REALTOR® WEEKLY UPDATE
Weekly Update on PGPCNPREALTORS.com
October 8th, 2009
To view archive editions, please click HERE.
Breaking News!
NORTH PORT MAPS 75% OFF – The REALTOR® Store at the Association office has discounted our 2006 North Port Maps from $1.20 to the clearance price of only $.30. If you would like to take advantage of this price, stop by the Association and pick up a bundle and save money!
Microsoft Office 2007 Classes – You asked for them and now they are available! Our very own Microsoft Certified Trainer Mary Tombs will be presenting classes on Microsoft Office 2007 on the following dates (each class will be held from 9am-12pm) Outlook – Oct 13th; PowerPoint – Oct 15th; Excel – Oct 20th; Publisher – Oct 23rd; Word – Oct 29th. Each of these classes is FREE for Education Passport Members and $15 for Non-Passport holders. Space is limited, so sign up today to reserve your seat. Email David-Logan@comcast.net to RSVP or with additional questions. **Please note that attendees must bring their own laptop with Office 2007 as the Association’s computer lab has Office 2003** If you do not have a laptop with Office 2007, but would still like to attend, please email David Logan to see if something can be arranged.
New Professional Development Opportunities – email David-Logan@comcast.net for questions or to sign up. All Courses are FREE to Education Passport Members. Do not miss these opportunities to obtain the knowledge and learn the skills which will increase your business and earn more money!
Oct 14th 9am Free International Seminar: Hear from two local international attorneys as well as a currency exchange expert and take advantage of the opportunity to sell to international buyers!
Oct 15th 1pm Free Mortgage/Finance Seminar: Local lending experts discuss new regulations which have serious consequences for your clients, learn the facts directly from the source.
Oct 22nd 9am Market to the World on a Shoestring Budget: Learn to use web 2.0, Facebook, Blogs, Postlets, Google, and other resources to increase your marketing for little or no extra money.
Oct 30th 1pm Homebuyers & Mortgages (4 Hours CE Credit): Information that every homebuyer needs to know about issues regarding financing a home in today’s market!
Nov 3rd 1pm Free e-PRO Workshop: Learn about the NAR designation that sets you apart as knowledgeable and ready to use technology to increase your business, sign up HERE.
Nov 10th 12pm FREE Short Sales, Foreclosure & Bankruptcy Seminar: Hear from attorney Mark Martella about how to navigate the process and know the right terminology. FREE LUNCH!
Dec 3rd 1pm How to Increase Repeat and Referral Business: Hear Nationally Recognized Real Estate Educator Richard Flint and learn how to keep the clients coming back & increase referrals!
This week’s drawing – After a disaster, inc
Click HERE for a chance to win a $25 Gas Card, compliments of After A Disaster. Got Odor? Does one of your listings not smell quite like you’d want it to? Call us for a free consultation on what can be done to get your listing smelling great! Disaster Mitigation and Cleanup is our specialty: Water, Mold, Fire and Biohazard. Please call Kevin Koch or Robin Lindecamp at 866-509-4561 with any questions, or visit our website at www.aadisaster.com
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK!!
Karen Rolland, President
My fellow REALTORS® and Members,
We have another busy month coming up for Professional Development so if you haven’t put your Education Passport to work yet, this would be a great month to do it! The topics range from technology to lending practices to panel discussions to international so try to take advantage of them if you can.
A member called this week very frustrated that the Association office is not staffed over the weekends because she had a problem with her Supra key this past weekend. Staffing over the weekend or having someone ‘on call’ is just not an affordable option for our association at this time. It is a frustrating situation when your key malfunctions but if it should, you should have a Plan B in place in the event you cannot resolve the problem via the normal methods (calling Supra or bringing your key into the association). Make arrangements with someone in your office or with your broker to have a fully charged and updated key available in case yours should malfunction. More importantly, if you suspect there is something wrong with your key (it loses charge very quickly, never turns off automatically, the buttons stick, etc.), bring it in to the Association immediately to have it checked BEFORE it dies on you.
Your Board of Directors has been busy this week working on the 2010 budget. So far, we are doing pretty well with the 2009 budget but it hasn’t been easy!
Is anyone aware of a source for a list of all Homeowner Associations in Charlotte County? I had an individual from the county call me last Friday who was working on a project and he thought maybe we would have a list. If you are aware of a place to find this information, could you please pop me an email at Karen@KRolland.com Thank you!
On that note, have a great week and happy selling!
Education Corner
FREE E-PRO SEMINAR: Tuesday, November 3rd 1pm – 2:30pm. The rules of business are changing, especially in the real estate industry. NAR’s e-PRO® Certification Program is designed to help REALTORS® thrive in the exciting and rewarding world of online real estate. The Program provides the insight needed for you to remain at the forefront of the online real estate industry. Learn: Options and requirements to Get Connected, Best practices for e-mail communication and online Marketing and How to create and maintain your Internet Marketing and Practices Plan. Don't miss this FREE e-PRO® Workshop with Certified e-PRO® Trainer Steven Seidenberg. At this workshop, he will give you a number of technology tips you can put to use right away to help differentiate yourself from the competition. Register Now! Seating is Limited! To register, simply visit http://ePROworkshop.InternetCrusade.com or call toll free 1-866-ePRONAR (1-866-377-6627). Attendees will also have the opportunity to take advantage of the $60 discount for enrolling into the online e-PRO® course. All existing e-PRO®s (and those currently enrolled in the course) who attend and bring a guest will receive an e-PRO® pin ($25 value). e-PRO® is recognized for elective credit in the designation requirements for CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative), and CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist).
Market to the World on a Shoestring Budget:Come experience how you can reach out to the world on a shoestring budget with technology expert Barry Grooms. Topics include Web 2.0, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, Postlets, Listing Syndication, and Google for Grownups. October 22nd 9am – 12pm. Class is FREE to education passport members and $15.00 for non-passport members. RSVP to david-logan@comcast.net to register.
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
Where in the World Is…..
The following agents can now be found at…
Vicky McPhee – Keller Williams Gulf View
Sharon Ebert – Keller Williams Gulf View
Daniel McKinney – RE/MAX Anchor
Maureen Safron – RE/MAX Anchor
Barbara Hiebner – RE/MAX Anchor
Sara Ferris – RE/MAX Anchor
Joseph Corso – Exit Realty Foundations
Bill McKinney – Ocean Partners Real Estate
John Furtado – Ocean Partners Real Estate
Brad Geddeis – Ocean Partners Real Estate
Catherine Fisher – Century 21 Sunbelt
Anita Tait – Southeast Realty
Market Watch
Court Rules Against Short Sale Commission Cut - Residential property agents often are loath to handle short sales, which may generate a lower commission for them. Even though an agent’s compensation may be spelled out in the listing contract, the lender’s demand for a certain share of net proceeds can reduce the practitioner’s cut. In a positive development, however, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently forbid servicers from slashing short-sale commissions below 6 percent, though that policy doesn’t apply to loans the two federally chartered mortgage buyers don’t oversee. For the full article, click HERE.
Home Managers give Properties a Lived-In Look - When attorney Alan Shuminer started looking for a house to rent, he came across a listing that he thought was a typo: $2,800 per month for a five-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot home with a pool in High Pines, a high-end area near South Miami. “I thought there was a ‘1’ missing, that it was $12,800,” he said. “But I called to check.” The price, about one-third the rent the house would normally fetch, was correct. The catch: He needed to have nice furniture, let agents show the house to prospective buyers on short notice, and be willing to move out quickly if the house sold. Read the full story and find more information by clicking HERE.
Bailed-Out Homeowners often Re-Default - Home Lenders are ramping up efforts to avoid home foreclosures, but a report by bank regulators says more than half of borrowers who get help fall behind again. More than 50 percent of homeowners with loans modified in the first half of last year had missed at least two months of payments a year later, the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision said Wednesday. For the full story, click HERE
County should be Notified of Mortgage Payoff - Homeowners who pay off their mortgage loan should notify county officials where the property is located, and file proof that the debt is paid. Otherwise, when they go to sell the property, the title company won’t be able to prove clear title and the sale will almost certainly be delayed. In some cases, sellers have had to sue their lenders to prove that they have been paid in full. If a lender is no longer in business, the situation is even more complicated, experts say. When the debt is paid, some lenders file the paperwork with the appropriate county courthouse. Others simply send a note to the borrower and expect them to take care of that detail. If that is the case, the borrower should hand-carry the satisfaction note to the recorder or registrar-of-deed’s office. They should make sure they get back the original document with the filing date and time stamped on it. Source: MarketWatch.com, Lew Sichelman (09/25/2009) © Copyright 2009 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688.
Real estate trivia
This Week’s Question
Question: What 2.7 Billion Dollar Real Estate Transaction was just announced this week, which includes two of Florida’s most famous landmarks?
Answer: Click HERE to find out.
Last Week’s Question
Question: Today is October 1st, 2009, the 111th birthday of the Model T Ford which revolutionized car culture in America, and certainly has helped to shape the business of real estate (how much do you use your car for business?) The car sat two, sold for $850 and in less than 20 years sold more than 15 million units.
Answer: Click HERE to find out what else happened on October 1st over the years.