GTAR Weekly Facts – July 15, 2013

EDUCATION & EVENTS:

CANCELED! EDUTAINMENT DAY

Edutainment Day, scheduled for Thursday, July 18 has been canceled due to low registration. We will try to reschedule it for sometime this fall.

Wednesday, July 17

FAIR is Not Just Another Four-letter Word

1:00-4:00 p.m. with Kathryn Jones; OREC Approved: 3 hours required FHR CE credit. Pre-registration cost is $15 for members; walk-in cost is $20. Register online at tulsarealtors.com; from the Main Menu, click Associate Services tab, then click Register for Classes. (Class Pass Eligible)

Monday, July 22

A Residential Transaction: Numbers & Math

1:00-4:00 p.m. This NEW course explores a typical residential real estate transaction, and the facts and figures that are customary and usual for the locale. Instructor Ann Lloyd will guide you through the step-by-step preparation of a Net-to-Seller and Cost-to-Buyer. The course will include a review of, and comparison to, the HUD-1. Math for estimating many different “numbers” in a real estate transaction will be reviewed, as well as some quick and easy formulas for estimating property taxes and insurances will be shared and practiced. OREC Approved: 3 hours elective CE credit. A calculator and pencil are required for this class; forms will be provided. Pre-registration cost is $15 for members; walk-in cost is $20. Register online at tulsarealtors.com; from the Main Menu, click Associate Services tab, then click Register for Classes. (Class Pass Eligible); Click Here for Course Details

Thursday, July 25

YPN Summer Mixer at Aloft Downtown

4:30-7:00 p.m. Event is FREE and open to ALL members, but registration is required. You can register online by logging on to tulsarealtors.com and clicking on the Other tab, then Events.

August 5-6

Broker in Charge Course

8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. both days with instructor Ann Lloyd; lunch provided courtesy of GTAR affiliate members. OREC approved for 15 hours required BIC CE credit. Class size is limited to 15. Cost is $90 for GTAR members. Register online at tulsarealtors.com. (Next BIC course is November 4-5)

Take Advantage of Early-bird Savings!

CRS 206: Technologies to Advance Your Business

Through August 5, cost is $250; after, cost will be $295. Get a handle on technology and tools that work for you and your business. After completing this two-day course, you will be able to learn about technologies that streamline the way you handle contacts and follow-up systems; access the technologies that make sense for you and your business so you don’t waste money on gimmicks; market yourself via websites, blogs, and other communication tools to attract, keep, and close the Internet buyer; and create effective multimedia technologies and develop enhanced listing and buyer presentations. CRS 206 is open to ALL members! Click Here for Course Details

GOVERNMENT/LEGAL ISSUES:

Plain-Language Explanation of BASEL III Win

NAR Economist Ken Fears in a widely read blog post explains why federal banking regulators' final rule implementing the BASEL III accords is a win for real estate. The rule, developed by the Federal Reserve and signed off on by other banking regulators, makes no changes to the amount of capital banks must hold on their books for residential real estate loans with down payments of less than 20 percent. In earlier proposed versions of the rules, banks faced higher capital requirements for these loans, but NAR and other groups hit regulators hard with their concerns over the impact this would have on the recovering real estate sector.  

INFORMATION TO USE:

Free Consumer Content: Gardening Info

The latest free content for your websites, blogs, social media pages, and print resources from HouseLogic's REALTOR^® Content Resource looks at do-it-yourself ways for home owners to improve their gardens.

Younger Buyers Optimistic About Home Ownership

Millennials—the generation born between 1980 and 2000—are more confident than any other age group that their recent home purchase was a good financial investment, finds the 2013 NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report, released this week. The median age of Millennial home buyers was 28, their median income was $66,200, and they typically bought a 1,700-square foot home costing $165,000. More

REALTOR^® Action Center Droid App Available
In case you missed it: The REALTOR^® Action Center mobile app is now available in Droid app stores. The Apple version released earlier this spring.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION:

Comments on the following REALTOR^® applicants should be submitted by REALTOR^® members to the Membership Committee, c/o GTAR, PO Box 470603, Tulsa, OK 74147.

REALTOR^®:

Chris Rolland, Sooner State Appraiser (First Publication)

Firm Affiliate:

Supreme Lending, Designated Individual Alfredo Madrid (First Publication)

GTAR Weekly Facts – July 8, 2013

NOTICES:

Thursday, July 11

Professional Standards Seminar: Enforcing the Code and Its Standards

9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. This class is open to ALL GTAR members (REALTORS^® AND Sales Associates—whether you are interested in serving on GTAR’s Grievance or Professional Standards Committee in the future or just want to find out what happens during an arbitration or ethics hearing. Through lecture, discussion, and case studies, Bruce Aydt, attorney and REALTOR^®, will teach the concepts of professional conduct related to the REALTOR^® Code of Ethics and its enforcement processes. OREC approved for 6 hours required PSC CE credit. Pre-registration cost is $25 for members; walk-in cost is $30. Register online at tulsarealtors.com; from the Main Menu, click Associate Services tab, then click Register for Classes. Click Here for Course Details

Tuesday, July 16

HUD Procedures and Bidding Process

1:00-4:00 p.m. In this updated course taught by Jennifer Minard (Mary Berry’s protégé) you will learn HUD procedures, how to submit HUD bids, and the latest changes, including the HUD implemented “Buyer Select” closing agent pilot program which became effective this year (April 15). OREC Approved: 3 hours required HOT CE credit. Pre-registration cost is $15 for members; walk-in cost is $20. Register online at tulsarealtors.com; from the Main Menu, click Associate Services tab, then click Register for Classes. (Class Pass Eligible); Click Here for Course Details

July 17: FAIR is Not Just Another Four-letter Word

1:00-4:00 p.m. with Kathryn Jones; OREC Approved: 3 hours required FHR CE credit. Pre-registration cost is $15 for members; walk-in cost is $20. Register online at tulsarealtors.com; from the Main Menu, click Associate Services tab, then click Register for Classes. (Class Pass Eligible)

Welcome Muskogee!

The Muskogee Association of REALTORS^® officially became part of GTAR and NORES on July 1. The GTAR/NORES staff is continuing to enter Muskogee “Sold” history (2010-present) into the MLS system. To date, most of the sold history has been entered. “Cooperating Keys”: To add the Muskogee and/or Bartlesville area to your DisplayKey, bring your Dkey into the GTARNORES office for programming. The new area will be programmed into the key and updated.  You MUST update your key on its cradle again before you can show. To add the Muskogee and/or Bartlesville area to your Ekey, call Gloria at 918-663-7500.  Your phone will be programmed and will need to be updated before you can show.

EDUCATION & EVENTS:

Thursday, July 18

Let Us “Edutain” You

GTAR’s Edutainment Day is back! 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Topics include:  OREC Topics and Trends; Social Media Marketing; Multi Offers–A Great New Problem; Crime Prevention Strategies & Tactics. Breakfast sponsored by American Eagle Title Group. FREE to ALL members! Register online at tulsarealtors.com: from the Main Menu, click Associate Services, then click Register for Classes. Learn More

Monday, July 22

A Residential Transaction: Numbers & Math

1:00-4:00 p.m. This NEW course explores a typical residential real estate transaction, and the facts and figures that are customary and usual for the locale. Instructor Ann Lloyd will guide you through the step-by-step preparation of a Net-to-Seller and Cost-to-Buyer. The course will include a review of, and comparison to, the HUD-1. Math for estimating many different “numbers” in a real estate transaction will be reviewed, as well as some quick and easy formulas for estimating property taxes and insurances will be shared and practiced. OREC Approved: 3 hours elective CE credit. A calculator and pencil are required for this class; forms will be provided. Pre-registration cost is $15 for members; walk-in cost is $20. Register online at tulsarealtors.com; from the Main Menu, click Associate Services tab, then click Register for Classes. (Class Pass Eligible); Click Here for Course Details

Thursday, July 25

YPN Summer Mixer at Aloft Downtown

4:30-7:00 p.m. Event is FREE and open to ALL members, but registration is required. You can register online by logging on to tulsarealtors.com and clicking on the Other tab, then Events.

August 26-27

CRS 206: Technologies to Advance Your Business

Get a handle on technology and tools that work for you and your business. After completing this two-day course, you will be able to learn about technologies that streamline the way you handle contacts and follow-up systems; access the technologies that make sense for you and your business so you don’t waste money on gimmicks; market yourself via websites, blogs, and other communication tools to attract, keep, and close the Internet buyer; and create effective multimedia technologies and develop enhanced listing and buyer presentations. Take advantage of early-bird savings! Through August 5, cost is $250; after, cost will be $295. CRS 206 is open to ALL members! Click Here for Course Details

GOVERNMENT/LEGAL ISSUES:

Fed Basel III Rule a Win for Real Estate

NAR and industry partners notched a key victory in ensuring the continued availability of mortgage financing for borrowers when the Federal Reserve board yesterday released its final rule implementing the BASEL III international banking accords. The rule leaves out an increased risk-weighting provision in the earlier proposed version of the rule that would have made residential mortgages more costly to many borrowers. The proposed rule would have required banks to hold more capital on their books for the residential loans they make. But the final rule leaves the risk-weighting requirement for residential loans unchanged. The rule also eases proposed standards on community banks and extends the time period for banks to adopt the new standards, but it also imposes some new standards on the country's largest banks. NAR is looking carefully at the rule, which is extensive and impacts all bank lending activity, and will be providing a more detailed analysis in the future.

Private Disaster Insurance Market Not Working

The private market for natural disasters insurance isn't working, forcing the federal government to resort to taxpayer-funded disaster aid every time a major hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, or other disaster hits, NAR says in a letter to the U.S. Treasury last week. NAR provided its input to Treasury's Federal Insurance Office, which is writing a report on the state of the disaster insurance market as part of flood insurance reform that was enacted last year.

COMMERCIAL RE:

Commercial Lead Rules Premature, NAR Says

NAR reiterated its point that the federal government must do more research before issuing lead-based paint rules on the renovation, repair, and painting of public and commercial buildings.  Harold Huggins of Harold Huggins Realty in Burtonsville, Md., who testified before EPA on behalf of NAR, IREM, and the CCIM Institute, said the federal government lacks data on the prevalence of lead-based paint in commercial and public buildings and hasn't considered the difference between these types of property and residential property, among other things.

INFORMATION TO USE:

Free Consumer Content: Weekend Project Ideas

The latest free content for your websites, blogs, social media pages, and print resources from HouseLogic's REALTOR^® Content Resource looks at ideas on do-it-yourself projects that are perfect for a three-day weekend.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION:

Comments on the following REALTOR^® applicants should be submitted by REALTOR^® members to the Membership Committee, c/o GTAR, PO Box 470603, Tulsa, OK 74147.

REALTOR^®:

Robert Johnson, Johnson Company Realty (Second Publication)

Robin L. Stout, R. L. Stout Realty (Second Publication)

GTAR Weekly Facts – July 1, 2013

NOTICES:

 

HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY!

The GTAR/NORES office will be closed Thursday, July 4 for Independence Day. Have fun and be safe!

Welcome Muskogee Association of REALTORS^®!

Today, July 1, the Muskogee Association of REALTORS^® officially becomes part of GTAR and NORES. (MAR has been in the process of dissolving its board and MLS over the last month or so.)  The GTAR/NORES staff is continuing to enter Muskogee “Sold” history (2010-present) into the MLS system. To date, most of the sold history has been entered. “Cooperating Keys”: To add the Muskogee and/or Bartlesville area to your DisplayKey, bring your Dkey into the GTARNORES office for programming. The new area will be programmed into the key and updated.  You MUST update your key on its cradle again before you can show. To add the Muskogee and/or Bartlesville area to your Ekey, call Gloria at 918-663-7500.  Your phone will be programmed and will need to be updated before you can show.

OAR Open Door Award Nomination Deadline is July 5

This annual award honors three Oklahoma REALTORS^® who go above and beyond to fulfill the needs shown by their community. OAR’s Open Door Award is designed to seek out the brightest and best who give unselfishly to improving the world around them through community service. You can download the form directly here.  Questions? Contact Lora Gwartney, (405) 848-9944 or lora@oklahomarealtors.com.

EDUCATION & EVENTS:

July 18

Edutainment Day is Back!

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Topics include:  OREC Topics and Trends; Social Media Marketing; Multi Offers – A Great New Problem;  Crime Prevention Strategies & Tactics. Breakfast sponsored by Amercian Eagle Title Group. FREE to Members! Register online: from the Main Menu, click Associate Services, then click Register for Classes.

Upcoming CE Classes at GTAR

Don’t wait until the end of your three-year licensing period to start working on your CE hours. As CE classes are scheduled, information and registration will be available on tulsarealtors.com; from the main Member Services page, click Associate Services, then click Register for Classes.  If you are a Class Pass Holder, please register for Class Pass eligible classes by emailing education@tulsarealtors.com or calling 918-663-7500.

July 11: Professional Standards Seminar: Enforcing the Code and Its Standards

Are you a REALTOR^® member Interested in serving on GTAR’s Grievance or Professional Standards Committee? Or, would you just like to find out what happens during an arbitration or ethics hearing without being a participant? If you answered yes to either question, then this class is for you! Through lecture, discussion, and case studies, Bruce Aydt, attorney and REALTOR^®, will teach the concepts of professional conduct related to the REALTOR^® Code of Ethics and its enforcement processes. OREC approved for 6 hours required PSC CE credit (OREC will count 3 as PSC and the other 3 as elective); this course also satisfies NAR’s Code of Ethics training requirement. Cost is $25 for members. Click Here for Course Details

July 16: HUD Procedures and Bidding Process

1:00-4:00 p.m.: In this updated course taught by Jennifer Minard (Mary Berry’s protégé) you will learn HUD procedures, how to submit HUD bids, and the latest changes, including the HUD implemented “Buyer Select” closing agent pilot program which became effective this year (April 15). OREC Approved: 3 hours required HOT CE credit (Class Pass Eligible) Click Here for Course Details

July 22: A Residential Transaction: Numbers & Math

1:00-4:00 p.m.: This new course explores a typical residential real estate transaction, and the facts and figures that are customary and usual for the locale. Instructor Ann Lloyd will guide you through the step-by-step preparation of a Net-to-Seller and Cost-to-Buyer. The course will include a review of, and comparison to, the HUD-1. Math for estimating many different “numbers” in a real estate transaction will be reviewed, as well as some quick and easy formulas for estimating property taxes and insurances will be shared and practiced. OREC Approved: 3 hours elective CE credit. A calculator and pencil are required for this class; forms will be provided. (Class Pass Eligible)

August 26-27

CRS 206: Technologies to Advance Your Business

Get a handle on technology and tools that work for you and your business. After completing this two-day course, you will be able to learn about technologies that streamline the way you handle contacts and follow-up systems; access the technologies that make sense for you and your business so you don’t waste money on gimmicks; market yourself via websites, blogs, and other communication tools to attract, keep, and close the Internet buyer; and create effective multimedia technologies and develop enhanced listing and buyer presentations. Take advantage of early-bird savings! Through August 5, cost is $250; after, cost will be $295. CRS 206 is open to all members! Click Here for Course Details

GOVERNMENT/LEGAL ISSUES:

Short Sales: Minimum 5 days in MLS, Fannie, Freddie Say

Any property being considered for short sale approval must be listed on the multiple listing service (MLS) for five consecutive days, including one weekend, prior to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac approving the offer, the two companies say in changes to their short sale guidelines. Both companies will require submission of printed copies of the property's MLS listings in the geographic area in which the property is located. The changes take effect August 1.

Bill Would Extend Mortgage Tax Forgiveness Again

Legislation would extend for another two years tax forgiveness for borrowers who've had a portion of their loan balance forgiven by their lender. NAR supports the extension and President Gary Thomas in a June 20 letter thanked Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) for sponsoring "The Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act," S. 1187.

Thomas Urges 3 Percent Cap Change in Testimony

NAR President Gary Thomas in a video podcast talks about his testimony before a House committee two weeks ago in support of legislation that would address a problematic 3-percent cap on points and fees under the qualified mortgage (QM) rule that takes effect next year. Thomas said the QM rule discriminates against small lenders and affiliated businesses and can be corrected by passage of "The Consumer Mortgage Choice Act," H.R. 1077.

INFORMATION TO USE:

Home Sales Rise in May, Prices Up 15.4 Percent

Existing-home sales in May rose 4.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million from 4.97 million in April. The sales pace is 12.9 percent above the 4.59 million-unit pace in May 2012. The national median home price rose 15.4 percent, year-over-year, to $208,000. This marks the sixth straight month of double-digit price increases and the strongest gain since October 2005. Press release and video.

REach: Discounts for Members who Product Test

Members: You can apply to be part of NAR's technology accelerator program, REach, by helping to test REach partners' products and services. You choose which REach companies to work with and provide feedback to help improve their offerings. In exchange, you receive discounts on the products and services. 

10 Percent Discounts on Emergency Phone Charger

Members:  Get 10 percent off on a REALTOR^®-branded emergency phone charger from the REALTOR Team Store^®. The store is NAR’s official supplier of REALTOR^®-branded items and a REALTOR Benefits^® Program partner.

Evernote, Google+ Featured in Webinar Summit

Members: Learn about using Google+, Evernote, Facebook, and how to use video in a REALTOR^® University social media webinar summit, Thursday, July 25. The summit features five webinars hosted by real estate pros who've mastered these and other platforms for selling real estate. Summit registration is $19.95. Use discount code 'RUWSB2' to save an additional $5. 

Free Double Upgrade on Hertz Summer Rentals

Save on summer travel with a free double upgrade and up to 25 percent off your next Hertz rental through the REALTOR Benefits^® Program. Plus, new Hertz Gold Plus rewards members who sign up this summer; you can earn 500 activation bonus points after completing your first rental. Visit REALTOR.org/Hertz or call 800-654-2200.

Free Consumer Content: Ideas to Speed Up Summer Sale

The latest free content for your websites, blogs, social media pages, and print resources from HouseLogic's REALTOR^® Content Resource looks at free ideas on how sellers can speed up a summer sale. 

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION:

Comments on the following REALTOR^® applicants should be submitted by REALTOR^® members to the Membership Committee, c/o GTAR, PO Box 470603, Tulsa, OK 74147.

REALTOR^®:

Robert Johnson, Johnson Company Realty (First Publication)

Robin L. Stout, R. L. Stout Realty (First Publication)

Jerry Sisco, A-1 Appraisal Service (Second Publication)

MLS Waiver:

Arlyn Imel, Prospectors Real Estate, Inc. (Second Publication)