Brokers Needed to Lead Important Program

There’s an exciting program that the NC Association of REALTORS® needs to grow and strengthen to increase our effectiveness with Congress. It’s the Broker Involvement Program (BIP), which is a grassroots initiative started by NAR that provides broker-owners with a quick and effective way to rally their agents and send a clear, unified voice to North Carolina’s congressional delegation regarding issues impacting the real estate industry.

Why is the program so important? Response rates on Calls for Action (CFAs) are significantly higher when agents receive their messages directly from their brokers because they know it’s information that’s important and that they can trust. In a recent NAR call for action, nearly 42 percent of all responses nationwide were from agents in the BIP.

The BIP offers brokers and their agents:

> An effective approach to increase REALTOR® influence on important legislation and help shape legislation that can affect your bottom line.

> A way to stay abreast of the legislative impact, the changes and final outcomes for each CFA.

> A program that requires only a small amount of your time with no costs involved.

> Tracking by NAR of the CFA response rates within a company so the broker can see their effectiveness.

Direct contact with elected leaders is vital. For example, during the 2007 Stop the NC Home Tax Campaign, REALTORS® generated more than 50,000 e-mails to members of the NC General Assembly using targeted CFAs. At the national level, during the Homebuyer Tax Credit Call For Action last year, more than 21 percent of our members responded and contacted their representatives in Congress.

“While the BIP isn’t the only reason for these increases, it clearly has had a tremendous impact on REALTORS®’ participation in Calls for Action and, therefore, the legislative process” says NC REALTORS® President Stephanie Walker. “Passage of the Homebuyer Tax Credit legislation was critical to our industry, and Congress heard that message loud and clear, thanks to our united voice.”

When brokers participate in the BIP, their agents will receive the Call for Action from them – their broker – rather than from NAR. “Agents will be more likely to respond and increase overall participation rates and the number of congressional contacts,” Walker says.

To register, visit www.realtoractioncenter.com, click on the broker enrollment section and complete a short form.

NC REALTORS® has worked closely with members in the mountain areas of our state to follow and address issues that include landslide hazards maps and landslide hazard disclosure requirements.

Recently, there were questions and conflicting information about the N.C. Real Estate Commission’s (NCREC) position on these issues. In a letter written by Tom Miller, legal counsel for the NCREC, he states the NCREC has “not issued any ruling concerning slide hazards or slide hazard maps in Macon or any other county.” Further, he states that “we decline at the present time to declare that, as a minimum standard of practice, a broker must investigate slide hazards or warn his/her clients of the potential for such hazards in the absence of the broker’s actual knowledge of such hazards or the existence of information, condition, or other ‘red flags’ which a reasonable inspection of the property by a person trained as a broker would discover.”

The issue of regulating mountain development and requiring property disclosure obligations for mountain properties is complex. REALTORS® already adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and have always been proponents of property disclosure requirements that protect consumers. There have also been concerns about whether the hazards maps are complete and able to be easily read and interpreted.

In his letter, Miller makes these points: The mere existence of the landslide hazard maps is not in itself a material fact that must be disclosed; the NCREC does not require brokers to investigate slide hazards and warn clients of the potential for such hazards in absence of actual knowledge or the existence of circumstances that would lead a reasonably prudent broker to conclude that there is a potential hazard; and the N.C. courts have ruled that an agent is under no duty to disclose unless they actually knew or should have known about a hazard on a specific piece of property.

The issues impacting this disclosure are still a priority for NCAR. “We will continue to work with REALTORS® in the mountain regions to ensure that rules and laws aren’t enacted that would negatively impact housing affordability and create an increased liability for our members in those areas,” says Government Affairs Director Cady Thomas. “The adequate enforcement of existing rules and regulations already goes a long way toward protecting consumers.” n

Thieves are continuing to prey on foreclosed properties, removing copper, appliances and other fixtures, and leaving behind a mess for those who have to sell it. The Memphis Area Association of REALTORS® recently warned its members of scams involving thieves who remove “For Sale” signs from yards and then bring a truck into the garage of the home, making it appear as if they are moving in. They then remove such items as AC systems, kitchen appliances, light and plumbing fixtures, and the copper from walls. Copper has become even more of a target, with copper prices rising by more than $1 per pound in the past year.

A Canadian man who has been unable to buy a home in the pricey housing market of Vancouver, British Columbia, has another idea for attaining home ownership, but it involves … dressing up as a dinosaur. The man recently posted an unusual offer over Craigslist, targeting his message to the rich who may have some spare homes lying around or paid-off rental properties – or those who’ve just always wanted a “personal dinosaur.” The man wrote in a Craigslist ad: “In exchange for one of your properties, I will be your personal dinosaur for one year. I will be at your beck and call, 24 hours a day, wearing a dinosaur costume. The type of dinosaur is negotiable.”

Mobile security experts say they’ve identified more than a dozen popular Android apps that can make your phone a target for hackers. The threats range from hackers reading your incoming and outgoing messages, tracking your location, running up charges via SMS messages, and even monitoring your call history. A report from antivirus company Kaspersky also identified 70 types of Android malware, which ranged from viruses like “HippoSMS” (causing phones to text premium numbers that increase charges) to “Golddream.A,” which can record phone calls and upload conversations to remote servers controlled by hackers. The viruses can be embedded into applications you can download. Experts say it is occurring because developers are failing to follow security guidelines.

In an effort to revitalize hard-hit areas of Detroit, the city is partnering with financial institutions to offer grants to help police officers and city workers who live outside the city buy homes in Detroit neighborhoods. JPMorgan Chase Foundation announced recently that it will offer a $1 million grant to aid 70 police officers and city workers in a down payment on vacant homes they purchase in the city. The first 10 officers who purchase a vacant home will get $25,000 each, and another 60 officers and city workers can get up to $15,000 each.

Google’s Purchase of Motorola Unit a ‘Game-Changer’ Analysts are calling Google’s recent announcement that it plans to buy Motorola Mobility a “game-changer” for its Android smartphone market, and a move that puts it in steeper competition against rival Apple. The Motorola unit purchase allows Google to “create a range of products that enable very rich, multi-device experiences in the same way that Apple does across iPhone, iPad and Apple TV,” Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin told USA Today. Analysts say that the Motorola deal will finally allow Google to gain more control over some of its phones, at least the ones made by Motorola Mobility that have the Android name. This also could help the Android phones be more attractive to app developers, who have reported challenges in creating software for different companies’ Android phones.

Police have arrested two teenagers in connection with an alleged robbery and beating of a real estate professional who was holding an open house at a home in Lincoln, Neb., in early August. According to police reports, two robbers entered the open house and threatened the real estate professional with a weapon that resembled a homemade knife or a screwdriver wrapped in a cloth. The robbers reportedly demanded the woman’s purse, wedding ring, and car keys. When she refused to hand over the items, they punched her in the face and forced her into a bathroom. The woman was able to escape and call for help.

Authorities charged 27 South Florida residents in a series of mortgage fraud schemes that involved $30 million in bad loans. The various mortgage fraud schemes involved cases of inflated home values on mortgage applications, loan applications that contained false information, funds illegally obtained through straw buyers, as well as arson, authorities say. South Florida has become the nation’s top market for mortgage loan fraud and has led the nation in mortgage fraud for the past five years, according to research by LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute.

A Malibu, Calif., mansion that once was on the market for $65 million will soon hit the auction block with the bidding starting at $22 million, which could mark a new record. This is a less traditional route for selling a luxury home that is neither in foreclosure or default, but the buyer has been trying to sell the property since 2008 and is motivated to finally get it sold. The home will be sold in a reserve auction, which means a financial minimum must be met for the property to be sold. Bidders will be vetted prior to the auction and must pay $150,000 to receive a bidder’s title. n

By Andrea Bushnell Executive Vice President