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| Commissioner's Bulletin | September 2009 |
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Commissioner Announces Office Closures
The two work groups formed to work on rules that apply to brokers, property managers and escrow licensees met in August to address SB 140, SB 141 and HB 2910 passed this last session. Final drafts of the rules are being reviewed by an advisory group prior to public hearing, which is scheduled for 10 a.m., November 16, 2009, here at the Agency. The Continuing Education Work Group held their first meeting September 10 to begin rulemaking on SB 640. This group is focusing only on the continuing education aspect of this bill. The next meeting is scheduled for November 2. All meetings are open to the public. Following completion of the administrative rules on the continuing education portion of SB 640, work groups will be formed to deal with the two other components of the legislation; i.e., the board-approved class on law and rule changes and the principal broker examination. Back to top^
Three Agency staff members attended a training and certification program specifically designed for investigators/auditors involved in real estate regulation. The quality specialized training related to real estate regulatory investigations and audits is available only through the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO). The training and professional credentials augment the investigators’ credibility during the investigative and hearing processes. Back to top^
Investigators from the Agency participate in this group which is mainly comprised of real estate professionals such as escrow agents, real estate brokers, lenders and mortgage brokers, as well as other regulatory and law enforcement agencies such as the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services’ Division of Finance and Corporate Securities, United States Bankruptcy Trustee Office and Portland police. Social welfare and governmental agencies such as Elders in Action, Hacienda CDC, the Portland Housing Agency, and legislators and real estate attorneys have also participated. The group originally came together in an effort to provide support, resources and knowledge to each other to be better prepared to recognize and prevent real estate fraud in the Portland area. The group has had some successes and has actually foiled some questionable schemes involving foreclosure rescue scams. These instances came about because the real estate brokers attending the group were able to detect something that didn’t “feel right” and the contacts made through the group provided resources to help confirm their suspicions. Back to top^
Oregon Real Estate Reference Guide Online The Oregon Real Estate Reference Guide, with the latest updates, is online and available to all. This is the renamed “blue manual.” It can be accessed on our website. Back to top^
The Real Estate Board meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. October 5, 2009, will be held at the Hood River Hotel, Hood River, Oregon, hosted by the Mid-Columbia Board of Realtors. Board meetings are “public” meetings so everyone is welcome to attend. Back to top^
The Agency hearing room has been redesigned to more comfortably accommodate larger work groups and provide a more professional appearance. Back to top^
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The current recession reduced state revenues and forced
the Legislature to make deep cuts in agency budgets for the next biennium. To cope
with these cuts, most state offices (including the Real Estate Agency)
will be closed ten days between now and June 30, 2011. Staff will take unpaid time
off on those days. The first “closure” for the Real Estate Agency is October
16, 2009. The scheduled state office closures are October 16 and November
27, 2009; March 19, April 16, June 18, August 20, September 17, and November 26,
2010; and March 18 and May 20, 2011. The list of closure dates will be posted on
our 
