NC Electives

30 Websites that Brokers (and Consumers) Should Know (or Know Better)


Description
This is an approved NCREC elective.

As an amateur genealogist, I love going down “rabbit holes” and looking for answers. Ever since the Internet arrived in our home around 1999, I have been honing my skills to find great resources for my hobby but also for my professional interests, including real estate brokerage and education.

The Internet and the World Wide Web are robust sources of information, but it can be very challenging to find those resources. Brokers and consumers need to be able to obtain information necessary in order to make appropriate real estate decisions.

The purpose of this course is to identify those resources that are freely available on subjects such as property locational attributes, taxes, environmental and tax matters, lending, material facts, licensing, and more.

In addition, this course will also help brokers improve their navigation skills on the Web and in correctly using key terms such as browser, search engine, and URL.

It is the intent of this course to familiarize real estate licensees with these complex regulations and issues and to provide them with the information to respond appropriately to consumer questions about their compensation. Furthermore, it is the goal of this course to have brokers demonstrate use of these websites through various exercises and assignments.

Name of elective cou...: 30 Websites that Brokers (and Consumer...

Content
  • Section 1: Course Housekeeping
  • 1.1 Introduction to on-demand courses from Debbie
  • 1.2 Introduction to the course "30 Websites that Brokers Should Know"
  • 1.3 Course goals and objectives
  • 1.4 Video: How to navigate this course
  • Rules of engagement
  • 1.6 Your instructor
  • SECTION 2 Resources for GENERAL INFORMATION
  • 2.1 Navigating the Internet: browsers, search engines and URLS
  • 2.2 Overview: General Information- websites; Google and its libraries, part I
  • 2.3 Searching Google
  • 2.4 An exercise on refining your search
  • 2.5 An assignment on Google Books
  • 2.6 Overview: Google and its libraries, part II
  • 2.7 Google Translate
  • 2.8 Is Google Translate Correct? A Deep Dive Into Google Translate Accuracy
  • 2.9 It's Your Turn: Google Translate exercise
  • 2.10 Google Scholar
  • 2.11 Let's try Google Scholar
  • 2.12 Overview: More general resources; WorldCat, Chat GPT, and Youtube
  • 2.13 WorldCat
  • 2.14 It's Your Turn: WorldCat Exercise
  • 2.15 Chat GPT
  • 2.16 Try Chat GPT or BARD AI if you want.
  • 2.17 YouTube
  • 2.18 Review of Information Resources
  • Section 3 DISCLOSURE RESOURCES: Location, location, location
  • 3.1 Overview: Disclosure Resources
  • 3.2 Google Earth
  • 3.3 Google Earth me!
  • 3.4 GIS maps
  • 3.5 It's Your Turn: GIS maps
  • 3.6 Scavenger hunt: GIS maps
  • 3.7 Overview: Flood maps
  • 3.8 FEMA
  • 3.9 How to Read a FEMA Flood Map
  • 3.10 NC Flood Risk Information System Maps (FRIS)
  • 3.11 It's Your Turn: Flood mapping assignment
  • 3.12 Overview: cemetery websites
  • 3.13 Billion Graves, Find a Grave, Cemetery Census
  • 3.14 Overview: Transportation websites
  • 3.15 National Transportation Noise Map
  • 3.16 NC Department of Transportation/Public and Private Streets
  • 3.17 Trains
  • 3.18 Overview: Sex offenders, crime, schools, and demographics
  • 3.19 Sex Offender Registry
  • 3.20 Crime mapping sample
  • 3.21 School ratings
  • 3.22 The Census
  • 3.23 Location, location, location
  • 3.24 It's Your Turn: Location, location, location
  • Section 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
  • 4.1 Overview: Environmental issues webistes
  • 4.2 The EPA website
  • 4.3 The DEQ website
  • 4.4 It's Your Turn: Where You Live
  • Section 5 finance, taxes and insurance
  • 5.1 Overview of finance, tax, and insurance websites
  • 5.2 Mortgage Professor
  • 5.3 MtgProfessor challenge
  • 5.4 Government loan information: VA, FHA, CFPB
  • 5.5 Federal and state tax websites
  • 5.6 Insurance: CLUE
  • 5.7 Review: Which website do we use for financial information?
  • Section 6 licensing information
  • 6.1 Overview: Licensing websites
  • 6.2 ARELLO
  • 6.3 The NCREC website, part I
  • 6.4 The CREC website, part II
  • 6.5 The NCREC website, part III
  • 6.6 The NCREC website, part IV
  • 6.7 Review of licensing websites
  • Section 7 National Association of Realtors
  • 7.1 Overview: NAR website
  • 7.3 National Association of Realtors website
  • 7.4 Review of NAR websites
  • Section 8 conconclusion
  • 8.1 Some tips on searching the Web
  • 8.2 Conclusion
  • 8.3 You're almost done!
  • 8.4 End-of-course survey
  • 8.5 Just hit the complete button
Completion rules
  • All units must be completed
  • Leads to a certificate with a duration: Forever