A new 9 minute video tour has been posted to walk users taking the Quadrennial Code of Ethics course. This tour can help make the online training experience as productive as possible by familiarizing users with the course layout and answering frequently asked questions. The tour is presented after you click on 'Start the Course'. You can either view the full 9 minute overview video, or watch specific sections, such as The Final Exam. For more information, visit the tour's homepage.

Posted on November 3 at 01:15 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

December 31 will be here before we know it and with that the deadline for the second cycle of NAR's Code of Ethics requirement. Find all the details, resources and links at our Code of Ethics "Quick Reference Guide", www.REALTOR.org/coetips.

This guide includes links to accessing your NRDS number, REALTOR.org username and password, a printable copy of the 2008 Code of Ethics as well as troubleshooting FAQs.

Posted on October 30 at 10:28 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Looking for real estate data from around the world? The Global Real Estate Project is a reference tool for international real estate research. It provides real estate trends, local contacts, and market information (data as of 2007) for different countries around the globe. The information contained in these profiles was compiled by the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the University of Denver under the directorship of Dr. Mark Lee Levine, Director/Professor, CIPS.

Posted on August 19 at 04:11 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

WalkScore.com is a website for determining how easy (or hard) it is to live a car-lite lifestyle in a neighborhood. WalkScore calculates the walkability by measuring the distance to stores, restaurants, schools, parks and other neighborhood amenities and ranks them from a low of 'driving only' to a high of 'walkers' paradise'.

The site acknowledges there are certain limitations to its data. First they use Google Maps as their base and there are known errors, both in terms of streets and business addresses. Also distance is calculated 'as the crow flies'. If the nearest store is across the lake, WalkScore assumes you will be swimming. And just because you can walk doesn't mean you should - WalkScore doesn't look at crime or the availability of sidewalks or pedestrian friendly crossings.

Recently the site measured Seattle neighborhoods and came up with a walkability map of the city. For fun you can also see the walkability score of celebrity houses from around the country, including the Brady Bunch house in North Hollywood.

Posted on June 24 at 10:16 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (1)

The Virtual Library eBooks Collection features over a thousand real estate, business, and personal growth titles and is made available exclusively for REALTOR® members and board staff. An average of 1300 eBooks, videos, and audio books are downloaded each month. If you use this collection -- or are interested in using the eBooks collection -- NAR's Information Central wants to hear from you at eReviews, a new companion website of the Virtual Library eBooks Collection.

Continue reading "Infomation Central wants to hear from YOU...about your eBooks experience" »

Posted on June 20 at 10:45 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

The business intelligence firm Information Builders recently launched its WebFOCUS U.S. Foreclosure Trends Activity Report as an online tool to track what's happening around the country with foreclosure rates. A year's worth of foreclosure data is presented for each state, based on information from RealtyTrac. What's nice about this site is the ability to drill down to find historical info as well as to manipulate the graphs to suit the individuals needs. You can change the type of graph to pie, line or bar, as well as data - total filings, per capita, a comparison to US per capita, etc. Currently data is based on March '08 numbers. If the site is regularly updated it could prove to be a useful tool.

Posted on April 23 at 10:53 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)