Orientation

All applicants for membership (Primary, Secondary, and MLS Only) with the Ruidoso/Lincoln County Association of REALTORS® are required by the Association Bylaws to attend and complete the first scheduled in-person New Member Orientation Course within a period of ninety (90) days from the date of their application for membership or the next scheduled class. 

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All applicants are required to pay an Orientation Deposit (See Appendix A of the RLCAR Policy Manual for current Annual Dues and Fees, Miscellaneous Fees, and Assessments) upon application.

 

Upon completion of the first scheduled in-person New Member Orientation, the deposit will be fully refunded.

 

Failure to attend the first scheduled New Member Orientation will result in forfeiture of the deposit and all services (Membership, MLS, Lockbox) will be automatically suspended until completion of the in-person New Member Orientation.

 

Failure to attend the second scheduled course will result in the termination of the applicant’s membership unless such failure to attend is the result of a severe personal or family emergency as determined by the Association Executive.  

 

Other allowable exceptions would be if the Association was not able to accommodate all new members in the next scheduled orientation, or if the applicant joins just before a scheduled orientation and clearly communicates they cannot attend to Association staff.

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​If the Designated REALTOR® (Qualifying Broker) does not meet the New Member Orientation requirement, all services to the brokerage and all REALTOR® members affiliated with the office will be suspended.

 

In such instances where membership is terminated, dues will be returned to the applicant less a prorated amount to cover the number of days that the individual received services and any application fee. An applicant may appeal to the Board of Directors. Only the Board of Directors may grant an exception.

 

Reapplication to the Association will require payment to the Association of a new application fee and prorated dues and fees in the amount equal to the original fee.  An applicant may appeal to the Board of Directors. Directors may grant an exception only under extreme circumstances.

 

Any former member who is reapplying for membership will be credited with having completed the orientation requirement if Association staff can prove attendance in an RLCAR New Member Orientation class within the previous two years. Unless membership has been previously terminated "not in good standing."

 

In-Person Orientation

The New Membership Orientation Class shall be conducted regularly and the format shall coincide with the recommended program of the National Association of REALTORS®, including local information on Professional Standards, local rules, and regulations, etc.

 

All brokers attending the New Member Orientation are allowed no more than a 15-minute window of missed class time including but not limited to tardiness in the AM session and a 15-minute window of missed class time including but not limited to tardiness in the PM session. Brokers not in accordance will be required to repeat the session or the entire day, whichever applies.

 

All Primary members must attend in-person New Member Orientation, there are no exceptions.

 

Online Orientation

The online version of the New Member Orientation is available to Secondary and MLS Only applicants.

 

Applicants must request in writing to the Association Executive to complete the online orientation, this request must be received by the Association within 30 days of making an application. Those who request and are approved to complete the online orientation must pay a fee (See Appendix A of the RLCAR Policy Manual for current Annual Dues and Fees, Miscellaneous Fees, and Assessments) and must successfully complete the online course within 30-days after receiving notice of approval and login credentials.

 

Upon completion of the online New Member Orientation, the deposit collected at the application will be fully refunded. Failure to complete the online course within 30 days will result in forfeiture of the deposit and all services (Membership, MLS, Lockbox) will be automatically suspended until completion of the online course. A grace period of 5 business days is provided, however, failure to complete within 5 business days will result in the termination of the applicant’s membership unless such failure to complete is the result of severe personal or family emergency as determined by the Board of Directors.