auGuST 2008 SAMCAR CAR NAR MLS

i. 5 / vol. I
August
2008
Monthly Newsletter of the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®
www.samcar.org
In this issue
SAMCAR
Board of Directors
Candidate Statements
pages 1, 2
SAMCAR Golf Tournament
page 3
Support the Troops
page 3
North Tour 4th of July BBQ
page 4
Welcome New Members
from April 2008
page 2
Legislative
SB1137 helps homeowners
keep their properties
pages 4
CAR
Point of Sale removed
from AB 2678
page 4
CAR Business Meetings
page 4
NAR
NAR Settlement with DOJ
page 6
Housing Bill Status
page 6
MLS
MLSListings, Inc. Updates
pages 5, 6
Association News
Monthly Newsletter of
The San Mateo County
Association of REALTORS®
www.samcar.org
tel. (650) 696-8200
fax (650) 342-7509
Board of Directors
Board of
Directors
Election
Board of Directors
2008 President
President Elect
Region 25 Chair
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Affiliate Director
Director
Director
Director
Sue Walsh
Olivia T. Edwards
Geoffrey Craighead
Tim Auran
Eric Berggren
John Clifford
Nini De La Fuente-Pecson
Bobbi Decker
Suzan Getchell-Wallace
Anne Oliva
Jennifer Tasto
Edgar Tulcanaza
Sue Vaterlaus
Marianne Zanone Rush
David Zigal
Chief Executive Officer
Philip B. Tedesco, RCE, CAE
Editorial Team
Michon Coleman Director of Public Affairs
Dalen Gilbrech Publications Designer
Our Vision
The Voice for Real Estate Professionals and
Property Owners in San Mateo County.
SAMCAR {RE}source is published monthly by the
San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®,
850 Woodside Way, San Mateo, CA 94401 and
distributed to more than 4,000 recipients. E-mail
samcar@samcar.org your questions or comments.
Copyright © 2008
The following members have
announced their candidacy for
the 3 open Director-at-large
positions on the SAMCAR
Board of Directors.
Three year term, beginning
January 1, 2009.
Please read through the
candidates’ statements and find
the ballot online at:
http://www.samcar.org
(click “Board of Directors Election”
under the “Current News” section)
Ballots are due by
Friday, August 22 at 5 p.m.
Only REALTOR® members are
eligible to vote in this election.
Vote for up to 3 candidates.
Orhan
Tolu
Sue
Vaterlaus
***
Please attend the August 5th
Combined Meeting at the Elks
Lodge in San Mateo to hear the
Board of Directors candidates
deliver their statements live.
***
I would be pleased to represent all
of you on the Board of Directors
for SAMCAR for 2009 to
2011. As a REALTOR® for the
past 18 years I have actively
participated on the Board
of Directors, Special Events,
Legislative, Grievance, REIL
Board, CAR Board, NAR
Board and the MLS Advisory
among other committees.
I feel that some of the most
valuable things were helping
seniors with the RSVP program
and being instrumental in
helping to start the Pacifica
REALTOR® Volunteer Group.
In the Volunteer Group we
painted a home for a senior
citizen, provided 150 complete
backpacks to kids who were in
need and gave Christmas presents
to several families who would
have had none. We also donate
funds back to the community.
My service at SAMCAR and
the community earned me the
Community Service Award in
2005 and REALTOR® of the
Year in 2007. I really enjoy the
learning that comes with being
a Director and sharing the information with other REALTORS®.
I would be interested in helping
others to become more involved
at the Association level and I
think that a Young REALTOR®
Group would be an asset to the
Association and it’s membership.
Thank you and I would appreciate
you vote. Feel free to call me
anytime with questions at
650-291-0470.
Association News
August 2008
Candidate Statements
Phillip
Houston
Jorge
Franco
Robert
Brisbane
I have been passionate about
real estate for as long as I can
remember. I got my degree
from UC Berkeley in Business,
Real Estate, and Finance, and
havebeenlicensedandpracticing
real estate in San Mateo County
since 1975. I am currently on
two SAMCAR committees
and have been a member of
several others in the past.
Characteristics
• Hard work, strong principles,
ethics and disciplines
• Only commit to what he
can deliver
• Strong negotiating attributes
• On-going contact, communications with client base
• Periodic client reviews for
changing status and current
industry information
• Highly credible reputation
in the marketplace; well
recognized and respected
***
Please attend the August 5th
Combined Meeting at the Elks
Lodge in San Mateo to hear the
Board of Directors candidates
deliver their statements live.
***
After over 30 years, I have seen
a lot of changes –including an
incredible increase in home
prices; interest rates that varied
between 4.5% and 22%; several
up and down cycles in the market;
and numerous changes to the
way we, as Realtors, do business.
It makes me proud that our
association has been a leader
in improving the ethics and
professionalism of our industry.
I am a candidate for the Board
of Directors for three reasons:
1) a desire to give back to an
association that has served me
so well for so many years; 2)
a desire to have a voice in the
association decisions as we
face the many challenges
ahead; and 3) because I believe
my experience and long term
perspective on our business, as
well as my analytical nature,
would be an asset to the other
members of the Board of
Directors and a strong voice for
all the members of SAMCAR.
If you believe I can be an
asset to you and the Board of
Directors, please support me
with your vote.
Professional Experience
Jorge has been a successful
REALTOR® since 1988 and
acquired his Real Estate Broker
license in 2003. He started with
Trotter Realty (now Prudential)
and then was recruited by
McGuire Real Estate in 2000
where he earned top agent
ranking. Jorge joined Alain
Pinel in ’06 and thereafter
decided to pursue his own
company, Franco Real Estate
Group.
Affiliations/Memberships
Member and Mediation and
Arbitration Official with San
Mateo County Association
of REALTORS® (SAMCAR);
Member of the California
Association of REALTORS®,
National Association of
REALTORS® and San Francisco
Association of REALTORS®.
These associations uphold a
strict code of ethics to ensure
that members are current with
all industry standards, atest
marketing techniques and
legislation that affect the overall
real estate commerce.
2
Welcome New Members
The Following Members Joined in July 2008
Realtors
Riyad Asfoor, Prudential California
Nancy M. Brooks, ZipRealty, Inc.
Kenneth R. Conner, Prudential California
Hugh Doherty, Doherty Properties
Iris Feng, Realty World M. Perez & Assoc.
Apinderjit Grewal, Cimpler Real Estate
Arvind Gulati, Keller Williams Realty
Carol Hall, Coldwell Banker
Mary Hoverson, Coldwell Banker
Veronica Karns, NBT Realty Services, Inc.
Jeff Kockos, Prudential California
David Lee, Lee Realty
Wilma Lee, Whillamina Realty
Sean Lin, ZipRealty, Inc.
Richard L. Pierce, Professional Real Estate Brkg.
John David Pilling, RE/MAX Today
Carmelita L. Reyes, Akimax Realty
Janet Taraya, Majestic Realty Group
Diana DN Wong, Realty World Advance Grp.
Affiliates
Michael Andreacchi, Junk King
Judy Chen, Chase
Carolyn Eichenhofer, Luxury Home Magazines
Chris Hoch, Chase
Eileen Horan, Guarantee Mortgage Corp.
Candice Kistner, Candice Kistner State Farm
Linda Lenore, Green Chi Designs
Holly Macareno, Cornerstone Title Company
Brian Reardon, Junk King
3
Charitable Events
August 2008
The Annual Golf Tournament was held
on Monday, July 21st at the Peninsula Golf &
Country Club in San Mateo. A live auction
and dinner followed the Tournament.
The proceeds from this annual event benefit
the San Mateo County Association of
REALTORS® Foundation, an autonomous
501(c)3 Public Benefit Corporation. All
funds raised will be donated to organizations
and programs throughout San Mateo County.
Since 2002, the Tournament has raised
approximately $160,000.
This year, the Tournament raised just over
$14,000.
2008 SAMCAR President Sue Walsh (right) with San Mateo Mayor Carole Groom.
SAMCAR CEO, Philip Tedesco noted, “This
is a wonderful opportunity for SAMCAR
REALTORS® to get out of the office, network
with each other, and most importantly, enjoy
their day knowing that proceeds from their
activities will directly benefit the San Mateo
County community.”
Hole sponsors were vying for trophies at the event. Winners
were (down from top left):
Best Food Red Hawke R.E. -Tropical
Best Drink Stewart Title - Mexican
Most Fun Fidelity National Title - San Francisco Giants
Best Costumes/Theme Financial Title - Wedding
First Prize winning team (left to right): Robert Shaw; SAMCAR President Sue Walsh (Cashin
Company); Robert Pedro, (Signature Realty & Mortgage); Glenn Sennett (Coldwell Banker)
(not pictured: Robert Stuart, Professional Real Estate Brokerage)
Over the past three months, one of SAMCAR’s main charitable
efforts, spearheaded by our Affiliate members, has been to raise
funds through direct donations from the membership.
All funds raised are being used to purchase goods and supplies that
will be sent to fellow citizens who are voluntarily putting themselves
in harms way throughout the world. To date, close to $5,000 has
been raised and the care packages are being prepared to ship
to various military bases abroad. Kudos, to all SAMCAR members
for so generously contributing to this wonderful cause!
CAR Updates
Point of Sale Provision
Removed from AB 2678
Following a Red Alert by C.A.R. and an effective lobbying effort by
thousands of REALTORS® during the Association’s Legislative Day
in Sacramento June 4, the author of Assembly Bill 2678 has agreed
to remove the requirement from the measure that would have, among
other things, required homes and commercial property on the market
in California to undergo an energy audit at point-of-sale and mandated
completion of energy efficiency investments.
While C.A.R. appreciates the goal of energy conservation, it strongly
opposed the point-of-sale requirements tied to this measure because
mandatory retrofits and upgrades carry the potential for adding
thousands of dollars to every home-sale transaction and further weakening
the housing market in California.
These point-of-sale requirements have been removed and the measure
was further amended at C.A.R.’s request to ensure that energy audits or
improvements are not required as a condition of sale. Now that these
changes are in place, C.A.R. supports AB 2678.
CAR Business Meetings
There were a number of issues discussed and voted upon at the CAR
Business Meetings held in June, in Sacramento. Your SAMCAR CAR
Directors have submitted their reports from each committee.
August 2008
4
Industry News
Governor signs law to help
California
homeowners
keep their properties
On July 8th, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
signed Senate Bill 1137 into law. This
law aims to keep struggling California
homeowners from losing their properties
to foreclosure.
The Governor noted that, “Half a million
Californians have subprime loans that
will jump to higher rates over the next
two years” and “those people need help.”
Under the law, mortgage holder will be
required (in 60 days) to begin contacting
homeowners at least 30 days before issuing
a notice of default.
Further, the law immediately allows tenants
to move out of foreclosed dwellings and
immediately authorizes local governments
to impose fines as high as $1000 on
lenders who do not maintain foreclosed
properties.
Please go to this URL to view their reports:
http://www.samcar.org/userfiles/file/20080617_RegionalRepReports.pdf
Please visit the following URL to view CAR’s Summary of Action Items:
http://beta.car.org/meetings/carmeetings/summary-of-action-items/june08summary/
Association Events
August 2008
North Tour 4th of July Barbecue
On Tuesday, July 1st, the North Tour held its first annual
4th of July BBQ, at the offices of Marshall Realty in San
Bruno. It was open to all SAMCAR REALTORS®, and over
100 members attended the event, enjoying a beautiful
day in the sun, with plenty of great food, fun and
laughs. Special thanks to Marshall Realty for hosting
this wonderful event!
4
5
MLSListings, Inc. UPDATES
August 2008
A message from MLSListings, Inc. CEO Jim Harrison
re: MLSAlliance
Dear MLSAlliance User:
You recently visited MLSAlliance, an
eNeighborhoods product licensed by
MLSListings that provides abbreviated listing
data for counties outside our service area. Our
contract for MLSAlliance expired June 30.
Why discontinue MLSAlliance?
On average, approximately 1,500 of our nearly
20,000 subscribers (7%) access MLSAlliance
each month. At a cost of nearly $20,000 per
Our top priority is completion of our data-share
arrangement with SFAR, BAREIS and MetroList
that will provide you with full data access to
listings in 19 or more Northern California
counties, from Mendocino to Monterey and
from the Coast to the Nevada state line.
month and with such low usage, MLSListings’
Board of Directors decided that the expense
of $180,000 for the 9-month contract that
was offered was economically unfeasible.
MLSAlliance will be replaced shortly across
the state by the multiple data-share initiatives
that are already underway. Our top priority
is completion of our data-share arrangement
Access to East Bay MLS
MLSListings along with Bay East, CCAR and
EBRD are in discussions to data share with the
Quattro Alliance (Metrolist, BAREIS and San
Francisco MLS). There have been many calls
from MLSListings members who no longer have
access to East Bay MLS data through the MLS
Alliance. A special program to help agents has
been created until there is full data share and
MLS access with Quattro and MLSListings. If
you wish to continue to access Bay East MLS
information please contact Pam Barnes,
Bay East Association of REALTORS® Chief
Operating Officer, at (925) 730-4074 or email
her at pamb@bayeast.org.
with SFAR, BAREIS and MetroList that will
provide you with full data access to listings
in 19 or more Northern California counties,
from Mendocino to Monterey and from the
Coast to the Nevada state line. The three
East Bay MLS’s have also been invited to join
this initiative. This will be completed in early
fourth quarter of this year.
The new data-share will offer a depth of listing
information that far exceeds the relatively
few fields of data in MLSAlliance’s read-only
software. The consolidated database will
include complete listing data and tax data,
and you will have the ability to enter listings
directly into any of the participating MLS
systems free of charge.
I apologize for any inconvenience that you
may experience in the time period between
the end of MLSAlliance and the introduction
of the data-share with SFAR, BAREIS, and
MetroList (and potentially the East Bay)
later this year. We will keep you posted
on the progress of this initiative in our
DirectConnect newsletter. If you are not
receiving DirectConnect, please email us at
directconnect@mlslistings.com.
James Harrison, RCE, CAE
President & CEO, MLSListings, Inc.
Data-Share Initiative
Does Not Include East Bay
at This Time
Regarding the data-share initiative underway
with SFAR, BAREIS and MetroList, there are some
assumptions being made in the marketplace
that the East Bay MLS’s will be part of this. They
have been invited to join the initiative, but they
have not yet fully negotiated an agreement.
Should they successfully do so, they will not be
included in the initial roll-out this year with the
Quattro MLS’s. They do seem to be interested,
several meetings have been held, an NDA has
been signed and they have received a contract
to sign. But, until they actually sign a contract to
join this initiative, they have not.
NAR Updates
August 2008
6
Housing Bill Status
NAR Settlement with DOJ
Video Edition of
NAR President’s Podcast
on SAMCAR Web Site
NAR reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice
to settle the lawsuit over NAR’s Virtual Office Website (VOW) policy.
There have been a number of questions from agents and brokers about
the settlement, what it means and when it will take effect.
NAR has just posted a new video edition of the NAR President’s Podcast
that explains the settlement in simple terms, and what you will need to
do to comply when the agreement is made final later this summer.
Please visit SAMCAR’s web site to view the podcast at this URL:
www.realtor.org/about_nar/presidents_report/_podcast_archive/presidents_podcast_doj_20080708
You may also visit www.realtor.org/DOJ for more information about how
you can comply.
MLSListings, Inc. UPDATES
Rules Committee
Strong Authentication
Rules Committee Chairman J.R. Rouse is looking
for volunteers to fill open positions on the Rules
Committee for the remainder of the year. This
committee is responsible for making rules-related
recommendations to the Board of Directors.
Rules committee members must be brokers with
3 years of real estate industry experience.
The Board voted to approve the Finance Committee’s
recommendation to proceed with negotiations
with Arcot, the Strong Authentication solution
vendor selected from a field of 14 potential
vendors. Arcot’s software-based solution is similar
to that used in online banking, an application
that is both unobtrusive and familiar to subscribers.
The Arcot solution will not require subscribers
to use a hardware device, such as a token.
After initial activation, the authentication process
will have minimal impact on subscribers on a
day-to-day basis.
Volunteers Needed
Moves Ahead
Congress got back to work quickly after
the 4th of July recess. The Senate took
up the housing bill once again, and
passed more amendments. A cloture
vote passed on July 10, which means
that there are now 30 hours of debate
time to wait until the Senate bill can
be finalized. However, a deal with
the House on a compromise is not yet
complete. There are still sticking points
such as the amount of the loan limits
in high cost areas. NAR is hoping that
the House will reject the Senate version
and instead ask for a conference to iron
out the differences there, but we don’t
know what to expect. We will keep you
posted on all the details as they develop
over the next few days.
The NAR Call for Action is now
completed. Before it closed, NAR was
able to garner quite a few more responses
with a resend to all non responders. Just
over 91,400 NAR members took action
resulting in an 8.7% response rate. The
FPC response rate was an all-time high
of 94.5%! Thirty nine states had 100%
FPC response. These numbers are
incredible. NAR wishes to thank all
of you who took action on this critical
legislation.
August 2008
6
New Mapping Software
Very Well Received
On June 23rd, MLSListings Pro incorporated
mapping software from Microsoft Virtual Earth
and MapPoint. The software includes new Aerial
and Bird’s Eye views and much improved street
labels. MLSListings has received a lot of positive
feedback from subscribers on this new feature.
A key reason for the change to Virtual Earth is the
ability to build on this first release later in the year
to add polygon and radial map-based searches.
AUGUST
2008
Weekly Education, Events & Tour Calendar
AUGUST 01 – 08
Su
27
03
Mo
28
04
Tu
29
05
We
30
06
Th
31
07
Fr
01
08
Sa
02
09
Classes & Events
August 13
2 – 4 p.m.
feng Shui & The Laws of Attraction (frEE class!)
Learn how these principles can help you achieve ultimate success in your career
and personal life - unlock your potential, set intentions that manifest success in
your business! Location: SAMCAR | Instructor: Alexis Summerfield, MA
RSVP: Alane Gilbrech - alane@samcar.org or 650-696-8208; or
RSVP: Olivia Edwards - olivia@oliviaedwards.com or 650-888-2910
Flyer: http://www.samcar.org/userfiles/file/20080813_FengShuiCLASS.pdf
August 15
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
SAMCAr Blood drive
Blood drive for Blood Centers of the Pacific.
Location: SAMCAR | Apointments: Beckie Patane, 650-696-8220
August 18
2 p.m.
PrdSforms.com Training Class
Location: SAMCAR | Instructor: Bob Johnson
Registration: http://www.samcar.org/calendar or 650-696-8200
August 29
101 / 10 – 11:30 a.m.
102 / 1:30 – 3 p.m.
MLS Listings 101 and 102 Seminar Training
101: MLS Essentials; 102: MLS Advanced | Location: SAMCAR
Registration: http://www.samcar.org/calendar or 650-696-8200
September 18
5 p.m. Social
6:30 p.m. Dinner
Annual Charity Spaghetti feed & Auction
All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Feed, Raffle, Auction & Dance.
Location: Peninsula Italian American Social Club, 100 N. B Street, San Mateo
Cost: $25 tickets; $50 program advertising
Information: http://www.samcar.org/index.cfm/special_events.htm
September 24
1:30 p.m.
duane Gomer’s optional review & Group Testing
To test on the 5 three-hour courses on the day of the course you must
pick-up home-study materials by Friday, September 19.
Location: SAMCAR | Cost: $79 members; $89 non-members
Registration: http://www.samcar.org/calendar or 650-696-8200
September 26
102 / 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
101 / 1:30 – 3 p.m.
MLS Listings 101 and 102 Seminar Training
101: MLS Essentials; 102: MLS Advanced | Location: SAMCAR
Registration: http://www.samcar.org/calendar or 650-696-8200
Marketing Meetings
Tuesday, August 5
8:30 a.m.
June Combined Tour
Elks Lodge
229 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo
Presentation:
Board of directors candidates
Candidates’ Statements
9 a.m. Half Moon Bay Tour
Community Center
535 Kelly Avenue
Half Moon Bay
9:30 a.m. Pacifica Tour
Community Center
540 Crespi Drive
Pacifica
SAMCAR Board of Directors Meetings
August 27
8:30 a.m.
SAMCAr Board of directors Meeting
Members welcome to attend these monthly meetings. | Location: SAMCAR
Legislative Committee Meetings
August 20
9:30 – 11 a.m.
Peninsula NorTh Legislative Committee Meeting
Members welcome to attend these monthly meetings.
Location: Financial Title Co., 1001 Bayhill Dr., Ste. 185, San Bruno
August 21
9:30 – 11 a.m.
Peninsula SoUTh Legislative Committee Meeting
Members welcome to attend these monthly meetings.
Location: Coldwell Banker, 580 El Camino, San Carlos
August 7
10 a.m.
PACifiCA Legislative Committee Meeting *SPECiAL LoCATioN*
Location: Coldwell Banker Fahey Prop., 446 Old County Road, Pacifica
August 22
10 – 11 a.m.
CoASTSidE Legislative Committee Meeting *SPECiAL dATE*
Location: RE/MAX Dolphin Half Moon Bay, Conference Room
MLS Tour Sheet
Deadline Reminder
Broker/Property tours
Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Deadline to add tours in MLS
Mondays, 11 a.m.
Entry deadlines are subject to change for holidays.
Deadline for Monday holidays
prior Friday at 11 a.m.
View tour sheet by Monday afternoon
http://www.samcar.org/index.cfm/tour_information.htm