Attend the First Annual REALTOR Day at the MN State Fair

Eagan Office to Close Early Wednesday, Thursday

In Memoriam: Thomas R. Diffley

SPAAR Recognizes Charitable Foundation Scholarship Recipients

July 2016 RealTrends Now Available

RESA Announces New Local Chapter

Minnesota Housing: Creating a Path to Homeownership

New Forms Available August 1st

SPAAR Board of Directors Nominations Due Friday

Have you Completed the Quadrennial Period Code of Ethics Training?

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Set for Books Around the Block Project

Upcoming Events

Bring in the SPAAR Squad for your Next Office Meeting

Twin Cities Housing Market Statistics

Welcome, New Members!

August 29 is the First Annual REALTOR Day at the Minnesota State Fair

Show your REALTOR® pride at the first annual REALTOR® Day at the Minnesota State Fair, on Monday, August 29, 2016. Join your state and local associations at the Horton Pavillions at Hefron Park between 8am and 2pm for activities and events exclusively for REALTORS®. Register* online at https://statefairrealtorday.eventbrite.com to let us know you'll be there. All REALTOR® attendees and their guests will receive a free t-shirt to wear at the event. *Registration does not include admission to the fair.

WIN TICKETS! We will be issuing a Question of the Week at the beginning of every week through August 22nd. Questions will be posted in SPAAR's weekly e-news and on SPAAR's Facebook page. Answer the question correctly and you will be entered into a random drawing to win a set of tickets to the fair to join us on the 29th! Two sets of tickets will be awarded each week. Winners will be announced on Thursdays.

Week 1 question: How many food concessions are located throughout the fairgrounds? CLICK HERE to submit your answer. Answers must be received by Wendnesday, July 6 to be eligible.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR REALTOR DAY AT THE MN STATE FAIR

Modified Office Hours this Week for Eagan Location

SPAAR's Eagan location will be closing at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, July 6, and at 1:45 on Thursday, July 7, for staff training.

In Memoriam: Thomas R. Diffley

Long time SPAAR member Thomas R. Diffley, Age 72, of North Oaks, died at home of heart failure on June 29, 2016. Tom's visitation will be held on Thursday, July 14, 4-8pm at Bradshaw Funeral & Cremation Services in White Bear. On Friday, July 15, a visitation at 9am and memorial service at 10am will be held at Assumption Catholic Church in St. Paul. Full notice later. Bradshaw 651-407-8300

SPAAR Recognizes Charitable Foundation Scholarship Recipients

On Tuesday, June 28, SPAAR's Charitable Foundation held a ceremony to recognize the 2016 Charitable Foundation Scholarship recipients. Recipients pictured below with their parents, left to right, are Kaitlyn Doyle, Kristi Schulz, Madelyn Wald, and Lauren Grant.

July 2016 RealTrends Now Available

Your July 2016 issue of RealTrends is now available for viewing online.
In this month's issue:

• What do Football and Real Estate Have in Common?
  
• The Greatest Challenge Ahead
  
• 1987: A Look Back at REAL Trends
  
• Need Inventory? Try this!
  
• Enough about Millennials
  
• LONE WOLF SPONSORED POST: The Secret to Dominating the Real Estate Industry
  
• Alex Lange, CEO, Upstream
  
• May Housing Sales Strong
  
• Class Action Plaintiffs Must Suffer Concrete Harm to Prevail
  
• The Downward Trend of GCI Retention
  
• Developing a Marketing and Technology Plan for Your Company
  
• Making Your Marketing Count

READ THE JULY 2016 ISSUE OF RealTrends

RESA Announces New Local Chapter

The Real Estate Staging Association “RESA” has officially launched their charter chapter of RESA Minneapolis Area in the city of Minneapolis, MN.

RESA is the portal to the staging industry and is the source of education and business tools focused on the needs of real estate stagers. A group of local business women have launched the Minneapolis Area Chapter servicing the Twin Cities. The chapter will provide peer to peer support for the chapter members as well as promoting education to real estate agents, home owners and the general public regarding the value and benefits of Staging. RESA is the only Staging Association in North America that supports all stagers regardless of their designations, training and backgrounds.

The association's inaugural meeting will be held Tuesday, July 12, from 10am to 11:30am at CORT Furniture Rental 8925 Lyndale Ave S. Bloomington, MN 55420.

For more information call Kristin Campbell at 612-619-0940 or Kristin@OrganizedHomeStaging.com.

Minnesota Housing: Creating a Path to Homeownership

Did you know that Minnesota has the third highest disparity in the country for homeownership rates between white households and households of color? Minnesota Housing is committed to closing this gap, so they are stepping up their efforts to reach more homebuyers. Here's how you can get involved:

• Promote homebuyer education. Help your clients start the homebuying process informed and prepared. Use this flyer to direct them to homebuyer education and services.
• Partner at events. If you're attending homebuyer events in your area this summer, MN Housing would like to partner with you. Email them details and they will provide materials, promote it on social media channels, and join you at your booth.
• Spread the word. Get the word out about Minnesota Housing's affordable loan programs by ordering free marketing materials.
  

Minnesota Housing offers affordable, fixed interest rates, as little as 3% down, and recently increased downpayment and closing cost loans up to $10,000. With your support, MN Housing can help more people become successful homeowners and close the homeownership gap.

Board of Directors Nominations Due this Friday

Consider being on the Board of Directors for the Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS®. The 2016 Nominating Committee is looking to fill three director positions. This position has a three-year term and directors are asked to make attending all Board meetings a priority. SPAAR is also accepting applications for three officer positions: treasurer, president-elect, and president.

How will I benefit? As a Board Member you’ll have:

• Opportunities to both learn from and teach others
  
• Direct involvement in decisions that affect the association
  
• A broader professional network of members, the community and civic leaders
  
• New experiences that develop professional and personal skills
  
• Social opportunities that often lead to lasting friendships

If you are interested in applying for a Board of Directors position, please complete an application form and return it to Tracey Douglas no later than Friday, July 8, 2016.

Have You Completed the Quadrennial Period Code of Ethics Training?

The mandated four-year cycle to meet the Code of Ethics Training for The National Association of REALTORS® membership requirement ends December 31, 2016. If you do not have the NAR Code of Ethics completed by December 31, 2016 your membership will be suspended per the NAR bylaws. If your name is not on the LIST (Updated 7/05/16) then you need to complete the NAR Code of Ethics. If you have taken an approved NAR Code of Ethics training class please be sure to submit proof of completion to SPAAR at spaar@spaar.com.

CLICK HERE to view options for enrolling in an NAR approved Code of Ethics class. To check if you have completed the Code of Ethics training in this quadrennial period, CLICK HERE or call SPAAR at 651-776-6000.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Set for Books Around the Block Project

Please join us for a Ribbon Cutting ceremony as the Books Around the Block Project unveils the Little Free Library in Oakdale! This project is a partnership between SPAAR and the Builders Association of the Twin Cities Young Professionals Committee. This is the first of a series of Little Free Libraries to be completed. Libraries in Apple Valley and Anoka are underway, with more locations to be announced. This project is supported, in part, by a Placemaking Grant from NAR.

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 12 at 2007 Goodview Avenue North in Oakdale.

Upcoming Events

• Friday, August 5: Membership Appreciation Day: Tech Dump, 11am to 2pm, at SPAAR's St. Paul location. MORE INFORMATION
• Friday, August 12: St. Paul Saints Game, 6-10pm at CHS Field. Ticket includes game, food, and post game fireworks. GET YOUR TICKET
• Monday, August 15: REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament, at Keller Golf Course. Event includes dinner, games, and golf. REGISTER
• August 15-19: Habitat for Humanity REALTORS® Build Week, South Saint Paul. Twenty volunteers needed for each day. REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER
• August 29: 1st Annual REALTOR® Day at the Minnesota State Fair. Details coming soon.

Bring in the SPAAR Squad for your Next Office Meeting

Looking for useful content for upcoming office meetings? SPAAR Squad is here to help! Our staff members are available to attend your meeting and speak about a variety of relevant topics. We also provide onsite training (some with free CE) for groups of 25 or more.

VIEW SPAAR SQUAD TOPIC LIST | COMPLETE SPAAR SQUAD REQUEST FORM

Housing Market Statistics

Get up-to-date housing market information here! SPAAR provides four different types of reports so you can offer your clients the most accurate housing data available. Click below to see how the market's doing.

Local Market Updates | Weekly Market Activity Report | Housing Supply Overview | Monthly Market Indicators

Welcome, New Members!

SPAAR would like to welcome all our new members! Thank you joining, and we look forward to helping you be successful in your business.