Following its in-depth assessment of the Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) today announced a new policy, "Multiple Listing Options for Sellers," to complement its existing Multiple Listing Service (MLS) policies. "Multiple Listing Options for Sellers" will exist in conjunction with CCP and other MLS policies to provide sellers and their agents more options and choice when marketing a property, while also supporting fair housing by providing buyers and their agents with equal access to important MLS property information.

The policy – developed following many months of consultation with MLS and association leadership, brokerages, agents, multi-cultural organizations, and industry experts – introduces a new category of exempt listings called "delayed marketing exempt listings." The exemption will allow a seller the option to instruct the listing agent to delay marketing a listing through Internet Data Exchange (IDX) and syndication...

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The Calif. Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection has released new fire hazard severity zone (FHSZ) maps throughout California.

The FHSZ maps are developed using a science-based and field-tested model that assigns a hazard score based on the factors that influence fire likelihood and fire behavior. Many factors are considered such as fire history, existing and potential fuel (natural vegetation), predicted flame length, blowing embers, terrain, and typical fire weather for the area.

The State Fire Marshal is mandated to classify lands within State Responsibility Areas into Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ). The three levels of hazard in the State Responsibility Areas are: moderate, high, and very high. 

Insurance companies typically use their own risk assessment data rather than these maps, so the new designations are unlikely to directly affect insurance rates, according to Cal Fire. However, they will impact real estate transactions, as sellers must disc...

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