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 Beth L. Peerce  Friday, May 13th, 2011  Dear C.A.R. Member,
Greetings from Washington, D.C.! This week, your Leadership Team and I are in our nation’s capital, meeting with California’s congressional delegates and representatives from leading housing industry groups, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Federal Housing Finance Agency, and others.
This is a busy time of year in the legislative arena, on both the national front and in California. Last week, nearly 2,000 members of the REALTOR® Party of California were out in full force in Sacramento for the Association’s annual Legislative Day activities, which included a march to the Capitol. Many of you met face-to-face with your state legislators to discuss the issues that affect our industry — and your livelihood. I want to thank you for participating in Legislative Day because it’s more important than ever to make certain our interests are represented and that our voices are heard before elected officials craft legislation that impacts our industry.
For example, one impending issue that will significantly impact our industry is the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that purchase or guarantee mortgage-backed securities on the secondary mortgage market. Congress has been debating changes to the GSEs. Proposals for “reform” include legislation to phase out and eventually eliminate Fannie and Freddie altogether. Elimination of the GSEs, which purchased or securitized two out of every three loans written in 2010, would have grave consequences for home buyers and sellers, the real estate market, and the economy as a whole. Almost overnight, financing would dry up. Interest rates would increase, and borrowers would be forced into the exotic loan products that helped create the current financial climate. These are scenarios the struggling housing market can ill afford now.
It’s important that REALTORS® understand the potential damaging effects of phasing out Fannie and Freddie. For more details about the GSEs and their importance to real estate housing finance.
Continue reading: C.A.R. Monthly Message May 2011
Bonnie Becker Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
 SAVING YOU TIME
C.A.R. Enters the Blogosphere— Curious about the perils of refinancing? Longing for sage advice from a real estate lawyer? Wondering if the latest tech gadget is really worth the investment? Log on to the new C.A.R. blog (http://blog.car.org) for these and other timely posts. The resourceful blog offers tips of the trade, industry news, tech talk, first-person tales from the trenches, and more. C.A.R. staff members contribute to the easy-to-read blog, which includes new posts several times a week, but the blog also is open for guest blogging. If you have wise tips or stories of success you’d like to share with other members, contact Lindsey Moss at lindseym@car.org. However, be warned: This is a pitch-free zone, so submissions aren’t about self-promotion.
SAVING YOU MONEY
Two Days in Sacramento—Mark your calendars for early May to attend Legislative Day (May 4) and California REALTOR® Showcase (May 5) in Sacramento. Legislative Day offers members an opportunity to descend on Capitol Hill and meet with their state legislators to discuss issues that affect the real estate industry. The day starts with a morning briefing at 9 a.m. Members interested in attending can register through their local association. For more information, visit http://www.car.org/governmentaffairs/getinvolved/legday/. The following day, California REALTOR® Showcase serves up free seminars on the latest developments in social media, how to navigate a short sale transaction, and what industry top producers are doing to succeed in today’s market. In addition to a tabletop exhibit, California REALTOR® Showcase also will feature a luncheon lecture, “Why Lenders Can’t Lend: The Uncertain Future of Real Estate Finance,” presented by C.A.R. CEO Joel Singer. Tickets are $55 through April 28; $60 onsite. For more information, visit www.car.org/meetings/showcase.
Continue reading: C.A.R.’s Your Membership, Your Way April 2011
Judy Wegener Monday, February 14th, 2011
Recently SAR launched several mobile versions of its website. Now you can view an optimized version of the website on your Blackberry, Android, iPhone or other mobile device.
As a real estate professional, SAR is aware you are always on the go. During any given work day you may be driving with clients, [...]
Daniel Allen Monday, May 3rd, 2010
 Did you know that the Sacramento Association of REALTORS® (SAR) Member’s Only portion of the website gives you the ability to upload your own photo to our Membership database?
The picture you upload will then show on your personal information page, where you can always update the picture or remove it, and the picture will also show on our “Find Members/Offices” search page on the SAR website for the public to see. Also along the way you may also wish to add a quick biography or marketing piece for yourself that the public can see. The best part is that it doesn’t cost anything to upload your photo other than a few minutes of your time and it takes just a few clicks to complete the process.
To Upload a Photo:
To get started, first things first you are going to have to log in to the SAR Member’s Only website:
Continue reading: Add Your Picture to SAR’s Website
Daniel Allen Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
 In a world where almost anything is a quick search and click away, it has become important for REALTORS® to keep an eye on how they are perceived online. How many times have you googled someone? Chances are they are googling you as well. With more and more real estate clients using the internet in their search for a home, it is a safe bet that they are doing just that: googling you! But do you know what they see?
Once you know what is already out there, how do you keep on top of what is being posted? Well Google already has a solution: Google Alerts
“Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.”
And setting up alerts could not be simpler!
Google simply asks you what your “Search Terms” are. (if you are adding an alert for your name you may want to consider putting your name in quotes. This tells Google to only send alerts where your full name appears. Otherwise Google will send you an alert any time either your first name or your last name appears anywhere on the internet… which can be a lot!)
Next Google allows you narrow down what “Type” of alerts you are interested in receiving when it finds a match. You can choose between News, Blogs, Web, Video, Groups, or the all encompassing Comprehensive.
Continue reading: What is the Internet Saying About You? Google Yourself to Find Out!
Nelson Janes Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
 How would you like to give your buyer or seller an Auxiliary Membership in the REALTOR® organization?
What if that Membership included a basket from you with gift cards and discounts worth $250?
What if SAR set up informative pages on our website that your customers and clients could reach by linking through your website?
And what if SAR sent quarterly follow ups to your customers and clients with pertinent information and useful coupons as though they were coming from you?
In response to a challenge by the National Association of REALTORS® for local associations to come up with Game Changing Ideas, SAR submitted plans for an Auxiliary Membership and was one of 14 selected from over 200 applicants.
That selection gives us a grant and the services of a national consultant to develop and implement the Idea by May when NAR meets again and will expect a report on the Auxiliary Membership.
Benefits to You
By enrolling your consumer upon their signing of a listing agreement or buyer agency agreement, you will be given the $250 gift basket and an Auxiliary Membership card to present to them. Through your site, they will gain Auxiliary Member only access to sacrealtor.org where we will post relevant housing statistics, market conditions, tips for buying or selling their home, the steps they can expect to go through with you in the transaction, news of legislation affecting their private property rights and a look at Sacramento, its schools and amenities.
Continue reading: Game Changer Program
Daniel Allen Monday, February 8th, 2010
Recent updates to the SAR Commercial Real Estate website, at www.saccommercial.org, will make it easier for Members and Affiliates to list their specialties.
Affiliate Members who serve the commercial real estate market are encouraged to list their businesses in the vendor directory. There is no charge [...]
Vicki Cox Golder Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
To: All REALTORS® From: Vicki Cox Golder, 2010 NAR President Re: New Consumer Web Site Helps You Reach Homeowners Dear Fellow REALTOR®,
I want to take just a few minutes to introduce you to NAR’s new consumer-focused web site – www.HouseLogic.com. In my latest [...]
Tony Vicari Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
June 2009 Statistical SummaryJune 2009 Zipcode Report Each month, SAR publishes a number of reports that reflect real estate trends in the county. You can find information on number of home sales and median price, which includes both listing and sales prices. New to June is the percetage of short sales, investor sales and REO sales in the total monthly sales.
Additionally, there is a zip code report that shows Continue reading: SAR’s Monthly Statistics – New Features, Available Reports
Peyman Aleagha Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a topic that’s probably had millions of pages written about it on the Internet. Gurus are everywhere, with advice both free and paid. The advice runs from excellent to downright silly, with penalties placed on sites by Google and Yahoo when bad advice is followed in an attempt to trick the engines.
Google is very helpful in telling us what we need to do to better our search engine page ranks for our chosen keywords and phrases. They have an excellent tutorial here, and you can get helpful information on arranging and composing your content for better results. There are some basic things to keep in mind when optimizing your site for the search engines:
Continue reading: SEO – Help From the Search Engines Themselves
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