9:00 - 10:00 am
Foundation Meeting
Christmas Party at SCAOR
Optional: You may also bring Support our Troops donations for our troops to the
Tuesday, Dec. 15th party.
12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
The SCAOR office will be
closed for staff training
12 noon
Christmas Eve
SCAOR office closes early
Christmas Day - SCAOR and DAR offices closed
New Year's Day - SCAOR and DAR offices closed
9:00 am
MLS Committee Meeting
Rookies Meeting
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Broker's Breakfast
Broker or ONE representative from office,
free but RSVP for headcount
MLK Holiday - office closed
9:00 am
Board of Directors Meeting
Legislative Update - Understanding Sussex
County Government
New 3 CE Course
MANDATORY for Agents
10:00 am
Education Committee Meeting
| Condolences | ||
| We extend our deep sympathy to Pat Campbell-White upon the death of her father, and to Pat and her daughter Carla Miller upon the death of Carla's husband. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in the names of Carla's children, Luke and Grace Miller. |
| 2010 DUES WERE DUE OCT. 31st |
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Go to www.realtor.org to pay your dues. A second late fee has been added as of, Dec. 1, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. Pay your dues ONLINE at www.realtor.org >> 2010 Dues are past due. If you are planning on going inactive as of 12/30/09, please complete appropriate paperwork and submit to SCAOR with notation that it will be effective 12/30/09. If your inactive paperwork is not submitted and dues are not paid, your membership will be terminated and your office will be on the January Board of Directors agenda, which could cause your office's membership to be suspended. Please don't allow this to happen. Please contact Crystal with any question or concerns at Crystal@scaor.com. |
| 3rd Quarter COMP Books Now on Sale | ||
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3rd quarter COMP e-books are now available at www.theSCAORstore.com. The cost is only $25 for SCAOR members and $75 for non-members. You may download the COMP book immediately, view it by sections or in its entirety, print it and have it available on your computer. Members! Once you buy a COMP book, it also stays available in your Members Only area of www.theSCAORstore.com.
download your copy >> |
Steve Alexander
Judy Dean
Susan Mills
Sandy Greene
Donna Neithardt
Bill Lucks
by 3-digit extension:
Reception, SentriLock, Website
Memberships, Bus Trips
MLS / IDX
Executive Vice President
Education, Ethics & Events
All are invited to attend the FREE, come and go, Christmas party at SCAOR Please click here to RSVP, just so we know a headcount for refreshments. |
For an easy way to help our troops, you may bring a Support our Troops donation to SCAOR anytime during office hours, or during the come and go Christmas party on December 15th. Click here for a list of needed items. Do not feel obligated to bring an item to attend the Christmas party; participation in the Support our Troops drive is voluntary.
SCAOR is also decorating a Christmas tree with pictures of REALTOR® family members who are serving locally or overseas. Please send or bring in a photo to be added to the tree.
For questions about the tree or Support our Troops drive, email Lidia Smith (Rookie Chair) at Lidia.Smith@LongandFoster.com or call 302-430-3753.
Ocean Atlantic Sotheby's International Realty is accepting non-perishable boxed and canned food items, and non-food items such as diapers, toothpaste, mouthwash, bar soap, shampoo / conditioner, liquid hand soaps, and paper products. They invite all in the Rehoboth and Bethany communities to make this food drive successful and help those that will need help the most, especially during the holiday season.
Dear Member,
Did you know that studies show the top three resolutions made each year are to lose weight, stop procrastinating, and to get organized?
We want to help you do two of the three by enrolling in online CE today! The losing weight part...well that's up to you!
As a valued member of our association, we would like to offer you a special promotion on your continuing education this January. "2010 Resolutions" gives you the opportunity to enjoy a 10% discount on any online CE course taken through our branded site!
Visit our course catalog: http://scaor.theceshop.com
Enter the promotional code upon checkout: RES10.
Receive your 10% discount! IT'S EASY!
This promotion expires January 31, 2010!
Feeling low from a tough market? Stressed out and stretched financially? A wonderful way to give back at no cost is to volunteer to be a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. There are multiple days & locations throughout Sussex County to choose from. All money collected remains in Sussex County, aiding neighbors and friends.
Eastern Sussex contact: Debbie Engel 302-668-7412
Western Sussex contact: Chas Engel 302-547-0545
Give your customers FREE, personalized coupons and savings offers, exclusively from Lowe's and NAR. Go to www.realtor.org and click on the Lowe's link to find out about this valuable marketing tool.
Helpful tip for a safe online shopping experience: Use strong passwords! When creating passwords for online accounts, use numbers, special characters, and upper/lower case letters. Don't use the same passwords for online shopping websites that you use for logging onto your computer.
More ways SCAOR is helping members obtain their CE?
Check out the 2010 Education classes held at SCAOR.
- Register online at www.scaorstore.com
- Four brand NEW courses
- Day and evening classes
- Variety of instructors, dates and times for courses
- Flood demonstration, reverse mortgages, marketing and more!
Brokers, please plan to attend our Broker Breakfast being held at SCAOR on Friday, January 15 at 8 a.m.
We will feed you and fill you with helpful and useful information. If you are unable to attend, please send one representative from your office.
Email Gail at gail@scaor.com to RSVP.
Match the committee!
- Name changed to Public Policy ?
- Beginners, experienced and seasoned REALTORS® are welcome?
- Monitors CE classes, suggests new classes for REALTORS®?
- Non REALTOR® members who support REALTOR® events and outreach?
- Specializes in property management?
- Reviews By-Laws of the Association for compliance with National Association of REALTORS®?
- Liason between REALTORS®, public and county/state homebuyer programs?
- Responsible for website content, public information and media?
- Reviews Multiple Listing Service complaints, suggestions and changes?
- Committee that hears an Arbitration complaint?
- Ethics complaints forwarded by this committee?
Answers:
1. Government Affairs, 2. Rookies, 3. Professional Development - BONUS - old name: Education, 4. Affiliate,
5. Rental, 6. Risk Reduction - BONUS - old name: By-Laws, 7. Housing Opportunities Partners, 8. Public Awareness - BONUS - old name: Public Relations, 9. MLS, 10. Professional Standards, 11. Grievance
BONUS:
How many committees have revised their name for 2010 to match NAR?
Bonus Answer is 4: Education, By-Laws, PR, and Government Affairs
Our Triple Bonus Question is:
Which 3 committees are still open for new members?
HOP - Contact Betty Kasperski (bestepx@yahoo.com)
Rookies - Contact Jim Meo (james.meo@longandfoster.com)
PR - Contact Sean Steward (sean@seansteward.com)
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print and send it to one of our military members currently deployed on active duty around the globe - including Iraq, Afghanistan and Asia. You can't pick who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.
It is FREE and only takes a second.
Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.
Thanks for taking the time to support our military!
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Mediation
Ronnie REALTOR® is off this week to Chicago to be trained as a Mediator. A few days of R & R, I thought, while learning a few new tricks. Wow, was I wrong. It is the end of the first day, and my brain can't absorb anything else. What a wonderful tool we have in the process of Mediation >> |
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Short Sales Program Guidelines Issued
The long awaited guidelines for Short Sales have been released by the Treasury Department. Below is a summary of the provisions.
On November 30, 2009, the Treasury Department released guidelines and forms for its new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA). HAFA is part of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). HAFA provides incentives in connection with a short sale or a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (DIL) used to avoid foreclosure on a loan eligible for modification under the HAMP program. HAFA applies to loans not owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which will issue their own versions of HAFA in coming weeks. HAFA is a complex program, with 43 pages of guidelines and forms, designed to simplify and streamline use of short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure.
Provisions of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAFA) include:
- Complements HAMP by providing a viable alternative for borrowers (the current homeowners) who are HAMP eligible but nevertheless unable to keep their home.
- Uses borrower financial and hardship information already collected in connection with consideration of a loan modification.
- Allows borrowers to receive pre-approved short sales terms before listing the property (including the minimum acceptable net proceeds).
- Prohibits the servicers from requiring a reduction in the real estate commission agreed upon in the listing agreement (up to 6 percent).
- Requires borrowers to be fully released from future liability for the first mortgage debt (no cash contribution, promissory note, or deficiency judgment is allowed).
- Uses standard processes, documents, and timeframes/deadlines.
- Provides financial incentives: $1,500 for borrower relocation assistance; $1,000 for servicers to cover administrative and processing costs; and up to $1,000 for investors for allowing a total of up to $3,000 in short sale proceeds to be distributed to subordinate lien holders (on a one-for-three matching basis).
The program does not take effect until April 5, 2010, but servicers may implement it before then if they meet certain requirements.
The program sunsets on December 31, 2012.
More details and informational links are available at www.realtor.org/shortsales.
Full Listing of Delaware Planning News & Meetings >>
Case #12-12: Advertising in the Guise of News
Shortly after mailing his "Homeowners Neighborhood Newsletter" to local residents, several complaints were filed against REALTOR® B claiming that he had engaged in deceptive advertising in violation of Article 12's "true picture" directive. These complaints were reviewed by the Grievance Committee which determined that a hearing should be held and that all of the related complaints would be consolidated in a single hearing. The appropriate notices were sent and the hearing was convened.
REALTOR® A, one of the complainants, introduced REALTOR® B's "Homeowners Neighborhood Newsletter" into evidence pointing out that, on the first page, REALTOR® B had prominently shown pictures of, and addresses for, ten homes in an exclusive area of town labeling each as "Recently Sold." REALTOR® A, the listing broker for several of these properties, stated that, in his opinion, the average reader would readily conclude that REALTOR® B, by advertising this way, was claiming to have listed and sold the properties and that his claims violated Article 12, as interpreted by Standard of Practice 12-7. In response, REALTOR® B indicated that Article 12 was limited in scope to ". . . advertising and representations to the public" and that his "Homeowners Neighborhood Newsletter" was not, in fact, advertising but rather a well-intentioned effort to make homeowners aware of current market values. "Sale prices in our county become a matter of public record once a deed of sale is recorded," REALTOR® B argued, "and anyone who wants to find out about recent sales can get that information from the recorder's office." "All I am doing," he continued, "is reporting news - and saving residents the time and effort of retrieving this information on their own. If someone appreciates my efforts and later buys or sells through me, so much the better, but that is not the reason for my newsletter."
Based upon your understanding of Article 12, what do you think the hearing panel concluded?
Find out in next week's At a Glance!
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© Copyright 2009 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 |
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