May/June 2010 - Greater Capital Association of REALTORS
Transcription
May/June 2010 - Greater Capital Association of REALTORS
Caring • Committed • Community-Minded Official Publication of the Greater Capital Association of REALTORS® VOLUME 21, NUMBER 3 MAY/JUNE 2010 The REALTOR® Property Resource: Coming Soon To Your Computer What is the REALTORS® Property Resource™? NAR’s Second Century Initiatives include the creation of the REALTORS® Property ResourceTM (RPR), an online real estate library/archive that will provide real estate professionals with data on every property in the United States. This initiative will provide access to a national database of real property information and will give real estate professionals the best access to real property information needed to serve their clients and customers. It will include in-depth, trusted information on every parcel of real property including public record information, details of prior transactions, MLS-provided information, zoning information, transfer tax information, foreclosure and notice of default data, deed recordings and a host of other relevant information. The initiative will be based on the collaborative efforts of REALTORS® and the real estate community, including MLSs. It will drive development and implementation of data standards and definitions, and will increase the breadth, depth, immediacy and power of real estate information available to REALTORS®. BENEFITS & HIGHLIGHTS The RPR™ will provide unmatched access to a single-source national compilation of tax and assessment data; property data; neighborhood, school, demographic and psychographic information; and maps, trends and reports. It will be exclusive to members of NAR, and members of subscribing MLS’s who are participants of the RPR. Members who register with a valid NRDS ID can access non-proprietary, non-MLS sourced data; however, only MLS Subscribers/Participants will be able to view MLS sourced information. There will be no public access to the RPR™, and the database and its data cannot be shared through consumer websites. The RPR™ is not a national MLS, and will carry no offers of cooperation and compensation. Its design is to provide a single-source access for public record information for commercial, residential and vacant land such as tax assessments and comparable data, liens, zoning, permits, environmental, neighborhoods, school districts and community demographics. With this new technology acquisition and data licensing, the RPR™ will provide tax and assessment data coverage in 92% of U.S. counties, and has an aggressive plan to provide coverage for as close to 100% of the country as possible within two years. The RPR’s™ national demographic information, along with enhanced search capabilities, will allow a REALTOR® anywhere in the country to provide more information to their clients. The enhanced search features will allow nationwide depth of property searches, as well as market-tomarket comparisons. Advanced User Profile Features and social networking components will help REALTORS® create referral communities, as well as reverseprospect specialized property types, such as vacation and waterfront to REALTORS® throughout the U.S. The RPR™ system will include online training and contextual help, along with support through e-mail, online chat and toll-free telephone. The RPR™ will be rolled out in stages over the six to nine months following NAR’s May meetings. But it will be here soon for all of NAR’s 1 million members. CRMLS has agreed to cooperate with RPR™ pending review of the licensing agreement. Let RPR™ help make you better armed to serve your customers and clients. Go to blog.narrpr.com for more information, for RPR™ demos, and to hear what others are saying about the power of the RPR™. GCAR Health Insurance Plans Open Enrollment June 1-20, 2010 GCAR’s health insurance plans available to members and employees of members at an open enrollment during June 1 through 20 of 2010 for an effective date of July 1, 2010. Refer below for plan details. Call 464-0191 (x14) for an application. Teams in CRMLS PLANS 2009 Rates (Quarterly) Sole Proprietor Paragon Recognizes Everyone CRMLS has established the ability of agent teams to be recognized in and accounted for by Paragon. Let’s start using that opportunity. This is how the system works: 1) CRMLS is notified that a team exists and that team is entered into Paragon by CRMLS staff. We need the team name, the agent serving as the team leader, and any other agents who belong to that team. This information can be updated/edited by CRMLS at any time. So if a team member leaves the team their name will be removed; if a new team member joins that agent will be added; if the team leader changes that can be adjusted. 2) When a listing is entered into CRMLS the team member who obtained the listing should be shown as LA1. This is the agent who knows the most about a listing; this is the person other CRMLS members will try to contact first for listing information, etc. 3) The team is also entered upon listing entry from a drop down menu of registered teams. 4) The listing in CRMLS will then show the Blue Shield of NE NY (Series 206) Individual: $1539.21 Standard or Custom Option 2 Person: $3139.65 (50% Drug Plan) Family: $4176.15 Must Provide Tax Documentation with application $1677.18 $3139.65 $4552.55 CDPHP (50% Drug Plan) Individual: $1224.39 2 Person: $2433.84 Family: $3229.44 $1393.71 $2772.45 $3679.50 CDPHP Dental 50% Drug Plan) Must have 2 or more on payroll Individual: $1323.12 2 Person: $2631.30 Family: $3491.04 N/A N/A N/A EPO (2 or more groups) (Deductible plan) Individual: $1015.38 2 Person: $2015.96 Family: $2673.87 $1155.42 $2295.84 $3046.08 continued on page 2 In This Issue: Open House photos - go to page 4! DATED MATERIAL Permit No. #164 Albany, NY With The President .......................................................................... page 2 CIREB Corner ..................................................................................... page 5 Borrower's Lawsuit for RESPA ........................................................ page 6 Greater Capital Association of REALTORS® 451 New Karner Road Albany, New York 12205 PAID PRSRT STD U.S. Postage 2 Across the Association MAY/JUNE 2010 With The President Annual GCAR Open House Weekend. With nearly 1,200 open houses scheduled, I can safely say that this is an event that many of our members have responded to positively. 2010 GCAR President Laurene Curtin It’s our time of the year! The Spring Market is here and I hope that you are all finding your success with your customers and clients. As I write this message, we are days away from our first The IRS has reported that through the end of February they have record of 60,000 New Yorkers who took advantage of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit in 2009. The stimulus was clearly a motivator to buyers. I hope you are using our new statistical reports and forwarding the Capital Region Skinny to your “Sphere of Influence.” The reports and the Skinny are great tools and provide us with a touch of a button access to stats throughout our region. With interest rates remaining low and consumer confidence slowly on the rise, I hope that this is a good year for all of you. We have seen higher than normal attendance at all of the training and educational seminars at GCAR this year. We hope to continue to bring you as much information as we can to keep you all up to date on real estate technology and tools. Coincidentally, as we roll out reLay Transaction Management, we are seeing some of the real estate attorneys offering it to their clients as well. It’s nice to know that our timing is in line with theirs. CRMLS is offering training on reLay on a handful of dates to accommodate all of your schedules. Please visit our new website, www. GCAR.com, please respond to the REALTOR® Calls to Action and please let us know if there are any tools that you would like or anything else we can do for you as your Association leadership. Teams in CRMLS continued from page 1 LA1 name and contact information AND the team name and contact information. Other agents will have all that information in front of them when looking at the Full Agent Display. 5) Upon sale the SA1 agent is entered and, if that agent is on a team the team name is entered as well. 6) When statistics are run the team members will get individual credit for their hard work; the team will get credit for its volume; and the company will get credit as well. So everyone will be recognized in the transaction. Everyone on both sides. 7) It is felt that the determining factor in who should show as the LA1 or SA1 is the agent who obtained the NYS Disclosure Regarding Real Estate Agency Relationships (New York State Disclosure Form For Buyers and Sellers). This is the person who established the agency relationship on behalf of the principal broker of the real estate firm. 8) It should be noted here that the agency disclosure form indicates, in part, “This form was provided to me by ____________ (print name of licensee) of ____________________ (print name of company, firm or brokerage……)”. Clearly if anyone was to fill that in so it reads “This form was provided to me by ‘The XYZ Team” that would be a violation of law. “The XYZ Team” is not a licensee. If audited the principal broker would, we expect, have difficulty with the Department of State. The licensee having that substantive direct contact with the buyer or seller is the name to be included there. Using the team system established by CRMLS allows several things: It allows agents, teams, and companies to be properly recognized within Paragon; and it allows other agents to know which agent to contact and how to contact that agent. On the second point other agents will not have to call the “team leader” only to be referred to the appropriate team member. And if the LA1 is not available then the team contact information is readily available. Let’s start using what CRMLS has developed to have accurate information available. Member Update Congratulations to REALTOR® Bob Eberle, Keller Williams Capital District, on having been awarded the Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council. Congratulations to REALTOR® Sandra Evans, RE/MAX Premier and REALTOR® Mitra Gouneh, Realty USA on being awarded the Graduate REALTOR® Institute designation by the New York State Association of REALTORS®. 99 Club ($99): REALTOR® Marie Bettini, Albany Realty Group; REALTOR® Laurene Curtin, Albany Realty Group; REALTOR Victoria Gettings, Realty USA; REALTOR® Joel Koval, Realty USA; REALTOR® Estelle Momrow; Coldwell Banker Prime Properties; REALTOR Sandra Nardoci, Prudential Manor Homes; and REALTOR® Merle Whitehead, Realty USA. Congratulations and thank you to the following members for their contributions to the REALTOR® Political Action Committee: Sympathies are extended to: REALTOR® Kathy Muscolino, TechValley Homes Real Estate and her family on the death of her father-in-law Joseph Muscolino. President’s Club ($500): REALTOR® Nina Amadon, Weichert, REALTORS®, Northeast Group REALTOR® Melissa Petalas, Miranda Real Estate Group and her family on the death of her father-in-law John Petalas. Capitol Club ($250): REALTOR® Robert Blackman, Realty USA; and REALTOR® Robert Freedman, R L F Realty. Across the Association The newspaper of the Greater Capital Association of REALTORS®, INC. 451 New Karner Road Albany, New York 12205 (518) 464-0191 • Fax: (518) 464-0196 “The Greater Capital Association of REALTORS® is a professional trade association which provides its members with programs and services which enhance the members‘ ability to successfully conduct their businesses in a competent and ethical manner, promotes cooperation among its members, and promotes the public‘s right to own, use and transfer real property.” The voice for Real Estate in New York‘s Capital Region. Caring • Committed • Community-minded Officers President – Laurene Curtin President Elect – Paul Semanek Secretary/Treasurer – Nina Amadon Chief Executive Officer – James Ader Dir. Ed/Mbr. Svcs – Nancy Ruzzo Directors Jill Birdsall Anne Carroll Anthony Garufi Jennifer Fortune-Gras Cathy Griffin Patricia Hamm Joel Koval Estelle Momrow Sandra Nardoci Albert Picchi Judy Rosen Janna Shillinglaw Jenny Zigrosser World Wide Web page: www.gcar.com E-mail: support@gcar.com Production & Printing: Foley Publications, Inc. • (800) 628-6983 Graphic Designer: Scott Arnold, Foley Publications, Inc. Advertising Information: Foley Publications, Inc. • (800) 628-6983 The Greater Capital Association of REALTORS® makes no warranties and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy on the information contained herein. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily the opinions of the Greater Capital Association of REALTORS®. The Greater Capital Association of REALTORS® does not necessarily endorse the companies products or services advertised in the newsletter unless specifically stated. Across the Association MAY/JUNE 2010 3 IRS Requires Reporting of Cooperative Commissions The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) requires that listing brokers who pay a cooperative commission in excess of $600 to an individual who is not their employee must complete a Form 1099-MISC. While this is not a new law, it has come to NAR’s attention that not all real estate professionals are aware of this requirement. Below is a brief description of this issue and links to the necessary forms. IRS Requirements The IRS requires individuals that: 1) pay compensation of $600 or 2) an individual who is not an employee 3) for services provided 4) during the course of the payor’s trade or business to complete Box 7- Nonemployee Compensation on Form 1099-MISC, give Copy B of the form to the individual who received the compensation, and file Copy A with the IRS. “Nonemployee compensation” includes fees, commissions, prizes, and awards, and so would include cooperative commissions and referral fees paid by real estate professionals because these payments are made during the course of their trade or business to nonemployees. These filing requirements exist even if the listing broker is not directly paying the cooperative commission to the other broker. So, if the cooperative commission is paid by the escrow agent to the other broker, the listing broker may still need to file a 1099-MISC. This is because the funds constituting the cooperative commission are drawn from the listing broker’s portion of the commission and so the payment is technically made by the listing broker. This requirement only applies to payments made to individuals, and does not apply when the payments are made to corporations. Listing brokers should still make it part of their business practice to obtain a completed Form W-9 from anyone to whom it pays a commission, whether it be an individual or a corporation. Property owners do not need to complete a 1099-MISC for the commissions they pay to real estate professionals because this activity is not part of their trade or business. Here is an illustrative example: Joe Seller lists his home for sale with real estate broker Don Listbroker. Listbroker places the listing into a multiple listing service and offers a cooperative commission to any MLS participant who brings him a buyer that successfully purchases the property. A client of another broker's salesperson, Julie Buyerep, made an offer to purchase Seller’s home. Seller accepts the offer, and the transaction closes. At closing, the escrow agent makes commission payments to both Listbroker and Buyerep’s principal broker, Don Broker. Here is who is required to report commissions to the IRS: Listbroker has an obligation to report the commission payments made to Broker, even though Broker received the commission check from the escrow agent. Broker has an obligation to report the commission amounts that he pays to Buyerep. Neither Seller nor the buyer have any obligation to report the commissions that their real estate representatives received. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ i1099msc.pdf Reporting Deadlines and Other Information For the 2010 tax year, all 1099-MISC Copy B forms must be sent to payment recipients by February 1, 2011. The IRS must receive Copy A by March 1, 2011. If the taxpayer files electronically, they have until March 31, 2011 to file Copy A (note there are certain software requirements for filing electronically with the IRS). Below are links to the IRS’s instructions for completing Form 1099-MISC and also the Form itself. In order to complete the 1099-MISC, a taxpayer needs to obtain certain information from the recipient, such as a social security number or an employer identification number. Brokers should obtain this information by giving Form W-9 to every broker to whom it pays cooperative commissions (or causes to be paid) and request that the cooperating brokers return a completed Form W-9 to the taxpayer. This form will give the taxpayer sufficient information to complete the 1099-MISC and will also http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ f1099msc.pdf inform the taxpayer about whether the cooperating broker is an individual or a corporation. Remember, if the cooperative commission is paid to a corporation, the taxpayer does not need to file a Form 1099-MISC. However, it is recommended that the taxpayer make it part of its risk management policies to obtain the W-9 from all cooperating brokers, in order to demonstrate that it verified the corporate status of the cooperative broker. If the cooperating broker refuses to return the W-9, the taxpayer can still verify the corporate status of the cooperating broker by checking its secretary of state’s website. 4 Across the Association MAY/JUNE 2010 Bowling For Kids Sake Open House Over thirty members and friends participated in GCAR’s Bowling For Kids Sake to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region. 15 Love GCAR Public Relations Committee chair Tracy Metzger reviews the script before she records the Open House Weekend radio spot. Shown shortly before the radio 1300 interview promoting GCAR’s Open House Weekend are Kelly Stevens, 1330 talk show host and GCAR president Laurene Curtin. Marie Bettini, MaryLou Pinckney, Laurene Curtin and John Barscz formed a formidable team. GCAR’s Community Outreach Fund presented a check for $1,500 to 15 Love, an organization whose mission statement is "To reach out in a loving, caring way to youth of the Capital Region (using tennis as the medium), especially those in the inner cities." Shown in the presentation photo are: (l-r) seated: Amber Marino, executive director and Katie Genovese, director of development; standing: Janna Shillinglaw, GCAR Community Relations Committee chair; Sarah Penge and Geina Ford, Albany High School interns at 15 Love; Laurene Curtin, GCAR president; and David LaVoie, GCAR Community Relations Committee member. STAFF DIRECTORY GCAR STAFF Empower Yourself In 2010 And Sell More Homes Join this FREE partnership with OHI-ENY and become one of the hundreds of real estate professionals fueled with the “selling power” of Oilheat. As a member of the OHI-ENY Oilheat-Realty Partnership, you’ll: 4 Get to know the “selling points” of today’s clean, safe, economical Oilheat through FREE programs, events and literature 4 Team up with local Oilheat dealers who can help you meet your clients’ pre- and post-purchase needs 4 Receive FREE exposure to thousands of potential clients as a “Preferred Realty Company” on the OHI-ENY website, www.oilheat-ny.com Contact OHI-ENY today and discover how Oilheat knowledge can help you sell more homes. 1 (800) 796-3342 www.oilheat-ny.com Brought to you by the Oil Heat Institute of Eastern New York and the National Oilheat Research Alliance. Tel: 518.464.0191 Fax: 518.464.0196 E-mail: support@gcar.com Chief Executive Officer James A. Ader (Ext. 16) E-mail: jader@gcar.com Director Education & Member Services Nancy A. Ruzzo (Ext. 15) E-mail: nruzzo@gcar.com Assistant to the C.E.O. & Financial Secretary Huguette Bushey (Ext. 14) E-mail: hbushey@gcar.com Assistant Education & Member Services Gina Martin (Ext. 10) E-mail: gmartin@gcar.com Administrative Assistant Nancy Krebs (Ext. 11) E-mail: nkrebs@gcar.com CRMLS STAFF Tel: 518.464.8913 Fax: 518.464.8915 Chief Administrator James A. Ader (Ext. 16) E-mail: jader@gcar.com CRMLS Senior Administrative Assistant Diane Hazzard (Ext. 19) E-mail: dhazzard@crmls.com CRMLS Administrative Assistant Michele Miaski (Ext. 17) E-mail: mmiaski@crmls.com CIREB STAFF Tel: 518.464.0194 Fax: 518.464.0196 CIREB Executive Assistant Kelly Pierce (Ext. 12) E-mail: kpierce@cireb.com Across the Association MAY/JUNE 2010 5 CIREB Corner Marketing session hosts Tyler Culberson and Jim Harder; Denise Zieske, Albany County Airport Realty; and guest speaker John O'Donnell, CEO Albany County Airport Authority. Guest Speaker Michael Wacholder, RPI Tech Park Director; marketing session host Tracy Metzger; and CIREB president Jim Conroy. CIREB Monthly Marketing Sessions in Review TL Metzger & Associates hosted the March session in the Rensselaer Technology Park at 4 Global View Drive at the WMHT offices. NAI Platform hosted the April session at 22 Jetway Drive, Colonie, located within the Albany International Airport. The May session will be hosted by The Galesi Group on Thursday May 6th. The session will be held at 433 State Street, Schenectady New York. Details to be announced to the membership via e-mail. CIREB holds its monthly marketing sessions on the first Thursday of each month and are free to all CIREB members. Guests may attend these sessions at a cost of $10.00 per person. If you would like to attend a marketing session or join CIREB, please call Kelly Pierce @ 518-464-0194 or visit www. CIREB.com for more information. Upcoming Events - CIREB Annual Charity Golf Outing –SPONSORS AND RAFFLE ITEMS NEEDED! CIREB’s Annual Charity Golf Outing at Capital Hills Golf Course, Albany, NY on Monday, June 21st. CIREB members and their guests will come together for a great time while raising money for the Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center. Contact Golf Committee chair Alex Kutikov, akutikov@vanguardfine.com, for more information. Sponsorship levels and availability are posted on our website. CIREB Welcomes New Members Broker Members Jared George – Tri Capital Realty, Albany Mark O’Connell – Amenity Realty Group, Wilton. Associate Members Brandon Bellamy – IKON Realty Group Jamie Brown – Trinity Realty Group Kathleen Gilboy – TL Metzger & Associates Michael Schulman – DB Cohen Commercial Peter VanBortel – IKON Realty Group. %* + ( %) %!&!' !"#$ Mortgage Consultants Nick Lemme (518)339-7087 cell Patricia Chambers (518)378-6155 cell Bernadette Ellis (518)852-4698 cell Michael Kawola (518)368-4060 cell 6 Across the Association MAY/JUNE 2010 Borrower’s Lawsuit for RESPA Violations Reinstated A federal appellate court has considered whether a lender violated RESPA by requiring PMI carriers to use its reinsurance subsidiary. Mary Alston (“Borrower”) obtained a mortgage from Countrywide Home Loans (“Lender”). Because the Borrower made a down payment which was less than 20% of the purchase price, the Lender required her to buy private mortgage insurance (“PMI”). The Lender referred the Borrower to a group of PMI insurers who were required to reinsure their PMI with a subsidiary of the Lender, Balboa Reinsurance Co. (“Reinsurer”). The Reinsurer provided excess insurance coverage to the PMI insurers if their losses exceeded a certain threshold. The Borrower brought a class-action lawsuit against the Lender, claiming that its captive reinsurance arrangement violated Agent Skills Training “The Listing Agreement Course” 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 3 Hours CE Credit “The Purchase Contract Course” 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. 3.5 Hours CE Credit These courses are designed as a workshop to assist licensees in successfully guiding their clients or customers through the listing and purchasing process. Instructor: Bill Alston, CRB Friday, May 21, 2010 GCAR Training Center 541 New Karner Rd., Albany NY 12205 Fee- $45 Each Course Register online at www.GCAR.com or call 464-0191 x 10 the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”) because the payments to the Reinsurer amounted to a disguised kickback to the Lender. RESPA is designed to protect consumers from unnecessarily high settlement costs in a real estate transaction. Section 8(a) prohibits any person from giving or receiving a thing of value for the referral of settlement services in connection with federally related mortgage loans. Section 8(b) provides that no person shall accept “any portion, split or percentage of any charge made or received for the rendering of a real estate settlement service” other than for services actually performed. Penalties for RESPA violations include damages three times the unlawful charge. The trial court dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the PMI rates paid by Pennsylvania citizens had been approved by the state and so were per se reasonable. The trial court also determined that because the PMI rates did not constitute an “unreasonably high settlement charge”, the borrowers had no standing to bring a RESPA lawsuit. The Borrower appealed the court’s ruling. The United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit reversed the trial court. The question before the court was whether a lawsuit for alleged RESPA violations could be brought even if the alleged violation does not result in an overcharge to a consumer. The court looked at the statutory language, and found nothing in the statute that required an overcharge for a violation of RESPA. Indeed, the court found that Making More Money Selling With Masullo Brothers, New Home Sales Take Less Time, With Fewer Objections, and Great Referrals! Call 356-2000 Model Open Daily 1-4pm Rt. 146 A Clifton Park New Homes from the $400’s Price • Value • Features • Location RESPA’s penalty provision simply stated that the damages for violations are “three times the amount of any charge paid for such settlement service.” Because the statutory language did not require an overcharge, the court reversed the trial court’s ruling that an overcharge was required in order to bring a RESPA action. Instead, the court ruled that a consumer can maintain a RESPA lawsuit for any charge that allegedly involves a kickback or fee split that violates RESPA. Thus, the case was sent back to the lower court for further proceedings to determine if the Lender violated RESPA through its “captive reinsurance” program. Standards of Practice 3-4 and 16-16 Still Not Enforceable in New York Recently, the NYSAR Legal Hotline has seen an increased number of callers inquiring about the enforcement of Standards of Practice (SOP) 3-4 (formerly 9-9) and 16-16 (formerly 21-16) in the REALTOR Code of Ethics. actions to which they are not a party. Furthermore, DOS stated that such a rule creates the threat of price fixing pressure that would result in harm to the public through inflation of the costs of real estate transactions. The New York State, Department of State, Division of Licensing Services (DOS) had issued a declaratory ruling in 1992 stating that the provisions of SOP 3-4 are unenforceable in New York. SOP 3-4 states as follows: “REALTORS, acting as listing brokers, have an affirmative obligation to disclose the existence of dual or variable rate commission arrangements (i.e., listings where one amount of commission is payable if the listing broker's firm is the procuring cause of sale/lease and a different amount of commission is payable if the sale/lease results through the efforts of the seller/landlord or a cooperating broker). The listing broker shall, as soon as practical, disclose the existence of such arrangements to potential cooperating brokers and shall, in response to inquiries from cooperating brokers, disclose the differential that would result in a cooperative transaction or in a sale/ lease that results through the efforts of the seller/landlord. If the cooperating broker is a buyer/tenant representative, the buyer/tenant representative must disclose such information to their client before the client makes an offer to purchase or lease.” On April 21, 1989, the DOS issued an opinion stating that SOP 16-16 is not enforceable in New York. SOP 16-16 states as follows: “REALTORS, acting as subagents or buyer/tenant representatives or brokers, shall not use the terms of an offer to purchase/lease to attempt to modify the listing broker's offer of compensation to subagents or buyer/ tenant representatives or brokers nor make the submission of an executed offer to purchase/lease contingent on the listing broker's agreement to modify the offer of compensation.” The Department of State found that SOP 3-4 enables board members to intrude on private negotiations between principal and agent and required disclosure to members of confidential information involving trans- In its opinion, the DOS stated that NAR was not correct on the law and that all licensees in New York should be aware that it is the seller, not the real estate broker, who has the right to establish the amount and terms of compensation offered to co-brokers, subagents and buyer’s agents. DOS also states that a buyer’s agent who is unable to make a counteroffer as to the amount of compensation offered by the listing broker places the buyer’s agent in the undesirable position of having to either abandon or be disloyal to his client and such coercion constitutes the tort of interference with a fiduciary relationship. Real estate licensees who attempt to enforce either SOP 3-4 and/or SOP 16-16 in New York may be subject to disciplinary action by the DOS. Across the Association MAY/JUNE 2010 7 Welcome New GCAR Members REALTOR® (principal) Big Blue Realty Jerome S. Rucker Anna M. Brill Brilliant, Home Realty, Voorheesville Completely Home Cheryl Hendricks Buyers Choice Realty Michelle Rodriguez Frank W. Cermak, Rexford Appraisal Services, Rexford CMK & Associates Real Estate Russell Klippel Jared S. Horton, Century 21 Purtell Realty Elizabeth Bonanno Troy Anthony W. Jasenski Sr., Clancy Real Estate Cynthia A. Creasy TriStar Real Estate, Schenectady Theresa M. Loftman, Loftman Realty, Albany Coldwell Banker Prime Properties Kelsey Baird John S. Blanchard J. Michael Caprio Genevieve Caputo Kathrine Kahl Chip Landry Matthew Normille Diane Sturhahn REALTOR® (non-principal) Adesso Realty Jennifer M. Kramer Amenity Realty Group Heather McLeod D B Cohen Commercial Michael A. Schulman Keller Williams Saratoga Springs Anna Baker Lee Ann Campbell Jeanette Morales Hunt Real Estate ERA David Krogmann Krutz Properties James A. Trumbull Keller Williams Capital District Samuel A. Blanchette Jennifer A. Cleary Keith E. Enos Nelun K. Fernando Fawn D. McClintock Frances H. Moore Charles B. Newton Mary Stevens Newton Enkelejda Papa Steven Scarmozzino Miranda Real Estate Group Richard Pangburn Keller Williams Distinctive Properties Gillian Black Purdy Realty Bridget Malagisi Realty USA Demetrio Daga Lynn Milone Michael C. Pezzi Waseem Samuel Judy Rosen Real Estate Alexander H. Monticello Sterling Homes Scott P. Sullivan Pinnacle Realty Tammy Crandall TechValley Homes Real Estate Robert G. Backshall Prime Property Solutions Teresa L. Gliosco Tinkham Real Estate Dawn M. Mason Prudential Manor Homes Emily Mulholland Charles A. Passaro Katherine Villanova Vassi Realty Marie Fountaine-Engle Margaret Persico Weichert, REALTORS®, Northeast Grp. Phyllis Affinito Anita L. Pratt GCAR Affiliate Members Support Our Affiliate Members As they Support Us Trustco Bank Network Settlement Services First Niagara Mortgage Times Union MetLife Home Loans First National Bank of Scotia TD Banknorth HSBC Mortgage Network Countrywide Home Loans SEFCU Home Mortgage Network Commission Express of New York Oil Heat Institute of Eastern New York Home Funding Finders Berkshire Bank NYS Office of Real Property Services First Rate Funding Arnoff Moving & Storage First Priority Mortgage The ONLY independently accredited, nationally recognized home inspector certification: N E W Y O R K S TAT E A S S O C I AT I O N O F R E A LT O R S ® “I don’t know what I’d do without NYSAR’s Legal Hotline! ...it provides immediate and accurate answers to many questions...” Laurene Curtin NYSAR member for 18 years FREE LEGAL HOTLINE 518.436.9727 Authoritative legal information on a wide variety of real estate law issues. We answer all your real estate legal questions for free! Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Richard Askew (518) 383-4804 Anthony D’Agostino (518) 783-1963 Peter Hughes (518) 577-7707 Gregory Sanchez (518) 765-2042 NYSAR’s Legal Hotline does not provide a client-lawyer relationship. For confidential legal advice, consult an attorney. Tom Corrigan (518) 439-7007 Wynn Englisbe (518) 478-0113 Lawrence McGann (518) 937-2952 Peter Schaming (518) 768-2713 Robert Davis (518) 885-7949 James Gibb (518) 465-5024 Jason Micare (518) 857-5555 Markus Snedaker (518) 461-9272 Paul C. Doyle (518) 439-8102 Stan Grajny, P.E. (518) 221-3240 Joseph Pickel (518) 369-0481 Doug Vierath (518) 496-7240 NYS requires Licensing. ASHI requires Excellence. Go ASHI! Robert Davis, President www.goashi.com Joe Pickel, Vice President ~~ September 24, 2010 ~~ Fabulous Line-Up of Speakers! Great Exhibitors! Silent Auction! Raffle Prizes Galore! Desmond Inn & Conference Center EARN MORE MONEY with Toll Brothers! As the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes, we know that YOU are an important part of our success. We offer the following incentives* to Realtors when you sell a home at Estates at Halfmoon: • #OMMISSIONON!LL(OMESs!DVANCE#OMMISSION • 2ELOCATION2EIMBURSEMENT • %ARNUPTOANADDITIONALWITH2%!,4/2®2EWARDS Register at TollRealtor.com Today! ~~ are co-sponsoring the following educational opportunities ~~ Financing to Increase Homeownership RI 403 May 12, 2010 Serving Real Estate Investors RI 404 7.5 Hours CE Increase your bottom line by closing more transactions. In today’s market you can become a leader by putting financing options into terms your clients will understand. This course will teach you how to research products, quality buyers and find the best financing options available. May 13, 2010 7.5 Hours CE Gain an understanding of investment terms, concepts and calculations with this course. Learn to guide your clients through the real estate investment process and how to analyze property as an investment using simple calculations for cash flow and return on investment. Registration Fee $150 Members/$175 Non Members Registration Fee $150 Members/$175 Non Members $25 off if registering by May 2 $25 off if registering by May 3 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Instructor: Randy Templeman, ABR, AHWD, CRS Instructor: Randy Templeman, ABR, AHWD, CRS 4 easy ways to register: Visit the Members' Education Section at nysar.com Fax credit card registrations to 518.462.5474 Call 463-0300 x 219 Mail check registrations to: NYSAR, 130 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210 Single-Family Homes from the Low $400s 4/,,s%STATES!T(ALFMOONCOM Sales Center and Decorated Model: Open Every Day 11-6 3TONE#REST$RIVEs(ALFMOON.9 Spire Inspections offers... t'VMM4FSWJDF *OTQFDUJPO$PNQBOZ t$FSUJöFE3BEPO4QFDJBMJTU t-JDFOTFE1FTU5FDIOJDJBO t'MFYJCMF4DIFEVMJOH t4BNF%BZ3FQPSU 10% Discount on ALL Services With This Ad! Lawrence McGann Prices Subject to Change Without Notice. Homes Available Nationwide. *$2,000 advanced commission is paid at ratification of the agreement of sale. REALTORS® are required to register and accompany clients on their initial visit. Licensed REALTORS® only. Subject to employing broker’s approval. Eligible relocation referrals must be from outside NY. Realtors Rewards are in addition to 2-1/2% standard commission, issued after execution of agreement of sale by Toll Brothers and approved mortgage commitment signed by buyer, not paid on lost agreements of sale. All promotions subject to change without notice and may be discontinued at any time. See Sales Manager for details. This is not an offering where prohibited by law. Tim Lucey PHONE: 518-937-2952 WWW.SPIREINSPECTIONS.COM