Become a Member
REALTOR®
The Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® is committed to providing beneficial services to help you succeed in your real estate career. As a member, you become a part of the Voice of Real Estate in the Greater Calhoun County Area.
Here are some of the benefits of membership in the Association as a REALTOR® Member:
- Access to the MichRIC MLS (Multiple Listing Service) which covers almost all of Southwest Michigan and includes data shares with the Greater Lansing MLS, RealComp, MI Real Source, Water Wonderland, and Ann Arbor
- Access to numerous services such as:
- ShowingTime
- SentriLock Lockbox System
- Electronic forms (Dotloop or Zipforms)
- ListTrac
- MarketStats
- Realist (tax data)
- RPR (REALTORS Property Resource)
- RentSpree
- FOREWARN (Available to all State Licensed BCAAR members for only $7/MO)
- West Michigan Regional Forms library (shared forms created/managed by seven associations – BCAAR, Greater Regional, MOM, Montcalm, Southwestern, West Central, and W.MI Lakeshore)
- 3-4 FREE days of continuing education per year
- NAR certifications and designations offered
- Education Reimbursement Program (reimbursement of up to 50% per certification or designation; max $500 per year)
- Invited to attend quarterly BCAAR General Membership Meetings which include free lunch
- Committee participation – Join anytime, any committee!
- Participate with members in planning and hosting numerous charitable events in the community (Gala, Golf Outing, Shoot Out, Volunteer Days, Donation Drives, etc.)
- Invitations to participate in social events throughout the year (Family Zoo Day, Axe Throwing, Secret Santa, Day Trips, etc.)
- Easy access to membership data, invoices, directory updates, and event registrations through GrowthZone (website or phone app)
- BCAAR newsletter with industry articles, MLS tips, important announcements, etc
- Private Facebook group for members only
- Listed on the BCAAR directory – customizable with bio, photo, specialties, certifications/designations, and languages
- FREE use of BCAAR’s conference room space (amenities included)
- Access to exclusive discounts offered by the Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS®, Michigan REALTORS®, and the National Association of REALTORS®
- Simple online payment system with no credit card processing fees
- Low-cost member-to-member email service
- NAR REALTOR Benefits® – CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
- Personal and responsive member service
These, and many, many more great opportunities await you when you become a REALTOR® member of the Association. Please contact the office with any questions you may have about becoming a member.
Affiliate
Did you know that if you are a business owner or member of a business that works in the real estate industry you can join the Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS®? You can indeed! We offer an Affiliate membership status that allows you to become an active member of the organization.
Here are some of the benefits of membership in the Association as an Affiliate Member:
- Become a resource for the REALTOR® members
- Participate with members in planning and hosting Community Education programs
- Opportunities to teach Continuing Education and New Member Orientation classes to REALTOR® members
- Sponsorship opportunities to gain exposure to our 200+ REALTOR® members
- Become eligible to receive the prestigious Affiliate of the Year Award
- Access to our 200+ members and 75+ affiliate partners
- Invited to attend quarterly BCAAR General Membership Meetings which include free lunch.
- Committee participation – Join anytime, any committee!
- Participate with members in planning and hosting numerous charitable events in the community (Gala, Golf Outing, Shoot Out, Volunteer Days, Donation Drives, etc.)
- Invitations to participate in social events throughout the year (Family Zoo Day, Axe Throwing, Secret Santa, Day Trips, etc.)
- Easy access to membership data, invoices, directory updates, and event registrations through GrowthZone (website or phone app)
- BCAAR newsletter with industry articles, important announcements, etc.
- Private Facebook group for members only
- Listed on the BCAAR directory – customizable with bio, photo, and languages
- Simple online payment system with no credit card processing fees
- Low-cost member-to-member email service
- Personal and responsive member service
Additional Benefits Available (charges apply):
- Access to the Services such as:
-
MichRIC MLS (Multiple Listing Service) which covers almost all of Southwest Michigan and includes data shares with the Greater Lansing MLS, RealComp, MI Real Source, Water Wonderland, and Ann Arbor (only available for lenders and title agencies)
-
ShowingTime (only available for inspectors, stagers, photographers, licensed contractors, etc.)
-
SentriLock Lockbox System (only available for inspectors, stagers, photographers, licensed contractors, etc.)
-
-
BCAAR Newsletter Ad ($20/member and $40/non-member)
-
BCAAR Tower Road Office Digital Ad ($30/month or $10/week for members)
-
FOREWARN (Available to all State Licensed BCAAR members for only $7/MO)
These, and many, many more great opportunities await you when you become an Affiliate member of the Association. Please contact the office with any questions you may have about becoming a member.
Broker
The Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® is committed to providing beneficial services to help you succeed in your real estate career. As members, you become a part of the Voice of Real Estate in the Greater Calhoun County Area.
Here are some of the benefits of membership in the Association as a REALTOR® Member:
Participate with members in planning and hosting Community Education programs
Sponsorship opportunities to gain exposure to our 200+ REALTOR® members
- Access to the MichRIC MLS (Multiple Listing Service) which covers almost all of Southwest Michigan and includes data shares with the Greater Lansing MLS, RealComp, MI Real Source, Water Wonderland, and Ann Arbor
- Access to numerous services such as:
- ShowingTime
- SentriLock Lockbox System
- Electronic forms (Dotloop or Zipforms)
- FloPlan (virtual floor plans created by phone)
- MarketStats
- Realist (tax data)
- Homesnap
- RPR (REALTORS Property Resource)
- FOREWARN (Available to all State Licensed BCAAR member for only $7/MO)
- West Michigan Regional Forms library (shared forms created/managed by seven associations – BCAAR, Greater Regional, MOM, Montcalm, Southwestern, West Central, and W.MI Lakeshore)
- 3-4 FREE days of continuing education per year
- NAR certifications and designations offered
- Invited to attend quarterly BCAAR General Membership Meetings which include free lunch
- Committee participation – Join anytime, any committee!
- Participate with members in planning and hosting numerous charitable events in the community (Gala, Golf Outing, Shoot Out, Volunteer Days, Donation Drives, etc.)
- Invitations to participate in social events throughout the year (Family Zoo Day, Axe Throwing, Secret Santa, Day Trips, etc.)
- Easy access to membership data, invoices, directory updates, and event registrations through GrowthZone (website or phone app)
- BCAAR newsletter with industry articles, MLS tips, important announcements, etc
- Private Facebook group for members only
- Listed on the BCAAR directory – customizable with bio, photo, specialties, certifications/designations, and languages
- FREE use of BCAAR’s conference room space (amenities included)
- Access to exclusive discounts offered by the Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS®, Michigan REALTORS®, and the National Association of REALTORS®
- Low-cost member-to-member email service
- NAR REALTOR Benefits® – CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
- Personal and responsive member service
These, and many, many more great opportunities await you when you become a REALTOR® member of the Association. Please contact the office with any questions you may have about becoming a member.
Education
Continuing Education
The State of Michigan requires that every Real Estate Agent receive a minimum of 2 hours of legal and 12 hours of elective Continuing Education, as well as 1 hour of fair housing training each year of their licensing cycle. A REALTOR® can certainly take more Con-Ed than is required, and it is recommended they do so to stay on top of the constantly changing industry.
The Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® is committed to providing online education opportunities. These are classes you can do on your time, at your pace, and fit lessons into your busy schedule. They fulfill both the elective and legal requirements for the State and are reported to CE Marketplace.
The Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® has partnered with several schools for online Continuing Education. You can see all of these below. They each offer different and unique classes that are CE Marketplace certified. Take your time to browse the topics to find the classes that will best suit you and your current needs in your business. They offer both legal and elective credits.
A variety of in-person and virtual Continuing Education classes are offered in both the Spring and Fall through the Association at no cost to members. Please see our calendar of events or contact the office to register for an upcoming course.
Fair Housing Requirement
REALTORS® licensed in the State of Michigan must complete 1 hour of Fair Housing training each year of their licensing cycle.
Quick Takeaways for the Fair Housing Act
- The Fair Housing Act protects homebuyers from discrimination as they get a mortgage, rent a home, buy a home, seek housing assistance, or participate in other housing-related activities.
- The Fair Housing Act prevents discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, or familial status.
- REALTORS® can reference NAR’s Code of Ethics for information on upholding fair housing ideals.
Code of Ethics Requirement
NAR’s Code of Ethics, adopted in 1913, was one of the first codifications of ethical duties adopted by any business group. The Code ensures that consumers are served by requiring REALTORS® to cooperate with each other in furthering clients’ best interests.
All REALTORS® have a Code of Ethics education requirements. Michigan REALTORS® are required to take 2 hours and 30 minutes of Code of Ethics training every 3 years. The Code of Ethics requirement can be completed through the Association when offered, or FREE through the National Association of REALTORS®.
Online Continuing Education
Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® has established an agreement with The CE Shop to promote online course information to consumers and real estate licensees. Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® is not the developer of these courses and is simply providing a referral. Any questions regarding course content or technology should be directed to The CE Shop.
Click the image above to enroll and start your training today!
The National Association of REALTORS® owns and operates the Center for REALTOR® Development, an online platform devoted to lifelong learning, career advancement, and specialized credentials for real estate professionals. The site offers dozens of online courses that lead to 14 official NAR designations and certifications. Select courses also provide CE credits across 40+ states at no additional charge to the learner.
Click on the image above to get started.
The Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS® has partnered with the Michigan Institute of Real Estate to provide online courses including:
- Real Estate Prelicensing
- Real Estate Continuing Education
- Broker Courses
- Builder Courses
- Advanced Real Estate Training
Click on the image above to get started.