March 2013 - Central Massachusetts Association of REALTORS

March 2013
Are YOU connected? Agents sometimes ask me, “What's the board doing
for me?” This tells me that either they’re not tapped into our board or
WRAR hasn’t done a good job letting them know about our member benefits. There are so many benefits and discounts and we’d love to come to
your office meeting and tell you about them. They include a $160 discount
for MLSPIN and FREE Online Forms ($120 value), but my two favorite are
the Education and Advocacy Benefits.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
President’s Message
1
Month-at-a-Glance
2
Awards Nomination Form
3
Membership News
4
Scholarship Rules
5
Volunteer Opportunites
6
Member Bio Form
7
CREST Classes
8-11
Local Market Update
12
Legal Corner
13
Government Affairs
14
“May your blessings out number
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.”
~Irish Blessing
WRAR members get unlimited CEU classes every year at our real estate
school, CREST. We encourage our members to take as many classes as
desired to become as educated as possible. We run multiple classes on
various topics every month in addition to designation classes and topical
classes such as social media, short sales, technology, etc.
As a member of WRAR you are automatically a member of MAR and NAR. NAR is one of the largest trade associations in the country. They promote the REALTOR® Image and Advocate for
Homeowners Rights. In short, they protect and promote your livelihood. Recent accomplishments and ongoing issues include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Defeating a sales tax on your professional services (commissions)
Continue to defeat the multiple attempts to impose transfer taxes (sales tax) on home sales
Represented REALTOR® concerns on new smoke detector regulations and energy scoring
Stopped legislation to make real estate agents responsible for discovering structural
defects.
Stopped a movement to make real estate agents responsible for vacant homes they've
listed and in Worcester making homeowners responsible for noisy tenants
Developed, supported & extended the First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit
Maintaining the mortgage interest deduction
Prevented banks from entering the Real Estate Business
Right now MAR, with help from NAR, is opposing the recent Massachusetts budget proposal to
eliminate the MA state portion of the Capital Gains Exclusion on the sale of your primary residence. That could cost a married couple selling their homes up to $26,250 in taxes. WOW,
what’s all that worth? And its all being done because of you, your dues and RPAC donations.
To borrow from what a great man once said, “Ask not what your board can do for you, ask what
you can do for your board.”
Now the Numbers - GOOD NEWS in our area CLOSED SALES are up 27.2% over last year, with
Single Family homes up 23.5% and Condos up 46%. Inventory of all Properties is down 26.8%.
This is putting upward pressure on prices and the Median price of Single Family homes is up
3.3%, Condos are up 27.2% and 7% for the whole market.
Your Success is our Business!
Keep up the Good Work!
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
www.wrar.org
WRAR MONTH-AT-A-GLANCE
March 2013
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
9-12 MLS Pin &
Cloud CMA
5
6
7
2-4 Professional
Development:
Houselogic & Social
Media
8
9:30—Membership
Committee
9
9-5 RE Pre-License
Sales Course
10
11
12
9-10 Government
Affairs Comm.
13
9-10 Finance Comm
14
10-12 RCMA
10:30–12 BOD Mtg
15
MLS Training:
9:30 Getting Started:
Contact Management
16
9-5 RE Pre-License
Sales Course
2-5 CRS Top
Producer Program
3-9 New Member
Orientation
1:00 Moving Forward:
Listing Management
19
20
6-9 Worcester CDC
Home Buying
Seminar
17
HAPPY
SAINT PATRICK’S
DAY!
18
21
2-4 Residential Mortgage Lending &
Credit Today
22
23
9-5 RE Pre-License
Sales Course
29
30
9-5 RE Pre-License
Sales Course
6-9 Worcester CDC
Home Buying
Seminar
24
25
26
MLS Training:
9:30 Getting Started:
Searching the System
27
8-8 CEU Classes
28
1:00 Getting Started:
Contact Management
31
Upcoming Events—Mark Your Calendars!
April 2013:
April 20-21:
May 3:
June 4:
June 5:
Fair Housing Month
Nationwide REALTOR® Open House Weekend
Deadline for Submissions for WRAR Scholarships
REALTOR® day on Beacon Hill
WRAR Awards Banquet <——-NEW DATE!
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
2
www.wrar.org
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
3
www.wrar.org
MEMBERSHIP
Welcome to our Newest Members
New Members
Vartoohi Burdick
Michael Duffy
Danielle Forcier
Rita Forrester
Allen Greenman
Patrick Kennedy
Deborah Lindsay
Angela Mann
Paul Mendes
James Reinke
Karina Robles
Rebecca Selby
Louis Sparanges
Robert Stratton
Suzanne Tolley
Beth Travis
James Vacarelo
Ingrid Vincent
Deborah Williams
Keller Williams Realty
Keller Williams Realty North
Quaboag Valley Real Estate
Realty Executives Boston West
Coldwell Banker Res. Brokerage
Nextage Welcom Realty
Exit Realty Partners
Coldwell Banker Res. Brokerage
CENTURY 21 Commonwealth
Best Buy Realty
ERA Key Realty Services
ERA Key Realty Services
RE/MAX Professional Associates
CENTURY 21 Commonwealth
Coldwell Banker Res. Brokerage
Coldwell Banker Res. Brokerage
Century 21 DeNault Realty, Inc
ERA Key Realty Services
RE/MAX Professional Associates
Westborough
Leominster
Brookfield
Southborough
Shrewsbury
Worcester
Worcester
Shrewsbury
Milford
Worcester
Worcester
Whitinsville
Shrewsbury
Milford
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Leominster
Whitinsville
Shrewsbury
Next Move Realty
Sullivan & Company Real Estate
Quinsigamond Realty
Exit Realty Partners
Quinsigamond Realty
Keller Williams Realty-Gr.Worc.
Exit Realty Partners
Quaboag Valley Real Estate
Keller Williams Realty-Gr.Worc.
Worcester
Brimfield
Worcester
Shrewsbury
Worcester
Worcester
Worcester
Brookfield
Worcester
New Applicants
James Carlson Jr.
Brendan Fullam
Michael Madulka III
Lisa Moore
Michael Njuguna
Deborah Pattow-Godbout
Maury Ramirez
Micheal Seery
Chelsea Taylor
New Offices
Khalid Naseem
American Dream Realty Pros
Marilyn Smith
Marilyn L. Smith Real Estate Co.
190 Lake St.,
Shrewsbury
21 Blossom Ct.,
Westboro
2013 President Rochelle Jonswold
(1st row last on right)
welcomes our newest members at the
February 6th Orientation.
WRAR Scholarships
The WRAR Scholarship
Application for children
and grandchildren of
WRAR REALTOR® and
Affiliate Members is now
available on our website
under “Document Resources.”
Scholarships are a minimum of $500 and a committee will review all applications and make decisions based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, community service, work experience and the student’s goals and personal accomplishments. Deadline for submission is May 3,
2013.
Reinstated Members
Robin Stoddard
Christy Toppin
ERA Key- Alliance Realty
Century 21 Toomey Lovett
Charlton
Spencer
ERA Key Realty Services
Century 21 Realty Team
Westboro
Leominster
Transfer Members
Joanne D'Errico
Linda Largey
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
4
WRAR holds events throughout the year to fundraise for our Scholarship Fund. Please continue to
support this worthwhile endeavor!
For full Scholarship details see, the next page. For
the application, please visit our Document Resources section at www.wrar.org.
www.wrar.org
WRAR SCHOLARSHIP
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
5
www.wrar.org
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
We’d Love Your Help!
Please take a look at our new Committees Brochure to see our various committees and task forces. You can view the brochure
online at www.wrar.org under our “Document Resources” section. It’s also available on the home page in magazine format as
you scroll to the bottom.
What it all amounts to: WE NEED YOU—YES, YOU—TO MAKE OUR ASSOCIATION BETTER. We are only as good as our members.
Please fill out the member bio on the next page and return it to us. We’re SURE we can use your expertise.
New WRAR Website
Which brings us to our next order of business. If you took the time to go to our website to find the “Committees Brochure,” you
probably experienced some frustration. We are very aware that our website is not a user friendly experience. Due to software
constraints, we are extremely limited in our ability to keep it current, attractive and vital.
So a REVAMP is in order. We’d like a small task force to get together immediately to begin working on suggestions - what we
need / what we’d like / what we can’t live without / what we can do later. You don’t have to be a technology genius, but you do
have to have above average experience as an active web surfer. If you have ability above and beyond that, all the better.
Please fill out the MEMBER BIO FORM on the following page and return it to us asap if you are able to help.
And thank you in advance for your time!
Community Action Committee
The CAC is once again sponsoring the children at Sullivan Middle School in Worcester. This drive will run from
March 1—April 1. PLEASE open your hearts and support us in this effort. The school has the largest population of homeless children in the city as well as the largest demographic of those below the poverty line. The
school distributes food each week to those most in need by filling backpacks, which are returned each week
for refilling.
We are collecting food for their pantry. We are concerned that the children will not have enough food for April vacation. We are
collecting the following:
Crackers
Bread
Canned goods (esp. corn &
potatoes)
Soups (with meat in them)
Baby food (several students have
young siblings at home
Rice
Pasta
Sauce
Ramon Noodles
Cereal
Peanut butter
Jelly
Wish List
Fresh eggs
Sausage
Hotdogs/rolls
Hamburgers/rolls
Ground burger
American Cheese
Food items may be dropped at the following offices for distribution in addition to the WRAR Headquarters in Auburn:
Coldwell Banker, Shrewsbury & Worcester
Janice Mitchell Real Estate, Holden
ERA Key Realty Svcs., Worcester
Re/MAX Vision, Worcester
Ross Mortgage Company, Westboro
PLEASE HELP IN ANY WAY YOU CAN AND THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
6
www.wrar.org
MEMBER BIO SHEET — Please complete & return to WRAR!
REALTOR® Member / AFFILIATE Member Resume
With our new Strategic Plan in place, our Committees have been revamped for the coming year. Each committee now has a directive from the WRAR Board of Directors with clear goals and tasks. In most cases, it means there will be no more monthly
meetings just to have a monthly meeting! Task forces will be formed to accomplish goals and we'll move on to the next one.
Can you lend a hand? We are always looking for people with special skills to assist us in making WRAR a top-notch association.
Your expertise and experience can help us to build a better business for all of our members. Service to your association is important NOW and in the future towards your Lifetime membership requirements. We'd love for you to be involved!
Name
Company
Address
City, State, Zip
Contact info - email & telephone/cell
How many years have you worked in the Real Estate field?
If you had a career prior to Real Estate, in what industry/industries did you work?
Please check off the areas where you have special skills / education / experience in which you would be willing to make a shortterm commitment to assist staff and/or committees:
☐Accounting / Finance
☐ Design
☐ Education/Major
☐ Engineering
☐ Event Planning
☐ HR or Staffing
☐ Manufacturing/Assembly/Production
☐ Marketing
☐ Technology /Web Design / Tech-Savvy
☐ Leadership Positions (please list)
_______________________________________
☐ Other (please list)______________________
______________________________________
Please list any hobbies / interests you have which might be mutually beneficial to both you and the Association (for example –
politics, gardening, fundraising, community service, etc.):
Would you be willing to assist us in some “Done in a Day” events such as Habitat for Humanity Build Day or Beautify the Board
Day?
☐Yes please contact me at
☐No
Please return via fax (508-832-6620) email (jdinnocenzo@wrar.org), or mail to:
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
492 Washington Street, Auburn, MA 01501
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
7
www.wrar.org
CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE STUDIES & TRAINING
Upcoming CEU Courses for March
All classes are held at the Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS® CREST School, 492 Washington Street, Auburn, MA 01501..
We also hold periodic classes at the Fidelity Bank Building, 478 Mechanic Street in Leominster. WRAR Members in good standing
receive FREE LOCAL CEU’s! Tuition for non-members is $30 for each 2-hour CEU. You may register for classes online at
www.CrestRealEstateSchool.com or by calling the WRAR office at 508-832-6600.
Please note that during the winter months, we follow the local school system for opening. If they are closed, we are closed. During
weekends, announcements will be made on WTAG. As always, use your best judgment.
Auburn
March 27
Course
Code
Instructor
Course Name
8:00 - 10:00 am
Andy Consoli
RE42R05
Property Management
10:00 - 12:00 pm
Andy Consoli
RE14R07
Architecture
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Andy Consoli
RE41R05
Real Estate Advertising Compliance and the Law
2:00 - 4:00 pm
Bob Falter
RE49R05
Dual Agency
4:00 - 6:00 pm
Bob Falter
RE09R07
Residential Rental - Landlord/Tenant Issues
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Bob Falter
RE39C05
Commonly Used Forms: Mandatory/Optional
Real Estate Pre-License
Class
Our next Pre-License class begins
on Saturday, March 9, and runs
each Saturday from 9:00 am—5:00
pm through April 6. Tuition is $325
and books are $50.
If you know of anyone who may be
interested, please have them call
Lynne Walls at the Board at
508-832-6600.
New Foreclosure Rules; the
Impact on Consumers and the
Current Real Estate Market
Keynote Speaker: Attorney General Martha Coakley
Who best to talk about today’s lending & mortgage rules/guidelines and how they
are affecting the consumer than Attorney General Martha Coakley, the chief lawyer
and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
First elected as Attorney General in 2006, Martha Coakley quickly confronted the
challenge of addressing the economic crisis that gripped our country shortly thereafter. Under her leadership, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office became a
national leader in holding Wall Street accountable by bringing first-of-their-kind actions against many investment giants. Overall, her office recovered more than
$440 million for Massachusetts homeowners and taxpayers and helped keep more
than 15,000 people in their homes.
ADDITIONAL INFO
All visitors must sign in at front desk and obtain a visitors pass. Please arrive early
so we can give the school time to process all of the attendees. Thank you!
Date: March 26, 2013
Time: 10:00am-12:30pm (10:00-10:30am – registration)
Cost: $25 member and $35 non-member (Buffet Luncheon)
Registration: Please register early as seating is limited via online payment to:
wcr-march-2013.eventbrite.com
Location: Worcester Technical High School, 1 Skyline Drive, Worcester
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
8
www.wrar.org
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
9
www.wrar.org
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
10
www.wrar.org
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
11
www.wrar.org
LOCAL MARKET UPDATE
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
12
www.wrar.org
LEGAL CORNER
MAR Legal Hotline
Michael McDonagh, MAR General Counsel, and Ashley Stolba, MAR Staff Attorney
Title V
Q: How do I know if a septic system must be
inspected?
inspection, to the approving
authority. Boards of Health are
the approving authorities for
most systems. The DEP is the
approving authority for state
and federal facilities. Also, for large and shared
systems, the System Inspector and the owner
must submit the inspection form to the DEP.
A. Generally, Title V requires all conventional septic
systems, cesspools, and innovative/alternative
systems to be inspected upon transfer if the
property is sold to new owners. There are several
exemptions from this, including most transfers
between family members. A list of exemptions
can be found on the MassDEP website:
www.mass.gov/dep/water/wastewater/
septicsy.htm
Tenant Fee Disclosure
Q: I have always been a buyer’s agent but I am
now starting to represent tenants. Is there a
mandatory agency disclosure form that I must
provide to my tenant-clients?
Q: When must the Inspection occur? How long is an
inspection valid?
A. For most property transfers, an inspection must
occur within two years prior to the time of transfer. If a system has been pumped annually since
its inspection, and pumping records are available, the inspection is valid for three years. If an
inspection was conducted within the two-year
timeframe, the inspection will fulfill the requirement for more than one transfer of title, and
does not need be repeated within the two-year
period.
A . No. The Mandatory Licensee-Consumer Relationship Disclosure is only required for buyer
and seller clients. However, Massachusetts regulations require brokers and salespersons engaged in rental brokerage to provide a written
fee disclosure to the prospective tenant at the
first personal meeting between the broker or
salesperson and a prospective tenant.. The disclosure must include: 1) whether the prospective tenant will pay a fee for rental services; 2)
the amount of the fee; 3) the manner and time
when the fee is due to be paid; 4) whether or
not the fee will be payable regardless if a tenancy is not created; 5) the signature of the broker
or salesperson, including license number and
date of notice; and 6) the signature of the prospective tenant, or notation of refusal to sign.
Like the Mandatory Licensee-Consumer Relationship Disclosure, the fee disclosure must be
kept on file by the broker for three years and is
subject to audit by the Board.
Q: Who is responsible for having the septic
inspected?
A . The property owner or facility operator is generally responsible for obtaining an inspection of the
system. Prior to the time of transfer of title, however, the parties may contractually allocate responsibility for the inspection provided that such
inspection occurs within the specified
timeframes. An inspection must be conducted by
an approved system inspector. If an inspection is
required, the System Inspector must record the
inspection results on a state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)-approved inspection
form and submit the form, within 30 days of the
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
13
www.wrar.org
2013 Directors
& Staff Members
President, Rochelle Jonswold
Pres. Elect, Dave Stead
Vice President, Brad Roberts
Secretary, Kris Koliss
Treasurer, Mary Gale
Past President, Diane DeCiccio
Jayne DiLiberto, Director
Tony Economou, Director
Sarah Gustafson, Director
Erica Hall, Director
Lorraine Herbert, Director
Judy Patterson, Director
Judy Reynolds, Director
Mary Stolarczyk, Director
Leslie Storrs, Director
Kathleen Cooper, Alternate
Tracy Fiorelli, Alternate
Gina Lewis, Alternate
Executive VP, Colleen Pappas
Membership Manager,
Lisa Sprague
Programs & Events
Coordinator,
Jacki D’Innocenzo
Staff Accountant,
Maura O’Connor
Administrative Assistant,
Lynne Walls
WRAR office hours are
9:00 am—5:00 pm. For
assistance with the MLS
Lockbox system, please
make an appointment
with Lynne Walls at 508832-6600.
Realtors Property
Resource AFFAIRS
(RPR)
GOVERNMENT
& LEGISLATIVE
It’s not too late to make your RPAC
contribution of $15.00 for
2013 . Your contribution helps us
work with our legislators to protect
the real estate industry from changes
that may have a negative effect on
home ownership and the real estate
market.
Many think that RPAC has nothing to
do with them—if you’re a REALTOR®,
that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In conjunction with MAR we have halted bills for Home Rental Tax, altered
language in bills for short sales that
would force agents to get a separate
license to do short sales, and altered
language in the BPO bill that would
limit a REALTORS®’ role in providing
home owners with a BPO.
These are just a few of our accomplishments . Help keep us running
strong and our voices heard in congress. Call Colleen at the Board and
make your $15.00 fair share
contribution today .
Save the Dates:
June 4—REALTOR® Day on the Hill
Please LIKE our facebook page at
Fall 2013, TBA—Legislative Breakfast
https://www.facebook.com/
WorcesterRegionalAssociationofREALTORS.
By doing so you will not only
get up-to-the-minute information on everything going on
at WRAR, but you will help us
to increase our visibility while
growing your own business
network.
Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS®
14
www.wrar.org