REALTOR® WEEKLY UPDATE
Weekly Update on PGPCNPREALTORS.com
July 23rd, 2009
To view archive editions, please click HERE.
Breaking News!
Calling all Golfers –Save the Date September 12th, Kingsway Country club. The Association’s 3rd Annual Golf Tournament to support our High School Scholarship Program. This is a great opportunity to hit the links for a good cause and enjoy a day on one of Southwest Florida’s most beautiful courses. We are looking for teams to play and Business Partners to sponsor, please email David-Logan@comcast.net for more details.
Interested in GRI, how does HALF PRICE SOUND? FAR is offering for a SHORT TIME only, the GRI 1 on-line for half price ($150 rather than $300). The Online format means that you have 90 days to complete the course, work at your own pace, attend from home, office, boat, poolside or anywhere you can get an internet connection. Course also counts for 11 Hours of CE Specialty Credit (everything except core law) OR 45 Sales Post-License credit. This is an amazing opportunity that should not be passed up! Also, our Association will be providing the opportunity for all on-line participants to engage in an on-line user group which will meet to discuss questions that you may have and hear from special guest speakers who will help combine the on-line content with real-world experience. Email David-Logan@comcast.net for details.
Happy Hour Social – July 28th 5:30pm, FREE FOOD, PRIZES, LOTS OF FUN click HERE for details. Email David-Logan@comcast.net if you would like to attend.
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK!!
Karen Rolland, President
My Fellow REALTORS®/Members,
It is hard to believe we are almost into August already. The kids will be back in school soon and another ‘season’ will be on its way. Are you going to be ready for it? Now is a great time to be taking advantage of some of the webinars and training sessions offered to you through MFR and the Association. The Professional Development and the International Committees have been working hard to arrange a lineup of meaningful topics to help you in your business this coming fall.
Nancy Bell will be giving an update on the educational opportunities that have been planned so far, but she and her committee are always open to suggestions. If you have any ideas for topics that you would like to see covered, please let David Logan or Nancy Bell know. They are always looking for topics that are of interest to the membership and will welcome your input. The Success Series will be starting again in September and that is a great way to polish up your skills and pick up some great tips.
This week we had Orientation Class and inducted 19 new REALTORS® into our Association. Our membership count is now approximately 1050 REALTORS® and 112 Business Partners. If any of the new members are in your office, be sure to make them feel welcome. Remember how overwhelming it all was when you started?
Have a great week and I hope to see you all at the General Membership tomorrow at noon. It will be an informative meeting with Adams Homes and Kevin Graham providing our refreshments. If you have yet to RSVP, please email l.pizarro@comcast.net
Education Corner
All courses below are FREE to Education Passport members! Non- Passport Members – see details for cost.
Aug 26th/27th – 14 Hour Series need your Core Law or 14 hours for license renewal? Click HERE for details.
Sept 3rd – How to Run a Consumer Friendly Website 1pm-4pm 3 Hours CE Credit. Click HERE for details.
Sept 17th – Red Flags on the Waterfront 9am-11am w/Attorney & Waterfront Expert David Levin-FREE. Click HERE for details.
FREE Hands-On MLS Training! Courses include “Design Web Page & Capture Leads”, “iMapp: interactive tax and mailing labels”, “Tools: MongoFax, RatePlug, ShowingTime and MLX Wireless”, “Creating a Professional CMA”, and “MLXChange Advanced” and more. Classes are HANDS ON with laptops provided. Click HERE for class schedule, additional details and to reserve a seat, space is limited!
Looking to Improve your Public Speaking or Leadership Skills? - Come join us for our next meeting of Toastmasters International on Wednesday from 7:30am – 8:45am, there is no cost to attend the meeting and you are not obligated to join, come see what this is all about. The club is open to REALTORS® and Non-REALTORS®, so invite your friends, neighbors, or co-workers. You will have the opportunity to see what a meeting is like and discover how Toastmasters can help improve your communication and leadership skills and network with other professionals. Remember, good communication skills are the keys to success in business and real estate! For more details or to RSVP for the meeting, please email David-Logan@comcast.net you can read more about Toastmasters on the web at www.toastmasters.org
REALTOR® Safety – Did you miss our REALTOR® Safety Class in the spring? Safety expert Andrew Wooten will be teaching his 3 hour CE class at the Englewood Area Board of REALTORS® on August 10th from 1pm – 4pm only $15. Call 941-474-6664 or email dianemcintosh@verizon.net for more information or to sign up for this exciting opportunity.
Welcome new business partners and members
Larson Educational Services – Real Estate School
Gardner Building & Inspection
John Assunto - Allison James Estates & Homes
Lauren Briggs - Coldwell Banker Morris
Karen Coffey - Home Choice Real Estate
Virginia DePino - Allison James Estates & Homes
Maryann Holland - Prudential Florida Realty
Arthur Joseph - RE/MAX Harbor Realty
Darlene Joseph - RE/MAX Harbor Realty
Igor Krylov - Realty Executives
Helene Lasardo - Century 21 Sunbelt
John Milioto - Coldwell Banker Residential
Tonya Miller-Turczyn - Anderson & Associates
Sharon Morris - Prudential Florida Realty
Leslie Poole - Century 21 Aztec
Sushil Samtani - Power Brokers Real Estate
Jennifer Thames - Allison James Estates & Homes
Michele Weed - Home Choice Real Estate
Mentha Marie Martin-Foster - The Pier Group
Sharon Laurain - Real Executives
Where in the World Is…..
The following agents can now be found at…
Cheryl Belknap - Sun Realty
Joy Silviera - RE/MAX Palm
Jerome Fain - RE/MAX Palm
Melinda Sullivan - Downing Frye
Robert Collins - Fisherman’s Village
Market Watch
For Renters, Scales Tip Toward Buying Home - For Aaron Carter, a musician who was struggling to fit a drum set, a piano and three guitars into his 600-square-foot apartment in Phoenix, the math on owning a home finally began to work in his favor. Rent for the apartment he shared with his wife: $615. Mortgage payment for a home with twice the space: $760. And the interest on a mortgage is tax-deductible. So they jumped at the chance to buy some elbow room. “We figured that everything together, getting more space, getting out of the apartment life and also just the prices right now, it just was the perfect time for us as a couple” to buy, said Carter, 20. For the full story, click HERE.
Bidding Wars on Low Priced Homes - Bidding wars are returning to South Florida’s housing market, as investors and first-time buyers compete for homes and condominiums listed at $200,000 or less. The race for properties is reminiscent of the boom years from 2000 to 2005, when multiple offers on all types of dwellings helped push prices to record highs. Back then, a dearth of properties for sale had buyers rushing to scoop up anything they could find, for fear that prices would keep rising. Now, frustrated with a bloated inventory of foreclosed homes in disrepair, buyers go to great lengths when they spot a house or condo in pristine condition. Click HERE for more details.
Legal Center Webinar – Topic: Short Sales - FAR Senior Attorney Greg Hass answers Realtors' top short-sale questions in a 55-minute video & PowerPoint presentation. To access the PowerPoint & Webinar, click HERE.
Google Tweaks Real Estate Listings - Google Inc. may crush all other Internet search portals, yet when it comes to real estate listings, it’s often less of a destination than a pit stop. But will that change? The Internet search behemoth drives a ton of Web traffic to real estate sites everyday. Still, Google hasn’t made a major play for domination in the online property search market, unlike sites such as Zillow.com, Trulia.com and Yahoo Real Estate. So when Google makes a move in the real estate space, everyone watches for clues that might signal the sleeping giant is hungry for a bigger piece of the real estate pie. Such a move came about last week, when Google decided to spruce up its popular Google Maps page to highlight its real estate search tools and also began making searches for home listings available in Australia and New Zealand.
Broker Price Opinions: Hot Real Estate Topic - To help members stay informed, FAR developed a white paper on BPOs that answers FAQs. View now (password protected)
MLS TIP OF THE WEEK
As of July 1, 2009, MFRMLS has made available to all members a new Market Conditions (1004MC) report that can be accessed from MLXchange for no additional charge. The primary use of the report is for appraisers to complete the Market Conditions Addendum* to the Appraisal Report, now required on all appraisals performed beginning April 1, 2009. As a secondary use, members can use this report to gain a more detailed understanding of the overall market trends for properties and neighborhoods.
To Access this report, click HERE. To read more information on Market Conditions Reports as well as the Fannie Mae Form, training and FAQ’s, please click HERE.
*The Market Conditions Addendum (Form 1004MC) is designed to enhance the transparency of the market trends and conditions conclusions made by the appraiser. The Market Conditions Addendum will be required for residential property appraisals performed on or after April 1, 2009. This requirement applies to loans delivered to Fannie Mae, whether the loans are underwritten manually or through Desktop Underwriter®:
The Market Conditions Addendum is intended to provide the lender/client with a clear and accurate understanding of the market trends and conditions prevalent in the subject neighborhood. The form provides the appraiser with a structured format to report the data and to identify current market trends and conditions. The appraiser's conclusions must be reported in the "Neighborhood" section of the appraisal report.
Real Estate Trivia
This Week’s Question
Question: Need another addicting internet game to pass the time? How much virtual money can you make playing Real Estate Tycoon?
Answer: Check out Real Estate Tycoon HERE
Last Week’s Question
Question: Merriam-Webster has just released the 2009 update to its Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition, with more than 100 new words. Are you up-to-date on modern vernacular? Do you correctly use terms such as “Carbon Footprint”, “Flash Mob”, “Frenemy”, “Green-Collar”, “Locavore”, “Staycation”, “Vlog”, or “Webisode”?
Answers: If you want to add these and other modern terms to your lexicon, then click HERE for the words and their meanings.