REALTOR® WEEKLY UPDATE

Weekly Update on PGPCNPREALTORS.com

December 11th, 2008       To view archive editions please click HERE

Breaking News!

If you have not already done so, you have only 20 more days to complete your Quadrennial Ethics requirement. All REALTORS® must take NAR Code of Ethics between January 1st 2005 and December 31st 2008. Please keep in mind that this Ethics Requirement is not necessarily included in your 14 hour license renewal class, it depends on where you took your 14 hour class. All 14 hour classes at our Association include the Ethics requirement. You can still take the on-line version of the course by clicking HERE. If you have any problems accessing the on-line version or have any additional questions, please email David Logan. If you would like to see if you have taken the required course already click HERE, once you login, click “Change your information in the National REALTOR Database System (NRDS)”, then click “View my Education Record”. If you do not see an ethics class since 2005 then you will need to take one prior to the December 31^st deadline.

Calling all REALTORS® to help Spread Christmas Cheer - For the past several years the Women’s Council of REALTORS® has made Charlotte County's needy children our Christmas project and it has always been a big success because we have members with big hearts in our Association.  This year, the Little Angels Christmas project needs some last minute help.  If you can spare just $10 to help provide gifts for a needy child then you can either stop by the Association office and grab a tag to shop for that young person, or leave $10 at the Association office to go towards someone. The children and families in our community will certainly appreciate your help.  We would like to have the tags claimed by the end of the week, so that the gifts can be handed out in time for Christmas. If you have any questions, please contact Lorrie Tanksley.

Save the Date – 2009 CCIM Real Estate Outlook Conference – Wednesday January 28^th 7:30am -12:30pm at the Harborside Events Center in Fort Myers. Click HERE for the conference flyer with all applicable details. To register please visit www.swflccim.com

Search the State database of registered 55+ communities – Click HERE to search the Florida Commission on Human Relations 55+ Community Database. You can search for registered 55+ Communities in Florida by county, unit name, address, city or registration.  You can also view renewal information or search by using the full list of counties provided below.

Last Week’s Winner!!

Ken Rolland- $20 Gift Card for Bin 82, please email or call (258-3474) to receive your prize compliments of Marcia Cullinan with National Bank of Southwest Florida who specialize in personalized service and competitive pricing. The Board of Directors and Employees of the National Bank of Southwest Florida wish you and your families a warm and happy holiday.  Stop in and see us sometime at the corner of Midway and Kings Highway. Remember, you can't win unless you enter and it only takes a few seconds. See below for this week's drawing compliments of Kevin Graham of West Coast Agencies, if you win it could really help improve your holiday dining experience!!

Business Sponsor: Kevin Graham – West Coast Agencies

Please click HERE to enter for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to River City Grill complements of Kevin Graham and West Coast Agencies. West Coast Agencies have provided Insurance, Title, and Investment Services to our local community for the past 12 years and was awarded the Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year in 2003.  Kevin Graham has always said “if you need it, West Coast can write it” and this is the can-do attitude which has helped grow this business to what it is today. West Coast has residential and commercial property insurance options for your clients. Citizens Property Insurance is not the only option! West Coast would like to thank the local REALTOR® community for their support over the years and constantly working to give back to the REALTOR® community. The winner of this drawing will be announced in next week’s edition, so don’t miss out!

From the President’s Desk

Bill Dryburgh, President

REALTORS®,
I see from today's newspaper that they are again putting a headline story from Naples about how bad Real Estate is. Once again they try to take a story from some place else and try to make it fit our area. Nowhere in the story did it even mention Charlotte County or Punta Gorda, how sad.

For better news, the Fed's are looking into dropping the interest rate on the 30 year fixed to 4 1/2%. If this happens I, as well as others, feel it could go a long way toward helping to move our market. If nothing else it will give us another tool to help us sell.

Remember life is too short...get out, see the lights, and be happy.

Education Corner

Know your Contracts - Do you know what each paragraph in a sales contract means? "Your knowledge of the contract protects the buyers, the sellers and you," says Nancy J. Riley, a Realtor for more than 30 years, 2007 FAR president and a member of the state's Taxation & Budget Reform Commission. She says “If you're not clear about a contract, talk with your broker or take classes through your local association”. The next Contract Class is available locally on January 26^th, click HERE for details. Click HERE for more from Nancy Riley on video.

Making the most of your Mid-Florida Membership? Sign up for additional FREE training and unlock the tools to help you succeed! See the list of FREE Mid-Florida educational opportunities. Courses include “Design Web Page”, “iMapp: interactive tax and mailing labels”, “Tools: MongoFax, RatePlug, ShowingTime and MLX Wireless ”, “Creating a Professional CMA”, and “MLXChange Advanced”. Most classes are HANDS ON with laptops provided. This additional training is included in your Mid Florida membership, so do not miss out on these opportunities. Click HERE for class schedule, additional details and to reserve a seat. There are still spaces available for December classes; sign up soon seating is limited.

Need Advice on Technology? What technology should you buy to help you succeed? And who can you call for help when it goes haywire? As a Realtor in Florida, you get exclusive, no-fee access to tech help from FAR from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Technology Helpline experts advise you on purchasing hardware, software and digital equipment and then help you install and troubleshoot your computers and gadgets. Put this number on Speed Dial: (407) 587-1450.

Visit the Education Calendar for full course offering and details.

Welcome New Members

Helen Bollerman

Sue Downs

Barry Dyble

Christopher Frohlich

Carolyn Hawkins

Pam Kilmer

Louis Normand

Joe Nunez

Cynthia O’Hara

Robert Orr

Jerry Overmyer

Peter River

MJ Shetron

Cedric Stubbs

Mark Volpi

Maureen Winsor

Stacey Wood

Karolina Zwiercan

Business Partners

Our Association is blessed to have an amazing variety of Business Partners who help us serve our clients every day. Our business partner’s also work very hard to help sponsor various Association events which provide everyone with a better experience. When was the last time you contacted one of your Business Partners to find out what is going on in their industry? There is no better resource for your business than Your Business Partners. We would like to welcome the following new Business Partners:

See the Business Partner page on our website to contact one of our partners today.

Where in the World is……

Women’s Council of REALTORS®

Meetings 1st Wednesday of each month 11:30am

Last week the Installation of Officers Banquet was held at St. Andrews County Club and the 2009 Officers were installed. They are as follows:

Look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting at the Association headquarters on Wednesday, January 7^th at 11:30am where our speaker will be Kay Stephan, a nationally known speaker on Business Etiquette. Please contact Linda Mazner with any questions.

Don’t miss the Caravan.

A Caravan is a great opportunity to showcase your listing, network with fellow Realtors®, get pricing opinions, and have a good time. No listing to show…just come along for the ride!

Punta Gorda Caravan – 1st Thursday every month – 8:15am – **Please note that the January Caravan will be held on January 8^th due to the New Year’s Holiday** Home Choice Real Estate - 6101 Duncan Rd. To have your listing included contact Mike no later than noon on the Tuesday prior to the caravan.

Port Charlotte Caravan – 3rd Thursday every month – 8:15am - PGPCNP Association Office **Please note that due to upcoming events and holidays, this caravan will be meeting the 2^nd Thursday until 2009** E-mail Karen Martin two days prior to the caravan date to have your listing included. Listings can also be faxed to Karen at 941-743-9023.

Market Watch

Mortgage Rates at Historically Low Levels - Florida mortgage brokers say a recent, dramatic drop in mortgage rates has stirred more interest in refinancing, but not the wave they were expecting. David Dickson, owner of Island Mortgage Services, says he just handled the lowest rate of his 25-year career - 4.875 percent.. Read the full story HERE.

11.5 Million in State Foreclosure Assistance- Florida received nearly $11.5 million to continue providing statewide foreclosure prevention counseling and legal assistance to homeowners in foreclosure, according to Gov. Charlie Crist. The money will enable 77 counseling agencies and organizations across the state to provide foreclosure counseling.Read the full story HERE

A new Role for Real Estate Auctions - Once viewed primarily as a means to sell foreclosed properties, auctions are increasingly being used to jumpstart sales for new developments. But to be successful, auctions need a motivated developer, a room full of potential buyers and an experienced auctioneer. Read the full story HERE

Subprime Lenders - THEY'RE BA-ACK
Some of the same subprime lenders that were operating during the boom are back, but this time they're pushing government-backed, FHA loans. FHA "faces a tsunami" of ex-subprime lenders who market aggressively and sometimes fraudulently, says Kenneth M. Donohue Sr., the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "I am very concerned that the same players who brought us problems in the subprime area are now reconstituting themselves and bringing loans into the FHA portfolio," he says. Gary E. Lacefield a former federal mortgage investigator who now runs Risk Mitigation Group, also sees the return to the marketplace of many lenders that were identified as culprits in the subprime fiasco. "Within the next 12 to 18 months, there is going to be FHA-insurance Armageddon," he predicts.
Source: Business Week, Chad Terhune and Robert Berner (12/01/2008) © Copyright 2008 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688

MLS TIP OF THE WEEK

Would you like to know how to Search for Foreclosures in the MLS? Click HERE for detailed instructions on how to search foreclosures, add additional search criteria, and save specific searches so that you can use them in the future with the simple click of a button. Learn to work smarter not harder by making the most of your MLS.

Real Estate Trivia

This Week’s Question

Question: How much do you know about foreclosures? This interactive quiz clears up popular misconceptions and helps you gain a more complete understanding of foreclosure Click HERE to see if you can answer all 10 questions correct on NAR’s foreclosure quiz.

Answers: Take the quiz and see how you do.

Last Week’s Question

Question: How much do you remember from 2008? It's been quite a year! NAR turned 100 years old, the housing industry was at the center of an economic crisis, and social networking exploded. Answer 10 questions to see how much you remember. Click HERE to start the quiz now.

Answers: Take the quiz and see how you do.