March 16, 2007

 

Our current education schedule is now available. To register for classes online click here or simply visit our webpage at www.scaor.com. Click on "Members" then "Class/Event Registration" for a complete list of classes. This is a great opportunity for resident licensees to get their credits early.

Non-resident licensees must complete 15 credit hours of continuing education no later than April 30, 2007. Delaware currently accepts elective continuing education credits approved by the Maryland Commission exclusive of any course relating specifically to Maryland laws.

 

SCAOR is offering more sponsorship opportunities for our Affiliates. You may sponsor an educational class and showcase your business with the students before class begins. By sponsoring the morning or afternoon snacks, you may introduce yourself and distribute company information for the cost of $25 per session. We ask that you volunteer to sponsor only one education class at this time to give everyone the opportunity to get involved. For more information, please contact Barbara at the SCAOR office at 302-855-2300.

 

The Affiliate Committee is interested in scheduling a trip to visit the King Tut exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in September (date based on ticket availability). The price of tickets is $24 per person. If you are interested in signing up for this event please email Barbara at barbara@scaor.com no later than March 22. We need to place our order asap as tickets are limited. For more information call Barbara at 855-2300.

 

 

Professional thefts are stealing copper tubing from new construction and vacant homes in the Seaford and Georgetown area. The state police are aware of the situation.

 
 
 

The REALTOR^® Community Service Committee will once again offer the grant program to assist the needy of Sussex County. The grant guidelines and application forms are available at www.scaor.com. If you know of an organization that supports programs that assists needy children of Sussex County, please ask them to visit our website for details. Applications must be submitted by April 20^th.

 

In 2007, Public Awareness Campaign ads will be broadcast nationwide from January through November. This is the first time the campaign will be on-air for 11 months of the year. With this extended presence, campaign ads will air more than 8,750 times on national TV and radio outlets and more than 25,000 times on local radio stations through a national buy.

The campaign continues to build a national presence for NAR on primetime TV . Public Awareness Campaign ads will be seen in top ABC and CBS programs such as Extreme Makeover, Home Edition; Grey's Anatomy; According to Jim; George Lopez; How I Met Your Mother; Two-and-a-Half Men; CSI: Miami; Criminal Minds; 60 Minutes; and Numb3rs. To extend NAR's reach, campaign ads will also appear on the new CW network, with a program lineup that includes Smallville, Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven, and Everybody Hates Chris.

Based on the success of the 2006 foray into sports programming, NAR will once again air spots in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on CBS, with placements beginning in the early round games and continuing through to the round of the Elite Eight. In addition, campaign ads will air during the major league baseball playoffs in the fall.

Public Awareness Campaign ads will continue their presence in early morning programs like ABC's Good Morning America and CBS's Sunday Morning News, and will begin to appear on CBS's Early Show. In the late-night arena, campaign ads will appear during CBS's Late Show with David Letterman and on ABC's Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

On cable, look for Public Awareness Campaign ads on HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Discovery Home, TBS, TNT, USA, History, ABC Family, CMT, National Geographic, DIY, and Fine Living Network.

For the third consecutive year, NAR will continue to target the important and growing Hispanic market with Spanish language TV ads, which will air on Univision, Telemundo, and Galavision.

Radio continues to play a key medium for the campaign with 31 weeks of activity in 2007. The campaign will also air on a broad range of national radio properties, including the ABC and CBS networks, ESPN Radio's Major League Baseball, XM Satellite Radio, and in-game sponsorships during NFL games.

 

Last week the House Financial Services Committee approved a bill to assist hurricane evacuees with rental housing and provide support for landlords who provided evacuees with housing. The "Gulf Coast Hurricane House Recovery Act of 2007," H.R. 1227, also provides flexibility for the use of already allocated funds and provides new oversight of existing programs. NAR joined a coalition of housing groups in writing a letter of support. The bill is expected on the House floor in the next few weeks. For more info, contact: Megan Booth, 202/383-1222.

 
MATCH MARKETING TECHNIQUES TO THE AUDIENCE

REALTORS^® targeting young homebuyers might want to get creative with the video recording feature on their digital cameras and walk through the home just like a buyer would when taking an in-person tour, and then post the walking tour on www.YouTube.com, the popular free video sharing website. YouTube enables practitioners to advertise for free, rather than spend hundreds of dollars on Web listings, virtual tours, and professionally produced videos.

REALTOR^® Magazine Online reports that a growing number of real estate agents are using YouTube, hoping to get an edge on their competitors. YouTube was named TIME Magazine's "Invention of the Year" for 2006, and was acquired by Google in November 2006 for $1.65 billion in Google stock. YouTube definitely appeals to a specific audience--stereotypically younger, tech savvy types. Older, more conservatives clients may less likely to respond, and those without Internet access won't be able to view your marketing efforts at all. Know your targeted client(s) and tailor your marketing efforts appropriately.

 

In the U.S., the exchange of business cards is a fairly casual activity; a handy way to provide basic business contact information. Not so in many other parts of the world--perhaps most notably, Asia--where a much greater importance is given to the exchange of business cards and there are clear do's and don'ts to keep in mind. Paper stock, color, content and presentation can all impact the impression you make when providing your business card to a colleague or a potential client.

 

Article 8

REALTORS^® shall keep in a special account in an appropriate financial institution, separated from their own funds, monies coming into their possession in trust for other persons, such as escrows, trust funds, clients' monies, and other like items.

 

Take a moment to review your SentriLock inventory. Now that most of the boxes have been placed on your eligible listings, you are able to determine if you have excess boxes on hand. Excess boxes will need to be returned to the board office so that firms in need of additional boxes can be accommodated.

If you have excess SentriLock boxes, please call TracyLee at 855-2300.

 

 

We now have 49 SentriLock Offices - 3 added this week!
A SentriLock office is one having a SentriLock lockbox on all eligible listings.

SentriSecure Brokerages as of 3.15.07

The following report shows the offices that have combination lockboxes on some listings. As combination boxes are eliminated, these offices will be added to the SentriLock Offices list.

Brokerages with Combo Boxes as of 3.15.07

 

As per your request, the next time you update your SentriCard, you will notice that the renewal period has been extended from 3 to 5 days. Counting the day you renew your card, the SentriCard will now expire at midnight on the 5^th day.

 

March 19 - March 28 Delaware News & Meetings Posted

An agenda has been posted for the March 28 meeting of the Preliminary Land Use Service (PLUS). The meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. on in the first floor conference room of the Haslet Armory, on William Penn Street, in Dover.

Details here >>

 

Sussex County Sign Ordinance

Signs. . . Signs. . . Everywhere there's Signs. Well, not everywhere

Read up on the do's and don'ts of what is allowed.

 
 

Each week we will be covering a portion of the "MLS Rules and Regulations." To be on the SAFE SIDE, please review the rules each week to eliminate errors in the system which could lead to MLS violations and fines. These rules and regulations have been submitted and reviewed by NAR and are in full compliance with National Association policy.

How it Works

In order for a Participant to be fined, a completed MLS Violation Report and a copy of any substantiating documents must accompany the Violation report. Anonymous faxes will not constitute a formal complaint. These forms may be mailed, faxed or delivered to the SCAOR office. The staff will keep all correspondence confidential.

MLS staff will check the database to confirm the violation. If a violation occurs, it will fall into one of the following categories:

1. Minor violations;
2. Failure to correct a listing within 48 hours of a Listing Complaint Notification;
3. Serious violations;
4. Prohibited activities;
5. Unauthorized dissemination of system access password;
6. Continued failure to correct a listing after a Listing Complaint Notification; or
7. Failure to pay a fine.
8. Violations for Section 16 (IDX) of the MLS rules and regulations.
9. Failure to list properties which are sold or which may be sold separately individually in the listing agreement and on the Property Data Form.
10. Failure to properly notify the Service when part of a listed property is sold.
11. Any listing turned in to the MLS with any reference to the listing broker or agent or phone numbers included in the customer "remarks" section of the profile sheet will be automatically deleted by the SCAOR office upon notification and verification.
12. Any listing turned in to the MLS with any reference to a listing broker, agent or firm on photos or virtual tours.
13. Entering a listing in more than one property type, for example: Single Family/Condo.

 

© Copyright 2007 Sussex County Association of REALTORS^®
23407 Park Ave., Georgetown, DE 19947, USA
Phone (302) 855-2300  ~  Fax (302) 855-2319  ~  info@scaor.com  ~  www.scaor.com