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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® 1,055 Offices 124 Affiliate 160 Click here to see which RVAR members have switched firms, gone inactive, or joined recently. |
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Annual Technology Forum
RVAR's Technology Committee brings you another free opportunity to update your tech skills. The annual Technology Forum, Wednesday, March 13th, 9:30AM-1:00PM at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood, will offer three free classes:
- Becoming a Paperless Agent (sponsored by Atlantic Bay Mortgage)
- FlexMLS -- Mobile Options, Portals and the latest Features
- REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR) -- New Release with Improved Custom Report Features and Comp Analysis
Click here for more information or to register. Bring your business cards for prize drawings! Thank you to the Roanoke Valley MLS for sponsoring the FlexMLS and RPR sessions. |
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Digital House Hunt: A Joint Study from NAR and Google
NAR recently collaborated with Google to uncover trends and insights related to digital media usage among home seekers, whether they were looking for an existing home, a newly constructed home or an apartment. Here are some highlights. Click here if you want to read the full report.
- 90% of home buyers searched online during their home buying process.
- 78% of home shoppers visit 3+ sites prior to taking action on a real estate site.
- 69% of shoppers who take action on a real estate brand website began their search with a local term (i.e., Salem homes for sale) on a search engine.
- Real estate related searches on Google.com grew 253% over the past 4 years.
- 20% of real estate related searches happen on mobile devices. (And of those searching on a mobile device, 77% are at home, 36% are watching TV, 31% are at work, 28% are waiting in line and 27% are at a restaurant.)
- Finding an agent and agent-related searches on YouTube grew 46% year-over-year.
- 75% of senior home buyers go online to search for a home.
- Virginia is one of the top 5 states where senior-related housing searches are happening.
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What Did You Say?
RVAR President Betty Kingery has multiple missions this year -- one of which is to spread the word as to the proper pronunciation of the word REALTOR®. Those of you who attended her Installation heard her passion on this topic. Thank you to Dennis Cronk for sharing this cartoon. 
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January Home Sales Strong
Residential home sales are off to a strong start this year, based on MLS statistics recently released for the month of January. The number of homes placed under contract in January is 350, the highest number since January, 2007. The number of homes sold in January is 238, the highest number since January, 2008.
A link to the monthly home sales statistics, along with a 3-year comparison, is provided on the front page of RVAR.com. The MLS releases its monthly home sales statistics around the 15th of the following month (since brokers and listing agents are given 10 business days following settlement to change the status of MLS listings to Sold.)
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VAR's 2012 Year-End Housing Report
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® just released its Pieces of Home: 2012 Virginia Housing Report. The Report includes regional snapshots, comparisons of Virginia with the U.S., foreclosure data and a commercial round-up -- plus perspective and commentary from experts across the state, including Governor Bob McDonnell. Click here to read the report or download a copy.
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March 13 Deadline to Pay Supra Display Key Invoice
Supra's annual invoice for Display Keys was sent out on February 5th with a due date of March 13th. The amount of the invoice is $161.23 plus tax.
Agents can go to www.supraekey.com for billing information -- or to pay online -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have any questions about your invoice, contact Supra support at 877-699-6787.
Reminder: Only agents who use Display Keys received an invoice. Agents who have switched to the eKey (your smartphone) are billed monthly by Supra.
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Upcoming Education Offerings
Referrals are the Name of the Game: LeRoy Houser returns to Roanoke for this new, 90-minute class -- and it's FREE. Key topics will include: 3 main characteristics for long term top producers; 12 tips to get more referrals and the criteria for choosing your farming area. Click here for more information or to register.
CRS Elective Course: No Bull Selling: LeRoy Houser will be back in Roanoke on March 21st to teach this brand new day-long course. This course will focus on: online marketing techniques; creating a buyer counseling program; three critical fundamentals of successful negotiation and capturing more referrals. Click here for more information or to register. Already have the CRS designation? You may attend this class at a discounted rate. Contact Louann Pagans at the RVAR office for more information.
GRI 407: Managing Risk: Instructor Donna Austin will instruct this class, which is required to earn the GRI designation. Learn sure-fire ways to end up in lawsuits and how to avoid them. This class includes a crash course in fair housing, equal services, environmental concerns, state and federal regulations (lead paint, ADA, property disclosure and antitrust.) This course qualifies for CE 2 hours law, 3 hours fair housing, 2 hours electives or PL 3 hours fair housing and 4 hours electives. Click here for more information or to register for this class.
Already earned your GRI? You may attend this class for only $35. Great way to update your knowledge and earn CE. (No test required.) Contact Louann Pagans to register as a GRI Plus member. New River e-PRO® Certification Class Day 1: The New River Valley Association of REALTORS® welcomes RVAR Members to register for this all-day class on March 11th, 9AM-5PM at the Association office in Christiansburg. NAR recently revamped its entire curriculum in order to focus on the latest social media technologies. Click here to learn more about NAR's e-PRO® certification program. Click here for registration information.
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RVAR's Speakers Council - City Police Chief Chris Perkins
RVAR's Speakers Council will feature Roanoke City Police Chief Chris Perkins at its Tuesday, March 19th meeting. The meeting is held at the RVAR Office, beginning at 8:15AM and ending by 9:30AM. Breakfast is provided. The cost to attend is $5 -- or you can join the Council for an annual cost of $35. Click here to register for this session.
RVAR's Speakers Council meets nine times a year, with a featured speaker usually related to economic development or quality of life issues in the greater Roanoke Valley.
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Our REALTOR® Family
Best Wishes
Best wishes to RVAR's Office Manager Jan Settle, who is retiring after 18 years of service to RVAR.
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following REALTORS® who were recently named to the Executive Committee of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce: Terri Stanley of Premier Appraisals as Vice Chairman and Steve Chiminello of Long & Foster's Lake Office as Immediate Past Chairman. Barbara Brooks of RE/MAX Lakefront Realty was named to the Chamber's Board of Directors.
In Sympathy
RVAR expresses sympathy to those members who have recently lost loved ones: Valerie Eagle of Park Place, REALTORS® upon the death of her father and J. Mark White of MKB, REALTORS® upon the death of his mother. RVAR also expresses sympathy to Affiliate Member Melody Williams, Executive Vice President of the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association, upon the death of her mother.
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Upcoming Events
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February 26
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Referrals Are the Name of the Game - 10:30AM-Noon - FREE
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March 13
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Annual Tech Forum, Holiday Inn Tanglewood 9:30AM-1:00PM
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March 15
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GRI 407 - 8AM-4:30PM - $90 -($35 for GRI Plus Members and no exam required)
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March 19
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Speakers Council - Speaker Chris Perkins, Roanoke City Chief of Police 8:15AM-9:30AM
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March 21
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CRS Elective: No Bull Selling - 9AM-4PM - $95 -no exam ($75 for CRS Members)
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Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS®
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