What will you do when you open the door to your listing appointment and realize your client uses a wheelchair? What if one of your buyers is sight impaired or uses a walker? While their disability does not define them, it is still important to know how you, as a REALTOR®, can be knowledgeable and competent when working on accessibility and visitability issues for clients with unique needs.

Join the Portland Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® (PMAR) for The Accessible Home on Wednesday, June 9th—an educational forum featuring six experts that will teach attendees about specific aspects of the importance of accessibility in housing.

Speakers will include:

Kip Johnson (The Jones Group), giving attendees a view of a day in the life of a REALTOR® with a physical disability.

Lane Muller (Keller Williams), exploring business and legal motivations for real estate professionals to become more knowledgeable and competent handling accessibility/visitability issues for people with disabilities.

Allan Lazo (Fair Housing Council of Oregon), reviewing the Fair Housing Act and the legal rights those with disabilities have under this statute.

Evan Swanson (Mortgage Trust, Inc), guiding attendees through various lending programs that could help clients become homeowners or address renovations so they may remain in their home.

Jeff Wiren (past PMAR President) will moderate the group and present new features to NOWNW.com, focusing on new accessibility resources.

More information is available on the event website.

This event is worth 3CE, but attendees must register.
Register for PMAR Education Panel: The Accessible Home.

Are your doors wide enough for a wheelchair? View a tour of an accessible house in Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Fairfax County, VA via Flickr)

Would you know how to look for a home for a client who uses a wheelchair? Do you know how to identify accessible features when listing a home to market them to a wider audience on RMLSweb?

July 26th is the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a piece of legislation crafted to eliminate discrimination against people with physical or mental conditions that may require accommodations. Last week, an educational forum organized by the Portland Metro Association of REALTORS® (PMAR) explored the intersection of real estate and accessibility—from looking at how a brokerage can improve accessibility in the office to the perspective of a local REALTOR® who uses a wheelchair.

Today we aim to educate RMLS™ subscribers on how they may use RMLSweb more effectively in both the listing and buying processes.

The Accessibility Field on RMLSweb

Accessibility has been addressed on RMLSweb for years, with the Accessibility field being regularly reviewed and developed by the RMLS™ Forms Committee. Over the years this field has been expanded to include wide parking spaces, stair assistance, roll-in showers, and more.

The Devil’s in the Details

How wide must a doorway be to be marked as WD-DOOR? Specificity helps REALTORS® do their job, so prospective clients don’t arrive at a property to find the listing inadequate for their needs—perhaps sporting a dangerously steep ramp or a ‘wide’ hallway where a wheelchair can’t turn.

Document #1211 on RMLSweb, Accessibility Term Definitions, defines minimum standards for each accessibility feature. REALTORS® listing a property should verify the specified measurements on each feature before marking the appropriate field in RMLSweb.

(We also include the accessibility terms on Document #1210, Listing Abbreviations, but this document only unravels abbreviations without specific details about each feature.)

In the Thick of Listing or Searching for a Property?

If you’re listing a property using Listing Load, click on the linked text that says “Accessibility” for a pop-up window with full definitions.

Searching for properties for a client? In Advanced Search, select the Accessibility field and then click the Help link for full definitions.

Incorrect Data? Let Us Know!

What if, as a buyer agent, you show a listing that don’t quite meet the standards outlined on the definitions document? Report the listing to RMLS™ using the Report Issue button! Our staff will contact the listing agent to get things ironed out.

Have any suggestions for improving how RMLSweb communicates a listing’s accessibility? Submit a suggestion to the RMLS™ Forms Committee by contacting Christina Smestad.

Join the Portland Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® (PMAR) for The Accessible Home on Wednesday, June 24th—an educational forum featuring six experts that will teach attendees about specific aspects of the importance of accessibility in housing.

Speakers will include:

Kip Johnson (The Jones Group), giving attendees a view of a day in the life of a REALTOR® with a physical disability.

Lane Muller (Keller Williams), exploring business and legal motivations for real estate professionals to become more knowledgeable and competent handling accessibility/visitability issues for people with disabilities.

Lesley Walker (National Association of REALTORS®), helping brokers understand the American with Disabilities Act requirements for in-home offices to protect consumers and brokers.

Pegge McGuire (Fair Housing Council of Oregon), reviewing the Fair Housing Act and the legal rights those with disabilities have under this statute.

Kathie Snow (international spokesperson, author, and educator), defining “accessible” and “visitable” for attendees, reviewing accessibility requirements and awareness issues, and discussing people first language.

Jeff Wiren (past PMAR President) will moderate the group and present new features to NOWNW.com, focusing on new accessibility resources.

Speaker bios and more information is available on the PMAR website.

This event is worth 3CE, but attendees must register.
Register for PMAR Education Panel: The Accessible Home.