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Tomorrow - Tuesday, June 17
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Please join us for the Annual Fundraiser
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Auctioneer: Mel Schneider, Attorney at Law |
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Live Auction and Silent Auction
All items sold to the highest bidder
Cash, Check or Charge |
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Cost: $10
Free Beer, Wine and Soda
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Who shall be named Prince George's
REALTOR® of the Year?
It could be you, or someone you know whom exemplifies leadership and service.
But you first have to submit a nomination!
Click here for full details and the REALTOR® of the Year Award application (  )
The Deadline is This Friday, June 20, 2008 at 5 pm SHARP.
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| NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN - 2009 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS |  |  |
The Prince George's County Association of REALTORS® is seeking nominations for individuals interested in serving as a member of the 2009 PGCAR Board of Directors. The PGCAR membership will elect a President-Elect, a Secretary, and four (4) individuals to serve two-year terms on the Board of Directors, beginning on October 1, 2008.
Any individual wishing to run for President-Elect or Secretary
- must be a REALTOR® member in good standing of PGCAR,
- must have held membership in PGCAR for a minimum of two years and
- must have served two years as a Member of the Board of Directors during the last four years.
Those running for a Director position
- must be a REALTOR® member in good standing of PGCAR,
- must have held Membership in PGCAR for a minimum of two years and
- must have served on a PGCAR Committee for one year during the last four years.
Service on the Board of Directors requires a commitment to attend Board of Directors meetings (12 per year) as well as participating in other PGCAR activities. If you are interested in having your name considered by the Credentials Committee for inclusion on the ballot, please complete the Online Candidate Form or you can print and fax or mail it. Forms must be received in the Association office no later than 5 p.m. on July 15th. Forms may be submitted by fax at 301-306-8273 or by mail to 8400 Corporate Drive, Suite 225, Landover, MD 20785.
| HANDY TIPS ON SHORT SALES AND FORECLOSURE |  |  |
It is recognized that a growing segment of your business is dealing with short sales and foreclosures. Through the PGCAR Forms Committee we have compiled these resources to assist you as a real estate professional in meeting these challenges. The links below will take you to HUD and Fannie Mae publications as well as NAR and MAR resources, publications and articles. Some are geared toward real estate practitioners and some are consumer oriented. We hope you will find this information helpful.
Note: Above information is provided as a service through third parties and subject to change.
| TAKE ACTION! HELP MAKE HIGHER LOAN LIMITS PERMANENT |  |  |
Customize a message from the REALTOR® Action Center to urge your Senators to increase investor confidence and safe mortgage credit by making higher FHA, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loan limits permanent.
It's quick and it's easy. Visit the NAR REALTOR® Action Center >>
SPRING 2008 LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Mike Graziano, Director of Government Affairs
On April 7th the 2008 Maryland General Assembly adjourned, ending another hectic legislative session. Our state legislators considered over 2000 bills. Subjects included foreclosure reform, repeal of the computer tax, local transfer tax authority, Prince George's Hospital Center and more. The PGCAR Legislative Committee reviewed over 263 bills affecting county and state real estate issues.
Subdivision Appeals - The committee opposed PG/MC 105-08. This bill would have added another layer to the already cumbersome building process in Prince George's County by allowing appeal to the Prince George's County District Council. Adding another process for subdivision approval further complicates and adds uncertainty to the development process. Small developers would have been especially impacted, as many of them do not have the resources to sustain delays of their projects. PG/MC 105 failed in committee.
Agricultural Preservation Easement Program - The Committee supported PG/MC 116-08. This bill provides the mechanism for the County to proceed with implementation of the Purchase of Development Rights Program (PDR) originally enacted by the County Council in 2006. PG/MC 116 provides the enabling authority for the County to create a PDR program, expend funds in the County's Rural Tier and clarifies that the Planning Board and the County Soil Conservation District will share in administering the program. This bill provides property owners in the rural tier with another option to capture the value of their land. This bill passed and becomes effective October 1, 2008.
Prince George's County Recordation Tax Rate - On the local level the Prince George's County Council recently passed CB-10-2008. This bill was part of the County Executives budget package. Effective July 5, 2008 the County recordation tax will increase from $2.20 to $2.50 per $500 in value. The increased rate is a temporary measure scheduled to revert back to $2.20 in July 2011.
Click through to the PGCAR.com Legislative Section to see a synopsis prepared by the Maryland Association of REALTORS® on statewide real estate legislation considered by the Maryland General Assembly.
If real estate is your profession, politics is your business.
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| HOMEOWNERSHIP RATE FALLS 1.1 PERCENT | | |
The homeownership rate reached nearly 70% in 2004 and has since fallen to 67.8%, after a 1.1% decrease in 2007. Learn how to help improve those statistics again during this month of June, and truly celebrate Homeownership Month. Visit REALTOR.com for tools and programs that support homeownership and strong communities. Use of this site's marketing features are FREE to our REALTOR® members.
| CONTINUING EDUCATION | | |
Earn ALL of your required Continuing Education hours for Maryland and DC license renewals -- and your GRI -- here at PGCAR. In relevant topics which are kept current for TODAY's Real Estate Market. Don't miss this week's and next week's special offerings!
| 2009 PGCAR DUES | | |
The Board of Directors has voted to allow 2009 dues to be paid in installments. The 2009 dues will be billed on August 1st and are payable no later than November 30th in order to prevent late charges. The installment payments will be due as follows:
$546
(includes voluntary RPAC contribution of $35) |
$511
(does not include voluntary RPAC contribution of $35) |
August 15 - $205
Sept. 15 - $114
Oct. 15 - $114
Nov. 15 - $113 |
August 15 - $205
Sept. 15 - $102
Oct. 15 - $102
Nov. 15 - $102 |
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Code of Ethics Article 12: Present a True Picture
in Your Advertising and Other Public Representations
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Our last Case Study dealt with Article 12 of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. Since advertising and proper use of all marketing is so critical to your business and to keeping you on the right side of the law, we hit the pause button this week and are encouraging you to read Article 12 again:
Article 12
REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful in their real estate communications and shall present a true picture in their advertising, marketing, and other representations. REALTORS® shall ensure that their status as real estate professionals is readily apparent in their advertising, marketing, and other representations, and that the recipients of all real estate communications are, or have been, notified that those communications are from a real estate professional. (Amended 1/08)
- Standard of Practice 12-1
REALTORS® may use the term "free" and similar terms in their advertising and in other representations provided that all terms governing availability of the offered product or service are clearly disclosed at the same time. (Amended 1/97)
- Standard of Practice 12-2
REALTORS® may represent their services as "free" or without cost even if they expect to receive compensation from a source other than their client provided that the potential for the REALTOR® to obtain a benefit from a third party is clearly disclosed at the same time. (Amended 1/97)
- Standard of Practice 12-3
The offering of premiums, prizes, merchandise discounts or other inducements to list, sell, purchase, or lease is not, in itself, unethical even if receipt of the benefit is contingent on listing, selling, purchasing, or leasing through the REALTOR® making the offer. However, REALTORS® must . . .
Continued here >>
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| FREE ONLINE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE CONVENTION | | |
No travel costs! All of the information!
June 17th - 18th, 2008 at www.CommercialSource.com. Register today for the Online Convention and Tradeshow brought to you by the REALTORS® Commercial Alliance. This virtual meeting and networking place for commercial real estate is powerful technology that puts education, networking and market resources at your fingertips.
Register today >>
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SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL
BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR FREE!
That's right. Write an article that would be of interest to real estate consumers and submit it to Karey Major for a chance to be 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,
July 7 |
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Ad Copy
Deadline |
Tuesday,
July 8 |
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Publication
Date |
Thursday,
July 24 |
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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Save the Date!
FOR OUR 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ON SEPTEMBER 25 |
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