Monday, December 20th, 2010On December 1, 2010, Fannie Mae announced an update to its selling guide that provides a new option to fund energy-efficient home upgrades while maintaining Fannie Mae’s principles of borrower sustainability. All Fannie Mae loan products are permitted to include the energy improvement feature excluding certain refinance loans. Eligible borrowers will be allowed to [...]
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 Dear C.A.R. Member, It’s hard to believe this year is soon coming to a close. We’ve accomplished a lot over the past year, but we still have much to do in 2011. For instance, we know we will have to defend changes to the mortgage interest deduction (MID). In late November, President Obama’s Deficit Reduction Commission released its preliminary recommendations, and one of the provisions called for dramatically limiting the MID. Since then, the commission failed to win enough votes to approve the recommendations. However, it is very likely that legislation will be introduced next year to curtail the MID. Few issues are more important to homeownership than the mortgage interest deduction, and while the housing market continues to recover, any change that reduces the ability of the market to heal is misguided and must be rejected. I want to thank everyone who responded to NAR’s Call for Action and urged their member of Congress to preserve the MID. Last week, NAR issued a new Call for Action asking all REALTORS® to call their state senators and ask them to defend the MID. I urge you to contact Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to voice your concerns today about limiting the MID. In my first message to you last month, I mentioned that one of my goals this year as C.A.R. President is to help you, the REALTOR®, earn a living. I know many of us have been having a very difficult time working with lenders on short sales. Please be assured that C.A.R. has been working on several fronts to help you more easily deal with short sales and distressed properties. Continue reading: December Message from C.A.R. President Beth L. Peerce The California Dept. of Real Estate has approved new regulations affecting continuing education courses. The operative date for these regulations is January 1, 2011 March 31, 2011. The overall requirements regarding first-time and subsequent renewals remain unchanged. All continuing education exams must contain 90% multiple choice questions and no more than 10% [...]  SAR makes real estate education affordable with our Broker Tuition Card. Designed to assist our Broker Members in providing quality training to their agents, this tuition card costs $200 and entitles holders to 12 months of classes (a $1500 value)*. There are a few ways to use this card. An SAR Broker can purchase [...] You are invited to join us for a Legal Live webinar on the ins and outs of small claims court. C.A.R. attorney Stella Ling will conduct this one-hour session on Monday, December 6, 2010, starting at 1 p.m. During this webinar, Ms. Ling will show you how understanding small claims court gives you a [...]  SAFETY… When I think of safety for REALTORS®, I think of physical safety while showing property or holding open houses. In real estate, we do everything our parents taught us not to do: we put strangers in our cars and we meet people in vacant houses. I got my first car phone after being stranded in a bad neighborhood at twilight at a freeway entrance. Fortunately, I was able to walk to a service station for help. However, I bought my car phone the next day for $800. My, how things have changed! If you pay any attention at all to your safety as a REALTOR®, you know to meet new clients at the office. If you work alone or from your house, meet a new client at the title company. REALTORS® often get into dangerous situations the same way anyone does – by not paying attention to their surroundings and by not listening to their gut. Think of the 10-second rule:
(Thanks to Linda Justus, Sacramento REALTOR® and former police officer, for this handy 10-second rule.) SAVING YOU TIME June sales report in 2:56 minutes. That’s all the time you need to view C.A.R.’s “June Market Update” presented by C.A.R. Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. Find this video on the home page of car.org, where you can hyperlink to it, upload it to your Web site, or e-mail it to your clients. If you prefer the printed word, find C.A.R.’s “June Sales and Price Report” at http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/junereport/. Here, you’ll find additional information, including charts and graphs, regional data, and the Unsold Inventory Index by price point, that are not available in the above video. Learn Smartphone tips and tricks on the fly at Mobile Jolt! These two 60-minute sessions at CALFORNIA REALTOR® EXPO 2010 will serve up java and apps. Bring your phone; we’ll supply the caffeine. For only $10 per workshop, you can join us for hands-on instruction and an introduction to the latest and greatest apps for your Smartphone (http://expo.car.org/workshops.html). Tweet and Friend HAFA: Join C.A.R’s Certified HAFA Specialist community on Facebook and Twitter to learn from and share insights with HAFA expert Ray Mathoda and other REALTORS®. Participation is free. Join the Facebook Fan Page (Certified HAFA Specialist [CHS] at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Certified-HAFA-Specialist-CHS/108110262571299?ref=sgm or follow on Twitter (CHS_HAFA Specialist at http://twitter.com/HAFASpecialist). Learn more about C.A.R.’s HAFA Certification program(http://www.hafacertification.com/). My client wants to list a house that is in probate. How do I do that? Is it really true that some homes downtown are not connected to the sewer line? What is a dye test? How can I make Facebook work for me? The answers to these and other questions can be answered [...]  Steve Goddard - 2010 C.A.R. President Dear C.A.R. Member, Agent Reboot and Real Estate Connect San Francisco are quickly approaching. As you plan your schedule for these back-to-back industry shows July 12-15 in San Francisco, don’t forget to stop in for the dynamic C.A.R.-sponsored afternoon sessions at Agent Reboot. Agent Reboot – July 12 Join other real estate agents for a new day-long program specifically designed to help you learn how to use the latest technologies and marketing techniques for better business results. C.A.R. will also be hosting four afternoon sessions:
Other topics presented by Inman News at Agent Reboot will include:
Continue reading: Join C.A.R. at Agent Reboot in San Francisco on July 12
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