Legislative News from CAR

Posted on March 30, 2007 by admin

C.A.R. OPPOSES SB 464 (KUEHL) REQUIRED OPERATING TIME FOR PRIVATELY OWNED RENTAL PROPERTY BACKGROUND: Existing law prohibits any public entity from taking any action that would force owners of residential rental property to continue to offer their property for rent or lease. SB 464 would grant local governments the authority to require landlords of all rental property, including single family dwellings, to stay in the rental business for a minimum of 5 years after the purchase of that rental property. Furthermore, SB 464 requires that landlords give ALL tenants a one year notice of termination of tenancy if a disabled or a senior citizen that is 62 years of age or older reside within their rental units. WHY C.A.R. OPPOSES SB 464? Because it discourages investment in rental housing by placing a substantial limitation on a property owner's right to legitimately go out of business. If passed, this measure will negatively impact property values, selling prices and hinder investors' ability to obtain loans on rental property. Finally, this measure creates a biased standard against rental property owners—the legislature does not demand any other business to operate for 5 years when they open for business. HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP! Dear Legislative Liaisons, Local Association Executives and Government Affairs Directors, we need ALL REALTOR® voices to be heard in Sacramento to defeat SB 464! As you know, it doesn't take much time, but the benefits are lasting! The key to success for REALTORS® is being informed and active! Please forward this email and strongly encourage your fellow REALTOR® to sign up as a Legislative Liaison by using the following link <a title="http:///" href="http:///">http://www.cargovtaffairs.org/html/contact.html.</a>

SRCAR Annual Meeting Scheduled

Posted on March 29, 2007 by admin

Mark your calendars to attend the SRCAR Annual Meeting on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. at Pechanga. Guest speaker will be Jeff Davi, Real Estate Commissioner for the California Department of Real Estate. In addition to this outstanding speaker, the Association's leadership will up date members on the "State of the Association." as well as announce the results of the Board of Director elections. In addition, we plan some special things to take place at this meeting which will start the celebration of our 30th Anniversary. Tickets will go on sale On June 1, 2007 and include a full breakfast. Sponsorships are available for this meeting. Please call Nancy Donahue Jones at 951-894-2571 or via email at <a href="mailto:nancy@srcar.org">nancy@srcar.org</a>.This is the annual meeting for the Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS and this meeting is open to REALTOR and Affiliate Members of SRCAR only. Thank you.

True Cost of Doing Business

Posted on March 29, 2007 by admin

The true cost of doing business as a REALTOR when it comes to Political Action is $197.00. REALTORS with SRCAR who pay their $197 before April 30, 2007, will be eligible to attend the upcoming Legislative Day at the CAR Business Meetings in Sacramento on June 6, 2007. Checks should be made payable to "CAR Political Action" and sent to Nancy Donahue Jones, CEO at SRCAR.Legislative Day is a great opportunity to watch our California elected leaders in action. Over 2000 REALTORS attend this special day including their march to the Capital from the Convention Center. REALTORS then meet and discuss issues of concern to the real estate industry with their elected officials. At the end of the day, Legislative Leaders and their Staff know that the REALTORS have been in town.If you have any questions or need additional information, please call Gene Wunderlich at 951-205-1911 or Karen Nelson at 951-440-3177.

Brown Bag Lunch with John Giardinelli

Posted on March 29, 2007 by admin

Mark your calendars to attend the next Brown Bag Lunch with SRCAR Attorney John Giardinelli on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 at 11:30 a.m. at the SRCAR Office in Murrieta. As the name implies, please bring your lunch and participate in this FREE benefit for SRCAR REALTORS and Affiliates. John has an open agenda and this is a great opportunity to ask LEGAL questions of him at no cost. This is a FREE benefit of membership as a REALTOR or Affiliate with SRCAR. John has been providing this forum for SRCAR for almost 19 years. If you haven't had the opportunity to attend one of these brown bags, please make plans to attend in May. It will be well worth your time.

Special SRCAR Office Schedule

Posted on March 29, 2007 by admin

The Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS will be closing at 12:00 Noon on Friday, April 5th in observance of Good Friday. Please make a note of this and plan accordingly. Thank you.

Designated REALTOR Members at SRCAR

Posted on March 29, 2007 by admin

The Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS has meetings for the Designated REALTORS, Owners & Office Managers. These meetings are open to all DRs, Owners & Managers who are REALTOR members with SRCAR. These meetings are held quarterly and update DRs on industry issues, legislative and legal matters as well as provide community updates. These meetings are chaired by the Association's Chairman of the Board or his/her designee.As these meetings are a benefit of REALTOR membership with SRCAR, attendees must be REALTOR members with the Association and be the Designated REALTOR, Owner and/or Office Manager of the company to which they represent. Please make sure that the Association has a letter on file comfirming the status of the office manager including his/her scope of authority including their ability to sign documents with the Association/MLS on behalf of the DR.Thank you to all of the members who attended the DR meeting on Wednesday, March 28, 2007. Special Guest was Councilwoman Mary Ann Edwards with the City of Temecula who provided a community update as well as general information regarding the quarry. Our next Designated REALTOR, Owner & Office Manager meeting will be on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 11:30 a.m. at SRCAR in Murrieta. Due to limited seating and parking at the Association office, this meeting is open to only the Designated REALTORS, Owners and Office Managers who are REALTOR members with SRCAR. Lunch will be provided. More details will be forthcoming.

SRCAR Board of Directors Meeting

Posted on March 29, 2007 by admin

The next scheduled Board of Directors meeting will be held on Monday, April 2, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. at the Association office in Murrieta. Meetings are open and members may attend. Members wishing to address the Board may do so by placing a request in writing in advance to the Association's CEO, Nancy Donahue Jones at <a href="mailto:nancy@srcar.org">nancy@srcar.org</a> or by addressing the Board on the day of the meeting during the Member & Guest portion of the meeting. Member comments are limited to no more than 3 minutes.The next scheduled Board of Directors meeting will be held on Monday, May 7, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. at the Association office in Murrieta. Any questions, comments or concerns regarding these meetings can be address to any member of the Board of Directors or to the Association's CEO, Nancy Donahue Jones at <a href="mailto:nancy@srcar.org">nancy@srcar.org</a>. Thank you.

NAR ISSUE & LEGAL UPDATES

Posted on March 29, 2007 by admin

<table width="507"><tbody><tr><td class="itemheader">NAR: Resales Post 'Surprising' Gains </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">Existing-home sales, following a healthy gain from January, rose strongly in February, reaching the highest level since last April, NAR says. Total existing-home sales — including single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops — rose 3.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.69 million units in February from a downwardly revised level of 6.44 million in January. Last month's increase was the biggest monthly rise in three years. David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, says the strong gain is a bit of a surprise. "Some of the rise in home sales may be from mild weather that brought out shoppers in December, but fundamentals have improved in the housing market and buyers see a window now with historically-low mortgage interest rates and competitive pricing by sellers," he says. For more info, <a title="blocked::http://go-to.realtor.org/h/16TEW/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ" href="http://go-to.realtor.org/h/16TEW/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ">click here.</a> </td></tr><!– End of story –><!– Itemheader –><tr><td class="itemheader"> Coalition Kicks Off Affordable Housing Campaign </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">NAR has partnered with other housing industry advocates to launch "Housing America 2007," a national affordable housing awareness campaign. The campaign aims to educate the public and government officials about the state of the nation's housing, reestablish housing as a national priority, and promote a sustainable development of affordable housing in communities. As part of this, NAR's Housing Opportunity Program will launch a database of more than 600 examples of successful affordable housing activities and programs created by local and state REALTOR ® associations. The database will include ideas on how to promote housing opportunities and how to get involved with affordable housing initiatives. For more info, <a title="blocked::http://go-to.realtor.org/h/IIW8H/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ" href="http://go-to.realtor.org/h/IIW8H/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ">click here.</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><table width="507"><tbody><tr><td class="itemheader">REALTORS ® Mourn Death of 1989 NAR President </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">Ira Gribin, a champion of fair housing who served as president of NAR in 1989, died peacefully of natural causes on March 24 at his home in Indian Wells, Calif. Gribin, who was born on Jan. 1, 1921, entered the real estate business in 1946. In 1950, he partnered with Lou von Dyl to open a brokerage, Gribin von Dyl Inc., which grew to a 16-branch real estate services company, at a time before the real estate service approach — in which companies offer mortgage financing, title, and insurance as well as brokerage — was widely used in real estate. Gribin was the first recipient of NAR's "Educator of the Year" award. For info on how to contribute to the Ira Gribin Scholarship Fund, <a title="blocked::http://go-to.realtor.org/h/HY4GQ/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ" href="http://go-to.realtor.org/h/HY4GQ/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ">click here.</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><table width="507"><tbody><tr><td class="sectionheader">ISSUE UPDATES </td></tr><!– End of story –><!– Itemheader –><tr><td class="itemheader"> NAR Members Make Their Voices Heard on GSE Reform </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">More than 7,000 REALTORS® responded to NAR's Call-for-Action in its first week, sending thousands of letters to members of the House Financial Services Committee in support of the "Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007," H.R. 1427. The bill would create a strong and independent regulator for secondary mortgage market entities Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. </td></tr><!– End of story –><!– Itemheader –><tr><td class="itemheader"> House Passes Gulf Coast Recovery Housing Bill </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">The House passed in a vote of 302-125 the "Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007," H.R. 1227, which will help provide housing for low-income residents who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. NAR, in a coalition with other housing groups, supported the legislation. The bill requires one-for-one replacement of public housing units lost in New Orleans, requires HUD to survey all public housing residents about their desire to return, and extends the disaster voucher program to January 2008. </td></tr><!– End of story –><!– Itemheader –><tr><td class="itemheader"> NAR Calls on Congress to Develop Natural Disaster Policy </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">Congress needs a comprehensive natural disaster policy that encourages personal responsibility, promotes mitigation measures, ensures insurance availability, and strengthens critical infrastructures, testified Gary Thomas, CEO of RE/MAX Real Estate Services, who represented NAR at a House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity hearing this week. To help achieve this, NAR has pledged to work with Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and the Committee on Financial Services to craft a national natural disaster plan that would include accessible and affordable insurance for home owners, improved preparedness, and planning for recovery efforts. To read NAR's testimony, <a title="blocked::http://go-to.realtor.org/h/ZG1YG/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ" href="http://go-to.realtor.org/h/ZG1YG/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ">click here.</a> </td></tr><!– End of story –><!– Itemheader –><tr><td class="itemheader"> FTC: Report any Deceptive use of 'Trigger Lists' </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">The FTC encourages NAR members and consumers to file complaints with the FTC if they encounter unfair or deceptive trade practices relating to the use of trigger lists by lenders or lead generators. Such practices include "bait and switch" on interest rates, terms, or loan products as well as deceptive presentation of fees, company representations, and the actual services available. Trigger lists, which include information about people seeking mortgages, are used by lenders to contact consumers to pitch mortgage products. To file a complaint with the FTC, <a title="blocked::http://go-to.realtor.org/h/DWZLL/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ" href="http://go-to.realtor.org/h/DWZLL/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ">click here.</a> </td></tr><!– End of story –><!– Itemheader –><tr><td class="itemheader"> NAR Expresses Concern About Meth Laboratory Registry </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">A meth lab clearinghouse by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration needs better protections for homes inappropriately included in the database, NAR says in a letter on DEA's National Clandestine Laboratory Registry. </td></tr><!– End of story –><!– Section header –><tr><td class="sectionheader"> LEGAL </td></tr><!– Itemheader –><tr><td class="itemheader"> Revised Clean Water Act Ruled Invalid </td></tr><!– Story –><tr><td class="blacktext" width="500">A revised rule that prevents even minimal and incidental discharge from entering waters during dredging violates the Clean Water Act, ruled the District Court for the District of Columbia. The Clean Water Act prohibits the "discharge of any pollutant" into the "waters of the United States" unless a permit is obtained. Permits are issued by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps and the EPA created rules establishing when a permit was required, but the federal court sided with the National Association of Home Builders and other challengers, who filed the lawsuit in 2001, calling the revised rules vague and unclear. To read a summary of the case, <a title="blocked::http://go-to.realtor.org/h/VLNWO/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ" href="http://go-to.realtor.org/h/VLNWO/OREV0/B7/YQ0XZ">click here.</a> </td></tr></td /></tr /></td /></tr /></td /></tr /></td /></tr /><!– End of story –><!– Section header –><tr><td class="sectionheader"></td></tr></tbody></table>

MRMLS Training Available

Posted on March 26, 2007 by admin

Learn to use technology as your competitive advantage.  Take one of the new advanced classes including Advanced Matrix and Advanced Smart Trac, or brush up on one of the old favorites such as Realist Tax, or SmartMap. <a href="http://blog.srcar.org/index.php?/archives/147-MRMLS-Training-Available.html#extended">Continue reading "MRMLS Training Available "</a>

C.A.R. Tech Hotline Discontinued April 1

Posted on March 22, 2007 by admin

The C.A.R. Tech Hotline, which has answered members' tech-related questions since 2003, will no longer be available as of April 1, 2007, due to declining demand for the service. As REALTORS® have incorporated the Internet, online transactions, cell phones, PDAs and the like into their day-to-day lives, they also have become more technologically proficient. However, assistance for WINForms® product-related inquiries is available through the C.A.R. Customer Contact Center at (213) 739-8227 or RE FormsNet at (586) 840-0140. RELAY™ product-related inquiries should be directed to (586) 840-1168.

SRCAR Connect

SRCAR's Blog

Monthly Archives: March 2007

Legislative News from CAR

SRCAR Annual Meeting Scheduled

True Cost of Doing Business

Brown Bag Lunch with John Giardinelli

Special SRCAR Office Schedule

Designated REALTOR Members at SRCAR

SRCAR Board of Directors Meeting

NAR ISSUE & LEGAL UPDATES

MRMLS Training Available

C.A.R. Tech Hotline Discontinued April 1

March 2007
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