Your February Message from C.A.R. President Steve Goddard

Steve Goddard - 2010 C.A.R. President

The C.A.R. Board of Directors meetings in Indian Wells concluded last weekend, and as always covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. More than 50 committee meetings during the week culminated in the official meetings of the full board on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

Your board of directors is a dedicated group of volunteers who give their time and expertise to your state association and to our industry. If you’re not directly involved in your local association, or aren’t yet a volunteer at the state or national level, I encourage you to do so. It’s an opportunity to give voice to the issues important to you and your peers, and to directly impact your livelihood and the future of our industry. My involvement over the years has enriched both my professional and personal life.

At the meetings, changes to the California Residential Purchase Agreement and Joint Escrow Instructions–most often referred to as the “RPA”–were approved by the board. The RPA is the standard form, produced by C.A.R., used in nearly every residential real estate transaction in the state. The RPA hasn’t been significantly modified since 2002, and the changes approved this past week followed nearly two years of effort by the RPA Study Group and the Standard Forms Advisory Committee, with over 1,000 comments from members helping inform the process.

Changes regarding the initial deposit; the notice to perform; FHA/VA loans; financing; the appraisal contingency; the wood pest inspection; home warranty coverage; and contingencies and cancellations; among others, were approved and will be incorporated in the revised form, scheduled for release April 28. For a complete timeline regarding the RPA release, visit http://www.car.org/legal/standard-forms/. Final Drafts will be posted Feb. 22. Classes will be held throughout the state and begin next month. Please click here for more details.

C.A.R.’s popular Strategic Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) programs also start up again next month. Each program includes a local economic and market update by one of C.A.R.’s economists; a panel of legal and finance experts to help you navigate the new laws and close a loan in today’s market; tips on how to use the Treasury Department’s Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Program; and a four-hour continuing education (CE) course on the new RPA. Sessions begin March 4 in the Oxnard area, and include programs in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Sacramento, Orange County, the Inland Empire, San Diego, and San Jose, with more to come. If you haven’t taken advantage of C.A.R.’s S.W.A.T. program in the past, you’ll find that they pack a lot of relevant information in an accessible and easy-to-understand format. For more information, or to register, please go to www.realtorswat.com.

The market continues to forge ahead, with home sales increasing 1.7 percent in December compared with the same period a year ago, and the median price of an existing home rising 8.4 percent compared with a year ago, according to C.A.R.’s latest report. December’s activity can be attributed in part to the extension and expansion of the home buyer tax credit, as well as near-historic highs in affordability due to current price levels and low interest rates. C.A.R.’s next sales and price report will be released Feb. 23 – you can view it that morning in the News Release section of car.org.

Today’s market holds tremendous opportunities for first-time buyers. C.A.R. has just released its 2009 Home Sellers Survey, which will help you provide your clients with the best service by getting the inside information on what home sellers are thinking. Best of all, it’s free, and available in the Market Response Center on car.org at http://www.car.org/tools/smart/.

calREDD™ also continues to move forward, and on Jan. 25 announced a succession of successful launches at the Chico Association of REALTORS®, the Oroville Association of REALTORS®, and the Paradise Association of REALTORS®. calREDD™ has been up and running to users’ acclaim since Jan. 11 at the Lake County Association of REALTORS® and since Aug. 17 at the Madera Association of REALTORS® and the Merced Association of REALTORS®. You can click here to see what Lake County members are saying about calREDD™ and here to see what Madera and Merced members have to say.

Next are March launches at the Amador Association of REALTORS® and the Yosemite Gateway Association of REALTORS®, followed by April launches scheduled for the Mariposa County Board of REALTORS®, the Tehama County Association of REALTORS®, and the Plumas Association of REALTORS®, with more to follow.

I hope you already have upgraded from WINForms® to the free zipForm® 6 software. The upgrade to zipForm® 6 is mandatory effective March 31, so please take some time today to upgrade and avoid the rush. That way, should you have questions or need assistance, you’re more likely to be able to reach the customer service support desk for help. To download zipForm® 6, click here. You also can access the ePUBS™ zipForm® 6 library for free once you’ve upgrade to zipForm® 6. For more information and training, please click here.

That’s it for now. I’ll check back in with you in March.

Sincerely,

Steve Goddard
2010 President
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®