CRS Certified Residential Specialists
Maryland / DC Chapter
October 2012
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MD/DC CRS Chapter
| 2012 Chapter Leadership
President
410-937-4707
President-Elect
443-676-1625
Secretary
301-646-5774
Treasurer
240-678-6279
Immediate Past President
410-262-2254
2012 Committee Chairs
Chapter With A Heart Committee
443-497-3128
Communications Committee
443-676-1625
Education Committee
410-937-4707
Membership Committee
302-373-4355
Public Relations Committee
443-794-4106
Sponsorshsip Committee
410-952-7102
AVP Coordinator
410-262-2254
2012 Area Vice Presidents
Howard/Carroll Counties
410-262-2254
Frederick/Washington Counties
301-631-0525
Harford/Cecil Counties
443-243-5216
Delaware
302-672-6016
Anne Arundel/Carroll Counties
443-278-3800
Washington DC
202-441-3982
Prince Georges/Montgomery
301-536-7971
Dorchester/Wicomico Counties
410-250-1919
Caroline/Talbot Counties
410-463-1730
Baltimore County/Baltimore City
410-627-5961
Helpful Links
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Local Trivia
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Local Trivia
Located in the Chesapeake Bay, Smith Island is Maryland's only inhabited off-shore island.
The Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use.
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Message From The President
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 Message From The President
Greetings!
Fall is upon us, and for many CRS'ers, the 4th quarter is when we ramp up our business to get ready for the 1st quarter of the new year, just one more reason we're in the top 3%!
Guess who won an iPad?! We enjoyed seeing many of you in Ocean City at the MAR Conference in September, getting updates legislatively, educationally, and of course, socially!
On that note, be sure to take advantage of the finest education being offered in the area -- We'll have CRS Instructor Ed Hatch in October, putting together an EXTRA-ordinary Customer Service Plan, and then we'll be bringing in nationally-acclaimed Steve Harney to speak in November. The details are below, in the Upcoming Events section of the newsletter, and we'd love to see you there!
Sharron
Sharron Dorsey, MD/DC CRS President 2012
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Looking to Hone Your Leadership Skills?
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Come get involved with your local Chapter! Pick up the phone or send us an email - we'd love to have you, as we're wrapping up this year and beginning to plan out next year - Any of your 2012 or 2013 Officers and Committee Chairs can answer your questions and help point you in the right direction to help you help us -- while at the same time, honing your leadership skills, network with other high-level professionals, and have a great time doing it!
Current officer contact info to your left, in the next column over; upcoming officers listed below. Call today!
2013 Officers of the Maryland DC CRS Chapter:
Gretchen Conley - President
Jan Brito - President Elect
Diane Hayes - Treasurer
Sherry Young - Secretary
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| TECH TIPS by Jan Brito | |
LastPass
Too many passwords to remember? Try this free app - LastPass. Check their web site for a list of features: https://lastpass.com/features_free.php
Watch this corner all year for Jan's great Tech Tips - with a special tech emphasis on what we can do with our iPads!
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Guess Who Won at iPad in Ocean City?!
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iPad Winner at the 2012 MAR Conference...
 Vivian Feen, MD/DC CRS Programs Chair, with iPad Winner, Tom Levin!
Another successful CRS presence at the MD Association of Realtors conference this past September 10-12th in Ocean City as the MD-DC Chapter operated a booth at the conference. It was great!
No doubt that CRS members step up to the plate when asked! This year, our Chapter raised almost $1,000.00 in raffle tickets to help our CRS charities. The prize was the IPAD 3! Needless to say, it was very popular, and the
tickets flew! Congratulations to our winner: Tom Levin of Keller Williams Flagship of Maryland.
We were also there to educate, ask questions as well as answer them. If you haven't gotten your designation yet, 2012-13 has got to be the year. There were many people who stopped by the booth to inquire about designations, give their support for the amazing educational classes and express their desire to get more involved with our Chapter.
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Upcoming Events - SEE YOU THERE!!
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* * * * * * * Saturday, October 20, 2012 Rash Field, Baltimore - check in at 9am, walk at 10am Chapter With A Heart - Heart Walk Team CRS needs YOU... Baltimore MD Go online and sign up under Team CRS for the 2012 Greater Baltimore Heart Walk American Heart Association - My Heart, My Life Let's all get out and Walk for your Chapter With a HEART!
Need more information? Contact Lynette 443-497-3128 * * * * * * * Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 8:00am - 5:00pm The Little EXTRAS... In EXTRAordinary Customer Service Instructor: Ed Hatch Maryland Association of REALTORŪ 200 Harry S Truman Pkwy Annapolis, MD 21407 Registration form here COST PER CLASS: $75 for Members of National and MD/DC CRS $125 for Members of National CRS $150 for Non-Members The client's confidence is the most precious asset for anyone who "sells" the promise of unique... compelling... EXTRA-ordinary service. Superb execution of that service CONSISTENTLY is the cornerstone of confidence building and happens only with a FOCUSED - PROACTIVE - FORWARD THINKING plan. By failing to develop that plan... to deliver on that promise, you risk losing your clients' confidence... trust... repeat business... referrals... EVERYTHING! * * * * * * * Friday, November 2, 2012, 10:00am - 12:00noon Presenting Live... Steve Harney, Nationally Recognized Speaker on Real Estate and Leadership Hilton Garden Inn, Columbia MD
8241 Snowden River Parkway
Columbia 21045 (410-750-3700) Registration form here COST PER CLASS: $15 for Chapter Members / $25 for Non-Members Perhaps you heard his last webinar on MAR's site... Maybe you've seen him at one of our conferences. It's time again to see him IN PERSON - Be instructed and inspired - Topics will include: Identifying significant changes that impact real estate for the rest of the year. How to best position yourself to take advantage of the opportunities these changes create. How to effectively communicate these changes to your clients. * * * * * * * Mark Your Calendars! MD DC CRS Chapter Installation, General Meeting & Networking Luncheon Monday, December 3, 2012 Kings Contrivance Restaurant Columbia MD * * * * * * *
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!
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OC Luncheon Pics
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AVP - Area Vice Presidents Committee - Local Events
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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 Kangrga410-262-2254Past Event: Arranged a Lunch and Learn class covering a variety of topics: 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.  Frederick/Washington Counties301-631-0525
Past Event: Arranged a CRS webinar "Becoming Tomorrow's Top Producer Today" at her local board with wine & cheese from sponsors  Harford/Cecil CountiesLouise Costello443-243-5216Past Event: Arranged a Pillar to Post class "Meth and Mold" which was very well received by the agents  Anne Arundel/Calvert Ellie Cerasuolo443-278-3800
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
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Member Connect - Homeowner Expections Rising
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Member Connect News
Fewer Households are Underwater on their Mortgages
The number of residential households in negative equity declined again in the second quarter of 2012, according to CoreLogic. Nearly 10.8 million households, or 22.3 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage, were in negative equity at the end of the second quarter, down from 11.4 million households at the end of the first quarter. Some 600,000 borrowers reached positive equity level in the second quarter, adding to the more than 700,000 who gained positive equity in the first quarter.
Additionally, negative equity decreased by $2 billion from $691 billion in the first quarter to $689 billion in the second quarter, due in large part to improving housing prices, lower inventory and fewer bank-owned properties being sold, CoreLogic reports.
Nevada had the highest percentage of mortgaged properties in negative equity at 59 percent, followed by Florida (43 percent), Arizona (40 percent), Georgia (36 percent) and Michigan (33 percent). These five states combined accounted for 34 percent of the total amount of negative equity in the U.S.
Wed, September 12, 2012 |
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.
Water, Water, Everywhere?
Drought conditions across the United States have forced a lot of people to start thinking about water conservation and consumption. But that might already be top-of-mind for many homeowners who want to see the amounts on their water bills
decrease. It's easier than you think to conserve water. Cut down on your water usage with tips from the Arizona-based "Water-Use It Wisely" campaign.
Your washing machine and dishwasher are major water hogs. No matter how full they are, you use the same amount of water. To save up to 1,000 gallons of water a month, be sure to only run these appliances when they're full. To save more water in the kitchen, consider composting rather than dumping food waste down the garbage disposal with running water.
Simply by decreasing your shower time by one or two minutes, you can save up to 150 gallons of water each month. Boost savings by installing a low-flow showerhead, which can cut the amount of water you use per shower in half. Another easy conservation trick is to partially fill a plastic container (an old milk jug works fine) with water or pebbles and place it in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush; just be sure to keep it away from the operating mechanisms in the tank.
Insulating your hot water pipes is a small step that requires a little extra maintenance but will reap big rewards.
For your faucet, consider installing a faucet aerator, which screws on to the bottom of the faucet to automatically reduce water flow without sacrificing water pressure. Finally, see what's really going down the drain with a professional water audit (or buy a do-it-yourself kit online). Once you know where the losses are coming from, it's even easier to change your habits.
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.
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Pillar-to-Post -- Please support our 2011 MD DC CRS Platinum Sponsor!
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Complimentary Resource from
Pillar to Post for YOU to USE in your Client Newsletters/Communications:
LIGHTEN UP: LED LIGHTING FOR YOUR HOME
By now, you have probably replaced most of your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, and no doubt you've noticed how long these newer, energy-efficient bulbs last. Now, light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is the latest trend on the scene. Once used primarily for industrial and commercial applications, LED lighting is gaining ground at home - and there are many good reasons for that. LED bulbs work in a unique way. Instead of emitting light and heat in all directions, an LED lights move electrons through a semiconductor material, creating light that shines in a specific direction. In LED bulbs used to replace standard bulbs, multiple diodes are used to create bright light while generating very little heat. While quite expensive compared to the older bulbs they replace, high power LED bulbs are more than twice as efficient as CFLs and eight times as efficient as incandescent bulbs, and can last as long as 20 years. Many people associate LEDs with cold, white light - and that was a fair assessment until recently. Now LED bulbs are available in warmer tones that are easier on the eyes (and more flattering). Like incandescent and CFL bulbs, there are LEDs made to fit standard light fixtures, recessed lighting fixtures, candelabra bases, dimmable fixtures and more. LEDs for floodlights and spotlights are becoming more popular, particularly because they need replacement so infrequently. Other advantages of LEDs are that they contain no mercury or other toxic materials, are very unlikely to break if dropped, and reach full brightness as soon as they are switched on. Be sure to look for Energy Star rated LED bulbs, which have been tested to meet EPA standards of color quality and consistency, energy efficiency, and stable performance. Inferior products may make a lot of promises but may not deliver. Try replacing the bulbs in your most-used fixtures and start saving energy - and money - now!
Article courtesy of Pillar To Post Home Inspection - www.pillartopost.com
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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
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