RAMC 2013 MLS invoice has been posted to your …docs.ramconline.info/.../2013/RAMC_News_March_2013.pdfFree advice from an Attorney for members of Flor‐ idaRealtors®! Florida Tech

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March 2013March 2013

digest

digest

digest

Membership 3

Ethics 8

Education 10

News You Can Use 14‐15

Tour Schedule 16

Statistics 17‐19

In this issue:

MLS Tips 5

Realtor® Safety 6

Business Partners 7

Realtor® Store Featured Product 20

Please be our guest…

RAMC Member Social Tuesday, March 12th

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

at

Monarch Country Club

1801 SW Monarch Club Drive, Palm City

Come to the “Pot of Gold at the end of

the Rainbow” Social in March! Enjoy

FREE hors hors d’oeuvres and compli‐

mentary cocktails, and a chance to win

FREE prizes! Don’t miss out on all the fun!

MLS DUES are up for renewal

Attention: MLS Members

Your RAMC 2013 MLS invoice has been posted to your RAMC account.

The due date is April 1st, 2013, Late fees will begin April 30th.

Your RAMC MLS dues are PRO‐RATED for this year, from April 1st until December 31st, 2013 at a PRO‐RATED fee of $225.00. Again, this PRO‐RATED fee of $225.00 is for April 1, 2013 through December 31st, 2013. There is also an optional $29 do‐

nation for RAMC's partner charity, Habitat for Humanity of Martin County.

Please go to http://ramcfl.org/log‐in and log in to view and pay your 2013 MLS Dues Bill.

We will not be mailing paper statements.

Please remember that being able to attend Tuesday morning Marketing is an RAMC MLS

member benefit.

If you are not currently an RAMC MLS member and would like to join, please contact Membership Director Lanie Haw: [email protected]

REALTOR®ASSOCIATIONOFMARTINCOUNTY43SWMontereyRoadStuart,Florida34994

Phone(772)283‐1748Fax(772)288‐0215

[email protected]

OFFICERSPresident

[email protected]

President‐ElectJENNIFERATKISSON‐LOVETT,CRS,GRI

[email protected]

VicePresidentANGIELAVIANO,CRS,GRI

[email protected]

Secretary‐TreasurerCHRISTYBEARSE,CPA

christy@florida‐homefinders.com

DIRECTORSSUEANDERSEN,[email protected]

[email protected]

DIANABRUTON,AHWD,CRB,LTG,[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

DENNISFADDEN,CRS,GRI,SRES,[email protected]

CHERYLGAYDOS,GRI,SFR,TRC,[email protected]

[email protected]

STAFFJOYLANE

[email protected]

LANIEHAWProfessionalServicesDirector

Education,Sponsorships,[email protected]

JEREMEYBINGHAMGovernmentAffairsDirector

GovernmentAffairs,RAMCFL.org,[email protected]

MARISAMOLEIROMLSDirector

MLS,ResidentialMarketing,[email protected]

[email protected]

Want to reach RAMC members with your message? Contact Marisa

for information on advertising in the RAMC digest at [email protected]

Deadline for the April edition is March 20th.

Page 2

National Association of REALTORS® 888‐874‐6500

Florida Association of REALTORS® 407‐438‐1400

Florida Legal Hotline 407‐438‐1409 Free advice from an Attorney for members of Flor‐ida Realtors®!

Florida Tech Helpline 407‐587‐1450 (M‐F 9am‐8pm / Sat 9am‐5pm) Free expert assistance and support for all your technical needs.

DBPR 850‐487‐1395 www.MyFloridaLicense.com/dbpr (FL Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation)

Check your CE credits and license renewal information at:

www.MyFloridaLicense.com

MLXchange Help Desk 888‐825‐5472 M‐F 8:30am‐8:30pm / S‐S 8:30am‐3pm

Form Simplicity 407‐587‐1430

KURIO 888‐935‐8746 http://martincounty.kurio.mobi

ListHub Support 877‐847‐3394 (press 2)

ListingBook 866‐353‐3456

RealBiz 360 888‐732‐5249 (press 2)

Realtor.com 800‐878‐4166

RPR (24‐7 Support) 877‐977‐7576

ShowingTime 800‐379‐0057

Supra 877‐699‐6787

Important Phone Numbers and Web Sites

Professional Home Inspections

Quality fact based reports with photographs

Ph‐772‐539‐1906 Fax‐ 772‐918‐4765

Home Inspections, Wind Mitigations,

4 pt Insurance Affidavit, WDO, Septic,

Mold and Seawall

Last Minute! No Problem!

Home Diagnostic Services, LLC.Home Diagnostic Services, LLC.

John LaCorte John LaCorte ‐‐ State Lic. #HI 1161State Lic. #HI 1161

[email protected]@hdservicesonline.com

www.hdservicesonline.comwww.hdservicesonline.com

New REALTOR® Members Charles Bunten Real Living All Florida Realty

Carol Cedeno Keyes Company

Constance Christensen Coldwell Banker/Stuart

Carol Epes Keyes Company

Janice Fink Beach Front Mann

Catherine Frazier Keyes Company

Henry Gonzalez Sailfish Realty of Florida

Nicholas Guttormson Keyes Company

Bill Hayden Re/Max Masterpiece

John Hogarth Coldwell Banker/Stuart

Rocio Lane Keller Williams/Safe Harbor

Pamela Litsinger Better Homes & Gardens/Laviano Assoc.

Michael Norton Nettles Coastal Realty

Janet Metz Powre Real Estate Inc.

James Simoneau Beach Front Mann

Anita Smith Keyes Company

Carolyn Snowden Illustrated Properties/Sewalls Point

Maria Yahel Tabor Keller Williams/Safe Harbor

Mike Tracy Better Homes & Gardens/Laviano Assoc.

Transfers Lonna Chaumer Illustrated Properties/Sewall’s Point

Gerald Hoppmann Century 21 IRP Realty

New MLS-Only Offices #993 New Ground International Realty 1000 N Hiatus Pembroke Pines, FL 33026 954‐889‐2405 Phone 954‐392‐5544 Fax DR: Steve Libman

#994 East Coast Realty 351 15th Ave S #C Jacksonville, FL 32250 904‐247‐4724 Phone 904‐222‐8008 Fax DR: Barbara Galvin

#995 Compliant Appraisal Service Inc 10829 La Salinos Cr Boca Raton, FL 33428 800‐939‐3408 DR: Elliot Schwartz

New Business Partner Members Toni Carson East Coast Mortgage Lenders

New Business Partner Companies A212 Bank of America 900 S Federal Hwy Stuart, FL 34994 772‐600‐2431 Phone Salvatore Pollock

A657 Summers Inspections 202 Glacier St Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 561‐846‐1888 Phone Gary Summers Debra Summers

A658 Natural Touch Tile & Stone Restoration 7363 SE Jamestown Terr Hobe Sound, FL 33455 561‐603‐9128 Phone Michael Powers

A659 Seacoast Inspections 200 Seville St Stuart, FL 34994 772‐766‐4877 Phone John Falkenhagen Nannette Walsh

Membership

Page 3

Supra Billing Notice

ActiveKEY users should have received their bills for 2013‐2014 at the end of February. Please remember to pay your bill before April 1 to ensure continuing service. If you haven’t received a bill by March 1, log on to your account at supraekey.com or call 1‐877‐699‐6787 for more information.

IF you would like to switch from ActiveKEY service to using eKEY on your smartphone, RAMC will be holding several classes this month to do so. This is the only opportunity to switch to eKEY during the billing year, so members wishing to switch will need to plan to attend one of these events. Dates are March 13th and 20th.

If you are planning to switch to eKEY do NOT pay your 2‐13‐2014 ActiveKEY bill when you receive it, as this renews your ActiveKEY for another year. Simply hold on to your bill and plan to attend one of the classes, further instructions will be announced via email.

Contact Jeremey for additional information at [email protected]

2013 RPAC Donors2013 RPAC Donors2013 RPAC Donors

Angie Laviano Katherine Coury

Brenda Alexander Kevin Powers

Christine Bearse Linda Prange

Christopher Clifford M. Jacqui Thurlow‐Lippisch

Carolyn Knight Margaret Dyer

Colleen Sample Mary Bradley

David Powers Mary Brodeur

Deborah Wood Patrick Stracuzzi

Debra Duvall Patrick Stracuzzi, Jr.

Dennis Fadden Phillip Parisi

Diana Bruton Randy Wisniewski

Donna Banister Rick Boschen

Edward Long Ricou Hartman

Elmira Gainey Roger Spugnardi

Erin Odwazny Sandy McAlister

Gary Scott Stephen Bohner

Gilbert Gerhardt Stephen Osburn

James Bruner Susan Maxwell

James Gallagher Vincent Laviano

Joan Thomson William Dean

John Gonzalez William Vanderwerff

$99 Club Members

Capitol Club Members

Dennis Fadden

Elizabeth Elliott

Julia Sansevere

Nick Potts

Priscilla Baldwin

Teri Zainc

Julia Sansevere

Rosalind DeGraff

Statesman’s Award

President’s Circle

Maria Wells—Golden “R” Sustaining Member

MarketLinx Alert on Fusion System –Google Chrome Advisory

Fusion and Google Chrome Advisory

IMPORTANT MESSAGE – PLEASE READ

Recently released by Google, version 25 of the Chrome web browser for Windows introduces a report display issue in Fusion. The issue, which causes report images and text to be blurred and distorted, affects users who have Chrome v25 and who have disabled the “Pepper” version of the Shockwave Flash player.

The issue can be resolved by:

Start Google Chrome

Type “chrome://plugins” into the Chrome address bar;

You may need to click [+]Details in upper‐right corner of screen to expand the plugin information

Find the line that contains “\PepperFlash\pepflashplayer.dll”. This text should be very near the top of the screen. Use Ctrl‐F if necessary.

Click the Enable link for the Pepper Flash player. The link will now indicate Disable.

Following these steps will resolve the report display problem, but will re‐introduce other issues with Pepper Flash, e.g., when print‐ing Fusion grids and reports, the Chrome print preview will frequently display incorrect, cached content.

Until these issues are fully resolved, CoreLogic recommends that Windows users access Fusion using browsers other than Chrome.

We will update you as soon as we have any further information. We have not encountered this issue in our tests of the latest ver‐sion of Chrome for the Mac operating system.

NoMore“9999”We are excited to announce that we've made some changes to the MLS system to allow for additional integration when entering a Selling Agent from our datashare partner, Regional MLS.

You now should no longer use 9999 for selling agents who are with RMLS. Instead, click on the Magnifying Glass and search for them by name, select the correct person and it will fill in their information in the appropriate fields:

MLS Tips

NewFeaturesinFusionIn addition to the functionality added to our system above, Fusion brings some great new features to the table that can help you match up prop‐erties easier for your clients with the new Reverse Prospecting option and make Listing Maintenance faster with tools like Bulk Image Upload and others! See below.

Log in at http://ramc.fusionmls.com

ReverseProspectingReverse Prospecting is a Fusion listing maintenance feature that finds saved prospecting searches that have criteria matching your list‐ing. Beyond identifying potential buyers’ agents, Reverse Prospecting can be useful for fine‐tuning a property’s List Price by quickly showing you how many existing searches will find your listing at different price points.

Reverse Prospecting only identifies saved searches that (1) are using auto‐notification, and (2) have the Allow Reverse Prospecting option turned on. You set the default for this option using the Auto‐Notification Defaults in the Settings menu, but you can override the default setting for individual searches using the Search Settings.

Click here for more information on how to use this feature

ListingMaintenanceIdeal Tool for Office Assistants!

New – Upload multiple images for a single listing at once, drag and drop sort order

Change – Modify the Image Type and Remarks from the Thumb‐nail view

New – Rotate Image, set Brightness and Contrast options in image editor

Set map location of a property. Mapping options includes Ad‐dress and Business Location and Point of Interest (POI) lookup, as well as optional map layers.

New – In the listing summary screen in Add/Edit includes a Re‐verse Prospect tab with a list of agents who have active contacts for which this listing matches their search criteria. Each agent's phone number and email address are provided, as well as a Numeric ID of the search (to keep from exposing their Con‐tact's name). This nu‐meric ID is displayed on the Search Man‐ager screen only if the Reverse Prospecting feature is enabled.

For even more fea‐tures in Fusion, click here!

For additional assistance, you can always contact the AnswerLink Help Desk at 1‐888‐825‐5472. They are there to help you 7 days a week, except for holidays (M‐F 8:30am‐8pm; Sat‐Sun 8:30am‐3pm).

Page 6

Problem: Savvy real estate professionals like yourself frequently update your presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, because of the nature of your work, you are likely to have “friends,” followers, and connections whom you don’t know.

Solution: Following these basic steps can help you avoid exposing your‐self or your data to risk through social media tools. It is vital to consider what you are sharing through the Internet!

Keep Business Separate

One way that you can make sure you are not revealing too much per‐sonal information is simple: set up a business account on each platform. Sure, anyone can figure out that Sally Field, REALTOR®, is the same per‐son as Sally Field—but Sally will only accept requests to connect to strangers on the business account, whether Facebook or Twitter. Her personal account stays private (especially once she familiarizes herself with privacy settings), protecting her family photos, links to her kids’ pages, and personal posts from people she doesn’t know.

Tag! You’re It!

When a friend posts your photo, you may be “tagged” against your will. If you don’t want clients or others to find a reference like this—such as a less‐than‐flattering photo taken at a late night party—you can remove the tag and/or ask the person who posted it to do so. And be sure to follow up and ask friends to check first before tagging!

Don’t Give Away Passwords

Consider this: One way that hackers manage to crack personal pass‐words is by searching Facebook for easy answers. They know they may find answers to common security questions such as “What high school did you attend?” and “What are the names of your children?” So keep information about family members, household details, and past events to a minimum in order to help prevent this.

Guard Against Identity Theft

These days, anyone can find all kinds of personal information about anyone else. That doesn’t mean you have to make it easy! For example, if you who want to post your birthday, don’t include the year. (And delete any public comments that indicate their exact age.)

Tweets Are Forever

Social media usage has an impact on your safety, as well as your reputa‐tion. Carefully consider each item you share, and be aware that old posts, even if they’ve been deleted, may be copied or saved—and the Library of Congress is actually recording every single Tweet.

As a savvy real estate professional, you can maximize the business‐building potential of social media while minimizing the unique risks it poses. Just follow these basic steps to help safeguard yourself, your data, and your reputation.

To learn about more safety strategies, and access free safety resources, including safety expert Andrew Wooten’s webinar “Social Media and Cyber Safety,” visit www.REALTOR.org/Safety.

(Sources: Andrew Wooten’s REALTOR® Safety webinar “Social Media and Cyber Safety”; www.ftc.gov/infosecurity)

Safeguard Client Data

Cyber security goes much deeper than safe use of social me‐dia: As a real estate professional, you routinely keep sensitive, personal information about clients on your computer. If this information falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud, identity theft, or similar harms. To avoid potential legal and liability costs of a security breach, develop a data security pro‐gram based on the Federal Trade Commission’s five key prin‐ciples to a sound data security program. Details can be found at www.ftc.gov/infosecurity.

Solutions for Staying Safe with Social Media

In MemoriamIn MemoriamIn Memoriam It is with a heavy heart that

RAMC says goodbye to

Andrew Wooten, safety ad‐

viser for NAR, certified crime

prevention practitioner,

president of safety training

company Safety Awareness

Firearms Education (SAFE),

and safety instructor who has

taught self defense and other

safety‐related classes to RAMC Members over the years.

Andrew had worked with real estate professionals for more

than 25 years and partnered with NAR as a safety trainer.

He was serving as an instructor for a real estate continuing

education Seminar at Sea when he was caught in a rip current

and drowned while swimming in the ocean off of Cozumel,

Mexico. He died on Tuesday February 26th. He was 50 years

old.

Read more at: http://www.inman.com/news/2013/02/27/real‐

estate‐safety‐expert‐andrew‐wooten‐

dies#sthash.K7Wrq7xA.dpuf

Andrew, you will be deeply missed!

“Thank You” “Thank You” “Thank You” to our February Program Sponsorsto our February Program Sponsorsto our February Program Sponsors

Program Date Sponsor Sponsor Company

Marketing February 5 Jerri Smith Seacoast National Bank

Marketing February 12 Janelle Dowley Two Men and a Truck

Fusion Training February 14 Cindy Miller Universal Land Title

New Member Orientation February 15 Donna Pearlman A+ Mold Inspection Specialists

Marketing February 19 Regina Karner Karner Surveying

Professional Standards Training February 22 Joanne Zarro Sterling Mortgage Services

Marketing February 26 Paul Stanislau The Lighthouse Wealth Management Group

Publisher I February 27 Jason Fletcher Cutco Closing Gifts

Publisher II February 28 Janelle Dowley Two Men and a Truck

If you are a Business Partner and you would like to sponsor a meeting or educational event, please contact Lanie Haw at 772‐678‐7246 or [email protected] We have openings available.

Page 7

A great big “Thank You” to all of our Business Partner members! Without all of you, these programs would not be entirely possible. Thanks for everything you do, from

RAMC.

Business Partner Tip of the Month SUBMITTEDBY:

Steve Fenton of

Fenton Services/Handyman Matters

Doors tend to be used for years without getting much notice. Here are 4 signs to help you figure out if you need to repair/

replace your home’s front door.

1. Doesn’t keep out noise. A key function of a front door is to effectively block noise – or reduce it significantly. If your front door

isn’t keeping noise to a minimum, it may be time to consider a replacement.

2. Drafts come under door. Air coming underneath the door affects your home’s overall climate ‐ a tell‐tale sign that your doors

aren’t energy efficient. Newer model doors can help your home keep warm air inside during the winter months and hot air outside

during the summer months.

3. When it rains, there’s water near the door. Make notes of when you see water seep through underneath the door – that could

mean that there are structural issues. The main issue of a leaky front door is the potential for the wood frame around the door to

rot, which would require a complete repair/replacement of both frame and door.

4. Broken/loose locks/handles/hinges. The pros of a newer door model can far outweigh the costs of repairs to these parts of your

door.

Ethics

Article3OFTHECODEOFETHICS REALTORS®shallcooperatewithotherbrokersexceptwhencooperationisnotinthecli‐ent’sbestinterest.Theobligationtocooperatedoesnotincludetheobligationtosharecom‐missions,fees,ortootherwisecompensateanotherbroker.(Amended1/95)

CASE#3‐1:RULESOFMLSMAYNOTCIRCUMVENTCODE(Revised Case #22‐1 May, 1988. Transferred to Article 3 November, 1994.)

REALTOR® A complained to his Board of REALTORS® that procedures in the Board’s Multiple Listing Service permitted REALTORS® participating in the Service to evade their obligations under Article 3 of the Code of Ethics. His specific complaint was that, as exclusive agent of Client B, he had filed the client’s property in the Multiple Listing Service. Other REALTORS® participating in the Multiple Listing Service had contacted Client B directly to make appointments to show the property and to transmit offers to purchase it, without his, REALTOR® A’s, knowledge or consent. When he objected to this conduct, the officers of the Multiple Listing Service had cited the MLS rule that held that placing property in the Service had the effect of listing the property with the MLS, and au‐thorized the MLS to refer it to other Participants as subagents, who were then free to transmit offers directly to the client. REALTOR® A’s complaint emphasized that his objection was primarily to the rule of the Multiple Listing Service.

The complaint was referred to the Directors of the Board of REALTORS® which asked the Chairperson of the Board’s Multiple Listing Committee to attend a special Directors’ meeting on the subject. At the meeting, it was pointed out that the contested rule of the Multiple Listing Service, which had not been submitted to the Board of Directors for approval, was in conflict with Article 3 of the Code of Ethics, and with the nature and purpose of the MLS itself, since the MLS did not provide brokerage services and could not function as an agent of sellers. The Multiple Listing Service was directed to rescind all proce‐dural rules that permitted the Service or any of its Partici‐pants to intrude upon the agency status of any REALTOR® holding an exclusive listing.

CASE#3‐4:COOPERATIONNOTMANDATORY(Reaffirmed Case #22‐4 May, 1988. Transferred to Article 3 November, 1994.)

Client A called on REALTOR® B to list a small commercial property. In stipulating the price at which he wished to list the property, Client A explained that he was aware that it was a relatively low price, but he wanted a quick sale and, he added, a higher price could benefit very little at that time because of certain tax considerations. He told REAL‐TOR® B that a number of prospective buyers had spoken to him about the property within the past year. He gave their names to REALTOR® B and said he felt sure that among them there would be a ready buyer at the price. He told REALTOR® B that he wanted the property submitted to them first.

The next day, REALTOR® C, who had unsuccessfully solicited the listing and learned that the property was listed exclusively with REALTOR® B, called REALTOR® B to ask that he be accepted as a cooperating broker. REALTOR® B told REALTOR® C that because of unusual circumstances

the best service to his client did not require cooperation; that a pro‐spective buyer was at that time seriously considering the property; and that under the circumstances he preferred not to invite cooperation.

REALTOR® C complained to the Board of REALTORS® charging REAL‐TOR® B with a violation of Article 3 by refusing to cooperate. Pursuant to the complaint a hearing was scheduled before a Hearing Panel of the Board’s Professional Standards Committee.

During the hearing, REALTOR® B outlined fully the circumstances under which the property had been listed by him, and maintained that the interest of Client A would not be advanced by acceptance of coopera‐tion by REALTOR® C.

The panel concluded that REALTOR® B’s reasons for not accepting coop‐eration in this instance were valid and that his action did not constitute a violation of Article 3.

CASE#3‐5:REFUSALTOEXTENDCOOPERATIONINSALEOFNEWHOMES(Reaffirmed Case #22‐5 May, 1988. Transferred to Article 3 November, 1994. Revised November, 2001.)

REALTOR® A, who operated a brokerage business in many areas of the city, was also a home builder. For the homes he built, he maintained a separate sales force and consistently refused to permit other REALTORS® to show his new homes.

This practice came to the attention of an officer of the Board of REALTORS® who made a complaint which was referred to the Professional Standards Committee by the Grievance Committee.

At the hearing, the Hearing Panel asked REALTOR® A to answer charges that his policy violated Article 3 of the Code of

Ethics.

REALTOR® A’s defense was that Article 3 requires REALTORS® to coop‐erate with other brokers “except when cooperation is not in the client’s best interest.” He contended that in selling his own new homes there was no client; that he was not acting in the capacity of a broker, but as owner‐seller; and that, under the circumstances, Article 3 did not apply to his marketing the houses he built.

The Hearing Panel concluded REALTOR® A’s defense was valid; that he was a principal; that Article 3 permitted him, as the builder‐owner, to decide what marketing procedure would be in his best interest; and that although other REALTORS® might disagree with his decision, he was not in violation of Article 3.

CASESTUDIES

Page 9

A Pathway to Professional Conduct: Respect Starts Here PROFESSIONALISM

REALTORS® ensure high standards of professional conduct to serve the interests of their clients and customers. Based on feedback, NAR created these resources for mem‐bers on how to conduct themselves professionally and show respect for property, the public and peers.

New Video: A Pathway to Professional Conduct: Respect Starts Here (Click here to view)

NAR created a brief, 10‐minute video entitled “A Pathway to Professional Conduct: Respect Starts Here” to ensure that all members are versed on how to conduct them‐selves professionally in all parts of the business.

It contains tips for showing respect for property, the public and your peers, reinforcing to novice and experienced members what it means to con‐duct business with the utmost respect.

Cross-Cultural Business Etiquette

Want to make a good first impression with your international clients? Should you commence the relationship with a handshake, polite bow, or a simple nod? What steps do you need to take to go the extra mile with an international or foreign client? NAR has a field guide will assist you in building successful business relationships with individuals from cultures far and wide.

Click here to view the guide.

4 Tips for Working with International Buyers

Practitioners who focus on the foreign buyer population, along with local sellers, can enjoy a thriving business — especially in markets like California, Texas, and Flor‐ida. In the former two states, roughly one out of every 10 residential properties is bought by someone outside of the country; in the Sunshine State, the share is about one in three.

Andrew Taylor, founder of Juwai.com, the top Chinese property portal for real es‐tate in the United States and worldwide, offers his advice on working with foreign clients.

With international buyers in particular, an agent must be prepared to compare and contrasts homes not just in neighboring communities but possibly in differ‐ent cities or even states.

Taylor also stresses the importance of imparting to foreign buyers one's cre‐dentials and explaining to them how the agency relationship works.

He emphasizes that getting to know a foreign client's culture, home economy and politics, and even a few words in their native tongue ‐‐ especially "thank you" ‐‐ will go a long way toward fostering goodwill.

Finally, Taylor recommends that agents who want to work with foreign clien‐tele complete the National Association of REALTORS®' "Expand Your Market" training course and get a Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) desig‐nation.

Source: "Can You Work With Foreign Buyers?" RISMedia (02/28/12)

Page 10 Page 10

education outlook Realtor Association of Martin County

Invest in your success with RAMC Education. RAMC is committed to providing you with a variety of educa‐tional programs designed to enhance your real estate career. Whether you are looking to renew your license, update your skills, or become certified in a certain area of real estate, RAMC has a course for you. If you have questions or need additional information, please

contact Lanie Haw at RAMC at 772‐283‐1748 or

[email protected]

Check In Please arrive 10‐15 minutes before class begins in order to al‐low time for check‐in. On site registrations will be permitted if seats are available.

Registration Online (members only): Log into http://www.RAMCFL.org Click on Register for Classes Click on the class Click on Register Now Enter credit card information if there is a fee Click on Register Click on Print Register on Confirmation page

Or call: 772‐283‐1748

Realtor® Association of Martin County

43 SW Monterey Rd Stuart, FL 34994

March 2013 Courses

Basic MLS Thursday, 3/7, 9 am–12:30pm, 3 CEUs FREE Learn the rules and regs, MLXchange overview, client set up, listing input, search & maintenance, add photos, print reports & add a listing to open house tour.

Intermediate MLS Thursday, 3/7, 1:30pm ‐ 4:30pm, 3 CEUs FREE Listing search review, prospecting, hot sheets, financial functions and CMAs.

“Code of Ethics” Thursday, 3/14, 9am – 12pm, 3 CEUs $20 by 3/8, $25, $35 non‐member The new NAR Code of Ethics cycle 4 has begun! Satisfy the NAR Code of Ethics cycle 4 and the RAMC Legal Liability requirements by attending this one class!

“Core Law” Thursday, 3/14, 1pm – 4pm, 3 CEUs $20 by 3/8, $25, $35 non‐member This course is the mandatory 3 hour segment of the 14 hour con‐tinuing education course required for license renewal. This course does not satisfy the RAMC Legal Liability requirement.

Live Webinar “Advanced Communication Skills” Thursday, 3/14, 1pm—4pm, 3 CEUs $20 by 3/8, $25, $35 non‐members Learn how to develop the most professional and effective busi‐ness style possible by fine‐tuning how you communicate with others in your role as Realtors®. This seminar uses interactive, hands‐on, and realistic scenarios and techniques in a “learn by doing” environment.

Realist Thursday, 3/21, 10am – 12pm FREE Realist is the public records/tax roll information service provider for RAMC MLS. Learn how to run searches for mailing lists, ex‐ports, and create mailing labels among other functions.

Breakfast Club – “Martin County Property Appraiser Update” Friday, 3/22, 9am—10:30am Free Property Appraiser Laurel Kelly will join us with a presentation you are sure to enjoy and find very informative.

GRI 100 Series: Standards of Practice The GRI program is designed to enhance your knowledge of real estate marketing and teach you skills that will set you apart from the competition. Completion of the GRI 100, 200, & 300 series (seven 2-day modules) will earn you one of the most respected professional designations—Graduate REALTOR® Institute.

The GRI 100 Series: “Standards of Practice” provides a “nuts-and-bolts” approach to real estate and consists of the following three, 2-day modules:

GRI 101—April 11-12, 2013 GRI 102—April 18-19, 2013 GRI 103—April 25-26, 2013

TIME: First day of each module 8:00 am—5:00 pm, second day 8:30 am—-5:00 pm GRI 101—REALTORS®: Professionalism and the Law

• Professional Standards— Evaluate given scenarios for possible ethics violations based on the concepts and standards of practice in the Articles of the Code of Ethics.

• Fair Housing and Diversity- Construct a niche marketing plan that reflects awareness of and sensitivity to diversify.

• Law— Demonstrate behavior consistent with the laws regarding relationships between brokers and associates and licensed and unlicensed persons.

GRI 102—Starting Your Business

• Contacts to Contracts—apply the elements of a professional image & marketing strategy to contacting potential clients.

• Business Planning and Goal Setting— Develop a basic business plan using at least elements. GRI 103—Maximize Your Profitability

• Finance—Become aware of the latest developments in finance to clarify the economic status and affordability of the real estate market..

• Law—Know the “red flag” warnings of when participants are potentially going into a dangerous zone—the unlicensed practice of law.

• Negotiating & Counseling— Demonstrate behavior consistent with the 4 Negotiating Principles in a negotiation situation.

To register call 800-669-4327

EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS March 22, 2013 Early registration: $276 for series or $99 each for individual class

After early deadline: $297 for series or $119 each for individual class Completion of the GRI 100 series (101, 102, 103) provides 45-hour Sales Associate Post-licensing credits. Completion of the GRI 101 & GRI 103 provides 14 CE credits—11 specialty plus 3 hours of Core Law. To receive course credit, continuous attendance is mandatory for all GRI modules. GRI modules may be taken in any order and all seven 2-day modules must be completed within 5 years to receive the GRI designation. A 50-question quiz at the end of each 2-day module is required with a 75% passing grade to receive continuing Education or Sales Post-licensing or Broker Post-licensing and GRI credit.

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FUN TIMES

At the RAMC Business

Partner Appreciation

Luncheon

Feb. 20, 2013

Page 14

News You Can Use

If a listing says ‘parlor floor,’it’sworth$5MSAN FRANCISCO – Feb. 28, 2013 – By statisti‐cally analyzing the words and phrases used to sell homes, Trulia says it can now unlock in‐sights into national and local housing markets across America, and it analyzed phrases used in home listings for its first Real Estate Lab report.

To find out the relative value of an MLS de‐scriptive phrase, Trulia says it analyzed mil‐lions of for‐sale homes on Trulia through No‐vember 2012. For example, the average price of a home that includes the phrase “Once‐in‐a‐lifetime opportunity” is $3 million. The single phrase that implied the top of top‐end homes is “parlor floor,” which was found in homes worth almost $5 million.

Phrases in the most expensive listings

1. parlor floor – average listing price: $4,935,632

2. formal gardens – average listing price: $4,006,401

3. paneled library – average listing price: $3,740,836

4. magnificent estate – average listing price: $3,646,040

5. Lutron lighting – average listing price: $3,524,588

6. public rooms – average listing price: $3,451,456

7. once‐in‐a‐lifetime opportunity – average listing price: $3,402,801

8. highest level – average listing price: $3,388,751

9. motor court – average listing price: $3,359,954

10. two powder rooms – average listing price: $3,346,560

On the flipside, certain phrases appeared in many lower‐cost listings. Some seem obvious, such as a note about mold. But others, such as “cute little bungalow,” mean the home is inexpensive.

Phrases in the least expensive listings

1. minimum commission applies – average listing price: $27,569

2. lead based paint notices – average listing price: $39,939

3. mold‐like substance – average listing price: $45,094

4. defective paint – average listing price: $45,974

5. city inspection – average listing price: $55,661

6. repair plumbing system – average listing price: $59,064

7. cute little bungalow – average listing price: $61,870

8. septic repairs – average listing price: $62,004

9. HUD owned offered as‐is – average listing price: $64,547

10. starter home investment property – aver‐age listing price: $65,041

© 2013 Florida Realtors®

Floridaclass‐actioncasetakesaim at Citizens’ reinspectionprogramBROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – March 1, 2013 – Thousands of Florida homeowners buffeted by higher windstorm premiums have sued state‐run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to recover potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in “back‐door” rate increases driven by “arbitrary” reinspections of their residences.

The proposed class‐action lawsuit, filed in Broward Circuit Wednesday, aims to halt Citi‐zens’ reinspection program, claiming it has illegally stripped discounts from homeowners who had earned them under a 2007 inspec‐tion program approved by the Florida Legisla‐ture. Their original inspections were supposed to be valid for five years.

But in 2010, Citizens violated the due‐process rights of homeowners, who had submitted official inspection forms, by arbitrarily rein‐specting their properties to boost lost reve‐nue that the agency could not generate law‐fully through premium hikes, the suit said.

Lawyers who filed the suit, whose class repre‐sentative is a Broward homeowner, said Citi‐zens violated the due‐process rights of its policyholders, costing each higher premiums averaging upwards of $1,000 – and possibly more – a year.

The collective cost to homeowners through‐out Florida exceeds more than $100 million, said attorney Todd Stabinksi, whose Miami law firm, Stabinksi & Funt, filed the suit with Farmer, Jaffe of Fort Lauderdale and Kula & Samson of Aventura. They gathered Thursday for a press conference outside the West Bro‐ward County Courthouse in Plantation.

“Citizens got the benefit of lowering their risks, but Citizens’ policyholders did not get the benefit of lower premiums,” Stabinski said. “It should have been a mutually benefi‐cial bargain.”

Consumer advocates have accused Citizens of using the reinspection program to impose “massive” rate hikes on homeowners. Citizens has denied the charge, saying that it is simply trying to get accurate information about the homes it insures.

“Since at least 2010, Citizens has used a wind mitigation reinspection program to systemati‐cally deprive policyholders of legitimate wind mitigation credits,” said a nonprofit group, Florida Association for Insurance Reform, which praised the legal action.

A spokesperson for Citizens said the company has been operating under the law, and that the reinspections came after regulators changed the mitigation criteria. “Our position is Citizens’ reinspections were conducted under statutory authority afforded any in‐surer to verify, at the insurer’s expense, the accuracy of inspection reports submitted for a mitigation discount,” said spokesman Michael Peltier.

Discontent has been widespread among Citi‐zens’ policyholders, who spent large sums of money on roof, window and other upgrades to earn windstorm mitigation discounts while protecting their homes against potential hur‐ricane damage. In response, Citizens unveiled major changes to its home reinspection pro‐gram last August after consumers expressed outrage over media reports about $137 mil‐lion in premium increases generated by the program.

Under its new plans, homeowners who lose insurance discounts because of a reinspection can receive a second inspection free of charge. They will have new tools to dispute the findings of the first reinspection. That decision could impact more than 200,000 property owners, who have already seen their premiums go up by an average of about $800 after the initial reinspection.

Whether those homeowners will be able to reverse the premium hikes is “a question that we need to take a look at,” said Barry Gilway, president of Citizens, at a press conference in August.

Citizens’ policy change came days after the Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau published a series of stories documenting how hundreds of thousands of Floridians have seen premi‐ums soar as the state‐run insurer intensifies its plans to raise rates through reinspections and reduce coverage.

Consumer advocates have complained about inspectors who do not check thoroughly for evidence that supports the homeowner, often ruling quickly that homes do not qualify for discounts.

Gilway acknowledged that several inspectors

Page 15

have failed to adequately check homeowners’ attics if they were not completely clear of obstruction. Property owners have lost thou‐sands of dollars in discounts because their attics were blocked by boxes or insulation.

“The inspector is not required to wait while you move property that is restricting attic access,” a Citizens letter to policyholders reads.

Under the new changes, homeowners will have one year to clear their attic and receive a follow‐up inspection, before any premium increases.

Consumer advocates said the changes sounded positive, but more details were needed, cautioning policyholders “to take a trust‐but‐verify approach.”

Created in 2002 as a safe haven, Citizens – the so‐called “insurer of last resort” – has bal‐looned to become the state’s largest insurer, with about 1.4 million policies. Most of its risk is concentrated in South Florida and the Tampa Bay area, hazard‐prone regions where many homeowners cannot find coverage in the private market. Its actions, including rate increases, affect the entire insurance market, impacting housing costs for nearly every Flo‐ridian, including those with private insurers.

The initial reinspection program began in 2010, with Citizens sending thousands of in‐spectors to review the homes of policyhold‐ers. About half of all homeowners receive wind‐mitigation discounts for hurricane‐resistant features on their homes. The rein‐spection program targeted those features, as inspectors have found that thousands of homeowners did not deserve the discounts they were receiving. The result has been more than $137 million worth of premium increases for homeowners.

The program was ramped up, with more than 200,000 inspections completed in 2012. Nearly 90,000 more were yet to be completed last year. In about three in four cases, home‐owners have lost their discounts, leading to average premium hikes of more than 30 per‐cent.

Gov. Rick Scott has been pushing for the state‐run insurer to reduce its size and risk, leading to rate hikes and coverage reductions for hundreds of thousands.

Copyright © 2013 The Miami Herald, Jay Weaver and Toluse Olorunnipia. Distributed by MCT Information Ser‐vices.

Short sale approvals pre‐defaultareontherise

MIAMI – March 1, 2013 – Banks are increas‐ingly willing to approve short sales before

borrowers go into foreclosure, a bright spot for struggling homeowners hoping to escape an underwater mortgage with the least dam‐age to their finances.

About 27 percent of home sales in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami Dade counties last year were short sales where the lender had not filed foreclosure papers against the home‐owner, according to a distressed property report released today by the Irvine, Calif.‐based RealtyTrac.

It’s a turnaround from a time when borrowers had to default on their mortgages before persuading their bank to do a short sale, which is where the lender agrees to accept less for the home than what is owed on the mortgage. In South Florida, the average differ‐ence between the unpaid mortgage balance and non‐foreclosure short sale price last year was $116,505, the RealtyTrac report said.

South Florida Realtor Joanne Epstein said the paradigm shift by banks is a reaction to fed‐eral rules that went into effect Nov. 1 allow‐ing homeowners to qualify for a short sale even if they are current on payments. Banks also earn credits to satisfy their obligations under the $25 billion National Mortgage Set‐tlement by approving short sales.

“Some people are so scared to not pay their mortgage because they don’t have bad credit and don’t want bad credit,” said Epstein, who works for the Keyes Company/Ragbir Team. “But they can’t afford to pay anymore and are just throwing out good money.”

The federal rule changes only affect loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Under the November changes, borrowers who are current on their mortgage but suffer a hardship such as a death, divorce, or a job change requiring them to move more than 50 miles from their home can be qualified for a short sale by their loan servicers without addi‐tional approval from Fannie or Freddie.

The RealtyTrac report notes that the number of South Florida short sales conducted in 2012 before a foreclosure was filed increased 30 percent from the previous year.

Statewide, 33 percent of all home sales last year were short sales completed before a foreclosure was filed. The average difference between the unpaid principal balance and non‐foreclosure short sale price was $94,950.

Housing experts say short sales benefit home‐owners and lenders. A homeowner suffers a lighter ding to his or her credit than if a fore‐closure was completed. Lenders save the cost of a lengthy court proceeding.

An increase in short sales may also lead to a quicker housing recovery, said RealtyTrac Vice

President Daren Blomquist. South Florida short sales had a higher average sale price last year – $133,816 – than bank‐owned homes, which went for an average of $129,320.

“Allowing these homes to change hands more quickly will put them with new homeowners who have loans they can afford, which means they are more likely to maintain the prop‐erty,” Blomquist said. “They’ll be more moti‐vated to be responsible homeowners.”

Kevin Kent, a broker‐associate with Platinum Properties in Palm Beach County, questions RealtyTrac’s numbers. He said the percentage of non‐foreclosure short sales seems high and that many lenders remain stalwart about having homeowners go into default before considering a short sale.

“Until someone misses payments, the lenders aren’t paying a lot of attention,” Kent said.

But banks are more amenable in general to doing short sales because “they get hurt a lot less,” Kent said.

Copyright © 2013 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Kimberly Miller. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

U.S. rateon30‐yearmortgagedeclinesto3.51%WASHINGTON – March 1, 2013 – Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages moved closer to historic lows this week, a trend that has helped drive a rebound in home sales.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30‐year fixed mortgage declined to 3.51 percent from 3.56 percent last week. That’s near the 3.31 per‐cent rate reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971.

The average rate on the 15‐year fixed mort‐gage slipped to 2.76 percent from 2.77 last week. The record low is 2.63 percent.

The lowest mortgage rates in decades have helped the housing market recover. More people are buying homes, which has pushed up home prices. And ultra‐low rates have encouraged more people to refinance. That often lowers monthly mortgage payments and leaves consumers with more spending money.

A measure of the number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes rose in January from December to the highest level in more than 2 1/2 years, the National Association of Realtors reported Wednesday. The increase suggests that sales of previously occupied homes will continue rising in the coming months.

Continue reading this article here.

News You Can Use

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Trend Indicator JANUARY 2013

Price Range 0-2 3 4+13 Total

Units12 Total

Units2013 2012 Price Range

13 Total Units

12 Total Units

2013 2012

<$99,999 28 15 0 43 30 164 207 <$99,999 20 15 156 169

$100 - $199,999 23 22 5 50 29 272 332 $100 - $199,999 6 12 184 203

$200 - $299,999 2 19 6 27 14 186 225 $200 - $299,999 7 9 134 138

$300 - $399,999 0 6 2 8 13 150 193 $300 - $399,999 4 0 57 59

$400 - $499,999 0 3 6 9 2 107 114 $400 - $499,999 0 1 30 29

$500 - $599,999 0 0 2 2 2 43 68 $500 - $599,999 0 0 3 14

$600 - $699,999 0 0 0 0 2 37 43 $600 - $699,999 0 0 5 4

$700 - $799,999 0 0 0 0 2 37 43 $700 - $799,999 0 0 5 4

$800 - $899,999 0 0 1 1 2 23 17 $800 - $899,999 0 0 7 8

$900 - $999,999 0 0 0 0 1 18 23 $900 - $999,999 0 0 5 7

$1 - $1,499,999 0 0 0 0 0 40 51 $1 - $1,499,999 1 0 9 11

$1.5 - $1,749,999 0 0 0 0 0 13 9 $1.5 - $1,749,999 0 0 0 0

$1.75 - $1,999,999 0 0 0 0 0 18 23 $1.75 - $1,999,999 0 0 0 0

$2 - $2,499,999 0 0 0 0 0 14 21 $2 - $2,499,999 0 0 0 1

$2.5 - $2,999,999 0 0 0 0 1 16 14 $2.5 - $2,999,999 0 0 0 0

$3 - $3,499,999 0 0 0 0 0 7 10 $3 - $3,499,999 0 0 0 0

$3.5 - $3,999,999 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 $3.5 - $3,999,999 0 0 0 0

$4 - $4,999,999 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 $4 - $4,999,999 0 0 0 0

>$5,000,000 0 0 0 0 0 14 7 >$5,000,000 0 0 0 0

Total Units 53 67 23 143 98 1,199 1,428 Total Units 39 37 610 664

Avg Price 102,324 199,489 358,083 188,985 241,966 566,476 512,643 Avg Price 181,000 143,500 232,723 247,032

Med Price 106,000 169,000 347,000 150,000 150,000 299,000 284,315 Med Price 95,000 133,000 179,900 185,000

Total Val 5,423,150 13,365,764 8,235,900 27,024,814 23,470,676 679,204,455 732,566,398 Total Val 7,059,000 5,309,500 141,961,291 164,029,439

Residential CondominiumSold by # of Bedrooms Inventories Sold Inventories

Type 2013 2012 2013 2012 Type 2013 2012Assum 0 1 8.38 14.72 Assum 0 0Cash 86 57 Cash 27 25Conv 34 25 Conv 9 11FHA 18 9 FHA 0 0VA 3 1 VA 0 0

Seller 0 1 2013 2012 Seller 0 0Other 2 3 15.64 17.95 Other 3 1

DOM 2013 2012 DOM 2013 20121-30 49 26 1-30 12 1431-60 15 12 31-60 5 461-90 16 12 61-90 5 4

91-120 6 6 91-120 3 2121+ 54 38 121+ 14 12

Solds by Financing Type Absorption Rate Solds by Financing TypeResidential Residential Condo

Residential Condo

Absorption RateCondo

Solds by Number of DOM Solds by Number of DOM

Absorption rate: indication of average length of DOM

To calculate the absorption rate, divide the number of listings in your market by the number of sales during that month. For

example, if your market had 300 home listings last month and 100 sales, the absorption rate

is three months.

Based on MLS information from the Realtor Association of Martin County, Inc.

Closed Sales

Cash Sales

New Pending Sales

New Listings

Median Sale Price

Average Sale Price

Median Days on Market

Avg. Percent of Original List Price Received

Inventory of Homes for Sale

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

Produced by Florida REALTORS® with data provided by Florida's multiple listing services. Statistics for each month compiled from MLS feeds on the 15th day of the following month.

Data released on Thursday, February 21, 2013. Next data release is Thursday, March 21, 2013.

7.7 13.1 -41.2% Months Supply of Inventory

89.2% 85.8% 4.0%

1,251 1,819 -31.2%

$426,851 $515,855 -17.3%

84 119 -29.4%

376 371 1.3%

$220,580 $240,000 -8.1%

78 57 36.8%

271 168 61.3%

January 2013 January 2012Percent Change

Year-over-Year

134 106 26.4%

$160K

$180K

$200K

$220K

$240K

$260K

Me

dia

n S

ale

Pri

ce

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

2,200

2,400

2,600

2,800

Tota

l In

ven

tory

0

50

100

150

200

250

Clo

sed

Sal

es

Monthly Market Summary - January 2013

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J

2009 2010 2011 2012

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J

2009 2010 2011 2012

Martin County Single Family Homes

Closed Sales

Cash Sales

New Pending Sales

New Listings

Median Sale Price

Average Sale Price

Median Days on Market

Avg. Percent of Original List Price Received

Inventory of Homes for Sale

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

Produced by Florida REALTORS® with data provided by Florida's multiple listing services. Statistics for each month compiled from MLS feeds on the 15th day of the following month.

Data released on Thursday, February 21, 2013. Next data release is Thursday, March 21, 2013.

9.1 11.3 -19.4% Months Supply of Inventory

90.0% 86.5% 4.0%

794 936 -15.2%

$136,874 $123,103 11.2%

68 71 -4.2%

224 174 28.7%

$92,000 $91,500 0.5%

48 48 0.0%

158 98 61.2%

January 2013 January 2012Percent Change

Year-over-Year

69 68 1.5%

$70K

$80K

$90K

$100K

$110K

$120K

$130K

Me

dia

n S

ale

Pri

ce

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

Tota

l In

ven

tory

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Clo

sed

Sal

es

Monthly Market Summary - January 2013

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J

2009 2010 2011 2012

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J

2009 2010 2011 2012

Martin County Townhouses and Condos

March2013MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

1

4

58:30am—Res.Marketing,Area9,MapK

63pm—FinanceCommittee

79am—BasicMLS

10am—Image&PRCommittee

1:30pm—IntermediateMLS

8

11 128:30am—Res.Marketing,Area9,MapL

13

149am—CodeofEthics

1pm—AdvancedCommunicationSkills(LiveWebinar)

1pm—CoreLaw

159am—NewMemberOrientation

18 198:30am—Res.Marketing,Area10,MapsM,N&Indiantown

20

2110am—RealistTraining

1:30pm—FusionTraining

229am–PropertyAppraiserUpdate

25 268:30am—Res.Marketing,Areas1&7015,MapsA&Z

27

288am—BODMeeting

29

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