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Roanoke Valley REALTOR®
Online
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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® 1,124 Offices 124 Affiliate 137 Click here to see which RVAR members have switched firms, gone inactive, or joined recently. |
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2013 Dues Bills In the Mail
The 2013 dues bills should arrive at office addresses by October 1st. The 2013 dues amount has been set at $520 -- exactly the same as the 2012 amount:
NAR $155
VAR $120
RVAR $245
Any member who would like to receive a dues bill via email should contact Susan Edwards.
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 Monday, January 7th. Anyone whose membership is terminated for non-payment of dues may be reinstated:
- 60 days following termination -- reinstatement requires payment of annual dues + reinstatement fee equal to 1/2 new member application fee.
- Beyond 60 days -- reinstatement requires application as a new member.
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VREB Issues Agency Guidance Document
At its meeting on September 6th, the Virginia Real Estate Board approved an agency guidance document to clear up some confusion amongst licensees as to when a written brokerage agreement is required pursuant to the July 1st changes in the Virginia agency law. |
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September is REALTOR® Safety Month Take a moment to review the 10 second rule. It only takes 10 seconds to scope out your surroundings and avoid danger. Make it part of your daily routine! |
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Petition Period for 2013 Board Sets
Any REALTOR® wishing to file as a petition candidate for any of the open Board positions noted must file a petition with the RVAR office during the month of September. The petition must be received in the RVAR office by Monday, October 1st and be signed by 20 RVAR members in good standing. If any petitions are filed, an election by ballot for any contested seats will be held by mid-November. (And if it turns out we are having a fall election, we will invite all the candidates to the October 18th REALTOR® After Hours for a 'meet the candidates' evening.)
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RPAC Meets Its Goal
Thank you to the 345 REALTORS®, Affiliates and RVAR staff who contributed to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) this year. Led by Betty Kingery of Mountain to Lake Realty, Joe Sutliff of REMAX All Stars and Bryan Musselwhite of Poe and Cronk Real Estate Group, RVAR's fundraising campaign raised just over $24,000, exceeding the goal set for us by VAR.
Thank you especially to those who generously gave more than their fair share. For every dollar donated to RPAC, 40 cents goes to RVAR, 30 cents to VAR and 30 cents to NAR, all to be used for political and legislative efforts in support of REALTOR® issues.
The 2013 RPAC fundraising campaign begins October 1st. Contribute your $20 fair share amount with your 2013 dues payment!
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MLS Changes Announced
A variety of MLS changes will go into effect around October 1st.
Changes in MLS System
Password Change: The period of time required for a password change has already been extended from 60 days to 360 days. A "password change" warning will be displayed when agents log in beginning 7 days before the password change must be completed.
Lockbox Field Expanded: Effective October 2nd, the Lockbox Y/N field will be changed to a drop down menu with three choices: 1 RVAR, 2 Call LA or 3 None. NOTE: If you currently have a listing with a non-RVAR lockbox, you will want to edit your listing after October 2nd.
Short Term Rentals Allowed: Effective October 2nd, a new field will be added to the Water Class section of the MLS Input Sheet to indicate whether short term rentals are allowed.
Updated MLS input sheets will be available in zipForms by October 2nd. The updated input sheets will also be available via a link on the FlexMLS dashboard.
Changes in MLS Rules
Copying Photos without Permission: A new MLS rule goes into effect October 1st prohibiting the copying and use of MLS photos from another agent without obtaining prior permission. The agent who originally placed the photos in the MLS may notify the using agent that they do not have permission to use their photos. The issue will be turned over to the MLS Monitoring Committee in three days if the photos remain on the listing. Abuses reported to the MLS Monitoring Committee may result in a fine to the offending agent of $100 per listing and removal of the unauthorized photos by MLS staff if not corrected or appealed within the three day time period. "Photo" refers to all "images", "videos", and "virtual tours."
Mapping Listings: A new MLS rule goes into effect October 1st requiring listings to be mapped correctly in the MLS system. An unmapped listing or a listing mapped incorrectly shall be considered an incorrect listing, as defined in the MLS Monitoring Guidelines.
No Listings by Contract: A new MLS rule goes into effect October 1st prohibiting property from being entered into the MLS when the owner of record (at the time of the listing) is neither a party to the listing nor has authorized the listing's submission to the MLS.
An updated version of the MLS Rules & Regulations will be available by October 1st on RVAR.com and the FlexMLS dashboard. |
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Supra News: Update on iPhone 5 and iOS6
To date 334 members have switched to Supra's eKey, which utilizes your smartphone to access lockboxes.
If you are thinking about getting an iPhone 5, Supra wants you to know that it is currently working to develop an adapter that will work with the iPhone 5's smaller connector. (Apple does not release its product in advance to vendors like Supra - so Supra is just starting its development and testing.)
Supra advises that "we cannot confirm that they (the iPhone 5 and its adapter) will operate correctly. Supra customers who wish to run the eKey application on an iPhone 5 may want to consider delaying their purchase of the iPhone 5 until Supra's testing is complete". Supra plans to support the iPhone 5 and will announce when its testing is complete.
Supra has completed testing of the new iOS6 operating system recently released by Apple. Supra has confirmed that Supra eKey app is compatible with the following devices: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and the new iPad.
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RPR Now Available in FlexMLS
The MLS has joined with REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR) to provide a powerful, new MLS tool - which appears as a menu item within Flex. RPR is NAR's exclusive online real estate database, which merges MLS data with publicly available data on 147 million parcels nationwide (residential and commercial.) This NAR member benefit is free of charge -- and for REALTOR® eyes only. Types of data include: public records, mortgage and lien data, flood maps, drive time overlay maps and neighborhood reports.
Step one is to set up your account. Click here for instructions. Then, look up your house, look up your listing -- and explore all the data now available to you. |
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Open House Website
Beautiful fall Sundays are the perfect time for open houses. Be sure to register your open houses in FlexMLS (it's easy and free). Open houses entered into FlexMLS will appear on RoanokeValleyOpenHouse.com, as we as on REALTOR.com® and the REALTOR.com® Smartphone app. Open houses automatically expire in FlexMLS, so no further action is required following the open house.
RVAR's Public Relations Committee just kicked off another round of public promotion of RVAR's open house website, including electronic billboards and magazine ads. Watch for ads in the next Roanoke Newcomer's Guide and next spring's Smith Mountain Lake Visitor's Guide. |
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Fall Events
REALTOR® After Hours: The Program & Special Events Committee welcomes all REALTORS® and Affliliates to a fun, free event - complete with food, beverage and music - Thursday, October 18th, 5-7PM at the RVAR Office Courtyard. Click here to register.
PLUS, enter the Chilli Cook Off -- individuals or companies welcome. No cost to enter -- but there's a $100 prize for the winner. Contact Jan Settle for the cook off entry form.
Special thanks to the evening's sponsors: Acquistion Title & Settlement Agency, Atlantic Bay Mortgage, Colonial Mortgage, Corridor Mortgage and Cox Communications. |
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Survey Winners
Thanks to the 230 members who responded to the recent member survey focused on educational offerings and the Affiliates Expo. The survey results will be most helpful to the Education Committee and Affiliates Committee in making future plans. Congratulations to the following survey respondents who each won $50: Di Jarrard (Keller Williams), Robert Lichtenstein (Lichtenstein-Rowan) and Tom Wilson (Prudential Premier). |
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Property Management Coalition Conference
VAR's Property Management Coalition is hosting a must attend event for managers to stay up to date. Join more than 200 property managers from across Virginia for this conference which combines education with networking. Click here to register. |
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Upcoming Education Offerings
GRI 406 What Did I Agree To? This October 11th class will focus on writing and presenting every category of real estate agreements (contracts, listings, leases, buyer agreements and more.) Instructor: Donna Austin. (CE 7 hours; PL 6 hours). Click here for more information or to register. Already have your GRI? You may attend this class for only $35 -- earn the CE credits, no exam required.
Ethics Training: RVAR will offer ethics training on October 15th (9AM-Noon) and November 15th (2-5PM) 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.
LeRoy Houser Returns: LeRoy will be back by popular demand on Wednesday, October 17th to teach two express seminars at the RVAR office. The morning session (9-11AM) is How to Sell Listing Impossible. The afternoon session (1:30-3:30PM) is Lead Generation in the 21st Century. Take one or both classes. Seating is limited -- so you will want to register soon. Click on the links above for more information or to register.
Practical Landlording: If you manage rental property, you need to know the law plus practical tips from a fellow landlord, Gary Dogan. This October 25th class (9-11AM) will cover everything from screening tenants to security deposits to the eviction process. This class provides 2 hours of CE electives. Click here for more information or to register.
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. |
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NAR News: New Short Sale Guidelines
NAR is pleased with the new short sales guidelines which are scheduled to be implemented on November 1st. NAR worked closely with the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to create the new guidelines.
The new guidelines will offer a more streamlined short sale approach for homeowners most in need, as well as enable lenders to quickly and easily qualify certain homeowners for a short sale who are current on their mortgage payments, yet suffer from specific hardships such as job relocation, increase in housing expenses, unemployment and disability. The FHFA guidelines will also consolidate existing short sales programs into a single uniform process and provide lenders and homeowners clarity on processing a short sale when a foreclosure sale is pending.
NAR believes that improving short sale eligibility will allow more families to avoid foreclosure and reduce the negative impact foreclosures have on families and communities. Short sales also help stabilize home values and neighborhoods by keeping homes occupied, which benefits the housing market and aids in the recovery. |
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VAR Updates Broker Toolkit
This summer, VAR updated one of its most popular publications, the Broker Toolkit. Even if you are a seasoned broker, you will want to check out the impact of the new laws that went into effect July 1st. Toolkit topics include: bookkeeping, escrow funds, fair housing, RESPA policies, antitrust issues and social medial policies. Click here to view the Toolkit. |
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Our RVAR Family
In Sympathy
RVAR expresses sympathy to those members who have recently lost loved ones: Thomas Hubard of Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group upon the recent death of his mother; Mary Lou McDonald of ML Realty upon the recent death of her husband; Anne Johnston of Coldwell Banker Townside upon the recent death of her brother; Neal Wall of RE/MAX Valley upon the death of his mother and Spring Cho of Spring Cho Real Estate Group upon the recent death of her husband.
Congratulations
RVAR congratulates Adam Lynch of Prudential Waterfront upon his recent acceptance into the 2013 class of the Virginia Leadership Academy. The Academy is a year long program conducted by the Virginia Association of REALTORS®.
Congratulations to George Akers of Gwyn and Harmon, REALTORS® and his wife who recently received the Margaret Sue Copenhaver Education Award from Roanoke College for 2012.
RVAR congratulates Angie McGhee of United Country Quality Realty and Karen Moses of MKB, REALTORS® upon earning their Graduate, REALTORS® Institute (GRI) designation.
RVAR also congratulates Lori Shultz-Moore who has earned the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager designation.
Let RVAR know if you have news to share.
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Upcoming Events
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October 1st |
Deadline for filing petitions for BOD seats | |
October 11th |
GRI 406 | |
October 17th |
LeRoy Houser (AM & PM classes at RVAR Office) | |
October 18th |
REALTOR® After Hours, 5-7PM, RVAR Courtyard | |
October 25th |
Practical Landlording, 9-11AM | |
November 1st |
Anyone who pays 2013 dues by this date will receive a $50 discount. |
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Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS®
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