Weekly E-Update           April 6, 2010

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Announcements/Events
MLS Updates
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ISC Corner
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Click here for a list of upcoming events

NEW Nationwide Open House Is this Weekend!
We hope you are planning your open houses for the REALTOR® Nationwide Open House THIS weekend April 10-11! For more information about the weekend go to www.tucsonrealtors.org/noh.html.

NEW Tax Credit Promotion
AAR is running a statewide tax credit awareness campaign to help get the word out about The first-time and move-up homebuyer tax credits. The campaign will culminate with a nationwide open house this weekend, April 10-11, 2010. Click here for an NAR brochure about the tax credit that you can give to consumers.  Click here for more information.

SATURDAY Community Homeownership Fair, April 10
Join us for a free Homeownership Fair.  Invite your family, friends and clients to come and find the answers they need regarding our current housing market! The FREE Community Homeownership Fair will feature housing seminars including a panel discussion on how to be a successful homeowner. Also learn how to improve your credit and what pitfalls to avoid. Enjoy food, Child ID and face painting. Click here for more information. 

NEW Phil Tedesco Live on "PrimeTalk" with Mark Ross
On Monday, April 12 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., The Jolt - 1330AM. The discussion will include an Update on the Real Estate Market in Tucson and the Tucson Association of REALTORS®.  If you would like to ask questions, call 529- 3508.

NEW Place YOUR Vote in the TAR Board of Directors Election!
Here’s your chance to make a difference in the future of the Association! The online election for TAR Directors and Affiliate Director will begin on Monday, April 19 and end on Sunday April 25. Before you cast your vote, click here to read the candidate biographies of those running for TAR Officer and Director (some officer positions were elected by acclamation). Should you have questions regarding the Elections, please contact Cheri at cheri@tucsornealtors.org.

2nd Annual At Bat for Habitat Softball Tournament, April 24
PLAY BALL!! The Habitat for Humanity Committee is hosting a softball tournament on Saturday, April 24 at Golf Links Sports Complex. Join us for the fun festivities! Come and tailgate with us!  The event will have activities for the kids and fun for the whole family. Out Field Sponsorship Opportunities are available!  Click here to sign up today!  Click here for more information or contact Christine Sanchez at 382-8776.
Thank you to our Sponsors: 
Corporate Sponsor: Long Realty Cares Foundation
Field Sponsors:  Bancapital Home Loans, Corona Estates, Long Realty Cares Foundation and the Arizona Basketball Alumni Foundation
DJ Sponsors:   Stewart Title and Corona Estates
Out Field Sponsors: Lisa Burns with Fidelity National Home Warranty, The Hearth Foundation, Metro Title Agency of Arizona, Obstetrix Medical Group, Safelight, Sikku, Ashira Davis-Love with Suburban Mortgage and Vantage West Credit Union
Jumping Castle Sponsor: The Heath Team of Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC
Tailgate Sponsor: Westar Kitchen & Bath

Property Management Trust Accounting - April 22, 2010
This course teaches the fundamentals of trust accounting. It highlights potential trouble spots where most problems occur in the trust account. This course teaches what is required for posting revenues and paying expenses. It warns of commingling and how to prevent conversion of funds. It also teaches the required 3 way trust account reconciliation. CE: 3 Commissioner's Standards (pending). Class begins at 1pm. Click here to register.

Affiliates! Advertise in the Tucson REALTOR® Magazine
Watching your costs in 2010? How about putting 5,300+ professional sales representative to work for you for as little as $300? Your ad in the Tucson REALTOR® Association’s official/bi-monthly e-magazine puts you in front of TAR’s 5,300+ members. REALTORS® have a vital service needed in their transactions. If REALTORS® don’t know you, or hear from you on a regular basis, they can’t be expected to use or refer your services to their buyers. Please call our publisher regarding their special Affiliate advertising rates. Foley Publications, Inc.(800) 628-6983.

DocuSign REALTOR® Edition: Electronic Signatures Exclusively for REALTORS®

Discussion on the Streetcar
The Green Committee has invited Jim Glock, City of Tucson Department of Transportation Director; Adam Weinstein, owner and architect for The Mercado District; & Steve Farley, AZ Legislator to meet with our members and the community at large to talk about the Modern Streetcar and the exciting opportunities it means for Tucson. Join us April 23 from 9am-11am at TAR. For more info go to www.AgentsGoneGreen.com, click on Events.

Where the “Green” Homes Are
A Showcase of Sustainable and Energy Efficient Home Builders in Southern AZ brought to you by the Green Committee. Join us on April 23, from 2pm-5pm at TAR. This event is open to TAR members and the community at large. Brad Lancaster, the rainwater harvesting guru and sustainability teacher, will be speaking at 3pm. For more info go to www.AgentsGoneGreen.com, click on Events.

Save the Date American Red Cross Blood Drive, Monday, May 3
The Tucson Association of REALTORS® will sponsor an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, May 3. More information will be provided at a later date.

Media Monitoring Service
Stay on top of real estate news with TARs FREE media monitoring service! Get the latest everyday in local, state and national news. To get your name on the list, send an email to christine@tucsonrealtors.org.

UPDATED Attention Brokers, You're Invited to hear from ADRE Commissioner, Judy Lowe
Monday, April 26, 2010 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
ADRE Commissioner, Judy Lowe, will be in Tucson on Monday, April 26 to continue communication with respect to proposed legislation and changes and updates in the Department.
Save the Date for the next meeting:  May 24

TAR Facility Rental, click here for more information.

The GRI Scholarship Program, click here for more information.

Marketing Sessions and Home Tours, click here for more information.

Click here for Industry Events of Interest and Community Opportunities.

Conference Center Events (not a TAR endorsed event)
Free class on Health Insurance!
Whether you currently have a policy and want to know how to read and understand it or are looking for health insurance and want to know what is out there, this class can help! April 14th at 9am. RSVP by April 12 to 520-519-1111. Click here for more information.

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FLEXMLS™ HANDS-ON CLASSES ADDED FOR MAY, and JUNE!!! (April classes are full.)
Flexmls™ Classes have been added for May and June. You may register for these classes from the Calendar of Events on the TAR website. Seating is limited.

Flex MLS Membership Preview
On March 8, 2010 membership was given access to preview the Flex MLS system. Please remember that our cutover date is at the end of April. Here are some items that you need to know before accessing the system for the first time:
The Flex MLS URL: www.tar.flexmls.com 
LoginID: Use tar. and then your agent id (example: agent id 1000 would login as tar.1000)
Password: The default password for accessing the system for the first time is tarnow. You will be asked to change your password upon login.
Items to be aware of:
• Listing Input will be turned off in the Flex MLS System to eliminate the possibility of duplicate listings while we sync our data with Rapattoni. Input will be available when we go live at the end of April.
• Your contacts will sync over from Rapattoni. Please note that you may add a contact in Flex but it is recommended that you do not also add it to Rapattoni as it will create a duplicate when syncing over.
• Prospect searches do not transfer over from Rapattoni as it is a function of the individual Rapattoni application. Searches will need to be recreated for your individual contacts. Please click on the following link on tips for making this easier: Creating a Contact Report
• DOM/CDOM is still being updated on the system and may not show accurately for the first few days of the membership preview.
• Flex MLS training is available to get you up to speed on the new system. Please visit the Computer Training Information page on the TAR website to get Flex MLS training schedules in addition to the latest information and tips on the Flex MLS system. You may click here to go directly to the Computer Training Information page.

Support Options:
Flex MLS Technical Support:
Phone: 888-525-4747
Email: support@flexmls.com

Rapattoni Essentials
During March and April, members should continue to enter listings and contacts into Rapattoni rather than flexmls™. This way, all the Rapattoni data will be transferred to flexmls™ at one time.
In order to accommodate those new members who may need Rapattoni training during this time, we have added a Rapattoni Essentials class to the April schedules. Though it is not available for credits, it will teach the essentials of using the Rapattoni system.
Instructions for Registering for Classes Online

Flexmls™ Update
In order to best ensure that the transition to Flexmls™ is as trouble free as possible, our conversion date is now scheduled for April 30th. Recognizing that there is a lot of activity in the marketplace due to the extension and expansion of the tax credit and the deadlines associated with that program, we chose to move the date. This change will allow for more training opportunities and a longer time to get acquainted with the system. We will now begin running both systems in parallel in March, allowing two full months of ‘trial’ instead of one. This change also allows for a longer test period, meaning fewer issues and glitches when we make the cutover on April 30th. We will be revising the training schedule to accommodate the extra time available, and will publish that as soon as possible. Watch this space for continuing updates!

Quick Fixes for Common ActiveKEY Issues

Search San Carlos MLS!
San Carlos has turned on access for our members to their listing data. Go to http://tucson.interfacexpress.com Your Tucson MLS username and password work for San Carlos. Remember, access to this information is not intended to imply that you may sell real estate in Mexico; you must be licensed in the State of Sonora in order to practice real estate there. This is information may be helpful to you in servicing your clients, and may foster the development of referral networks.

Access To Nationwide Foreclosure Information!
The MLS agreement with RealtyTrac now allows Tucson MLS members to access foreclosure information for the entire country for a discounted rate of only $19.95 per month. This change also allows for use of more tools on the RealtyTrac website!! There is no minimum term required to sign up. The links to register for this service are located in the MLS under the ‘links’ tab, and there is also a button on the www.tucsonrealtors.org website.

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