4th Quarter COMP e-books

4th quarter COMP e-books are at www.SCAORstore.com. Only $25 for SCAOR members. Download the COMP book immediately. Members! Once you buy a COMP book, it is also in your Members Only area of www.SCAORstore.com. Click here to download your copy >>

April 8 Mixer - All are Invited Come to SCAOR This Thursday, April 8 4 to 6 p.m. for a FREE mixer sponsored by the Rookies. Enjoy cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and gain some tips too. Spring into action with a REALTORS® survival kit. RSVP to Gail@scaor.com.   SCAOR Community Service Foundation Fundraiser Help Build a Habitat for Humanity Foundation! Wednesday, April 28 5 - 10 p.m. at Irish Eyes, Lewes, Delaware 10% of all food proceeds plus 50/50 raffle drawing proceeds will be donated to the Foundation   It's Hammer Time! The Sussex County Association of REALTORS®, The Sussex County Association of REALTORS® Community Service Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity are teaming up to build a home in Milton. The "Women's Build" will begin in May. We are currently seeking women volunteers (sorry men) to take part in the Leadership Team. All positions are posted on the website: www.sussexcountyhabitat.org. Click on Women Build and this will connect you to the link that describes the Leadership Volunteer positions that need to be filled prior to the Build beginning. Later, we will announce the actual May start date and it will be open for any volunteers to sign up (including men). We have agreed to hold special days for the Sussex County REALTORS® to come out and work during the regular work week. We have a great start towards this project. SCAOR received a grant from NAR for $5,500 for the Foundation, but we still need to raise approximately $1,500 toward the project. So, if you can't do the time on the project, please consider a donation to the project. Just a dollar makes a difference! For more information, contact Kathy Goodman at kgbeach81@aol.com.   April 30 - Licenses Renew Don't Miss the Deadline! The rush is on and classes are SELLING OUT. Sign up now for the remaining classes and don't come up short on required CEs for the April 30 re-licensing deadline. Enroll in elective online classes at The CE Shop.   May 12 - Bus Trip to DC Midyear Trade Expo & Capitol Hill Visits Wednesday, May 12 Join the Midyear bus trip to visit YOUR elected officials on Capitol Hill. 7:15 a.m. Meet the bus at SCAOR 10 a.m. Approximate arrival at Expo 12:30 p.m. Meet bus for trip to Capitol Hill 4:15 p.m. Bus departs from the Capitol 6:30 p.m. Approximate return to SCAOR For a $15 RPAC contribution, you can share the ride, skip the parking fees and driving, visit the Expo, and express your most pressing REALTOR® concerns to your legislators. Register at scaorstore.com >> Share the flyer >>   May 14 - Good Neighbor Nominations Due Every year, DAR and NAR recognize REALTORS® who are making an exceptional impact on their communities through volunteer work. NAR awards five $10,000 grants! Please share the Good Neighbor Awards information, and submit nominations to SCAOR by Friday, May 14, 2010 so your nominations can be considered at the state and national levels.   It's Coming . . . CRS 111: Short Sales & Foreclosures > Earn 6 DE Real Estate Commission CEs, > hours towards your CRS designation, > and meet the core course requirements for REBAC's Short Sales & Foreclosures Resource (SFR) certification. Friday, June 4 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at SCAOR Lunch included. Limited to 70 attendees Register online at www.scaorstore.com!   September 3 - Save the Date! The Duck Race at Jungle Jim's   December 8 - NYC Bus Trip Tour the city or see a Broadway musical. Your choice! Join us on a Trip to New York December 8! Limited Seats Available, Departure: 6:30 a.m. SHARP! Register by emailing Crystal@scaor.com or faxing your form to the SCAOR office. Click here for the flyer >>   Remind Clients of April 30 Deadlines Home Buyer Tax Credit The $8,000 tax credit is available for first-time homebuyers and $6,500 for homebuyers replacing their principal residence. But they must enter a binding contract by April 30, 2010, and close on the home by June 30, 2010. Make sure your buyers are aware of these huge incentives, and help guide them on how to apply for the tax credit. Here's how >> 3.5% Sales Price Incentive from Fannie Mae Home buyers purchasing properties listed on HomePath.com can receive up to 3.5% for: Closing costs; The purchase of new Whirlpool® appliances by Fannie Mae; or A mix of closing costs and appliances up to the maximum 3.5% of sales price. To be eligible for this incentive: Offers must be accepted on or after January 28, 2010; Property sales must close before May 1, 2010; and Buyers must be owner-occupants (investors are excluded). Here's the details >>

WCR Breakfast and Program Working with Clients of a Different Culture Next Thursday, April 15 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. @ Brandywine Assisted Living, Rt. 54, Selbyville Speaker: Rashmi Rangan, Housing Director of Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council Cost: $10 Members; $15 non-members - includes breakfast and program For Information or to Register, call Linda Morena at 302-312-8118.   Condolences SCAOR extends our condolences and prayers to Caroline Short of Coldwell Banker Resort Realty in the loss of her husband, Jim Short.   SentriLock: What You Need to Know Inventory is very low at SCAOR. Please email all requests for additional lockboxes to Gail@scaor.com. Requests for additional lockboxes require an inventory report showing all boxes currently in your inventory, with their locations properly assigned. All requests will be processed in order of their receipt. Gail will notify you when your boxes are ready for pick up, which is usually within 2 days if lockboxes are available. SCAOR will perform random spot audits to help maintain an inventory (so that any unassigned/unused lockboxes are returned to the board for use).   Ronnie REALTOR® Poll Do you wish to receive Ronnie REALTOR® tips weekly, monthly or not at all in At a Glance? Email TracyLee@scaor.com with your feedback. If you enjoy Ronnie, include a topic you would like to learn about.   Who Will Be . . . 2010 REALTOR® of the Year! Nominations are now open for the SCAOR REALTOR® of the Year Award. Please take this opportunity to nominate one of our many SCAOR members who exemplifies the REALTOR® image and goes beyond the call of duty. Nominations are due Monday, May 3 >   New: Broker Licensing at SCAOR Broker Licensing is coming to SCAOR in August. This will be fast track instruction, with multiple days of instruction per week, including day and evening class times. Contact TracyLee@scaor.com or 855-2300 ext 205 for details and to be put on a contact list.   Renew Your SentriCard from Your BlackBerry Phone BlackBerry users can now renew their SentriCards® using a BlackBerry SmartCard Reader and Card Utility. Email Gail@scaor.com to order the BlackBerry Smartcard Reader. They cost $199. The SentriLock BlackBerry Card Utility which is also required is free. Product details and videos are at www.sentrilock.com/blackberry and www.youtube.com/sentrilock1.   Legislative Watchdog NEW SHORT SALES RULES NOW EFFECTIVE In early 2009, NAR urged the U.S. Treasury Department, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to improve the short sales process. This resulted in the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Program, new guidelines and uniform forms. All servicers must implement the new HAFA provisions effective TODAY, April 5, 2010. Understanding HAFA Webinar >> Short Sales Resources at realtor.org/shortsales >> Full Listing of Delaware Planning News & Meetings >> April 2 Government Affairs Update from Delaware Association of REALTORS® >>     ETHICALLY SPEAKING... Our Duties to REALTORS® Case #17-8: Attempted Use of Corporate Veil to Avoid Obligation to Arbitrate REALTORS® A and B, principals in different firms, were both members of the same Board. A disagreement arose between them concerning entitlement to a commission in a real estate transaction. After initial efforts to resolve the dispute proved fruitless, REALTOR® A filed a request for arbitration with the Board which was reviewed by the Grievance Committee which concluded that an arbitrable issue existed. Instead of agreeing to arbitration through the Board, REALTOR® B filed a lawsuit against REALTOR® A. Receiving notice of the suit, REALTOR® A filed a charge with the Board alleging REALTOR® B had violated Article 17 of the Code of Ethics. REALTOR® B, in his presentation to the Board of Directors indicated that, in his opinion, he was not subject to any ethics charge, since it was his corporation, and not REALTOR® B individually, that had filed suit against the corporation of REALTOR® A, not against REALTOR® A himself. REALTOR® A told the Board of Directors that immediately upon occurrence of the dispute, he had suggested to REALTOR® B that the matter be arbitrated by the Board, and REALTOR® B said he would think about it. REALTOR® A then proceeded to file his request for arbitration with the Board. However, REALTOR® B did not respond to the arbitration notice and, shortly thereafter, REALTOR® A received notice of the suit filed by REALTOR® B's corporation against the corporation of REALTOR® A. He said he then called REALTOR® B and again discussed the obligation of Article 17 with him. However, REALTOR® B advised him that his corporation was not subject to the requirements of the Code and stated his intent to pursue the litigation. REALTOR® B acknowledged that the facts as related by REALTOR® A were correct and that his corporation had filed suit upon the advice of the corporation's legal counsel. REALTOR® B said that membership in a Board of REALTORS® is individual and that personal responsibility disappears when a matter of corporate business is involved. He pointed out that he was not the only principal or officer in his corporation and that the decision to file litigation was not made by him alone, but by all of the corporate officers. Based on your understanding of the Code of Ethics Article 17, how do you think the Professional Standards Panel of the X Board of REALTORS® ruled? Find out in next week's At a Glance!

 
 

EVP Update: APRIL IS FAIR HOUSING MONTH

SCAOR has arranged a Proclamation with our Sussex County Council next Tuesday, April 13 during the regular Council meeting. Also, the Annual Fair Housing Day is scheduled in Dover this Wednesday, April 7 with a full day of classes and information presented by the Delaware Human Relations Commission. To encourage you during Fair Housing Month, NAR has provided these FREE e-products: "Fair Housing Sales: Pocket Guide", "Fair Housing Rental: Pocket Guide" and "Fair Housing Handbook - Fourth Edition" for your use. Please continue to take advantage of these and the hundreds of other NAR products and resources available for FREE or AT-COST through NAR's Right Tools, Right Now initiative. A number of new offers and updates to existing products will be available to help members in the coming year so keep checking www.REALTOR.org/RightTools monthly. THANKS! Ruth Briggs King Executive Vice President Sussex County Association of REALTORS®

 
 

Holding a Great Open House Did you know that this coming Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11 is REALTOR® Nationwide Open House Weekend? Please check out NAR's Field Guide to Open Houses, and my following article. Here's some tips to holding a great Open House! >>