News From MD DC CRS Chapter June 2012 Newsletter

The Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge in Savage is made of both cast iron and wrought iron. It is the only open railroad bridge of its type anywhere in the world

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Did You Know...

The Thrasher Carriage Museum in Frostburg houses a collection of early 19th- and 20th-century horse drawn conveyances. Formal closed carriages, milk wagons, open sleighs, funeral wagons, dog carts, and President Roosevelt's inaugural carriage are among the approximately 50 vehicles featured.

Message From The President

Message

From

The President

Hello Summer,

As the summer sets in, and your schedules change, don't forget to add in some time for your local CRS Chapter! We're having an All-Call for Volunteers and would warmly welcome your support.

Our goal is to continue growing our chapter. The best way to do that is to promote the privileges of membership, not just at the National level, but the Chapter level as well. The only way to accomplish goal is to have more people involved. To that end, we are making this "Call for Volunteers" to help with our cause.

Look over the committees listed on the left, or below for further details. What would interest you? What would you like to try out? Who might you like to get to know/work with? Give any of us a call and get involved today!

Membership Committee -The Membership Committee is looking for individuals to work along with our Area Coordinators on local activities/events; to coordinate with other committees where appropriate to devise promotions and incentives to increase membership; and, to help with crafting newsletter articles and other communications as appropriate. Basically the membership committee wants to promote our chapter's value based programs to the CRS community and increase our chapter membership. Contact Deborah Harris (deborah.harris@remax.net) for more information.

Education Committee - Our Education committee is looking for help in setting up all classes (CRS and Pillar to Post classes) and establishing class locations. Volunteers will be expected to assist in signing in students and answering questions from students and instructors. This will be great training in preparation to take the reins on this position next year! Contact Sharron Dorsey (mddccrs2012@gmail.com) for more information.

Communication Committee - If you have a creative flare and want to get involved with helping to get our message out, you are perfect for this committee. The Communications Committee is looking for at least 2 people. Consider yourself "hired" if you have the desire and the ability to make a commitment of time to help produce our newsletter. The task consists of pulling information from various sources each month and inputting to an established format, and suggesting changes and improvements to increase effectiveness. Contact Gretchen Conley (gretchen@gretchenconley.com) for more information.

Sharron

Sharron Dorsey, MD/DC CRS President 2012

Great Value!

Pic Sellabration Purchase Audio Downloads

In case you didn't get to attend this year's event, CRS is making over 25 hours of audio downloads from this year's 2012 Sell-a-bration available for purchase.

And naturally, if you're a CRS Designee, you get the very BEST prices! Only $10.00!

At www.CRS.com, naturally!

TECH TIPS by Jan Brito

Postlets

Postlets is a free tool that makes advertising properties across a variety of sites quick. Easily send a listing to several online real estate sites, upload to classified sites with generated HTML code, and take advantage of social media marketing all at one time on one site.

Postlets was designed to be a time-saving and user-friendly product for real estate agents, property managers and homeowners to advertise and market homes for sale or rent.

Watch Jan Brito this corner all year for Jan's great Tech Tips - with a special tech emphasis on what we can do with our iPads!

Upcoming Events

Friday, July 27, 2012, 11:30 - 3 pm

Luncheon/Meeting & STEVE HARNEY - LIVE!

Mrs. K's Tollhouse Restaurant

9201 Colesville Road, Silver Spring MD

301-589-3500

Registration form here

STEVE HARNEY - Nationally Recognized Speaker

on Real Estate and Leadership in the Industry:

Be Instructed AND Inspired!

Identify significant changes that will impact real estate for the rest of 2012;

Position yourself to take advantage of the opportunities these changes will create;

Effectively communicate what these changes mean to your clients!

A DON'T MISS EVENT!!!

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Monday, September 10, 2012, 12:15pm

Annual General Meeting and Luncheon

Ed Hatch will be our guest speaker!

He will talk about change being inevitable. and how to deal with the ever-changing market.

There are 5 steps to successfully manage that change.

Maryland Association of REALTORS® Annual Conference and Expo

Roland E. Powell Convention Center

Ocean City, Maryland

Registration form here

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 8 am - 5:00 pm

The Little EXTRAS... In EXTRAordinary Customer Service

Instructor: Ed Hatch

Maryland Association of REALTORS®

200 Harry S Truman Pkwy

Annapolis, MD 21407

Registration form here

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MD/DC Chapter Consumer Booklets

TERRIFIC HANDOUT FOR YOUR BUYERS & SELLERS!

If you have your CRS Designation and are a member of your Maryland State Chapter, please stop by at our next event and pick 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!

AVP - Area Vice Presidents Committee - Local Events

Local events are being scheduled, and the ones already occurring were very well received. See what's been on the list so far; let your AVP's know what you'd like to see next! We're building up a great network and would love your input!

Howard/Carroll Counties

Linda Kangrga
410-262-2254

Upcoming Event: July 17, Columbia MD - RSVP to Linda for sandwiches fresh from Grace's downstairs. Learn about new issues and revisit old ones with home inspections like signs of there having been a meth lab on the premises, what's new in radon and lead paint, and what you should know about plumbing. Always good to be informed and this is free food and free education thanks to our sponsors. Non-CRS friends are welcome this time, too. Please think about bringing a suit, jacket or something to donate to Dress for Success. Click here for more info.

Frederick/Washington Counties

Mary Richeimer

301-631-0525

Past Event: Arranged a CRS webinar "Becoming Tomorrow's Top Producer Today" at her local board with wine & cheese from sponsors

Harford/Cecil Counties
Louise Costello
443-243-5216
Past Event: Arranged a Pillar to Post class "Meth and Mold" which was very well received by the agents

Anne Arundel/Calvert
Ellie Cerasuolo

443-278-3800

Past Event: May 24 - Lunch and Learn class "What You Can Do to be Successful in Short Sales" sponsored by ATC Financial -- Arnold MD

I am still looking for a few more Area Vice Presidents to work with me and other neighboring areas in Maryland and Washington, D.C. to participate in the Area Vice Presidents Committee. It's great for networking and increasing referral and educational opportunities.

Sincerely,

Linda

Linda Kangrga, Area Vice Presidents Committee Chair

Member Connect - The Residential Specialist Magazine is looking for Sources

Member Connect News

Shadow Inventory Falls to October 2008 Levels

The current shadow inventory of residential properties fell to 1.5 million units in April, representing a supply of four months, according to a report by CoreLogic. This four months' supply is the lowest level in nearly three years, and represents a 14.8 percent drop since April 2011 when shadow inventory stood at 1.8 million units, or a six months' supply. Since peaking at 2.1 million units in January 2010, shadow inventory has fallen by 28 percent. Of the 1.5 million properties included in the shadow inventory, 720,000 are seriously delinquent, 410,000 are in some stage of foreclosure, and 390,000 are already bank-owned.

"The decline in shadow inventory is a positive development because it removes some of the downward pressure on house prices," says Mark Fleming, CoreLogic's chief economist. "This is one of the reasons why some markets that were formerly identified as deeply distressed, like Arizona, California and Nevada, are now experiencing price increases."

Thu, June 14, 2012

Your Home - CRS Newsletter Article available to you for your SOI Newsletters - go online!

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.

Garden Trends

Home gardening has become more than a hobby for many Americans in recent years. These ideas from DoItYourself.com can provide some guidance on how to create or upgrade your own garden.

Edible gardens - According to the National Gardening Association, vegetable gardening rose 20 percent in 2010 from 2009. Salad-type vegetables, such as radishes, lettuce and spinach are common, but many gardeners also grow crop vegetables like potatoes, corn, beans and squash. These are easy to grow, they only need watering and some weeding before harvesting, and they can be stored and served in countless ways.

Go organic - Many gardeners use non-chemical fertilizers such as compost, compost teas and animal manure to help plants grow. Inexpensive and easy to use, compost can be created from yard refuse and home vegetable peelings. Compost teas are made by steeping compost to create a tea-like substance, and animal manure that's allowed to compost for a year provides nutrients.

"Feel good" gardens -For some, gardens are a place for calm, quiet reflection. Water gardens include a pond or fountain to create a calm, serene environment, while sand or "zen" gardens are small enough to place on a desk or table and include different types of plants, rocks and sticks to mimic the natural environment.

Vertical gardens - New planting systems make it possible to insert vegetation into outside walls. Succulent plants are ideally suited to growing vertically since they often dwell on cliffs in nature and don't need much root space. Fruits like grapes and kiwi can grow along walls and fences, and some vegetables like beans, peas and some squashes can be trained up a trellis.

Whether used to grow food or to enjoy nature, gardens have evolved to reflect the changing lifestyles of American families.

PLEASE NOTE: The images featured in the Your Home newsletter may only be used within the context of the original article. These images may not be reproduced or republished elsewhere outside of this newsletter format. CRS Members are free to re-use the text of the articles contained in this newsletter, however.

Pillar-to-Post -- Please support our 2011 MD DC CRS Platinum Sponsor!

Complimentary Resource from
Pillar to Post

for YOU to USE in your Client Newsletters/Communications:

KNOB AND TUBE WIRING IN OLDER HOMES

Homes built prior to 1950 may still have a knob and tube wiring system. Though the technology is old, it is still capable of carrying electricity throughout the home. There are additional factors, however, that homeowners should know about when buying or selling a home with knob and tube wiring. Knob and tube wiring must always be disclosed during the home inspection process even if replacement is not required in your specific area.

What is Knob and Tube Wiring? The system uses porcelain insulators (knobs) for running wires through unobstructed spaces. Porcelain tubes protect wires that run through studs and joists. Knob and tube wiring may not always be visible; outlets that are two-pronged and ungrounded may indicate that the home has this type of electrical system.

When is it Unsafe? Installations have to be evaluated on a case by-case basis. Safety usually depends on the history of modifications and upgrades. Modern homes have much greater demand for electricity than when these systems were commonly installed. As a result, modifications to handle the increased demand were often undertaken by a handyman or an unqualified contractor. While an electrician can do a proper splice and install the correct fuses, home inspections often reveal faulty splices and inappropriate fuse resistances, which can create a serious safety hazard.

Knob and tube wiring also requires free air circulation around it so that heat can dissipate. If insulation has been added to areas where the wiring is in place, the resulting heat buildup causes a fire hazard. In addition, because knob and tube wiring is not grounded, it should never be used in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, or outdoors where it can be exposed to water.

Home Insurance - As existing knob and tube wiring continues to age, insurance companies may deny coverage due to increased risk. In fact many home insurance companies will not write new policies on homes with knob and tube wiring. A buyer or seller may have to upgrade part of or all of the system. Sometimes the insurance company will insure the home through the transaction period but with an electrical upgrade within a defined period of time. This is an important factor when considering buying a home with knob and tube wiring and another reason the system should be replaced.

Updating the Wiring - If there are only a few knob and tube circuits to replace it will not be expensive. But if the home has knob and tube wiring throughout, an upgrade may involve more than just replacing existing circuits, such as upgrading the breaker panel, and thus may present a greater expense. In an upgrade, the wiring will be updated to today's standards. In the end, for safety and peace of mind it is well worth the expense to upgrade to the safer modern electrical system.

Article courtesy of Pillar To Post Home Inspection - www.pillartopost.com

Chapter Member Referral Ads

Want to advertise in our newsletter? We'd love to have you here, and love for you to get terrific CRS referrals! For the Newsletter Referral Advertising Form, click here.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The MD/DC CRS Chapter will provide its Chapter members superior benefits, to include education and current tools of the industry, to maximize their professional performance

and maintain the highest standards of the NAR Code of Ethics, as well as be a trusted source for the real estate community and the general public.

www.MDDCCRS.com

Get Serious. Get a CRS.

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