Mountain Lakes Board of REALTORS

Enter an MLS number to go directly to that listing: ex. 12345

Mountain Lakes Board of REALTORS®

Professional Standards

Statements of Policy

The Professional Standards and Grievance Committees of the Mountain Lakes Board of REALTORS® shall be committees functioning under the direction of the Board of Directors.

General:

1. The NAR Code of Ethics and Arbitration Manual is adopted verbatim, inclusive of the adoption of North Carolina Association of REALTORS® amendments.

2. Complete Arbitration files will be retained for three years after all allowances for Appeal are exhausted and/or the Award is paid.

3. Ethics decisions and files will be retained after all Appeal periods are past.

4. The Professional Standards Administrator for the Association shall be the Executive Officer, who shall be certified by the National Association of REALTORS® according to its requirements.

5. The names of individuals found in violation of the Code of Ethics or other membership duties shall not be published.

6. Agreement between Franklin Board of Realtors®, Mountain Lakes Board of Realtors®, North Jackson County Board of Realtors®, and Highlands/Cashiers Board of Realtors® to Establish Multi-Board Professional Standards Enforcement Procedures shall be incorporated and made a part of these standards of policy.

Selection and Appointment of the Grievance Committee:

There will be a standing committee, known as the Grievance Committee, of at least _3_Board Members, in good standing, of whom at least a majority shall be REALTORS^®. The members of the committee shall be appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors, for staggered three (3) year terms. All Committee Members must attend annual local, NCAR or NAR

Professional Standards Training each year by the end of the 1st quarter of the year to be

eligible to serve on a Committee. The committee shall annually select its own Chairperson and Vice Chairperson (or, alternatively, the President shall annually designate the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the committee). The Grievance Committee will hold regularly-scheduled meetings or, alternatively, will meet often enough to ensure timely review of ethics complaints and arbitration requests.

In selecting members of the Grievance Committee, the President should consider the following recommended criteria:

• number of years as a REALTOR®
• number of years in the real estate business
• primary and secondary fields of real estate endeavor/expertise
• participation in post-licensing real estate education
• training in the Code of Ethics
• position in firm (principal, nonprincipal)
• size of firm
• common sense
• open-mindedness
• familiarity with state(s) laws and regulations
• receptiveness to instruction/training
• other relevant professional or procedural training

The committee should have balanced representation of REALTORS®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATES®s, men, and women, and should include representatives of various racial and ethnic groups. Committee members should be mature, experienced, knowledgeable persons of a judicial temperament. It is suggested that, to the extent practical, members of the Grievance Committee not serve simultaneously on the Professional Standards Committee or on the Board of Directors to avoid conflict with the prohibition on serving on more than one (1) tribunal in the same matter.

At the completion of a member’s term or Chairship, the member may be appointed to the Professional Standards Committee for a term of three years, subject to completion of mandatory training provided by NCAR.

Function:

The Grievance Committee receives ethics complaints and arbitration requests to determine if, taken as true on their face, a hearing is to be warranted. The Grievance Committee makes only such preliminary evaluation as is necessary to make these decisions. While the Grievance Committee has meetings, it does not hold hearings, and it does not decide whether members have violated the Code of Ethics. The Grievance Committee does not mediate or arbitrate business disputes.

Selection and Appointment of the Professional Standards Committee:

There shall be a Professional Standards Committee of at least _3_Board Members, in good standing, of whom at least a majority shall be REALTORS®, appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors. All Committee Members must attend annual local, NCAR or NAR Professional Standards Training each year by the end of the 1st quarter of the year to be eligible to serve on a Committee. Members of the Professional Standards Committee shall be selected to serve on Hearing Panels as required to hear matters of alleged unethical conduct by Board Members or to provide arbitration as requested. The committee shall annually select its own Chairperson and Vice Chairperson (or, alternatively, the President shall annually designate the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the committee).*Previous service on Grievance committee recommended.

In selecting members of the Professional Standards Committee, the President should consider the following recommended criteria:

• number of years as a REALTOR®
• number of years in the real estate business
• primary and secondary fields of real estate endeavor/expertise
• participation in post-licensing real estate education
• training in the Code of Ethics
• position in firm (principal, nonprincipal)
• size of firm
• common sense
• open-mindedness
• familiarity with state(s) laws and regulations
• receptiveness to instruction/training
• other relevant professional or procedural training

The committee should have balanced representation of REALTORS®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®s, men, and women, and should include representatives of various racial and ethnic groups. Committee members should be mature, experienced, knowledgeable persons of a judicial temperament. It is suggested that, to the extent practical, members of the Professional Standards Committee not serve simultaneously on the Grievance Committee or on the Board of Directors to avoid conflict with the prohibition on serving on more than one (1) tribunal in the same matter.

Function: