CRS Certified Residential Specialists
Maryland / DC Chapter March 2011
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| Technology Corner | #3 in an MS Outlook Series of 12 for 2011
Microsoft OUTLOOK Contact Records:
Printing a Contact Record When it's time to print out or send contact records with vCard, all of the regular contact fields - name, address, phones - will print out or be transmitted, but so will the "notes" - which you may not want to share! But there's a way around this: In notes, select all the text, cut the text, AND THEN: print or send the contact record, AND THEN: Go back into the notes section, and paste the contents back in. |
| Did You Know? | 
Real Estate Trivia...
Q Where is the world's oldest pyramid?
A The oldest pyramid is the Third Pyramid of Mycerinus is at El Gizeh, Egypt; it has the largest single block weighing 320 tons.
Q Where is the world's largest wine cellar, and how big is it? A A company in the center of the wine-growing district of South Africa has a cellar that covers an area of 54 acres and has a capacity of 27 million gallons. |
CRS NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES -
2011 Sell-A-Bration Audio Library
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If you missed Sell-a-bration® this year, you missed one of the best opportunities to network with and learn from top residential sales professionals from around the country.
For a list of included Audio click here.
If you would like to hear what you missed, you may purchase the 2011 Sell-a-bration® Audio library which includes recordings of the 12 Sell-a-bration® Workshops and each of the 14 sessions at Sell-a-bration®. That's over 23 hours of ideas and tips from the top professionals in residential real estate.
Audio Library Pricing:
- $10 CRS Designees
- $20 CRS Members
- $50 Non Members
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CRS Member Connect News - Most Americans are Upbeat about Housing Prices
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News from Member Connect:
Most Americans Are Upbeat about Housing Prices
(March 1, 2011) A large majority of Americans believe home prices will stabilize over the next 12 months, according to the latest national housing survey from Fannie Mae. Nearly four out of five Americans (78 percent) believe housing prices will hold steady or increase over the next 12 months, up from 73 percent a year ago. But nearly two-thirds (61 percent) still believe that the economy is on the wrong track, which is unchanged from last year.
The survey also finds that younger Americans, Hispanics and African-Americans have more positive views about owning a home than the general population. Almost six out of 10 Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 say buying a home has potential as an investment, while 34 percent of Hispanics and 35 percent of African-Americans say they expect to purchase a home within the next three years, compared to only one in four (23 percent) of all other Americans.
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NAR News - America Needs Jobs and Housing Creates Them
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| Greetings! | 
 Message From The President Spring is nearly here. If you aren't "TOO" busy, it is time to get doing the things you know will get you busy. We have several great classes this month guaranteed to inspire and educate you, a general meeting this Friday at which you will get great information and the opportunity to vote on our updated chapter bylaws and see what we have in the works! Sign-up early and sign-up often. (FYI: If you paid $150 annual dues PLUS $40 chapter dues for 2011, then you are a current MD/DC CRS Chapter member and entitled to the member prices!) We have a busy year planned and I hope to see many of you at our networking and educational events.
CRS goes International! There was a contingent of approximately 60 agents from Spain at Sell-A-Bration last month. Classes were full of good tips for staying in front of your clients without overwhelming them with real estate information as well as meeting new clients online. We were advised to stop helping sellers sell their homes before getting the listing. Two of the instructors had just made it to their 365th day of blogging about things to do in their area. It looked like a lot of work(to me), but it brought them name recognition in their markets and in the search engines. The networking was excellent and so was the food! Our Chapter passed out a SAVE-THE-DATE flyer for the "Rollin' On the River" Cruise we are planning for May 13th in conjunction with the Mid-Year Meetings in D.C. so save the evening! Watch for details to network with agents from all over the US and possibly Spain, Portugal and the Caribbean.
Our Chapter With A Heart theme this year is "Heart, Mind and Soul" . For the "MIND" segment, we will be inviting agents and their families and friends to join us for a walk on May 15 at the Veteran's Plaza in Silver Spring to raise money and awareness for NAMI which is a national organization helping people with mental illness. Many of those who suffer are stigmatized and many do not seek the help they need in order to avoid the stigma. A disproportionate number of those afflicted are returning from war. I hope you will check out our website to sign up, and if you cannot attend in person, perhaps you would make a contribution to our team of walkers.
Best wishes,
Linda
Linda Kangrga
CRS President, MD/DC Chapter, 2011
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Your Local Chapter News - 2011 Schedule
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 With everyone getting busier now, the CRS Education and Program Committees want to make it easier for you to schedule upcoming classes and events in order to more easily invest in your careers and network with your colleagues. We now have all of 2011 scheduled for the year with classes and events, and we will continue to update the list for you throughout the year. This extensive pre-planning on our part is meant to make scheduling upcoming events easier for you. The one registration form covers all of 2011 so you may plan your calendar year ahead, and take advantage of the newly-reduced class prices as well.
Please print and post this 2011 schedule in your offices in order to give others the opportunity to become aware of the great Education and Program events we have planned for this year.
If you have any questions:
Education-Sharron Dorsey email: sharron@sharrondorsey.com; Programs -Linda Betts email: linda.betts@lnf.com
Sharron
Sharron Dorsey
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| Membership Get Serious. Get a CRS. | |
Last Chance to Pay Your Chapter Dues
Chapter dues are forty dollars. Payment for the current year is due by March 31. Enjoy big discounts on CRS classes. Retake classes for less than half price. Network with some of the top agents in the area. Hear outstanding speakers at quarterly meetings. Eat lunch in fancy clubs without paying membership fees. Learn stuff. Forty dollars. Write the check now. Mail it to MDDCCRS, 200 Harry S. Truman Parkway #200, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Do it now.
Questions about membership?
Jeff Annis is the one to ask.
He's got the scoop on updates, deadlines, and reinstatement. Give him a call at 703-906-9869.
Congratulations to those who completed their designation requirements and can now proudly exhibit the Certified Residential Specialist logo!
Cynthia Crispell Steven Dean Therese "Teri" Deane Stephanie Gates John Harrison Lynn A Holland Michelle Hodos Sandra L Miller Kathi Payne Thomas A Ryles Jr Katrina Schymik Kimberly B Solloway Erica L Solomon |
| Chapter With A Heart |  This year's Chapter With A Heart events and fundraisers are going to WOW you!!
The theme this year is
Heart, Mind, and Soul First, a FUNDRAISING WALK on MAY 15th: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 10:00-11:00 am in Silver Spring MD www.nami.org/namiwalks11/MAR/teamcrs
SIGN UP ONLINE - TEAMCRS !!
Then, at the OC MAR Convention in September, we'll be collecting SHOES at the CRS Luncheon with SOLES4SOULS so save 'em up! And then a second FUNDRAISING WALK, October 22nd: for Kintera - the American Heart Association Heart Walk in Baltimore MD http://heartwalk.kintera.org/baltimore/teamcrs
SIGN UP ONLINE - TEAMCRS !!
.Watch for updates shortly, and contact Lynette Bridges-Catha directly at 443-497-3128 if you'd like to get involved!
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| News / Upcoming Events |
THIS FRIDAY:
The March Quarterly Meeting/Luncheon:
Don't miss our upcoming luncheon at the
fabulous Suburban Club in Pikesville!
March 11, 2011 - Registration Form
Entertaining & Educational MRIS speaker!
2011 Sell-A-Bration:
Sell-a-bration® Audio Files Now Available
If you couldn't attend Sell-a-bration® 2011 in Orlando, Fla., you can now purchase audio files from all the workshops and education sessions. Learn about the latest trends and strategies in marketing, social media, technology, finance, working with buyers, listings, referrals and more. To purchase the audio set, visit the CRS website. Don't forget to pencil in NEXT YEAR'S Sell-A-Bration January 19-21, 2012 * Arizona Grand Resort * * * * * * * 2011 National Meetings National CRS Meetings should be on your calendar now -- Midyear's May 12-15, 2011 in DC Annual, November 9-12, 2011 in Anaheim CA NOTE: You can begin signing up for Mid Year on Feb.16. SAVE THE DATE!! Friday night, May 13 - CRUISE THE POTOMAC Details to follow... IN DC FOR THE MID-YEAR MEETINGS? The Monthly MD DC CRS Board Meeting will be there! We'll be meeting May 12, 2011- Location TBD Come Join Us! 
MD/DC Chapter Consumer Booklets If you at  tended the December luncheon and if you have your CRS Designation and are a member of your Maryland State Chapter, you should have stopped by and picked up FIVE copies of our Chapter's Consumer Booklet for distribution to your clients. Buyers and Sellers alike will truly appreciate the value you're bringing them when they choose you as their Realtor. Having the value of being a CRS clearly outlined in this high-quality handout is just one more reason to become and remain a Maryland DC CRS Designee. We plan to have the booklets available to hand out to qualified CRSers again at our upcoming events, so use up your FIVE and keep coming back for FIVE MORE!
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Recent Events - Sell-A-Bration Report
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Wow! Special Thanks to JAN BRITO for reporting back from this year's  SELL-A-BRATION...
There were a lot of sessions on technology topics at this year's Sell-A-Bration. I've listed some highlights here. When all is said and done, I think most Sell-A-Bration attendees realized that real estate is ultimately a face-to-face business, but technology can make us more efficient, can capture more leads, and these skills are expected by more and more of our potential clients - no matter their generation.
· Leveraging Location-Based Technology to Grow Local Influence
o Check out Yelp Monocle
o Spatial Match
o Google Places
o Facebook Places
o Four Square
o Venmo.com
· Technology Tools That Make Money
o Pole Photography
o Flip Digital Video
o Zaggmate - a cool iPad case
o Slydial
o QR Codes
· Keynote - Technology Smackdown
o Social media training - mycoachamy.com
o Technology trends in real estate - techsavvyagent.com
o Do buyer counseling sessions via Skype
o Online listing presentation - issuu.com
o Send video intro via email
· Best Realtor Websites
o A panel of top agents shared features of their web sites that capture leads and make their site "sticky". Google the sites of Shane White, Laura Duggan, Linda Hall, and Sam Miller
· 50 Websites in 50 Minutes
o Find Linda Davis' presentation here: http://www.slideshare.net/lindadavis
Jan
Jan Brito
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| Upcoming Events / Scheduling At A Glance | |
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Your Home - CRS Newsletter Article available to you for your SOI Newsletters - go online!
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Have you seen this article at www.crs.com? As a Certified Residential Specialist, are you making use of the magazine articles readily available for you to share with your clients? Each month, there's a new two page newsletter full of timely information, waiting for you, one more way CRS is providing value to you, and you can provide value to your clients.
Websites like Zillow.com claim to provide estimates of what your home is worth, and while this estimate might be somewhat accurate, the only way to get a true assessment of the value of your home is to have an appraisal done by a certified third-party professional. There are a few situations where an appraisal is mandated, such as when you're buying and selling a home, refinancing or applying for a loan using real estate as security.
The appraiser's report can help determine a selling price, and it can provide owners with information about problems that are devaluing the home's worth and give insight about worthwhile fixes. Appraisals are usually conducted after an offer has been made or to determine the initial value of a home as part of the selling process. Keep in mind that to approve a loan, banks typically require an appraisal using their preferred appraisers to ensure the most accurate assessment, even if you've already had one done by another party.
The appraisal offers side-by-side comparisons of the home, along with three similar properties and an evaluation of the overall real estate market in the area. The appraisal will also note flaws in the property, such as a crumbling foundation, and offer specific dimensions pertaining to the home, such as the square footage and the size/number of rooms.
The appraiser will also research the area's costs of labor and local building costs to determine how much it would cost to erect a similar property in the present economic climate. Things such as the home's location and nearby amenities are taken into account to increase or decrease the value of the home - for instance, proximity to a school zone or within a neighborhood might be an increase, while being situated near a busy highway or isolated from the community could be a decrease. These factors, among others, will be used to estimate an approximate time frame for selling the home, which is also included in the appraisal.
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| Pillar-to-Post -- Please support our 2011 MD DC CRS Platinum Sponsor! | 
"A Helping Hand From Your Local
Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)"
A Special Sneak Preview Session for CRS Leaders.
We are pleased to introduce you to our Consumer Webinar Program called HomeTips™. We've chosen one of our most popular topics; 'Swimming Pool Safety' to give you a sneak preview of what your customers can soon expect in one of our HomeTips™ Consumer Education Sessions. The email invitations will be created to highlight you as the author and caring real estate professional that you are. In future 'Pillar To Post Consumer Webinars' you will be able to personally invite any and all of your past and existing customers to a webinar session, and in doing so provide a truly valuable service to your customers. When it comes time to promote an upcoming Pillar To Post Consumer Webinar, you will be provided with an email template similar to the one below so that you may invite your customers to your webinar. Then, all you will need to do is send the email to your customer list(s). Your customers will click on the link provided and register for the webinar. Lastly -and best of all - we take care of the rest - it's that easy. www.PillartoPost.com |
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MISSION STATEMENT:
The Maryland/DC CRS Chapter will provide Chapter members with superior benefits to maximize their professional performance and profitability in residential real estate, and to provide resources to the real estate community and general public.
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Get Serious. Get a CRS.
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