REALTOR® WEEKLY UPDATE

Weekly Update on PGPCNPREALTORS.com

October 2nd, 2008  To view archive editions click HERE

 

Checking this site on a weekly basis will keep you “in the know” on issues facing our community and membership. This page will also serve as an opportunity to explore the rest of the pgpcnprealtors.com website and discover what your association is doing to support and enhance your business.
 
Last Week’s Winner!!
Joanne Murray - $20 Gift Certificate - Wood Street Grill
Please contact Shelley Faria of Bank of America or stop by her office to pick up your prize!
Marcia Cullinan is the Vice President of Residential Lending at National Bank of Southwest Florida. National Bank of Southwest Florida is a local community bank which was chartered in June of 2007. We specialize in personalized service and competitive pricing on residential, commercial and consumer loans, along with comprehensive personal and business account programs. Stop in to see us at our brand new location, where Midway meets Kings Highway, or call to talk with Marcia about our conventional and portfolio lending products at 258-3474. Please click HERE to E-mail and be entered in the drawing for the following prize courtesy of Marcia Cullinan:
 
$20 Gift Certificate – D’Vines Wine and Gift Emporium
 
From the President’s Desk
Bill Dryburgh, President
To my fellow Realtors®,
I attended the FAR conference in Orlando this past week and sat through a lot of presentations, most dealing with "where we are now and what lies ahead". I will be talking about some of these over the next few weeks. In order to ensure that I get all the information back to you, your association has ordered the audio CD transcripts of each presentation and once they arrive you will be able to check them out and hear what is going on. We will notify you in a future edition once the transcripts arrive and how to access them.
On another note, FAR conducted a recent “Homebuyer Study” and called 800 recent buyers asking questions about their agent and their over all buying experience. I have included some of the questions for you to think about.
Advice recent homebuyers would give REALTORS®:
Show you can negotiate aggressively 44%; Give quality info on where market is going 38%; Provide references for lenders who will perform 36%; Improve the quality of communications 35%; Listen to my needs better 34%
Advice recent homebuyers would give other homebuyers:
Do your own homework on the internet 58% (ouch); Understand the type of mortgage you are getting 48%; Check the agents references 45%
 
Not only did recent home buyers take a long time to search for a new home (over seven months) they also shopped aggressively for a real estate agent, interviewing on average 4.32 agents. Where recent homebuyers needed the most assistance from a REALTOR® is: Price negotiation 44%; What comparable homes were selling for 35%; Finding the right home to purchase 18%
 
You can read the survey highlights by clicking HERE or view the entire survey presentation on PowerPoint (very interesting) by clicking HERE. 
 
Have fun and sell!
REALTORS® GIVE BACK
Visit the Association office to drop off your new or used clothing items for victims of Hurricane Ike. Please donate items that are in good, clean, wearable condition. Help give back and remember those who sacrificed so much to help our community after Hurricane Charley. Donations of Men’s, Women’s and Children’s clothing will be accepted until October 15th.

Education Corner

Short Sale Essentials: "Short Sale Essentials" is the ONLY course on the subject approved by FAR at this time.This is a comprehensive, inclusive, REALTOR® to REALTOR® instruction NOT a teaser to buy expensive CD's and manuals.  Taught to the highest standards of the Instructor Training Institute, this interactive workshop will prepare you to be successful in the "Short Sale" arena and avoid the many liabilities along the way. Email David Logan to register for this important class.
 
Not too late to sign up for GRI! Call 800-669-4327 or click here to download a registration form. Work toward a Realtor® designation and get your 14 Hour CE OR 45 Hour sales post-licensing credit.
 
Tax Deferred Strategies OTHER than 1031 Exchange – 3 CE Credits $15: Highly rated NEW CE class. Defer capital gains tax without a TIC, 1031 or Triple Net Lease and receive an income stream for life! Don’t worry about Failed 1031’s again with the 1031 Rescue. November 11th 2pm E-mail David Logan to sign up for this unique opportunity. Click HERE for more details.
  
Unlock the power of Microsoft Office. Classes on Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher are taught by our very own Microsoft certified instructor Mary Gitzen. Visit the Education Calendar for details.
 
NAR Code of Ethics Training 3 CE Credits: Two dates to choose from - October 29th OR November 13th
 
International Seminar - FREE – Immigration and International Attorney Donna Scarlatelli and local Real Estate/Probate attorney Dorothy Korszen will help guide you a range of issues. Click HERE for more details.
 
Contract Class: Learn the "why's" of Contract Law; Comparison and Contrasts of the FAR-9 and FAR/BAR Contracts; Step by Step instruction in Completing Contact Forms. Instructor: Bill Perrault. November 20th 9am – 2pm
 
Making the most of your Mid-Florida Membership? Sign up for additional training and unlock the tools to help you succeed! See the list of FREE Mid-Florida educational opportunities.
 
Visit the Education Calendar for full course offering and details.
 
Check your CE credits online: Visit Florida’s DBPR website to check the status of your CE credits.
Congratulations: The following members have completed Microsoft Office Training
Microsoft PowerPoint – Nancy Bowman; Paulette Butcher; Yvon Gedeon; Dee Mac Iver; Mark Tyree.
Microsoft Publisher – Dee Barrett; Nancy Bowman; Yvon Gedeon; Nancy Bell; Grace DeWeese; Dawn Givens; Nancy Newton; Francis Pagurko; Phillis Pritchard; Elaine Vogel.
 
Business Partners
Do you know of a business who could benefit from a partnership with our association? Business Partners have the opportunity to create a link between their service and our Realtor® members. Our local businesses members are the part of the extended Realtor® family, if you know of a business who would like to join our family, please have them contact David Logan for further details.
Where in the World is……
Gerald Voels                           Century 21 Almar & Associates
Kevin Tabaac                          Amick Realty
Mark Anderson                       Sun Realty
Lorraine Anderson                  Sun Realty
Monroe Haltaman                   Professional Realty
Colleen Nicotra                       Professional Realty
Upcoming Events
Jazz & Blues Party at Visani – October 14th 5pm $10 Donation to benefit RPAC (1st Drink Free)
            Drawings, Raffle & Giveaways
            Music by Al Holland of the Platters
            Please RSVP to Linda Pizarro
 
It’s a Graveyard Bash!!! Halloween Party to benefit the Senior Scholarship Fund
            Saturday,October 25th 6:30pm – 10:00pm – PGPCNP Association Auditorium
            Tickets $15/person $25/couple are available to the Association Office
            Lite Fare…Cash Bar…Dancing
 
Register TODAY for the 2008 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida! Nov 7-10th
A unique opportunity to take advantage of the NATIONAL CONFERENCE held in Orlando
Special guests: Lance Armstrong, Lionel Richie, Kool & The Gang, and Joe Theismann.
Make new friends as you meet 25,000 real estate professionals and their guests.
Expo-Only option is just $25 and features: Unlimited opportunities to shop, compare, and save on the best tools on the market. More than 600 exhibitors and the opportunity to talk directly with product experts. Second home and resort properties around the world from nearly 100 exhibitors. Win $1,000 in daily drawings or a new Cadillac CTS!
Women’s Council of Realtors®
Meetings 1st Wednesday of each month 11:30am
Next meeting Wednesday November, 12th 11:30am – Mark Martella of the Martella Law Firm will speak on how to structure your business – what are the pros and cons of various corporate structures for real estate professionals? Guests Welcome, please RSVP to Sharon Neuhofer to take advantage of this opportunity.
 
Bowling with WCR – November 1st 6pm – 8pm Treasure Lanes. Click HERE for more information and sponsorship opportunities. Contact Rose or Odette for additional information.
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 – 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 2nd 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.
 
Commercial Real Estate
All Real Estate Agents are invited to the commercial brokers meeting. This is a great opportunity to see what is going on in the commercial market and meet fellow REALTORS®. October 17th 8am click for directions and details.
 
Legislative Update
NAR issued a statement saying it is "extremely disappointed in the actions of the U.S. House of Representatives" in not passing the $700 billion bailout package on Monday. Read the full story HERE.
                        Small banks hobbled by Fannie, Freddie
 
Visit FAR’s Legislative Center to stay up-to-date on political issues which impact your business. From the Capitol steps to yours: FAR reports from Tallahassee daily during the legislative session and throughout the year. If the issues relate to real estate, you'll hear about it here.
 
√ Register to Vote!!! Click here to download a voter registration form. 
The deadline to register for the November general election is OCTOBER 6th, 2008.
 
Why contribute to RPAC?
MLS Tip of the Week
Click HERE to see details on how to maximize your daily MLXchange HOTSHEET. Also, did you know that you can take a FREE webinar class online and learn how to do a CMA? Click HERE for detailed instructions. 
Real Estate Trivia
This Weeks’s Question
Question: What famous skilled mason laid the cornerstone of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in 1793?
Answer: See next week’s edition of PG-PC-NP Weekly Update!
 
Last Week’s Question
Answer: Second Street
According to this 1996 NPR piece, the most popular U.S. street names are (in order): Second, Third, First, Fourth, Park, Fifth, Main, Sixth, Oak, Seventh, Pine, Maple, Cedar, Eighth, Elm, View, Washington, Ninth, Lake, and Hill. Why is Second at the top of the list? Many towns prefer to give their First, or "Main" street, a proper name, such as a local or national hero.
As for the United Kingdom, the most popular road name is High Street. This isn't surprising, since High Street is the U.K. equivalent of Main Street. Other names making the top 50 include Pie Corner, Egg Lane, and plenty of royal monikers.