Weekly E-Update           December 29, 2009

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Click here for a list of upcoming events

Association Hours:
Friday, January 1, 2010:  Closed

TAR Dues Billing
Important Dates to Remember:
December 31st, 2009: TAR 2010 dues invoices due date
January 11th, 2010: $25 late fees are accessed
January 31st, 2010: Any member who has not paid their invoice and late fees by this date will be suspended from TAR and MLS
February 28th, 2010: Any member who has not paid their invoice, including late fees, by this date will be terminated from TAR and MLS.
In the event a member is terminated for non-payment of TAR dues, they are subject to a $300 TAR application fee, as well as the TAR fees due at the time of invoice.

Thank you for your membership with Tucson Association of REALTORS®! Click here to access your 2010 Dues Billing Invoice. You will be prompted to log in first using your agent ID and Password (same as MLS). You can still print your invoice, mail in or bring in your payment or you can pay online. If you did not receive your dues billing statement by email, please email Andrea Ballard at Andrea@tucsonrealtors.org. 

Sign up Today! TAR’s Annual Forecast Seminar, 1/22/10
The Tucson Association of REALTORS® annual Forecast Seminar will be Friday, January 22, 2010. Attend the Seminar from either 9:00am to 12:00pm or from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Speakers include NAR 2010 President, Vicki Cox Golder, Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Marshall Vest, Forecasting Project Director University of Arizona Eller College of Management. The cost for members is $15 and $25 for non members. Click here to register for the morning session. Click here to register the afternoon session. Contact Laura Kruszewski for with questions.

SAMLA – 2010 Installation Luncheon, with Guest Speaker, Barry Habib
Join SAMLA at the Double Tree first their first meeting of 2010 as they install their Board of Directors and hear from guest speaker, Barry Habib. TAR Members, attend the lunch at the SAMLA member price of $25! Click here for more information. To register, go to www.samlaonline.com.

Pathways to Participate and Lead
The Tucson Association of REALTORS® is looking for members interested in leading our organization and industry into the future. As a part of this effort, the Association is hosting a “Pathways to Participate and Lead” program. The program will begin meeting in January on the 1st Wednesday of each month from 8:30 – 11:30 and will conclude in November. There will be a break for the months of July and August.
Candidates should be interested in becoming leaders in the Tucson Association of REALTORS® and must commit to attending 8 of the 10 meetings. If you are interested in developing your leadership skills and contributing to your Association, please contact Cheri at the Association office. Should you have questions, please contact Cheri at cheri@tucsonrealtors.org or 382-8772.

Tucson - Release of Bond Program
An expected $50 million in loan proceeds to be available by Jan. 1, 2010. The mortgage rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage will be 4.55%. Lenders can originate FHA, VA or Rural Dev. Loans. Loans can be originated in ALL of Pima County, including the City of Tucson. Limited down payment assistance is available to borrowers at or below 80% of the AMI. The Servicer for the program is US Bank. All approved and trained correspondent lenders with US Bank may participate in the program. Borrowers must be first time homebuyers to participate. However, Veterans DO NOT need to be first time homebuyers. The following are the listed the income and purchase price limits for the program. Maximum Home Purchase Cost: One unit, $276,334, Two Units:, $353,752. Family Income Limits: Families of 2 or less, $69,000. Families of 3 or more, $79, 675. Please keep in mind that Targeted Areas have much higher income and purchase price limits. This program is made possible by the Tucson and Pima County Industrial Development Authorities. Please contact Pat Denihan. for more information, pdenihan@earthlink.net or 954-430-6072.

TLC's "My First Home" Coming to Tucson – Casting Tapes Needed ASAP!
Do you have a client who is a first time home buyer who’d be willing to share their story on TV? “My First Home” is a half-hour series for the TLC channel that focuses on the ups and downs of first-time homebuyers as they undertake the most important purchase of their lives. The show is seeking first time buyers who have closed between May 2009 and the end of December 2009. There are no fees or costs to you as their REALTOR® or your Realty Company. Click here for more information.

Get Involved in Your Association!
2010 is a new year, with new opportunities. Help shape the future of your profession and association by volunteering on a Tucson Association of REALTORS® committee!  Meet a new face and share your expertise.  Committee members need to commit to one 90-minute meeting per month and,  perhaps, other activities if your time allows. However, some committees may only meet occasionally on an "as needed" basis.  Click here for more information.

The GRI Scholarship Program
NAR studies show that the top performers in most real estate offices are GRI's -- earning $20,000 more than non-GRIs. Proof that you get ahead by working smarter, not just harder.
Experienced real estate practitioners/instructors provide proven techniques for attracting new listings, generating more sales, working within the law and enhancing your own professional image.
Help your agents get on the fast- track to success by encouraging them to submit an application for this scholarship. Click here for more information.

Affiliates – Increase Your Exposure to the TAR Membership!
A new year is right around the corner, bringing new opportunities! Here’s your chance to take the opportunity to increase your exposure to the 5,800 members of TAR through our Affiliate Sponsorship Program. Thank you to our current sponsors: Platinum Sponsor, Nova Home Loans and our Copper Sponsor, Prime Capital. Click here to view the Sponsorship levels and benefits you will receive as an Affiliate Sponsor. The Association and Board of Directors appreciate your support of the Association. For more information, please contact Laura Kruszewski at 382-8775.

TAR Facility Rental
For business and social events in Tucson, the Tucson Association of REALTORS® has the perfect facility. Our building, centrally located at Tucson Blvd. and Grant Rd., offers upscale meeting and conference facilities at reasonable prices. Our spacious conference center and state-of-the-art computer training center are available for rental by both Association members and the public. For more information, contact Dannetta Watkins-Owens at 382-8790 or Dannetta@tucsonrealtors.org.

MLS REALTORS® Store
Come in and check out the MLS REALTOR® store! We have lots of our products on sale! Maps, Yard Signs, Open House registers, stickers, books and much more!

Calendars & More
A new and easy way to order all of your REALTOR® Supplies and REALTOR® Calendar Magnets. Calendars & More offers an easy online ordering system, high quality real estate products and calendars at economical prices, along with quick shipping and special discounts. Click here for more information.

Click here for Industry Events of Interest and Community Opportunities.

Conference Center Events (not a TAR endorsed event)
Sign up Today! "Become a Super Agent”
Can't get your REO approved for financing? Have properties with NON-PERMITTED additions? Want to represent more INVESTORS? Tell your buyer YES!
Discover new solutions that will help you take advantage of current market conditions. Become a Super Agent in 2010!
LEARN HOW TO:
Close REO transaction's that need repair, Roll property repairs into the buyer's loan, Offer real estate investors an alternative to cash only offers, Take your client from start to finish.
Presented by the Presidential Team at Nova Home Loans
For more information call Zach Mooney 520.202.5303 or zach.mooney@novahomeloans.com.
Join us on Tuesday, January 19 at 10:00am

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Flexmls Conversion Update
We have begun the process of sending data to Flexmls for creation of our new system. The process is going very well, and we are on schedule to meet our target cutover date of March 1st. As it stands now, we will begin training in late January and run the systems in parallel for the month of February. Please continue to watch this space for details.

MLS Rule Change
Effective immediately, it is against MLS Rules and Regulations to upload ANY document to MLS that references a proposed change to the stated co-op or commission. It is also a violation to make any remarks in MLS that reference a proposed change to the stated co-op or commission. If you have listings that contain any such documents or remarks, they must be removed within 2 business days, or they will be removed by MLS and subject to a minimum $100 fine per occurrence. If your listings contained any such documents or remarks, it is recommended that you state ‘call before showing’ in the remarks to alert cooperating members that co-op or commission negotiations may occur.

Quick Fixes for Common ActiveKEY Issues

Green Features In MLS
Effective the week of November 16th, we turned on Green Features in the MLS. This allows for more accurate listings by enabling the broker to include those aspects of the property that address environmental efficiency. To see the list of green features and a brief description of what they mean, click here: Green Definitions

To view the revised Residential Input Sheet, click here: Residential Input Sheet

Enhanced Rental Input
After working closely with the Property Management Committee, the MLS Technology Committee is prepared to turn on features that will make rental listings in the MLS more accurate and comprehensive. These features will also be turned on the week of November 16th. To see the revised Rental Input Sheet, click below:

Rental Input Sheet

Input needed for new MLS system
As we begin the transition to Flexmls, we want to ensure that the new system is as complete as possible. Please forward any subdivision, school, or utility information that has been missing from Rapattoni MLS to us. Send requests to techsupport@tucsonrealtors.org, once the information is verified, we will forward to Flexmls for inclusion into the new system.

The MLS Board has voted to change MLS systems!
Our new MLS software will be FlexMLS from FBS Systems. This decision was not made in haste, and is the result of an extensive due diligence process. There is a lot of work to be done, but we expect the cutover to the new system to occur in March of 2010. We will begin updating on a weekly basis important information regarding the change, training, etc. Please read carefully the Weekly Update and any email or system communication posted.

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 Arizona Foreclosure Information!
MLS has entered into an agreement with RealtyTrac that will allow Tucson MLS members to access foreclosure information for the state of Arizona for a discounted rate of only $19.95 per month. 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 tucsonrealtors.org website.

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