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Association offices will be closed NEXT Monday
February 18th in observance of Presidents' Day. |
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Are you the Rookie of the Year for 2007???
 
Applicant must have completed first full license year or less at the option of the applicant any time during 2007 AND must provide proof of date entrant was first licensed. Applicants are only eligible if they are a first year licensee and have not been licensed in any other jurisdiction previously. Transactions must have been completed during the first twelve (12) months of licensing. Two awards will be given, one for highest dollar volume and one for highest number of transactions. Download or print a Word or PDF application to complete and return.
All Applications Must be Received by Midnight on Friday, February 29th
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GIVE BLOOD — SAVE LIVES
TOMORROW Tuesday, February 12
9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the PGCAR Office |
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Come give the gift of life!
The PGCAR Association Office is at:
8400 Corporate Drive, Suite 225
Landover, MD 20785
Family, friends and associates are welcome!
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THANK YOU TO ALL DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS! SEE YOU THERE!
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Rookie REALTOR® Society Presents:
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Contract
This Thursday, February 14
At La Fontaine Bleu, 7963 Annapolis Road
| 9:30 a.m. |
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Registration & Networking |
| 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. |
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Seminar |
Instructor: Al Monshower, Esquire
FREE to all Rookies, but registration is required.
RSVP HERE!
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Come sample desserts and help RPAC
What could be better?
NEXT Wednesday, February 20th RPAC Tea and Cake-Off
1 - 4 p.m. in the PGCAR Association classroom
Join the RPAC Committee for an afternoon Tea and Cake-Off. Which one of the many delicious cakes baked by your fellow REALTORS® will be the winning dessert? YOU HELP DECIDE. The cost is $10 per person. All proceeds will go to RPAC.
Make your reservation early as space is limited >>
Office Address: 8400 Corporate Drive, Suite 225, Landover, MD
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NEW LAW AND CONTRACT FORMS
EFFECTIVE AS OF JAN 22, 2008
The Prince George's County Council recently passed CB-39-2007 - NOTICE TO PURCHASERS OF REAL ESTATE IN SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICTS. This new law (effective January 22, 2008) requires disclosure when properties (improved and unimproved) are subject to a special property tax assessment as part of a Special Taxing District. Failure to disclose using specified language mandated in the bill could result in a $1,000 fine and rescission of the sale contract.
Section 10-269 of the Prince George's County Code provides authority for the County Council to create Special Taxing Districts by adoption of Council Resolution. In most cases the districts are created to defer the cost of pubic infrastructure serving the specific community. So far three special Taxing Districts have been created by Council Resolution; Woodview Village (Bowie/Largo), Greenbelt Station (Greenbelt) and Victoria Falls (Laurel). Our research has indicated that these assessments could range from $200 to almost $2,000 dollars. REALTORS® transacting business in these areas should be sensitive to this issue. This law requires effort on the part of sellers and real estate professionals to identify whether or not the property is subject to the special tax. As the professional involved in this transaction the burden of performing this research may fall on you.
Association counsel has approved the attached addendum to facilitate disclosure, new form #1333 Notice to Purchasers Regarding Special Taxing Districts.
A number of forms have been revised to reference the required disclosure. They are available in the PGCAR.com Members Only Forms section. Click on the "Revised" column label to re-sort the list so that all of the newest forms are listed first.
Tips on researching which properties are in special Taxing Districts and subject to these special assessments are also available in PGCAR.com Members Only.
CB 39-2007 is available for viewing on the County's Legislative Information System at egov.co.pg.md.us/lis/
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| HARRINGTON SELECTED TO REPLACE BRITT |  |  |
David C. Harrington has been selected by Governor Martin O'Malley to replace Senator Gwendolyn Britt, who passed away suddenly last month. He most recently served as Chairman of the Prince George's County Council. He will represent the 47th Legislative District (Cheverly, Landover Hills, Brentwood, Cottage City, etc.) for the remaining 3 years of Britt's term. Mr. Harrington was sworn in to the Maryland Senate at a ceremony scheduled on Friday, February 8, 2008. The Council has elected Council Member Samuel Dean (D6) to complete Mr. Harrington's unfinished term as Chairman. A special election will be held to fill the District 5 vacant council seat. Those details will be announced by the County Council in the near future.
| SENTRILOCK UPDATE |  |  |
If you have boxes that were purchased or programmed for Anne Arundel County or MARS region, you now have TWO choices.
You can take them to AACAR or MARS after the 19th of February and before the 5th of March and have them deprogrammed. If you choose to do that, you will bring your deprogrammed boxes to PGCAR and have them programmed for PGCAR. When we convert to SentriLock, your boxes will be traded out for SentriLock Boxes.
If you feel you need boxes for MARS region or Anne Arundel County, you will come to PGCAR AFTER the 19th of February and purchase a SentriLock Card and Reader for $155. This fee will carry you through to 1 year from our conversion day. Once you have a SentriLock Card, you can exchange your MARS or Anne Arundel Supra boxes for SentriLock Boxes. You can't get a SentriLock Box without a card because the Boxes are assigned to the card.
| SAFEMLS® TOKENS REQUIRED |  |  |
REMINDER: All login access to Matrix®, KeystoneTM and MRIS.com requires a User ID, a PIN, and Password from the token.
If you have not received a token and thus, can not log in, please call the MRIS Helpdesk at 301-838-7200 or 1-888-838-8200. Ask them for an emergency 7-day PIN and Password to access the MRIS applications.
| PGCAR CELL PHONE COLLECTION | | |
Please donate your old cell phones to benefit the Community Service Activities of PGCAR.
PGCAR will receive payment for each donated phone. These funds will be used to help families in Prince George's County. Help us reach our goal today!!! Please drop off your old cell phones & batteries to:
PGCAR
8400 Corporate Drives, Suite 225
Landover, Maryland
OR
Call: 301-306-7900 and we will make arrangements to have them picked up.
Thank you for your participation to help our Community.
| EARN 6 CREDITS — EDUCATION EXPO ON MARCH 5 | | |
Plan to join us on Wednesday, March 5, for the Education Expo at La Fontaine Bleu. Take up to 6 hours of MD and DC continuing education credits. The registration fee is $75.00 for members and includes a continental breakfast, lunch and an afternoon ice cream social. And don't forget... lots of networking!
REGISTER NOW FOR BEST SELECTION OF CLASSES >>
| EVENING CLASSES SCHEDULED FOR DC AND MD LICENSEES | | |
Several evening classes have been scheduled in February for the convenience of our members. They include:
Click here to register >>
| NAR HAILS PASSAGE OF ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE | | |
The National Association of REALTORS® congratulated the U.S. Congress for quickly passing a national economic stimulus package and thanked President George W. Bush for his leadership and willingness to promptly enact legislation that will help thousands of families, the housing market, and the U.S. economy.
"We believe the economic stimulus bill that Congress sent to the president today (February 8, 2008) is strong legislation that will quickly impact the nation's families and economy," said NAR President Richard Gaylord.
For full story click here >>
| ANNUAL RPAC FUNDRAISER | | |
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, April 22 for the RPAC Annual Fundraiser at La Fontaine Bleu. There will be a REALTOR® Idol Contest, Casino Games, Texas Hold’em Poker and a Silent Auction.
| COMMUNITY SERVICE — TELL US WHAT YOU'VE DONE | | |
At this time of year, so many of our members help others, so please let us know by completing a simple online form in the PGCAR.com Community Service section or download and print the application. Whether it was adopting a family, collecting "Toys for Tots," donations to charitable organizations, or donated time at your child's school or at church, we want to know about it. This year we would like to receive a C.A.R.E. award at the MAR Convention. With your help we can do that. We just need to know:
- Who it benefited?
- Dollar amount collected?
- How many manhours you volunteered?
| CONTINUING EDUCATION | | |
How is YOUR CEU Inventory? You can earn ALL of Your Continuing Education requirements for both the Maryland and DC license renewals right here at PGCAR!
Sign up for multiple classes here!
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Code of Ethics Case Study: Case #6-4:
Acceptance of Rebates From Contractors
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REALTOR® A, who managed a 30-year-old apartment building for Client B, proposed a complete modernization plan for the building, obtained Client B's approval and carried out the work. Shortly after completion of the work, Client B filed a complaint with the Board of REALTORS® charging REALTOR® A with unethical conduct for receiving rebates of "kickbacks" from the contractors who did the work.
At the hearing, Client B presented written statements from the contractors to substantiate his charges.
REALTOR® A defended himself by stating that he had carried out all work involving the preparation of specifications, solicitation of bids, negotiations with the contractors, scheduling work and supervising the improvement program; that he had presented all bids to the owner who had authorized acceptance of the most favorable bids; and that he and Client B had agreed on an appropriate fee for this service.
REALTOR® A also presented comparative data to show that Client B had received good value for his money. After all of the contracts were signed and the work was underway, REALTOR® A found that his fee was inadequate for the time the work required; that he needed additional compensation but didn't want to add to his client's costs; and that when he explained his predicament to the contractors and asked for moderate rebates, they agreed.
Questioning by panel members revealed that the contractors felt that since they were being asked for rebates by the man who would supervise their work, they felt that they had no choice but to agree.
Based on your understanding of the Code of Ethics Article 6, how do you think the Professional Standards Panel ruled?
Find out here >>
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SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL
BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR FREE!
Starting in February, you can write an article that would be of interest to real estate consumers and have it published in the Official Homes Section of The Prince George's County Association of REALTORS® brought to you by The Gazette. This is a special pullout FULL COLOR supplement reaching over 127,000 homes and businesses in Prince George's County.
| Article Deadline |
Monday,
Feb. 11 |
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Ad Copy Deadline |
Tuesday, Feb. 12 |
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Publication Date |
Thursday, Feb. 28 |
If you are interested in writing an article or placing an ad, please contact
Karey Major at 240-473-7588 or kmajor@gazette.net.
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