Dear Members,

Happy Summer, I hope your markets are as hot as the past few days.

First, a quick but important alert: several people are currently using TikTok to advertise fraudulent rental listings, and it’s happening statewide. If you’re on TikTok, please keep an eye out for these scams and report them when you see them.  The old Craigslist scam is on steroids.

On the policy front, a sweeping new housing law with over 40 changes has just passed — the biggest in three decades. It caps large investors from owning 350+ single-family homes, cuts manufactured home costs by dropping the steel-chassis requirement, and offers cities funding to streamline permitting.

NAR also issued new guidance on office exclusive and pre-marketing listings, requiring a signed disclosure when sellers opt out of public marketing. The key detail: a private referral is fine, but once it spreads into a broader network, it counts as public marketing under the Clear Cooperation Policy. Know that line before sharing listings outside your brokerage.

Finally, mark your calendars for August 3 and 4, when WVAR will host its first-ever statewide Broker Summit. This event will bring brokers together from across the state to share ideas, exchange best practices, and network. We hope to see you there.

Rise above the noise my friends,

Ray Joseph, CEO