Iowa REALTORS® Blog

For the Iowa Great Lakes Board of REALTORS®, giving back isn’t a one-time effort. Each year, the Community Outreach Committee gathers to ask a simple but powerful question: How can we best serve our community right now?

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN") Residential Real Estate Reporting Requirement, which took effect on March 1, 2026, has been delayed.

When Jen Burkamper entered real estate nearly 26 years ago, she was searching for something entirely different than the corporate path she had started on after college.

For Paul, the skills and perspective he gained as a REALTOR® made the transition into local government natural. 

When Jill Hartke started her real estate journey 14 years ago, it wasn’t part of a long-term career plan, and it certainly wasn’t the first step in creating a family business. 

UPDATE: FinCEN Residential Real Estate Rule Delayed

The Residential Real Estate Rule requires that a report be filed with FinCEN for all reportable residential real estate transactions.

A simple idea can often blossom into a truly impactful initiative if provided with the right support, and dedication. That is exactly the case for the Flipping for Habitat event in eastern Iowa. 

The Fourth Annual Downtown Tailgate brought together football fans, families, and local businesses for a day of fun, food, and philanthropy in the heart of Sioux City. 

Iowa REALTORS® is excited to announce that Liz Price has joined the association as our Professional Standards & Development Administrator. 

During the 2025 legislative session, Iowa REALTORS® worked closely with Des Moines Water Works and other utilities to legislation implementing a new Environmental Protection Agency  rule requiring the disclosure and replacement of lead service lines over the next decade.

Stocking, sorting, loading and helping families bring home a full holiday meal. Members of the RE/MAX Concepts Twin Power Real Estate Team completed these tasks in the early morning hours a few days before Thanksgiving. 

The RE/MAX Concepts team in Waterloo–Cedar Falls showed up ready to work during their annual Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity Build Day this fall. 

It’s not often that legislative priorities in Iowa and Illinois align, but when Accessory Dwelling Units became a topic of discussion in both state legislatures, it was a big “win” for the Quad City Area REALTORS®. 

Student Built Home. 

The name of the program is quite literal: High school students in the Quad Cities area work together under the direction of skilled instructors to construct a home. 

There was rain in the forecast for Rock Valley, Iowa on June 21, 2024. Dawn DeWit came home from her custodial job at the school that afternoon to find a tag on the door recommending that her family evacuate, though there was no mandatory order to do so. 

Earnest money is a “good faith deposit” made by a homebuyer to a seller, and is typically held in an escrow account until the close of sale. But what happens when a buyer doesn’t provide earnest money as outlined in their purchase agreement?