GTAR Weekly Facts – February 20, 2012
NOTICES:
Party Pics: 2012 GTAR/NORES Installation & Awards Banquet
Over 380 GTAR members attended the annual banquet on February 16 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Relive it or see what you missed—courtesy of Obeo—http://www.obeo.com/707941 Thank you 2012 Banquet Sponsors for making this event possible.
EDUCATION:
February 22
Special Event – Pat Zaby at GTAR!
Nationally acclaimed speaker, Pat Zaby will be at GTAR 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. to teach Turn It On Automatic: Serving Repeat and Referral Customers. Repeat and referral customers account for the majority of transactions and relationships that influence agent selection. Maintaining top of mind awareness is the determining factor that results in your getting the call when your contacts or their friends are buying or selling. This session will help you develop a system for leveraging your creative efforts through direct mail and social networking. The class is OREC approved for 3 hours elective CE credit, and is free to GTAR members, but you must pre-register! Register online at tulsarealtors.com.
March 6
If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, What’s a Bad Picture Worth? According to the 2010 NAR Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, 98% of home buyers who searched for a home on the Internet found photos to be among the most useful features of REALTOR® websites. In this new class, Dennis McFeely will help you enhance your skills utilizing digital cameras, software editing applications, and Internet hosting platforms to effectively and professionally market your listings. Class is 1:00-4:00 p.m.; OREC approved for 3 hours elective CE credit; course details and registration online at tulsarealtors.com.
March 8
In this new course, the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) form will be discussed in detail with emphasis on the new guidelines and how it will affect real estate professionals; the additional guidelines, Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD), pertain to how the URAR form is to be completed. Starting in March, Fannie Mae will require all reports submitted to them for purchase to be compliant with the new guidelines. Class is 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. OREC approved for 3 hours required HOT CE credit; course details and registration online at tulsarealtors.com.
RAD Conference Update
The two technology classes Dick Betts is teaching have just been OREC approved for 3 hours elective CE credit—Mobile Technology…The Way of the World and Agent’s Digital Footprint…Got One? Click Here to learn more about the RAD Education Conference and Trade Show April 4-5. Cost is only $50 per member; register online at tulsarealtors.com. Don’t wait too long though—there are only 87 seats remaining for the conference! If you want year-long, super-savings on CE classes, check out GTAR’s new Class Pass for only $25 more! (See information below.) And don’t worry…we will still have the same great, free Trade Show you know and love from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.—complete with valuable information, door prizes, food, and fun—and all for free thanks to GTAR’s Firm Affiliates! (You do not need to register for the Trade show nor participate in the Education Conference to attend!)
GTAR's Class Pass gets you admission to the Education Conference classes and motivational speaker presentation (see description above), a $50 value, PLUS any and all regular CE classes GTAR offers in 2012—starting as soon as you buy your class pass—for just $75! For more information and to purchase your GTAR Class Pass, log on to tulsarealtors.com; from the Main Menu, click on the red Education bar, then click Register for Classes, and look for GTAR Class Pass.
Land Investment Analysis Course
February 21, 22, and 23, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at OAR in Oklahoma City; this three-day course is presented by the ALC Oklahoma Chapter of the REALTORS® Land Institute. Cost is $449; CE is pending. To register, call Sherman Shanklin at 918-273-2344. Click Here for Course Details (This is not a GTAR course.)
CRS Sales Strategies
February 27-28 with instructor James Nellis, CEO of The Nellis Group; presented by the OK Chapter of CRS; 8:30 a.m-5:00 p.m. at the OKC Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® in Oklahoma City. Register online at www.crsok.com (This is not a GTAR course.) There is also a free 30-minute Webinar Feb 14, 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. promoting the class; click on the following link http://youtu.be/0THEg-ZH2go
MLS NOTES:
Agent Access to the New MLS System Begins on March 20!
Training classes start that day too—all classes are free, but pre-registration is required—don’t wait until the last minute! Register online at tulsarealtors.com (Education – Register for Classes). There are plenty of days and times to choose from; all classes will be in the GTAR Training Center, unless otherwise indicated.
MarketLinx will be Gone mid-April: Make Sure Your PC is Ready for Your Next Generation MLS System—Fusion
You won’t need a new PC to run the Fusion MLS system; however, you might want to compare your computer and consider the recommended stats for optimum performance of Fusion. IF your computer doesn’t meet the minimum recommendations, it is likely a very old PC, and you are missing out on much more than just MLS features. The speed and reliability of a newer computer can help to alleviate the pains and struggles of program lockups, timeouts, slow opening and closing of programs, reboots… and much more. Windows (Recommended): 1.8 GHz Intel Core Duo, AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200, or equivalent processor; 3 GB of RAM if using Windows XP; 4 GB of RAM if using Windows 7 or Vista. (Minimum) PC stats for running your upcoming 2012 new MLS-Fusion: 3 GHz Intel Pentium 4 (single core) or equivalent processor; 1 GB of RAM if using Windows XP; 2 GB of RAM (Windows 7 or Vista). Macintosh (Recommended): 1.33 GHz Intel Core Duo, or equivalent processor; 4 GB of RAM. (Minimum) Mac stats: 500 MHz Intel PowerPC (single core) or equivalent processor; 2 GB of RAM. You can check your current system stats by right clicking on My Computer, and selecting Properties. Call the Helpdesk at 918-664-0505 if you need assistance. Watch for future GTAR communications for more upcoming info on Fusion.
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE:
Do You Work in Tulsa’s Real Estate Market?
If you do, then you won’t want to miss the 2012 Greater Tulsa Commercial Market Update, now in its 13th year! Wednesday, March 14, 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Tulsa Renaissance Hotel. Delise Tomlinson, executive director of Downtown Development, Tulsa Metro Chamber will give a special presentation on all the exciting development happening in downtown Tulsa. New This Year: The GTAR Commercial REALTOR® of the Year Luncheon will immediately follow the Commercial Market Update. During this hour, a keynote address will be given by Tulsa City Councilor, District 4, Blake Ewing; Mr. Ewing will talk about development of the Blue Dome and Pearl districts in downtown Tulsa, as well as his plans as Tulsa City Councilor. Then, as the name suggests, the GTAR Commercial REALTOR® of the Year for 2011 will be announced. This honor is awarded to a commercial member, nominated by his or her peers, who promotes the interest of the commercial real estate profession, the community, and his or her clients. Take advantage of early-bird savings! GTAR members: Pay only $60 through March 2; non-members: $80 through March 2. Event Details and Registration Form
Fourth Quarter 2011 Commercial Market Reports
Xceligent is pleased to provide quarterly market reports for the Tulsa metropolitan area for Office and Industrial.
GOVERNMENT ISSUES:
Fannie Mae Requires Online REO Offers
Your members working with buyers of a Fannie Mae REO have to submit their offer online, the company has announced. More.
Bill to Strengthen FHA Advances
A House subcommittee last week passed an NAR-supported bill to help FHA enforce its rules against bad lenders and also take steps to shore up its finances. For more info contact Megan Booth, mbooth@realtors.org, 202/383-1222.
Change Aims at More Streamlined FHA Refis
FHA has taken steps to encourage lenders to participate in the agency's streamline refinance initiative, which allows FHA borrowers current on their payments to refinance into today’s low interest rates without the lender having to undertake additional underwriting. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service also has a pilot to make refinances easier. For more info contact Megan Booth, mbooth@realtors.org, 202/383-1222.
NAR Supports Internet Sales Tax Fairness
NAR has joined other organizations in support of a bill that would address tax collection differences between brick and mortar businesses and those that operate online. For more info contact Linda Goold, lgoold@realtors.,org, 202/383-1083.
Reminder: 3.8% Tax is Not Tax on Real Estate
Tax time is nearing and once more rumors are circulating on the Internet and by e-mail that the health care reform law enacted two years ago includes a 3.8 percent transfer tax on real estate starting in 2013. That rumor is not true and NAR has material available to you to explain how that 3.8 percent tax works. It’s a tax on a very narrow band of investment income for high-wealth households (those who earn $250,000 in a joint return or $200,000 as an individual) that could come into play on the sale of a house if the sales gain is more than $500,000 for a married couple or $250,000 for an individual. Even in the unlikely event the sales gain is more than that amount, the tax would only apply based on other considerations having to with the household’s income and tax situation. The bottom line is, the tax, which was imposed to help shore up Medicare, will only hit some portion of investment income. Video and explanatory article. Free downloadable brochure on how the tax works. FAQ.
A settlement announced this week among state and federal officials and the nation's five largest banks is the largest joint state-federal settlement in history against an industry. Here's what it means for home owners. Read more >
A measure before the NAR Diversity Committee seeks to clarify Article 10 of the Code of Ethics to align with HUD's new policy prohibiting discriminating on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. Read more >
INFORMATION TO USE:
Free Consumer Content: Rooftop Snow Removal
The latest free content for your members’ websites, blogs, social media pages, and print resources from HouseLogic’s REALTOR® Content Resource looks at rooftop snow removal ideas.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS:
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®:
Debbie Solano, associated w/Coldwell Banker (Second Publication)
