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Roanoke Valley REALTOR�
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Greetings!
You are receiving this online newsletter as a benefit of being a member of the Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS�.
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Member Type Count ------------------- REALTOR� 1,112 Offices 124 Affiliate 139 Click here to see which RVAR members have switched firms, gone inactive, or joined recently. |
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Dykstra Installed as VAR President
The Virginia Association of REALTORS� recently installed Mary Dykstra of MKB, REALTORS� to lead the 28,000 member organization. The installation occurred on October 6th at the VAR Convention. Mary will serve as VAR's 2013 President. Henry Scholz of MKB, REALTORS� will also serve on VAR's 2013 Board of Directors.
Mary's focus as VAR President is two-fold: (1) listening to the needs of individual members and local associations across Virginia and (2) focusing on the positive impact of REALTORS� in their communities.
An excerpt from Mary's Installation speech: "We must focus on what is good and enduring about what we do for a living: we are in the helping profession. We have always been engaged individually and collectively in our communities....Because of who we are and what we do, we influence and impact our communities and our local economies in a way that few others do ... one household or one storefront at a time....REALTORS� are making a difference in our towns and cities throughout Virginia, creating jobs, creating liveable communities and helping our schools all the while being heroes to each family who settles into the warmth and security that responsible homeownership brings."
RVAR congratulates Mary on her leadership and vision! |
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Fall Election for RVAR Board of Directors
RVAR's 2013-2014 Board of Directors has 4 open Director positions. Five candidates are running for these 4 positions:
- Kathy Chandler, MKB
- Jessica Gauldin, Wainwright & Co. Lake Office
- Fred Hall, Prudential Premier
- Donna Marie Harris, Long & Foster
- Adam Lynch, Prudential Waterfront Properties
Ballots were delivered to offices on Monday, October 22nd. Ballots must be received in the RVAR office (by mail or hand carried) by 4:30PM on Wednesday, November 14th (no faxes or emails.) Ballots received after November 14th will not be considered. Learn more about these candidates and the election process. Contact Jan Settle at RVAR with any questions.
And since no petitions were filed for the Officer positions, congratulations to Donna Greer of United Country Quality Realty who will serve as your 2013 President-elect and to Vic Coffey of REMAX All Stars who will serve as your 2013 Vice President.
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2013 Dues Reminder
2013 dues bills arrived at offices by October 1st. Anyone who pays dues by November 1st (includes a November 1st postmark) can take advantage of a $50 discount. The final date to pay 2013 dues is January 7th. Questions? Contact Susan Edwards at the RVAR office. |
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Brokers: Distinguished Service Award Deadline
The Distinguished Service Award is presented each year by RVAR to those firms whose agents have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the Association through Committee service and attendance at RVAR classes and events. The deadline for Brokers to submit an award application is Friday, November 16th, for the award period November 1, 2011 through October 31, 2012. Click here for the application form. RVAR will be able to provide firm attendance/Committee service records during the award period by November 2nd. Contact Jan Settle at RVAR with any questions about this award. |
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Awards for Outstanding REALTORS�
Friday, November 16th is the deadline for three important RVAR awards. All three awards have the same deadline - and will be presented at the December 13th Installation and Awards Breakfast.
REALTOR� of the Year: If you can think of a fellow REALTOR� who is well respected, known for ethics and professionalism, volunteers time to RVAR and/or the community, then you should take a moment to nominate that deserving colleague for RVAR's most prestigious award. The nomination process is as simple as writing a letter to RVAR's CEO Laura Benjamin explaining whom you want to nominate and why. RVAR will contact all nominees to obtain their resumes. The winner will be selected by the past five recipients of this award. Click here to see who has already won this prestigious award.
Community Service Award: RVAR created this award in 2005 to honor one REALTOR� each year who has contributed to improving our community by volunteer service to a local program or organization (not necessarily related to housing). The nomination process is simple - just write a letter to RVAR's Office Manager Jan Settle explaining whom you want to nominate and why. RVAR will contact all nominees to collect the necessary information. RVAR will donate $1,000 to the award recipient's charity of choice. Click here to see who has already won this award.
Longevity Award: RVAR presents this award to REALTORS� who have served the real estate industry and RVAR for 50 or more years. Just send a letter to RVAR's Office Manager Jan Settle. The previous recipients of this award are: Luke Waldrop (Waldrop Realty), Elwood Norris (Long & Foster), Dewey Robertson (Dewey Robertson Realty), A. Byron Smith (A. Byron Smith Real Estate) and Dale Poe (Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group.) |
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Installation and Awards Breakfast
Save the date -- December 13th, 8:30-10:30AM at the Hotel Roanoke -- for RVAR's annual Installation and Awards ceremony. Plan to join us for the Installation of our new President Betty Kingery and new Officers and Directors, plus presentation of awards. |
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Tick, Tock. Have You Met Your Ethics Deadline?
Are you one of the 464 members who have not yet taken Code of Ethics training? If so, then December 31st is your deadline.
NAR requires all REALTORS� to complete 3 hours of Code of Ethics training every four years. The current four-year cycle ends December 31, 2012.
What are your options?
Option 1: If you take your CE license renewal classes online, then you may have already taken the required training at some point in the last 4 years. If you take your online CE through any of the schools listed below, then all you need to do is fax (772-8058) or email your certificate to Susan Edwards. RVAR has already confirmed with each of these schools that the ethics portion of their CE training conforms to NAR's requirements.
Moseley, Moseley-Flint, McKissock Education, Potomac Real Estate School, ICE
NOTE: Moseley-Dickinson Academy of Real Estate shares its CE course rosters with RVAR. RVAR has already given credit to anyone who has taken an ethics CE class from this school.
Option 2: RVAR has scheduled two more ethics training classes with John Dickinson. These classes not only fulfill NAR's requirement but also count for 3 hours CE ethics credit.
November 15th (2-5PM) at RVAR
December 18th (9AM-Noon) at RVAR
Option 3: Any member can go to NAR's website and take the required training online for free (though no CE credit is provided.) NAR provides both a residential and a commercial version of this online class. |
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Suggestions for Seller Listing
RVAR's Standard Forms Committee is reviewing RVAR's Exclusive Right to Represent Seller
form for possible revisions. Do you have any suggestions or have you had any problems with language or provisions in this form? If so, please share your thoughts with Laura Benjamin. |
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Do Not Attend . . . but please DONATE!
We are nearing the end of the Community Service Committee's Fund Raiser for 2012. If you have made your donation, thank you so very much. If not, please take a moment to check out the Do Not Attend Charity Halloween Ball flyer. It's a fun idea and a very easy way to support RVAR's charities. Checks may be made payable to the following charities: Angels of Assisi, the Bradley Free Clinic, The Rescue Mission, the Roanoke Valley SPCA or the Salvation Army. |
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Increase in MLS Virtual Tour Violations
The MLS Monitoring Committee has seen a recent spike in MLS violations related to "branded" virtual tours being mislabeled as "unbranded" in the MLS. A "branded" virtual tour or video may contain agent and office promotion or identification. An "unbranded" virtual tour or video may only contain photos or other forms of marketing pertaining to the property.
If a "branded" virtual tour is entered into the MLS and mislabeled as "unbranded", the listing agent is subject to a $100 fine if not corrected within a grace period of two (2) business days.
If you -- or your vendor -- add virtual tours to your listings, be sure they are correctly labeled! Questions? Contact Maggie Hobbie at the RVAR Office. |
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REALTOR.com Ready for Foreign Buyer Surge
Last month, Kiplinger forecast "a surge in foreign direct investment over the next five to six years" in US real estate. To help members capture this business, REALTOR.com automatically includes all US listings on its international site and makes translations available in 11 languages. It also enables currency and measurement conversions. |
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Upcoming Education Offerings
Earnest Money Deposits and Release: VAR Counsel Blake Hegeman returns to address everything brokers need to know about earnest money deposits. This November 14th class (10-11:30AM) will cover when to deposit earnest money and when/how to release it if a deal dies. This class provides 1 hour of legal CE. Click here for more information or to register.
Ethics Training: RVAR will offer ethics training on November 15th (2-5PM) and December 18th (9AM-Noon) with instructor John Dickinson. These classes will not only meet NAR's requirement for ethics training every 4 years but will also provide 3 hours of CE credit for license renewal. The December 31st deadline is fast approaching -- so don't delay.
Fair Housing: Roanoke City's Fair Housing Board is offering a free Fair Housing Course open to all REALTORS� on December 6th, 1-4:30PM at the Jefferson Center Fitzpatrick Hall. (CE/PL 3 hours fair housing). Click here for more information or to register. |
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Our RVAR Family In Sympathy
RVAR expresses sympathy to Wayne Cundiff of Park Place, REALTORS� upon the death of his father.
Congratulations
RVAR congratulates Jerry McLawhorn, President of Superior Exterminating Company of Roanoke and the New River Valley, who recently received the Virginia Pest Management Industry Stewardship Award. The award recognizes "a lifetime commitment and service to promote and support all aspects of the pest control industry." Mr. McLawhorn is a past president of the Virginia Pest Management Association.
Let RVAR know if you have news to share. |
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Upcoming Events
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Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS�
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