Chipola Area Board of REALTORS®

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – April 9, 2013 – On Wednesday, April 10 at 1 p.m., a historical turnout of Realtors from around the state will converge on the Florida Capitol Courtyard for Florida Realtors®’ first-ever “Rally for Homeownership” to boisterously highlight the link between the housing market and economic performance, both of which have shown continued improvement in Florida recently.
The Rally takes place as part of Great American Realtor Days this week, a two-day annual event during which members of Florida Realtors meet with lawmakers to discuss pending real estate legislation and issues that affect Floridians and visitors to the Sunshine State.

Florida Realtors 2013 President Dean Asher, broker-owner with Don Asher & Associates Inc. in Orlando, and state Rep. Matt Hudson (R-Naples), a real estate broker, will lead the event, which includes a salute to U.S. military families and their service to America. The Rally will feature a surprise announcement – a powerful and emotional reminder that homeownership remains an important part of the American Dream.

Housing and homeownership are critical to a strong and prosperous Florida economy. New home construction and home purchases spur productivity in a “domino effect,” creating jobs for millions of Floridians. According to the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, real estate remains the No. 1 economic generator in the state. Real estate, rentals and leasing accounted for $117.4 billion, or 15.6 percent, of Florida’s Gross Domestic Product in 2011. Add in construction, and it accounts for $147.4 billion, or 19.6 percent, of the state’s GDP in 2011. As homeownership increases, Florida’s economy strengthens with it.

Florida Realtors is the largest trade association in the state with more than 118,000 members. Its mission is to support the American Dream of homeownership, build strong communities and shape public policy on real property issues. Florida Realtors strives to encourage, promote and teach consistent standards for ethical practice and professionalism and to partner with local boards/associations to provide the information and tools for members to succeed in their business. Florida Realtors serves as the voice for real estate in Florida.

Chipola Area Board of REALTORS members were spotted in March working the Chipola Community College Basketball Tournament. Then, just last week, they worked the entrance ticket booth at the Vernon Bluegrass Festival.

What’s next???

Any member looking to show their community involvement can also contact the Community Affairs committee to join them on April 20 at the Arts Festival in Marianna. They did change the name this year to the “Paint-n-Pork Festival”, but it is the 10th year for the event and it really is a highlight event that you should not miss! More info can be found at http://www.mariannaartsfestival.com/. Rumor has it that the Community Affairs Committee will show up with a brand new tent, complete with our logo! Somebody be sure to send more photos!!

I have been around real estate for almost 20 years and now that I am entering a different profession I still find myself reading real estate news. I found an interesting article over at About.com that is interesting to me because it mentions that in New Mexico it seems that they have laws that prohibit what an unlicensed assistant can do. That is a little different than what I can find in Florida. Here the best we can get is a list of “Permissible Activities of an Unlicensed Assistant”. I really like the N.M. list because it is more explicit. Here is the text of that message. I think every item on the list makes great sense for Florida too. For a personal assistant to do any item on this list in N.M. you must have a real estate license.

Top 8 Additional Duties for A Licensed Real Estate Assistant

By James Kimmons, About.com Guide

Check the rules in your state, but many are similar to these excerpts from the real estate regulations in New Mexico. If you’re an agent or broker considering hiring an assistant, or someone considering starting a real estate career as an assistant, here’s a list of duties that are allowed for a licensed real estate assistant, but specifically prohibited for the un-licensed.

1. Document Preparation
Preparing legal documents such as listing and sales contracts is allowed. Obviously a help to a busy agent or broker. However, the broker is liable and should review documents.

2. Interpretation and Advice
Interpreting documents, offering opinions or advice is OK for a licensed assistant. When the client phones in for help interpreting a document, the licensed assistant can help.

3. Disseminate Information
A licensed assistant can disseminate and distribute all types of information without having to have it specifically prepared by the supervising agent or broker.

4. Get Client Information
Licensed assistants are able to obtain personal or property information from a client or customer for document and marketing purposes.

5. Delivery of Financial and Title Documents
Picking up from or delivering to customers or clients financial documents prepared by title companies, lenders or other third persons for the purpose of obtaining signatures is a prohibited activity for the un-licensed, but a normal duty of a licensed assistant.

6. Attend a Closing Unsupervised
The un-licensed assistant would be in violation for attending a closing without the responsible person present. This could be a duty assigned to a licensed assistant.

7. Sound Like a Licensee
This is the licensing regulation statement: “representing himself or herself as being an associate broker or a qualifying broker or as being engaged in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, renting, leasing, managing, auctioning or dealing with options on any real estate or the improvements thereon for others” is prohibited for un-licensed persons. This would be more an avoidance for the un-licensed, while a licensed assistant can act and sound like a licensed agent.

8. Do Telephone Marketing
A licensed assistant can conduct telephone solicitation of any kind designed to procure buyers, sellers, listings or appointments for listing presentations.

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To read the original article go to: http://realestate.about.com/od/realestatebasics/tp/licensedasst.htm
Be sure to browse the related article links at the bottom of the article. Lots of good stuff there.

There are places around the world that put on a big show when there is a changing of the guard. That is something I would have liked to have been able to do as I stepped aside for Chandra Hanson, your new Association Executive, as she accepted the reigns at the Chipola Area Board of Realtors. Not a show that is put on for her ego, but to help remind everyone and Chandra what a very important position she is taking on. Timing didn’t allow that though, so if you don’t mind I would like to give you a somewhat late introduction to Chandra, as well as outline only a few of the items the position of AE is responsible for.

Chandra comes to us from the really cold country, you know, somewhere much further north than Atlanta, which is still too cold for the blood of most of us who have lived many years below the Alabama and Georgia state lines. She has some wonderful qualities that are going to lend themselves very well to her being a great AE for this area. First of all she is very detail oriented. There are so many things that require that characteristic of a successful AE. Being good at organization and excellent at follow thru are a couple more of her traits that will serve the members well. To me though, I feel her strongest feature is how conscientious she is. As she starts her third week at CABR you will see what I mean. She truly wants to do the best job possible and the effort she has put in during the first two weeks show it.

Though she will still be working the part-time schedule that you are used to by now, I feel confident that she is going to whip that office into shape. She has been reviewing the CABR Bylaws and the MLS Rules & Regulations, while at the same time trying to do the bookkeeping, filing/organizing and learning to use the MLS program. Since she came on board there have been two new members to put into the MLS and NAR, lots of reciprocal search requests from BCAR and ECAR, Supra cooperating key requests, meetings to prepare for, and another reciprocal listing came to the MLS (though we did get a little help with that one). There have been bills to pay and dues to collect. That only barely scratches the surface of what can keep an AE busy.

One of the AE’s hardest responsibilities is to make sure that everyone not only follows the rules of the board, but to try to help them not do something that will get any of our brokers and agents in trouble with FREC. That is a whole set of rules (laws) of it’s own. If you hear from her about something that she thinks you are doing that might be breaking our rules or worse, I hope you will take it in the spirit it is given and that will be one of concern for each of you individually as well as collectively.

Please continue to welcome Chandra into the CABR family as she continues learning the many facets of her new position.

That is not a request, it is a web site. www.Join.me is a very simple to use and cool web site that you can use to either get help or give it. Every once in a while you might find yourself on the phone trying to get someone to follow your instrcutions on how to do something on their computer. Or you might be the one receiving instructions, but some how your screen doesn’t seem to look like what they are telling you that you should be seeing. Either way, wouldn’t it be nice if both people were looking at the same screen?

www.Join.me is free in it’s Basic level for the occasional user. There is a Pro version that obviously would have a cost, but some of you might be able to justify the cost for what ever extra features it provides. The service is very simple to use. You just go to the site and either click on Share and you will be given a 9 digits number -OR- you have the other person give you their 9 digit number and you enter it on the screen and click on Join.

I am not going to go into any more detail than that, because you really don’t need any more. It is just that simple to get connected and share the same screen. You can even remotely control the mouse, if that will help. The program is not perfect in that some screens don’t show up on the other computer, but that is not often and the benefits outweigh that for me. Try it the next time you need to help someone.

A member just asked me how to Export their Favorites from Internet Explorer on their old computer to their new computer. After I typed the instructions I figured I should just post it to the web site for all members to view. I hope you find it helpful.

Open your Internet Explorer. On the top you hopefully will see “File Edit View Favorites Tools Help”. If you don’t then call me. If you do see it then click on File. In the menu that drops down, click on “Import and Export…”. The next window will ask if you want to Import or Export. Choose Export. The second window will give you the options of Favorite, Feeds and Cookies. You can select them all or only the ones you want. From there you just follow the prompts to save the file. Make sure you pay attention to where it is saving and what the file name is. Then move that file to your thumb drive. You could now take the thumb drive to any computer and import the file following the steps above to get to the “Import” feature.

Feel free to call me for help if you need it. We will probably use the www.Join.me web site so I can watch you while you follow my instructions.

What can I say? We had a great time. The annual Awards Banquet enjoys our highest attendance. That attendance and the relaxed social hour format prior to the dinner and presentations result in the most member to member interaction at any event. We had snacks during the social period and dinner included: Steak and Shrimp from Gary’s Flaming Grill, baked potato, salad, rolls, chocolate cake and cheesecake. The portions were large and no one went away hungry. The food was excellent!

We were gathered to recognize our members on many levels. Participation in board and community functions, as well sales achievements, earned our members over 30 certificates. Plaques were also awarded in 4 special categories:

• President’s Award – Mary Beth Kaminski. Dr. James Gibbs, President 2012, cited Mary Beth for her constant attendance at our General Meetings, her wonderful helpful attitude and her generosity in working the sign-in table and 50/50 drawing at every meeting she attended in 2012.
• Affiliate of the Year – Milton Insurance. Not only does Milton Insurance stop what they are doing to help out the poor member who desperately needs a homeowner policy for their buyers closing today, they have attended and spoke at General Meetings, and most notably sponsored our October Fall Gathering. They allow us to use the Milton family farm, provided the ribs/chicken/sausage and even cooked it on the grill for us while the rest of us mingled, snacked and enjoyed the hay ride.
• REALTOR® Citizen of the Year – Robby Roberts. Robby is on the Board of Directors for the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, is President of the High School Booster Club for baseball, and takes a very active part in trying to create growth for Jackson County. It is very much appreciated the way he has represented the Chipola Area Board of Realtors in the affairs of our community.
• REALTOR® of the Year – Sheila Barbee. As the 2012 Social Committee Chairman, Sheila did a great job of helping to organize all the events of the year and making sure that we had the perfect setting for each event. More than anything else, it was her spirit, joyful and helpful attitude that is recognized by her fellow members. Realtor Gina Stuart, daughter of K.B. Connor who was the first President of the Chipola Area Board of Realtors in 1977, presented the award to Sheila. As Gina reminder us, this award was first given in 1982 as the K.B. Connor Excellence in Service Award and renamed later.

Dr. James Gibbs was presented with a plaque in appreciate of his service as President for 2012. He also presented Cresh Harrion with a 2013 President pin when he passed him the gavel.

One further highlight of the evening was to have Jim and Polly Roberts join us for this year’s event. Our evening of celebration was also to recognize that we have been a chartered board now for 35 years. Jim was on the very first Board of Directors as the Sec/Treasurer. He gave a little personal background on how he came to be in the real estate business and how our Board came into existence out of recognition of the benefits to the customers and clients being served by the brokers and sales associates. He noted that by giving this increased level of service to the customer, the real estate agents would also benefit by increased business and recognition of the higher standards Realtor members hold themselves to. Truly a win/win for the public and the agents.

Affiliate members are a huge part of our board. You can see a complete list of the affiliate members by clicking on the menu item at the top of the page. These companies do business with our Realtor members and with the public and come from all areas of the real estate industry. Lenders, inspectors, title companies and many other fields are represented here. Being an affiliate member increases their exposure to the other members and public. When either needs to find someone to help them with a particular service, the list of affiliate members should be the first place they look. We would like to gaive a special and very large “THANK YOU” to tonights affiliate sponsors. Their donations helped to hold down individual member costs and increase the menu, decorations and plaques given.

• Awards Banquet Sponsors
• One South Bank
• PeoplesSouth Bank
• Lambert Inspections
• Oceanside Title
• First Federal Bank of Florida

The banquet hall was decorated beautifully with silver and gold. There were balloons, candles, confetti and jewels on the tables. We had a large banner proclaiming our “35 Years” as a board. Lights were strung along the walls. Throughout the evening we had a slideshow running with a slide for every affiliate member, photos from other events in 2012 and special thanks to the evenings sponsors. “Well done Social Committee!!!”

Congratulations to these members. Over 30 certificates where presented to Chipola Area Board of Realtors members last night. Here is a list of those recipients and their categories.

• Honor Society:
  • Jim Gibbs
  • Ouida Morris
  • Debbie Roney-Smith
  • Pat Furr
  • Gina Stuart
  • Deborah Mathewuse
  • Lauren Milton
  • Kathy Milton
  • Sheila Barbee
  • Edwina Cloud
  • Ellen Marsh

• Million Dollar Gold Club – $1,000,000-$2,000,000
• Gina Stuart
• Scott Harris
• Ginger Green
• Tracey Kent
• Wanda Owens
• Seamus O’Neill
• Jim Palmer
• Wanda Raney
• Sheila Barbee
• Dennis Mundy
• Joann Walsingham
• Barbara Ogburn

• Million Dollar Platinum Club – $2,000,001-$4,000,000
• Team Mary Powell/Kristin Kent
• Dana Wood
• Max Wells
• Robby Roberts
• Ed McCoy
• Debbie Roney-Smith
• Bettie Slay

• Million Dollar Diamond Club – Over $4,000,000
• Ouida Morris
• Cindy Birge
• Tim Sapp
• The Milton Team