License Renewal Date Moved Back
For the past three years, the Minnesota Association of REALTORS requested that the Department of Commerce implement a technology system so that real estate licensing and continuing education monitoring could be implemented in a more convenient and efficient manner. The Department of Commerce was able to comply with the request this year and MNAR successfully pursued this legislation to provide an alternative funding source to implement the technology.
- Currently, the Department of Commerce allows the outside technology vendor to charge licensees a fee on a per usage basis. For example, the vendor was scheduled to charge real estate licensees $4 for every continuing education credit hour taken by a licensee costing a real estate licensee a minimum $120 per licensing period. This legislation passed by MNAR allows the Commerce Department to charge up to a $40 fee paid by real estate licensees, insurance agents and appraisers with every two-year licensing period. This fee would be in place of the per transaction fee that is currently being implemented.
- The fee will go into a dedicated technology fund to pay for the technology already adopted by the Commerce Department.
- The fund is capped at $2 million and the legislation requires the Commerce Department to suspend or eliminate the additional fee if the balance exceeds the $2 million cap.
This legislation allows for more oversight and accountability of those fees collected by the Department of Commerce to implement professional licenses.
Due to the implementation of the technology and the fee, the license renewal date for real estate brokers and salespersons has been extended until August 31, 2007. If you have any questions, please call the Department of Commerce licensing phone number (651-296-6319) or use the e-mail address licensing.commerce@state.mn.us.
Minnesota REALTORS® Pass
Airport Disclosure Modification
The Minnesota Association of REALTORS pursued legislation to modify the airport zoning disclosure requirement, which passed on the floor at the end of last session. The legislation that passed last year was problematic in that it set a new precedent for real property disclosure. The disclosure requirement went beyond the, "best of the seller's (or licensee's) knowledge" and required sellers to actively investigate and disclose airport-zoning regulations that affect their property, if any, before selling.
With the help of Senator Ann Rest - New Hope and Representative Mike Beard - Shakopee, Governor Pawlenty signed a bill amending the statute to now require a seller to provide a written disclosure to a prospective buyer informing the buyer that they can obtain information regarding airport zoning ordinances by contacting the county recorders office where the zoned area is located.
This legislation still applies to all real property transactions in the state of Minnesota including commercial, residential, recreational, agricultural, etc.
Please watch for information regarding Forms changes as MNAR will be amending the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement to reflect this statutory change.
This Modified Provision is Effective August 1, 2007
Special thanks to Senator Ann Rest and Representative Michael Beard for their efforts in getting this legislation passed.
Rate of Population Growth in America
Minnesota's population increased by 40,362 persons, or 0.8 percent, between July 2005 and July 2006, a modest increase over the rate of growth observed in recent years.
According to new estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota's population on July 1, 2006 was 5,167,101. Since the 2000 Census, Minnesota has grown by 247,609 people, or 5.0 percent, ranking 19th among states in the number of people added and 23rd in the percent of growth.
Minnesota was easily the fastest growing state in the Midwest Region. Wisconsin (3.2%) ranked 29th, South Dakota (2.8%) finished 34th and Iowa (1.4%) ranked 44th, while North Dakota (-0.9) was the only state in the nation to have lost population since the turn of the century.
The improved performance of Minnesota's economy is contributing to the increased population growth reflected in the new population estimate, said Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy. Minnesota remains one of the fastest-growing states in the Midwest. Only New Hampshire, among Northeast and Midwest states, has grown at a faster rate over the past six years.
Most population growth in the nation continues to be in the Sunbelt. Arizona replaced Nevada as the fastest-growing state with an increase of 3.6 percent over the past year. Texas had the largest numeric increase, due in part to an influx of refugees from Hurricane Katrina. New York, Michigan, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia and Louisiana lost population between 2005 and 2006. North Dakota lost population earlier in the decade, but recently has shown modest growth.
The faster growth in Minnesota is due to reduced net out-migration to other states and increased immigration from abroad. During the 1990s through 2001, Minnesota saw more people move to the state from other states than move from this state to others. That has reversed over the past five years, due largely to the slower job market. From 2005 to 2006, Minnesota had a net out-migration of 4,509. This was offset by international migration of 13,007 and a natural increase of 31,473. Natural increase was down this year due to a drop in births and an increase in deaths.
International migration continues to be relatively strong, with Minnesota ranking 20th among states. Immigration from 2005 to 2006 was higher than in the previous two years of the decade, but still below the estimated international migration of over 15,500 persons in each of the first two years of the decade.
Population growth in the state was not evenly distributed with 37 of Minnesota's 87 counties losing population between 2000 and 2005. Only one of the 37 declining counties had more than 50,000 people, and most had fewer than 15,000. For the most part these smaller, rural counties also happened to be located on the state borders - 20 of the 37 counties were directly on a border with Canada, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota or Wisconsin.
