana Real Estate License Law Changes:

IAR had Senate Bill 232 introduced to address two key license law issues. The tireless efforts of House sponsor State Representative Terri Austin (D-Anderson) kept the language of Senate Bill 232 alive. Through her efforts it was amended into House Bill 1005 in the final hours of the session.

The language from SB 232 adopts a "commercial license portability" procedure for commercial brokers licensed in other states to practice in Indiana without an Indiana license, provided they meet a series of requirements, including working with a licensed Indiana agent. This mechanism will put Indiana brokers on firmer legal footing in dealing with out of state brokers.

The bill also addresses some technical issues regarding reciprocity licenses. A recent interpretation by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency prohibited reciprocity licensees residing in border states from acting as principal brokers. The practical implication is that Indiana licensed agents are currently not allowed to affiliate with the impacted firms located in border states.

This legislation puts Indiana back on par with other states in this regard, and allows the Indiana Real Estate Commission to continue operating as they have for years, prior to this interpretation. Again, we are awaiting final action by the Governor.

New and Onerous Septic System Regulation Preempted:

IAR was working for passage of the language in Senate Bill 152 because the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) had been pursuing regulations that would require septic systems to include secondary treatment systems for the removal of nitrates.

These systems would add $6000-10,000 to the current cost of a septic system for individuals building new homes in certain parts of Indiana . IAR's concern is that there is no secondary system currently manufactured that can meet this proposed standard. In effect, home buyers would have a substantial additional cost for a system that would still not be in compliance.

If signed into law, the language included in House Bill 1017 will successfully pre-empt this onerous requirement for the secondary treatment systems.

Taken from IAR Legislative Express

Zipform Helpful Hints

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE USING ZIPFORM PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING THE CORRECT LIBRARY. THE LIBRARY SHOULD BE THE SOUTH BEND / MISHAWAKA & ELKHART COUNTY LIBRARY . THIS LIBRARY HAS ALL THE COMBINED FORMS PLUS BOTH BOARD'S INPUT SHEETS AND KEY LEASE AGREEMENTS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THESE FORMS IN YOUR CURRENT LIBRARY YOUR FORMS MAY BE OUTDATED. PLEASE RETURN TO ZIPFORM OR THE IAR SITE AND DOWNLOAD THE CORRECT LIBRARY. THE FILE NAME IS GSBMAR AND THE TITLE OF THE LIBRARY IS SOUTH BEND/MISHAWAKA ELKHART COUNTY. ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL THE BOARD OFFICE.

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding ZipForm involves how to update contact information. Instructions for both versions are outlined below.

Question : I've recently changed the company I work for. How do I get this information changed so it will appear on my forms?

Answer : First of all, you must update your member information through your local board or directly through the NRDS database system found at www.realtor.org. This ensures that we have the most current information in our database in the event you contact us with a question. Then you may follow the steps below to have the changes reflect on your forms. Note: These changes will only appear on "new" transactions. Any old transactions will reflect the old contact information. If you need the contact information changed on an "old" transaction, you must delete them and re-create them as "new"

ZipForm Desktop:

Go to www.zipform.com <outbind://7/www.zipform.com>. On the right side of the page under Support you will see a link that says "Change company information".
This will take you to a page where you will be asked to enter your original redemption code and your last name.
Update your contact information.
Then you must click NEXT.
Then you must click "Update Now" for the changes to actually take effect.

ZipForm Online:

Login to the ZipForm Online service.
Click on Administration.
Click on Location manager.
Select Edit from the drop down menu.
Change your contact information.
Click Save.

To change your email address:

Click on Agent Manager.
Select Edit from the drop-down menu.
Change email info.
Click Save.

Taken from IARAE FAQ ZipForm

eGIX Message Notification

Message Notification uses your cell phone to receive messages from your voice mail.

When a message is left on your voice mail, your cell phone rings. Upon answering, you hear a series of beeps to alert you that a message has been left in your voice mail. To retrieve the message, you would then need to access your voice mail as normal.

There is no charge for this service. To sign up for this, Egix needs your cell phone number and your voice mail number.

Simply call Customer Service @ 1-800-489-6655 to take advantage of this service.

RPAC awards for 2003 were noted in the March 2004 issue of Indiana REALTOR® . Elkhart County Board of REALTORS was recognized as follows in our category:

• Total Collected - Gold Award
• Highest % of Contributors - Gold Award
• Highest % of $99+ Contributors - Gold Award
• Highest $ per Member - Silver Award

ECBOR was also recognized for being Over Goal in RPAC contributions for 2003.