{RE}source | May 2009

i. 5 / vol. II

May

2009 Monthly Newsletter of the San Mateo County Association of REALTORSÂŽ

www.samcar.org

In this issue...

SAMCAR

Message from the CEO page 1 Message from the President page 2 New Members | APR 2009 page 2 SAMCAR Launches New Web Site Interface pages 5 & 6 Carole Rodoni gives SAMCAR members a market update pages 7 & 8 Past Presidents’ Luncheon page 7 Annual Charity Golf Tournament page 8 Affiliate News page 9 SAMCAR Housing Expo page 10

Legislative Legislative Update pages 3 & 4

Legislative Day: June 3, 2009 page 3 Flood Assesment District page 4

Read more about the new interface and added features on pages 5 & 6

MLS

MLSListings, Inc. Updates page 4

Message from the CEO

monthly newsletter of the

San Mateo County Association of realtors®

Philip B. Tedesco, RCE, CAE SAMCAR Chief Executive Officer

www.samcar.org tel. (650) 696-8200 fax (650) 342-7509 Board of Directors 2009 President President Elect Region 25 Chair Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Affiliate Director Director Director

Olivia T. Edwards Jennifer Tasto Marianne Zanone Rush Tim Auran Eric Berggren Robert Brisbane John Clifford Nini De La Fuente-Pecson Bobbi Decker Suzan Getchell-Wallace Phillip Houston Anne Oliva Edgar Tulcanaza Susan Vaterlaus David Zigal

Chief Executive Officer Philip B. Tedesco, RCE, CAE Editorial Team Michon Coleman Director of Government Affairs Dalen Gilbrech Publications Designer Our Vision The Voice for Real Estate Professionals and Property Owners in San Mateo County.

SAMCAR {RE}source is published monthly by the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®, 850 Woodside Way, San Mateo, CA 94401 and distributed to more than 4,000 recipients. E-mail samcar@samcar.org your questions or comments.

Copyright © 2009

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the wonderful weather that Spring has brought to us here on the Peninsula. It is important to remember how privileged we all are to live and work in such a beautiful place! Spring is always busy at SAMCAR, and this year and has been even busier than usual because we have been planning for the 2009 Housing Expo. I hope that you plan to join us on Saturday May 2nd from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the San Mateo County Event Center for this premiere event. The entire event – including parking – is completely free to participants. I encourage you to invite your clients, family and friends. A full exhibit hall with 40+ booths and four separate educational tracks – Homebuyers Workshop, Options for Aging Adults, Foreclosure Prevention, and Invest for Success – with concurrent sessions will be offered throughout the day. For more information, or for a specific schedule of classes, please visit us online at www.samcar.org. I’ll look forward to seeing you there. hope you are enjoying

Spring also brings quite a bit of legislative activity. In April, SAMCAR leadership and senior staff participated in the annual Progress Seminar, a two-day meeting of legislators and business leaders from throughout San Mateo County. Then, as always, in May, SAMCAR leadership and senior staff will be in Washington DC for NAR’s Mid-Year meetings and visits to Capitol Hill. Soon thereafter, SAMCAR will be in Sacramento for Legislative Day and the C.A.R. business meetings, which you will be hearing more about throughout May. Finally, I hope that you are all taking advantage of SAMCAR’s newest membership benefit, Clarus MarketMetrics®. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to register, and check it out, I encourage you to do so. Simply go to www.samcar.org, and click on Clarus MarketMetrics® right there on the home page. Clarus MarketMetrics® generates market and price-point analysis charts and reports using information pulled directly from the MLS. There are a number of different analyses and reports available. I hope that you find this an invaluable, easy-to-use tool for you and your clients. Free classes on how to effectively use this new tool are available beginning on Monday, May 4th at SAMCAR. Please call (650) 696-8200 for more information, or to sign-up. Please let me know what you think of this new membership benefit.

I am available at (650) 696-8221 or ptedesco@samcar.org.

Message from your 2009 President

MAY 2009

Welcome New Members The Following Members Joined in April 2009

Olivia Edwards

2009 SAMCAR President

No Secret to Short Sales

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Realtors® Dottie Bactad, Twelve Pillars Realty Jennifer Chang, Greenfield Realty

Short Sales or REOs, here is what to keep in mind: “If you make life easy for others, others will make life easy for you.”

hen it comes to

Imagine you are a Loss Mitigation manager for a bank and your job is to review hundreds of offers a day line by line in order to get them accepted, but there are documents missing from one of the files. What would you do with that file?

The demands of a short sale provide us with a lesson that will serve the real estate industry well. If you don’t get it right, you don’t get paid. As real estate practitioners it is our job to be impeccable with our paper work; it is our responsibility to follow through with our words and fulfill contract obligations. In other words, it is simply “Do what we said we’re going to do.” That’s it. Short sale or not, a higher standard of professionalism works.

Here are some of the basics: if the contract says to approve all disclosures and reports within x number of days of acceptance simply fulfill that statement on or before the time specified; not after. If the contract says to remove all contingencies within x number of days of acceptance, do so. If you do have to ask for extensions, do so in writing. Keep the paper trail intact.

Lisa Fitzpatrick, Cashin Company Leslie Scheider Goldstein, Herman, Clay REALTOR® Val Krysov, Softerinox Inc. Steven Narvarte, Prudential California Elena Salcido, Prudential California FHD Patty Tsai, Century 21 Alliance Steven Tsao, Coldwell Banker Mike Wang, Alain Pinel Realtors

Affiliates

Deayn Boger, Cort Furniture Rental Helen De La Rosa, Bay Area Self Storage Gemma Naghipour, California Real Estate Loans

I understand we have no control over the other agent’s actions, but we have control over our own. We do not do so to build a strong case in court, but because this is our standard of practice. It’s our obligation to hold ourselves and the other agent accountable.

John Vega, Vega Landscaping

When we bring in an offer on a Short Sales, or REO, or any property this uncompromising insistence will get the sale through. So have legible copies, follow the lender’s instruction to the letter, prepare an outline and put documents in order, submit via fax and electronically date, time stamp and file, follow up; and all the while treat all parties with the utmost courtesy. Make life easy for them and they will make life easy for you.

In Memoriam Dimitri Melas passed away on April 14th. Dimitri was SAMCAR member since 1992. Dimitri was known for his dedication to his family and his passion for real estate.

Dan Slavin passed away on April 10th. Dan was a SAMCAR member since 1962 and had achieved Emeritus and Honorary status. Dan always had a story and a smile for everyone he met.

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Government Affairs

May 2009

Assembly Bill 33

There is a lot of activity in the state legislature that directly affects REALTORS®. It is important that you are aware as these bills may impact your bottom line, increase your liability, or affect your clients. As each piece of legislation winds its way through the legislature, you may be called upon to communicate with your state representatives through a C.A.R. or SAMCAR Call to Action.

Here is a summary ►

If you would like to participate in Legislative Day, please contact SAMCAR at

(650) 696-8200

To register, you will need to pay $20. Once you arrive in Sacramento, you will receive a prepaid credit card for $40.

This is a $20 rebate on your registration plus an offset towards your travel expense.

Please join us

for a day of guest speakers, legislative

updates

from

C.A.R. lobbyists and most importantly, meetings with our legislators to discuss the issues that are important to our real estate industry.

Please be sure to register by nd

Friday, May 22

AB 33 was introduced by Assemblyman Nava. This bill would abolish the Department of Real Estate, the Department of Corporations, the Department of Financial Institutions, and the Office of Real Estate Appraisers.

These departments would be consolidated into the Department of Financial Services, a newly created overarching department.

C.A.R. is opposed to this bill because it conflates the provision of financial services with the duties of a real estate licensee, such as listing and showing houses for sale, selling or managing investment properties and raw land, and managing or overseeing residential rental properties. This bill was approved on April 14th in the Assembly Banking Committee.

Assembly Bill 226

AB 226, introduced by Assemblyman Ruskin, seeks to expand the enforcement power of the California Coastal Commission (CCC).

Currently, the CCC must use the judicial process to impose civil fines and penalties. If passed, AB 226 would allow the CCC to impose fines or penalties ranging from $5000 to $50,000 – without utilizing the judicial process. This bill is particularly troublesome because the CCC would be allowed to retain these fines and penalties to augment its own operating budget. This could serve as an

Government Affairs

May 2009

incentive to the CCC to impose greater or more consistent fines. C.A.R. is opposed to this bill, and has joined in a coalition with other stakeholders to defeat its passage.

C.A.R. opposes this bill unless it is amended by removing the point-of-sale language. This bill passed the Senate Transportation and Housing committee on April 21st.

Assembly Bill 457

State Water Plan Update

AB 457 was drafted and introduced by Asemblyman Monning. This bill would require improved notice to property owners about their rights in regard to mechanics liens. C.A.R. supports this bill because it provides property owners, bona fide purchasers and potential lenders the notice each deserves. This bill was recently approved by the Judiciary Committee and will soon come before the entire Assembly for a vote.

Senate Bill 407

SB 407, introduced by Senator Padilla, would impose a point-of-sale retrofit mandate to require that all residential and commercial properties be updated with low-flush toilets, and low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets.

The State of California is in the process of update its water plan, with a focus on ensuring the best water efficiency and conservation practices are put into effect. The last time the plan was updated was in 2005. C.A.R. has participated in various subcommittees during the review process, and is concerned that point-of-sale is proposed as a trigger for enforcement. By C.A.R. estimates, it would take approximately 40 years to affect only 59.9% of the housing stock, if point-ofsale is used. C.A.R. asks that REALTORS® register their concern by attending some of the stakeholder meetings being held throughout the state. Please look for notice of upcoming hearings that may be scheduled in this area.

San Mateo

Flood Assessment District The San Mateo City Council approved placing a measure on its upcoming May ballot, that would create a flood assessment district in designated areas throughout the City. Currently, many residents pay for expensive flood insurance. The SAMCAR Board of Directors has endorsed this measure and the creation of an assessment district, believing it is the best way to help home and property owners defray the costs of protecting their property against the threat of floods.

Please spread the word and urge your clients, colleagues, friends and families who are eligible, to vote on this critical proposal.

If you have questions regarding any legislative items, please feel free to contact your GAD: Michon Coleman, at (650) 696-8204 or via email at mcoleman@samcar.org

MLSListings Inc. Updates

Datashare Effort in Final Date Verification Stage

MLSListings and the MLS’s of San Francisco, BAREIS, and MetroList are in the final stages of data verification in their efforts to create a consolidated data repository of listings for their subscribers. Data testing and beta tests by a small group of subscribers is expected to occur in the next 3 weeks. By the end of this month, MLSListings customers will be able to search the aggregated residential listing data from MLSListings and these other three MLS’s, from a link within MLSListings. The other classes will be added after MLSListings builds the ability to provide bulk downloads of this aggregated data, in the next 30 days.

Currently, all MLSListings subscribers are able to enter free reciprocal listings into any of the other three MLS’s with no

additional log-in or password via the recently activated links on MLSListings Pro. Customers are also able to search listings in these MLS’s at no charge.

This new service is the result of concerted efforts on the part of all the participating MLS’s. It represents one step in an evolving, industry-wide effort to bring you a wider geography of MLS data with fewer barriers and costs.

2009 MLSListings

Holiday Schedule MLSListings will be closed on the following dates: Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Christmas New Years

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Monday, May 25 Friday, July 3 Monday, September 7 Thursday–Friday, November 26–27 Thursday–Friday, December 24–25 Friday, January 1

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Association Web Site

May 2009

SAMCAR launches new web site interface New navigation layout and added features available beginning Friday, May 1, 2009 In an effort to increase ease of navigation and functionality of the Association web site for both members and public visitors, SAMCAR has launched a new interface for samcar.org. The new site interface features a navigation bar across the top of the page, housing all of the main information topics and links to each SAMCAR department from “Government Affairs” to “Keys & Lockboxes.”

guide to cities

▲

Using Google maps, the new interface for the “Guide to Cities” will allow web site visitors to find cities as markers on a map which, when clicked upon, will reveal a list of information headings from “Business Licenses” to “Sign Ordinances” along with important web sites, phone numbers and addresses for each city covered by SAMCAR.

Additionally, the highest traffic features—Tour Sheet, Sales Statistics, Guide to Cities and Guide to Schools—are available with a single click from the buttons in the left-hand sidebar.

Among the changes are several new features—interactive maps cataloguing our “Guide to Cities” and “Guide to Schools” databases and an improved calendar tool.

guide to schools

▲

The newest feature — the “Guide to Schools” — will also use a Google maps interface to allow visitors to locate schools throughout San Mateo County. This comprehensive guide contains information on public and private schools, preschool through grade 12, serving as a vital tool for both agents and members of the public alike.

Association Web Site

May 2009

Log in

to access the “My Account” feature

Tour Sheet Sale Statistics to access monthly reports

Guide to Cities

to access interactive map tool

Guide to Schools to access interactive map tool

Weekly Calendar

to access the weekly PDF calendar of SAMCAR classes and events

home page

▲

The new homepage features a consolidated navigation bar and sidebar with the links to the most commonly used features of samcar.org.

calendar

►

By clicking on the “Calendar” or “Education & Events” buttons, you will be able to access the Google-powered SAMCAR calendar and choose to view upcoming events, classes, meetings and government affairs items. Clicking on the item title in the calendar will open a dialog box revealing the item title, time/date information, location and further description (including costs and how to register for classes). By clicking on the “Agenda” tab, the user can view a chronological list of upcoming items. Additionally, the PDF calendar that appears in every issue of the Facts Flash and as the last page of the Tour Sheet is available from the left-hand sidebar by clicking the “Weekly Calendar” button.

Check out the new site and added features at

www.samcar.org

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Association Meetings

May 2009

news from Combined Tour

Carole Rodoni gives SAMCAR members a

market update Contributed by: Julie Ziemelis

Carole Rodoni spoke to a full house at the April 7th Combined Meeting

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here was standing room only at the April 7th Combined Marketing Meeting when Carole Rodoni, President of Bamboo Consulting and real estate industry veteran, gave a rousing market update.

Ms. Rodoni began with the bad news of unemployment figures, stating that the current unemployment rate was 8.5%, but was really 11% when you count underemployment. The end of the year had flat GDP at 1.5 – 2%.

Interest rates

Rodoni said that the current interest rates are hovering under 5% and they are about as low as they can go. The Feds will keep the interest rates as low as possible in order to spur the economy. She believes that inflationary pressure will bring higher rates by 2011, along the lines of 7-9%, as we emerge from the recession. She urged the REALTORS® to let their buyers know that the low rates right now are the best they are likely going to get.

The stock market has lost 50% of its value in six months, but is now up 20% from the bottom. The market is waffling right now, but if it stays where it is now, without dropping significantly, it will show stability in the market and bring back investors. She thinks it will take 3-4 years before we see the Dow hit 14,000 again.

Retail sales and new home sales are up from their dismal lows, but the economy, she conceded, was still “frustrating” and 100% capitalism has not worked. She predicts that a partnership between business and the government will emerge to help get the country’s economy going again. Carole then gave everyone a “Mortgage Meltdown 101” crash course and outlined how the US got into this financial disaster.

Ms. Rodoni discussed the Federal Stimulus Package and how it will benefit first time home buyers with the $8,000 tax credit, specifically.

She discussed some of the details of this tax credit and talked about the state tax credit of $10,000 if you buy a new home. Combined, first time home buyers could get an $18,000 tax credit if they can hold the home for at least two years.

Association Events

Past Presidents’ Luncheon SAMCAR Presidents’ enjoyed a Past Presidents’ Luncheon at Ristorante Capellini on April 24th. The Past Presidents began meeting twice per Back Row: Gary Meyer (1995); Geoffrey Craighead (2007); Dennis Pantano (2002); Jim Meader (2001); John Gieseker (2006); Allan Bernardi (1997); David Zigal (2004); Philip Tedesco (CEO, SAMCAR); Jerry Girouard (1996) Front Row: Sue Walsh (2008); Claire Earley (2000); Olivia Edwards (2009 President); Marianne Zanone Rush (1999); Melanie Hildebrand (2005) not pictured: Jeanne Garde (2003); Larry Franzella (1998)

year in 2008, to receive an association update, and weigh in on issues affecting SAMCAR, and the real estate industry.

Association Meetings

May 2009

Real Estate

Carole Rodoni (right) with 2009 SAMCAR President Olivia Edwards at the April 7th Combined Meeting.

Foreclosures

1.5 million homes have fallen into foreclosure. Carole discussed loan modifications and what the banks are doing to try and keep people in their homes. The government is trying to push an incentive to the banks by giving them a $1000 bonus to modify loans by changing the rates and terms of the mortgages. She mentioned that people can refinance up to $417,000 if their loans are held

by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. They can do this once, but cannot cash out any equity.

She says that the government is pushing very hard right now to open credit markets and she believes it may already be working.

“The national news does not report on the market correctly. Buyers need to know that every market is absolutely local, we have 25 different markets just in San Mateo County,” Carole stated. She railed against the Cast/ Schiller Home Price Index, stating that it inaccurately reflects what is taking place in our housing market. Right now foreclosures and short sales are driving the market, which is bringing the median price of homes down.

This does not mean that everyone has lost 30% of the value in their homes.

She stressed that real estate is still a long term investment. Although the market has brought home prices across the board down to 2002 levels, affordability is up, which benefits many would be homeowners in our communities.

Carole was very bullish on purchasing real estate and told the crowd that “if you hold real estate for 5-7 years, it WILL appreciate.

Land is a limited resource, and the value of San Mateo County real estate is in the land.

Inflation will create asset appreciation, and in the end, it will pay off for you.”

Advice

For listing agents Are your listings “for sale” or are they “on sale”? If you do not help your client price them competitively using the new market paradigm, the house will sit on the market. Then you have to lower the price and chase down the market. There is an erosion of value by waiting. When buyers see how many days on the market the listing has sat there,

it erodes their perception of the value of that home, as well. If your seller is waiting for the value of their home to come up again, Carole says that probably won’t occur until 2013.

For buyers This is a great negotiating market for buyers. There may yet be a 5-10% further market drop in prices, but if buyers are waiting for the bottom, what they are missing out on right now is getting “the pick of the litter”, those choice properties where the value will hold for the future. It may be harder to get a great return on investment if buyers wait until the next tier of housing is available for sale. There are areas now where homes are getting multiple offers.

The Future

“We are nearing the bottom of the recession and improvement in the economy is getting closer every day,” Carole said. Trilllions of dollars are out there looking for a place to go. People are not comfortable with the stock market, CD’s are now getting only 1% and T-Bills are at 0%. Real estate is an asset that builds wealth over time. There are tax advantages in real estate that beat other assets.

As REALTORS®, Ms. Rodoni reminded the crowd, you don’t just buy and sell real estate.

You help your clients see opportunities and help them build wealth. You help them make smart decisions that have the ability to help their children and their grandchildren. What a calling!

Association Events

The SAMCAR Annual Charity Golf Tournament is happening on Monday, July 20, 2009 at the Peninsula Golf & Country Club. Spend a day on this beautiful course with golfing, lunch provided by some very entertaining hole sponsors, a prime rib dinner with raffles and a silent and live auction!

Proceeds raised go to the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® Foundation.

The San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® Foundation was created to benefit housing-related causes throughout San Mateo County. The SAMCAR Foundation is a separate 501(c)3 Public Benefit Corporation, funded through the generous contributions of its REALTOR® and Affiliate members, and friends.

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Please contact Beckie Patane, Event Coordinator, at (650) 696-8220 to register and for more information.

Registration flyers for both Hole Sponsors and golfers are now available online at: Hole Sponsorship Form (DEADLINE: 30 June 2009) http://www.samcar.org/userfiles/file/GOLF09_HoleSponsor.pdf Golfer Registration Form (Early-Bird Price before 11 July 2009) http://www.samcar.org/userfiles/file/GOLF09_GolferReg.pdf

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Affiliate News

May 2009

Affiliate

Featuring

Sp tlight Q Can you give us a little background- Where were you born? Where do you live now and how long have you lived here?

De Nize Lawrence: I am a native Californian, born in Bakersfield. I relocated to San Francisco over 40 years ago, and have been a resident of Foster City the past 38 years.

Q Tell us about your family, hobbies, education . . .

DL: My husband Houston and I raised two children in Foster City and are delighted to spend time with our three granddaughters.

Besides keeping busy with family and work, we make wine on an amateur contest level.

Some of the wines we have made have won international medals! When the time and opportunity allow I enjoy ballroom dancing, gardening, traveling and “flying” — trapeze that is! This hobby was started on a lark to overcome my fear of heights. I find life to be a daily continuing education. Learning something new each day keeps me engaged and productive.

Q What organizations, affiliations are you a part of and /or what designations do you hold?

DL: As an active Affiliate Member of SAMCAR

De Nize Lawrence, W.J. Bradley Capital Corporation for more than 25 years, I am honored to have been selected for the Monthly Newsletter Affiliate Spotlight. I am mindful of and thankful for the business relationships and friendships that I have developed through SAMCAR. As I interact with REALTORS® and Affiliates from other agent organizations, I am reminded just how lucky SAMCAR REALTORS® and Affiliates are to belong to such a professional organization.

I have also been a member of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® (WCR) for 15 years and held the office of Treasurer for two years in the late 1990s. Over the past two years I have attended classes and become a Certified Member of the local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), volunteering in our community in time of disasters (major disaster events such as a large fire or earthquake).

Q What did you do before the Mortgage industry?

DL: My life before mortgage lending covers a lot

Q Do you want to share with us your value statement . . . your personal message to clients and prospective clients?

DL: Each client is number one to me. They are the ones who ultimately make the decision to buy a home.

I am there for them, providing the financing that promotes their financial goals, both now and for the future. After 30 years of lending experience, I know my job is to educate each client about the best financing options available for their specific situations and to guide them through the process of making educated, financially responsible decisions. I am always there for any loan questions that arise before, during and after the transaction closes. I am so blessed that my clients keep returning for financing as their lives and goals change. It is the highest compliment I receive when they return and refer colleagues, friends and family for mortgage financing.

of history! I raised children and worked in the field of dentistry. Prior to work, marriage and children, I trained as a classical ballerina and performed with a well-known dance company.

Reasons to be a

SAMCAR Affiliate!

To succeed you want to use every resource available to you be more productive and successful, especially in today’s economy!

Like anything you can use to build your business, being an Affiliate is only as useful and productive as you make it! You have to get involved to make it pay off!

Being an Affiliate provides a forum for you to get together with other people in complimentary businesses. Knowledge of your Affiliate members products and services makes you a more valuable person to the buying public.

Just meeting Affiliates expands your contacts, and the more contacts you make, the more opportunities present themselves!

Having many professions and services to call on to assist you in your duties makes your job that much easier! You are able to delegate responsibility for any number of related issues to experts in their fields.

Some of the Affiliates offer discounts and benefits to SAMCAR members, so you can also save some money using their products and services.

If you use the Affiliates the word will get out that it pays to be an Affiliate member of SAMCAR, and we will all benefit from having more members of our organization.

Using your Affiliates gives you a greater value in your SAMCAR dues!

And you obviously want to get the most out of that investment!

SAMCAR Affiliate’s comprise Appraisals, Insurance, Termite Control, Title Insurance, Lending, Advertising, Staging, Financial Services, Accounting, Property Exchanges, Carpeting, Flooring, Home Inspections, Eviction Services, Self Storage facilities, Pest Exterminators, (Junk) Hauling Services, Property Management, Legal, Moving Services, and/or Retirement Communities!

CALL ONE TODAY! Contributed by: Corrin Trowbridge, Trowbridge Insurance

SAMCAR Housing Expo

May 2009

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SAMCAR Housing Expo

Showcases Current Housing Issues Contributed by: Julie Ziemelis

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n Saturday May 2nd, SAMCAR and the SAMCAR Foundation will hold a Housing Expo that focuses on four very different aspects of the housing market. Education for first time home buyers and investors, who are fueling the current housing market, foreclosure avoidance for people seeking ways to stave off losing their homes, and options for aging adults, who are looking for guidance and assistance with long term care and housing questions. SAMCAR members should be very proud that hundreds of people in the community will have the ability to attend a free educational event designed to assist them make financial decisions that will have a lasting impact on their futures. We have brought together top-notch real estate professionals to lead the seminars and dozens of exhibitors to lend further insight and assistance to the attendees.

The SAMCAR Housing Expo could not have been possible without the leadership and direction of the SAMCAR Board of Directors and Foundation Trustees, our CEO, Philip Tedesco, dedicated staff, and hard working volunteers. Financially, SAMCAR and the SAMCAR Foundation were fortunate to have “visionary” sponsors who, even in a challenging economy, stepped up to ensure the Housing Expo could be implemented.

Thank you to the following sponsors:

To our wonderful volunteers who helped create the vision for the Housing Expo in January, and then worked diligently to make that vision a reality. We are very grateful to their time, energy, expertise and humor.

Suzan Getchell-Wallace (Coldwell Banker Fahey Properties Inc.), Housing Expo Chair Suzan Alakas (Wells Fargo Private Home Mortgage) Laura Biche (Guarantee Mortgage) Ed Bright (Ed Bright Insurance – State Farm) Arton Chau (Milestone Mortgage)

Kathy Holcomb (Pensco Trust) Corrin Trowbridge (Trowbridge Insurance) Virginia Trowbridge (Trowbridge Insurance)

For more information

about the Housing Expo’s educational seminars schedule, participating exhibitors, a map to the Event Center and more, go to:

www.samcar.org

MAY 2009 Weekly Education, Events & Tour Calendar

MAY 01 – MAY 08 Su 26 03

Mo 27 04

Tu 28 05

We 29 06

Th 30 07

Fr 01 08

Sa 02 09

Classes & Events

Marketing Meetings Tuesday, May 5

May 2 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. san Mateo County events Center 1346 Saratoga Dr., San Mateo

May 4

Clarus MarketMetrics® training Courses @ sAMCAR

May 11 10 – 11:30 a.m.

What’s new at MLsListings

Location: SAMCAR | Cost: FREE | Registration: (650) 696-8200

8:30 a.m.

May Combined Tour Elks Lodge 229 West 20th Avenue San Mateo

May 14 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

GRi 113: Real property, tax and exchanging

Presentations:

May 15 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

LunCh & LeARn: Microsoft WoRd

Location: SAMCAR| Cost: FREE; available to SAMCAR members only Instructor: Lynn Pesonen | Registration: (650) 696-8200

(2) David Blewett, Intero Real Estate

May 22 9:30 – 11 a.m.

MLsListings essentials

Breakfast Sponsor

May 22 1 – 2:30 p.m.

MLsListings: Listing Lifecycle

May 29 10 – 11:30 a.m.

Mastering pro.MLsListings.com: Maximize your search skills

June 5 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

LunCh & LeARn: Microsoft poWeRpoint

June 8 1 p.m.

Legal dangers of short sales, Reos and foreclosures

June 18 & 19 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

CRs 204: Wealth Building

9 a.m., 11:30 p.m. or 2 p.m.

http://www.samcar.org/index.cfm/special_events/housing_expo Times: 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. OR 2 p.m. | Sign-up: (650) 696-8200

Location: SAMCAR | Cost: $149 Registration: http://www.eDesignations.com or 888-785-4800

Location: SAMCAR | Cost: FREE | Registration: (650) 696-8200

(1) Jim Harrison, CEO, MLSListings Inc. How MLSListings Inc. Subscriber Benefits Expanded Exponentially Overnight

CORT Furniture

Location: SAMCAR | Cost: FREE | Registration: (650) 696-8200 Location: SAMCAR | Cost: FREE | Registration: (650) 696-8200

Location: SAMCAR | Cost: FREE; available to SAMCAR members only Instructor: Lynn Pesonen | Registration: (650) 696-8200

9 a.m. Half Moon Bay Tour Community Center 535 Kelly Avenue Half Moon Bay

Location: SAMCAR | Cost: FREE | Instructor: Dave Hamerslough Registration: (650) 696-8200 “Creating Wealth through Residential Real Estate Investment” Location: SAMCAR | Instructor: Jock Barker | Register: (650) 696-8200 Cost: $300 earlybird price ends May 18, 2009

SAMCAR Board of Directors Meetings

May 27 8:30 a.m.

sAMCAR Board of directors Meeting

Members welcome to attend these monthly meetings. | Location: SAMCAR

Legislative Committee Meetings

May 7 9:30 a.m.

pACifiCA Legislative Committee Meeting Location: RE/MAX Dolphin - 450 Dondee Way, Suite 7, Pacifica

May 20 9:30 – 11 a.m.

Members welcome to attend these monthly meetings. | Location: SAMCAR

May 21 10 a.m.

peninsuLA Legislative Committee Meeting

CoAstside Legislative Committee Meeting *speCiAL dAte* Location: Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Bureau - 235 Main Street, Half Moon Bay

MLS Tour Sheet Deadline Reminder Broker/Property tours Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Deadline to add tours in MLS Mondays, 11 a.m.

Entry deadlines are subject to change for holidays.

Deadline for Monday holidays prior Friday at 11 a.m.

View tour sheet by Monday afternoon http://www.samcar.org/index.cfm/tour_information.htm