Arcadia REALTOR Magazine - July 2014

Arcadia

REALTOR速

The Official Publication of the Arcadia Association of REALTORS速

PROUDLY SERVING THE REALTORS速 OF ARCADIA, BRADBURY, DUARTE, MONROVIA AND SIERRA MADRE

Events 4 Charity -

Red, White & Bingo!

See page 11

Mid-Year Association Update

See page 8

JULY 2014

WWW.THEAAR.COM

VOL. 18, NO. 7

Arcadia

REALTOR®

REGULAR FEATURES 4 Events Calendar

4 From the CEO’s Desk Andrew Cooper, Chief Executive Officer

5 Attorney Comments Dave Freeman, AAR Legal Counsel

6 Market Matters

9 Affiliate Corner

“Helpful Tips for Home and Commercial Inspections” Robert Thurman, California Gold Coast Home Inspections LLC.

10 Through the Lens

A Look at What’s Happening Around the AAR

Arcadia Association of REALTORS® 601 South First Avenue Arcadia, California 91006 626.446.2115 626.446.4072 FAX www.TheAAR.com

2014 ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

Mike Vachani {President} Joe Pacilio {President-Elect} Roy Blume {Vice-President} Sylvia Ramos {Secretary/Treasurer}

2014 ASSOCIATION DIRECTORS

Micah Adams Ryan Asao Andy Bencosme Kelvin Chang Margaret Garemore John Lee Mark Ramos Dave Scarminach Irene Yamagata -Bermudez

2014 C.A.R. DIRECTORS

Ryan Asao Andy Bencosme Margaret Garemore Joe Pacilio Randall Traw Mike Vachani Kelvin Wong

ARCADIA ASSOCIATION STAFF Robin Allen Ext. 307 Director of Finance / Office Manager Robin@TheAAR.com Michael Beltran Ext. 302 IT Director / Webmaster Michael@TheAAR.com

07.14

{ Arcadia REALTOR® | July | Two Thousand and Fourteen | Volume Eighteen | Number Seven}

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July 2014

Brenda Faltes Ext. 304 Director of MLS Data Integrity, Supra & Social Media Brenda@TheAAR.com Jamie Hu Ext. 309 Administration Jamie.Hu@TheAAR.com Stephanie Maertens Ext. 303 Director of Education, Publications & MLS Caravan Stephanie@TheAAR.com Maria Roberts Ext. 305 Director of Membership & Professional Standards Maria@TheAAR.com Jane Shriver Ext. 301 Director of Association Services Jane@TheAAR.com Andrew Cooper Ext. 308 Chief Executive Officer Andrew@TheAAR.com

ON THE COVER 8

Mid-Year Association Update AAR 2014 President, Mike Vachani, gives an update on the activity of the Association year-to-date.

11

E4C - Red, White and Bingo!

A recap of the recent AAR Events 4 Charity Annual

Bingo Night.

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

RELAY FOR LIFE

ADDITIONAL CONTENT 3

Congratulations Stephanie!

The Arcadia Association wishes to congratulate AAR Director of Education, Stephanie Maertens, on the birth of her baby boy!

3

Arcadia Relay For Life Join the AAR Relay For Life team in saving lives. For more information please contact Leslie Villavicencio at (626) 975-4010 or email: leslie@silva-villa.com

Please join us for the AAR Annual Membership Breakfast on Wednesday, July 30th at 8:00 a.m. at the Arcadia Masonic Center.

Congratulations Stephanie!

JOIN TEAM AAR! Saturday & Sunday, August 2 - 3 11:00 am - 11:00 am Santa Anita Park (Race Track/In Field) 285 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007

Visit www.TheAAR.com & Click on Relay For Life Banner The AAR’s Director of Education, Stephanie Maertens and her husband, Mitch, welcomed their new baby boy into their family on May 3rd. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the AAR staff and the entire AAR membership we wish to congratulate Stephanie and Mitch on the arrival of Shane Mitchell Maertens!

Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. ® Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

3

July Events T 1

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - zipForm Plus Training 11:00 a.m. - Global Real Estate Committee Mtg.

W 2

8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan 9:30 a.m. - Events 4 Charity Auxiliary Mtg.

Th 3

9:30 a.m. - Commercial / Investment Committee Mtg. 11:00 a.m. - Commercial Education & Networking Session

F 4

AAR Office Closed for Independence Day

M 7

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - CRMLS Training

T 8

11:00 a.m. - Tech / YPN Committee Mtg.

W 9

8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan 8:45 a.m. - Affiliate Committee Mtg. 9:30 a.m. - MLS Committee Mtg.

T 10

3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Global Education & Networking Mixer: “Top 10 Places to Retire”

F 11 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - “38 Standard Disclosures for the

Sale of a 1 to 4 Unit, Owner-Occupied Residential Property” T 15 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - “How to Deal with Multiple Offers”

2:00 p.m. - Education Committee Mtg. W 16 8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - “Mastering zipForm & Docusign”

9:30 a.m. - Equal / Housing Opportunity & Public

Relations Committee Mtg.

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - “Creating the Ultimate Paperless Office”

1:30 p.m. - Local Governmental Relations Committee Mtg. Th 17

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Lunch & Learn Series Class

F 18

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - AAR Speech Masters

M 21

8:30 a.m. - New Member Orientation

T 22

W 23

1:30 p.m. - Budget and Finance Committee Mtg.

Th 24

5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. - Events 4 Charity: Smokin’ Jack II

F 25

8:30 a.m. - Board of Directors Mtg.

T 29

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - “Spot Real Estate Cycles & How to Sell Boom & Bust”

W 30

8:00 a.m. - Annual Membership Breakfast 8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan

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8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan

July 2014

FROM THE CEO’S DESK Let’s Do it Again!

July is a significant month for a variety of fun reasons: Some are enjoying a summer vacation with their family, the World Cup in Brazil is wrapping up its final 2 weeks, and the USA is celebrating its 238th birthday. From a business standpoint, July is significant because it represents the beginning of the 2nd half of the year. That’s right - if you aren’t pleased with the first 6 months, July represents the ultimate do-over opportunity. Now is the perfect time to make a behavioral or attitude change and to reassess your goals.

One of the easiest ways of igniting a behavioral change is to expose yourself to new ways of doing business. What better way than attending educational classes right here in the AAR building - or attending more of them?

As a REALTOR® association, it’s our job to provide worldclass events, education and career-development opportunities for our valued AAR Realtor® and Affiliate members.

As members of the AAR, it’s the responsibility you have to your business to attend these events and explore new ways of maximizing your profit. Year-to-date we’ve already offered 83 classes and events to help you grow your business. How many have you attended?

We promote these events with every conceivable communication tool available: Standard e-mails & weekly eNewsletters to REALTORS® and Affiliates, Broker eBlasts, through our easy-to-use website, in this monthly printed magazine, at the weekly MLS Marketing Meetings, flyers in our office and finally, on now-ubiquitous social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. I believe the only thing we might be missing is sky-writing.

Remember, the year isn’t half over. Instead, the 2nd half of the year is just starting! Let’s approach it from that angle and start anew.

On behalf of the AAR staff and 2014 Board of Directors, we all wish you a prosperous and successful 2nd half of 2014. We look forward to seeing you at one of our many events very soon.

To your success,

Andrew Cooper Chief Executive Officer

Attorney Comments July 2014

By Dave Freeman, Association Counsel

JOINT TENANCY - ESTATE PLANNING: Frequently called the poor man’s probate, Joint Tenancy is often used as a way of transferring property to family upon one’s death, without having to go through probate. If real property is held in Joint Tenancy by persons A and B, and A dies, B becomes the sole owner of the property. This is a simple, no probate or long expensive process.

But what about the taxes?

If A owns the property and puts it in Joint Tenancy with B, that is a present-time gift. In some jurisdictions, property taxes have been reassessed as a result of such a gift. But more importantly, upon A’s death, B won’t get a stepped up basis for the whole property’s value, since B already owned half. Now, if B sells the property, B will pay capital gains on the increase in value on that half from the time A acquired it. If A had remained the sole owner, and left it to B upon death, either through a trust or simple will, B would have received the benefit of the stepped up basis on the whole property (B’s new basis in the property would be the value at the death of A).

PERSONAL ASSISTANTS: Many busy and successful agents/ brokers are using assistants to do much of their work for them. It is natural that agents desire to classify

these assistants as Independent Contractors (ICs), to avoid the many rules, regulations and withholding requirements concerning employees.

An unlicensed assistant will generally be considered an employee, not an IC, since they are not licensed to do the work independent of your license.

Licensed agent-assistants must hang their licenses with their broker if they are to work as an IC, but may still be classified as an employee, depending on the amount of control you exert over them.

The penalties can be large for misclassifying employees. Further, if you wish to classify someone as an IC, you should have a written contract spelling out their duties, and their independent status. CAR has such a document available for you (PERSONAL ASSISTANT CONTRACT (PAC)). Of course, the biggest determining factor is the amount of CONTROL you exert over the assistant. If you can and do define the hours, location, output too completely, they will be classified as an employee. The government agencies start with the assumption that the person is an employee, until proven otherwise. “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.”

COMMUNITY INTEREST

DEVELOPMENTS, PLANNED UNIT DEVELPMENTS, CONDOMINIUMS (CIDs): Must comply with the law, regarding record keeping, budgets, reserves and disclosures. Sometimes this can be burdensome and confusing for non-professional management companies. Many small CIDs can’t afford the management companies, and yet, must still comply. When you sell a unit in such a development, you must be sure to supply all mandated documents to the buyer.

But it seems that many smaller developments don’t have the ability to keep up with the bookkeeping and reserve requirements mandated by law. Your buyer gets into one of these situations, then is hit with a large assessment and can’t pay it. Or the Association needs a new roof, puts out a special assessment, since it doesn’t have the proper reserves, and the members don’t pay the large special assessment. The Association has enforcement and lien rights, but it may not be able to come up with the money necessary to correct the problem.

Be sure to get the required documents and disclosures from the Association and into the buyer’s hands, and strongly encourage the buyer to review same with their attorney and CPA prior to waiving their contingencies!

Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

5

Market

Matters

Market Statistics for the San Gabriel Valley Single Family Homes

City

6

Zip Code

May 2014

Condominiums

Sales of Price % Single Family Price Median Chg from Homes SFR ($1,000) May 2013

SFR Only

Price Median Price & Median Condo Chg from Home Price/ ($1,000) May 2013 Sq. Ft.

Sales Count Condos

Alhambra

91801

11

$544

-9.8%

13

$450

12.4%

$454

Alhambra

91803

12

$536

20.4%

1

Altadena

91001

44

$673

33.8%

2

$434

25.4%

$458

$796

-17.1%

$425

Arcadia

91006

34

$1,280

18.5%

4

$759

34.3%

$532

Arcadia

91007

15

$1,300

-14.7%

9

$578

26.2%

$514

Azusa

91702

28

$340

8.8%

17

$245

-15.5%

$277

Duarte

91010

8

$435

18.7%

2

$553

48.9%

$334

El Monte

91731

7

$405

19.8%

1

$376

36.5%

$349

El Monte

91732

11

$368

8.7%

8

$364

28.5%

$309

El Monte - South

91733

5

$399

24.7%

2

$393

48.1%

$275

Glendora

91740

19

$450

18.7%

2

$320

4.9%

$322

Glendora

91741

18

$583

-3.2%

5

$393

-19.4%

$327

La Ca単ada Flintridge

91011

23

$1,425

35.7%

0

n/a

n/a

$541

La Verne

91750

32

$562

23.5%

3

$200

-48.7%

$307

Monrovia

91016

23

$580

26.9%

4

$543

16.7%

$470

Pasadena

91101

1

$635

n/a

6

$631

35.6%

$438

Pasadena

91103

21

$441

-25.3%

6

$385

-23.8%

$349

Pasadena

91104

25

$718

13.0%

1

$566

62.5%

$425

Pasadena

91105

14

$1,154

19.9%

6

$870

25.5%

$544

Pasadena

91106

8

$1,963

82.6%

17

$512

21.9%

$707

Pasadena

91107

18

$806

9.3%

2

$390

-14.2%

$475

Rosemead

91770

7

$453

12.1%

5

$374

-5.3%

$421

San Gabriel

91775

8

$725

14.9%

2

$502

39.3%

$462

San Gabriel

91776

7

$650

29.2%

10

$338

-19.3%

$368

San Marino

91108

19

$1,803

-24.9%

0

n/a

n/a

$851

Sierra Madre

91024

8

$846

8.8%

1

$535

-14.9%

$417

Temple City

91780

21

$703

12.5%

3

$427

-27.5%

$442

Source: DQNews.com

July 2014

Arcadia REALTOR速 Magazine

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Mid-Year Association Update

By Mike Vachani, AAR 2014 President Happy Mid Year! How is your year going so far? Have you accomplished all of your goals or at least on the right path? I wanted to use this article to remind everyone that we CAN achieve what we believe if we create the right road map or set ourselves up for success. This does not mean you have to have everything planned out exactly. This means you need to know what you want to accomplish and what are some of the different paths to get there. Set some small goals along the way to remind yourself that you are on the right path and reward yourself for each accomplishment.

This is the same thing I do in my life as a father, husband, business owner, coach, Realtor®, and even President of our great Association. We have so many things going on in our lives and are constantly pulled in numerous directions. I found that by combining some of the facets of my life, I am able to accomplish more of my goals or at least stay focused. For example, since I already spend a lot of my time giving back at my kids school and coaching their soccer or baseball teams, it made sense to also spend some marketing/sponsorship dollars advertising my services or sponsoring events. I love spending time with my kids! I love owning a real estate company and being a Realtor®! I love education and coaching! This was a perfect way to share my time and move one step closer toward accomplishing some of my goals.

This is nothing new -- I am sure you’ve heard this many times. I think this is the same belief the Arcadia Association of Realtors® has followed for many years.

I think this is why we have been so successful as an association and a leader in the community. We have a

well developed strategic plan for the Association and a long term road map for success. We have implement numerous goals along the way to measure our success and consistently update them if the environment changes or we have accomplished our goal. WE, as the members of this fabulous association, have made US one of the best associations in the nation (not just our area) and we continue to strive to improve and be even better.

Look at what WE have accomplished this year: ____________________________________________ 83 World-class Courses & Events 2078 Members as of June 30, 2014 (Highest in AAR History) Raised over $12,000 for Charity Participated in 5 Community Events ____________________________________________ This reminds me of a quote I once heard when I was a young: GOOD, BETTER, BEST -- DON’T LET IT REST UNTIL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER AND YOUR BETTER IS BEST As you look back at the first half of the year and adjust your plans for the second half, please remember to THANK your family, friends, clients or whoever has helped you stay strong and make a difference. You would not be where you are today if you did not have them in your life!

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN 2014 -- Whether professionally or personally -- and you will be one step closer to achieving success!

SAVE THE DATE!

Monday, September 15, 2014 AAR Charity Golf Classic 2400 Country Club Dr, Glendora, CA 91741 Glendora Country Club

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July 2014

Affiliate Corner

“Helpful Tips for Home and Commercial Inspections”

By Robert Thurman, California Gold Coast Home Inspections LLC.

1. The most important part of the Inspection is the client relationship.

2. Pre-Inspections save time and help negotiating final terms between buyer & seller.

Repairs are needed at all homes whether new or old.

There’s always something.

The primary goal is to provide safety and knowledge to a better quality of life within the home and workplace. Most Inspections are in correlation with safety standards set by local City & State agencies. Most people today are unaware of some hidden dangers that I will explain in reference to off-gassing. Off-gassing is that new car smell when you get into a new car or sometimes new homes. Off gassing cannot always be smelled or noticed, it is a gas from glues and materials that are breaking down after installation.

Off gassing can cause health issues at home & at the workplace. Allergies and other side effects are caused from off-gassing.

What can we do to eliminate this problem? First of all we can install a Hepa Air Filter to purify air in the home or workplace. If you notice a material or product that causes you to have any type of problems from unusual smell in the air or rashes or discomforts, that appear on the hands or arms or anywhere on the body as a result to any new products purchased or worn, or consumed. Second, purchase products that are known for not off-gassing.

DON’T MISS WHAT’S COMING!

Yes it is well known in the industry but not shared, unfortunate for those who suffer from allergies etc…

Manufacturers today produce products that do not off-gas.

Usually more expensive than competitors. Weigh out how important it is to be healthy or take a risk from products that are cheaper in price but down the road could cause other problems.

IAQ - Indoor air quality. # 1 problem today is we have made our homes airtight and all the chemicals from soaps and cleaners and off-gassing are present on a low level but enough to cause health issues. Install air filtration to better air quality.

Water Filtration for the whole home is very affordable nowadays and can also affect how well we feel on a daily basis. The body is made of approx. 70% percent water.

How important is clean, purified water? Reverse Osmosis takes all the essential minerals out of water, therefore leaving you with water that is good for washing your car, but not for human consumption. I just want you to have the healthiest life possible, knowing that pollution is taking a toll on all people around the planet. Air & Water are our Life source. If Mold is an issue, turn off water supply and fix damage from water.

Robert Thurman, General Contractor, California Gold Coast Home Inspections LLC. For more information, contact Robert at: 818-397-8691 or rwtinsunland@yahoo.com

For more information on upcoming AAR classes and more, visit www.TheAAR.com and click “Upcoming Events”

Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

9

through the lens

A Look at What’s Happening Around the AAR

Commercial Mixer SGVEP

r Carol Liu

ith Senato Breakfast w

Lunch & Learn Series

AAR Speech

Masters

Earthquake 7.0 Foothill Unity Center & AAR Back-to-School Drive 10

July 2014

te with IRA ta s E l a e R in t s e v In How to

Funds

Recently, the Arcadia Association of REALTORS® Events 4 Charity Auxiliary held the Annual Charity Bingo Night at the Arcadia Community Center on Friday, June 27, 2014.

This years’ event was fantastic with great food, great fun and lots of entertainment. In addition to all of the excitement, the event accomplished its goal of raising money for local charities. Thank you to the Events 4 Charity Auxiliary and all of their hard work. A special thank you to event Chairperson, Mary-Margaret Rolf and Vice Chairpersons, Stephanie LaPorte and Irene Truong for all the time spent to make this event a huge success!

A special thank you to those who generously donated raffle and bingo prizes. They are (in no particular order): • Anthony Carusa, Logix Federal Credit Union • Cherry on Top, Monrovia • Margaret Garemore, Podley Properties, Pasadena • Candy Connection, Monrovia • Sia Soris, The Monrovian Restaurant • Jim Thomas, Re/Max Premier Properties • Dave Scarminach, Dilbeck Real Estate, Arcadia • Andy C. Lai, Diamond Bard Financial • Jason Landes, RPM Mortgage • Sue Schmidtberger, Dilbeck Real Estate

• Michael Allen, L&M Construction • Lois Billings, Coldwell Banker, Arcadia • Stephanie LaPorte, Old Republic Home Protection • Annie Truong, Inter Valley Escrow • Mary-Margaret Rolf, Dilbeck Real Living • Ryan Asao, Podley Properties • Michael Gonzalez, Dilbeck Real Estate • Leanne Kimball, Coldwell Banker George Realty • Andy Bencosme, Century 21 Village • Andrew & Analia Cooper, AAR • Kelvin Wong, Resource Real Estate • Alma Smith, Alma Smith, REALTOR® • Design Escrow, Kay Gass, Terri Fabbri, Corinna

Soiles, Alexis Ostensen, Shelly Malicek & Yolanda Vidales • Alex Velasco, Velasco Interpreting • Janet Cerswel, Inter Valley Escrow • Bart Mitchner, Vons • Filippo Fanara, CIBA Real Estate • Mercedes Collaso, Dilbeck Real Estate • Amanda Blume, Escrow Today, Inc. • Stubbies Promotions, Arcadia • Starbucks, Monrovia • Josh Kolb, Dryers Ice Cream

Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

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Arcadia Association of REALTORS® 601 South First Avenue Arcadia, California 91006

Foothill Unity Center & Arcadia Association of REALTORS®

Drive Now through July 23, 2014 (Late Donations Gratefully Accepted)

NEW SCHOOL SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR LOCAL LOW-INCOME KIDS: • New Backpacks • 3 ring binders • Crayons (24 ct.)

• Single spiral notebooks • Glue sticks/Glue • Erasers (large pink) • Pencil sharpeners • Filler paper 3-hole (College & Wide-ruled)

• Mechanical pencils • Colored pencils (24 ct) • 12” Rulers • Calculators (Regular & Scientific) • Highlighters • Color markers (8 ct) • Scissors (round tip & pointed) • Blue & Black ballpoint pens

Bring your items to the AAR Building or to the Weekly Wednesday MLS Marketing Meeting Collected supplies will be distributed to pre-registered children of qualified low-income families at the Annual Back to School event on August 5th at Santa Anita Park Race Track.

For more information Call Betty @ Foothill Unity Center (626) 358-3486 Website: foothillunitycenter.org

Dedicated to Providing High Quality Legal Services ®

• Estate Planning • Trust Administration • Probate • Business Law • Commercial Transactions • Corporation, LLC & Partnership Formations • Business Contracts

Call today for a free consultation

Romy S. Rahmanian, Attorney

(626) 869-8787 33 East Huntington Drive • Arcadia, CA 91006 romy@rahmanianlaw.com • www.RahmanianLaw.com

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