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CCAR News
From the President's Desk
2008 First Quarter CCAR Committee Reports
Required NAR Quadrennial REALTOR® Ethics
Slease Receives National Association of Home Builders Honor
Keep Your Fingerprint Receipts!
The Three R's of Lending
Dena Smith Named February's CCAR Satisfaction Survey Winner
CCAR Adds Family Watchdog to Online Resources
CCAR on Facebook

TAR News
When Should You Use the New TREC Addendum?
Renew Your ZipFormDesktop with Just One Click!

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Read Our Article on the Top 10 Reasons to Use Burgess

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Affiliate Committee
The CCAR Affiliate Committee has been busy working on the following projects:

1. Affiliate Data Base Upgrade: the Affiliate Committee has funded and installed a database upgrade to the CCAR Web site that provides an option for all Affiliate members to have a picture or logo, a link from the Web site to their own and a short biography as part of the benefits to membership. This will enhance the Affiliate exposure and induce additional membership.

2. RU12? Campaign: April will be the kick-off of this campaign designed to add value to the Affiliate Committee by promoting membership and rewarding participation within CCAR. REALTOR® member and Broker/Manager support of active Affiliates will be required.

3. Trans Committee Bridges: We are implementing a strategy of providing a bridge between our committee and every committee of which the bylaws allow us to participate. We have, or will have, a member liaison from our committee at each meeting of our sister committees to show support and provide information flow between the two. This concept has also been implemented to provide information between networking meetings.

4. Joint Efforts: The Affiliate Committee and the Membership Development Committee will begin a joint effort to increase membership participation in CCAR events.

5. Ongoing Association Office Maintenance: Sub-committees have been formed to monitor compliance within the brochure cabinets, business card holders and spinner advertising sales.

Independent Broker Network (IBN)
The IBN kicked-off 2008 with an offsite meeting in January. Our guest speaker provided about 30 attendees with an overview of NTREIS and its associated systems. The Allen Branch of Capital One Bank sponsored the lunch and door prize. Stacey Buettner, the 2008 IBM Committee Chair, outlined the committee’s meeting schedule for 2008 which is also available on the IBN Web site at http://www.ibnccar.net/. Tom Branch, IBM Vice Chair, is working to schedule six offsite meetings with sponsors and guest speakers who will cover topics of special interest to independent brokers.

One of the committee’s major goals for 2008 is to continue to reach out to independent brokers and to grow IBN membership. If you are an independent broker with less than 20 agents, we want to meet you and introduce you to the group. Please contact Stacey Buettner at 972-542-3651 or Tom Branch at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need more information on the IBN.

MLS Committee
The MLS Committee has approved a number of recommendations to the NTREIS Users Committee. Some of these recommendations have not yet been fully approved. Recommendations include:

• All rental listings will show the commission to be paid, and when it will be paid. This recommendation is based on the fact that some agents are not paying the coop Broker upon rental, claiming that they are not compelled to say when the commission will be paid.

• The use of the Z sales rule should be eliminated. This recommendation was submitted and approved for the first reading at the NTREIS users meeting. NTREIS staff will research the matter from a legal standpoint and report at the next meeting.

• All listings should be auto populated, however remain editable except for address, subdivision and county.

In other matters, the MLS Committee encourages agents and managers to enter proper directions for listings, rather than the statement: “see Mapsco.” Because it is difficult to require agents to enter proper directional information and an immense amount of staff hours is involved to track violators, we request your help in eliminating this problem. If you see a listing with improper directions and the agent is in your office, please strongly suggest that they make the proper change.

The MLS Committee encourages CCAR members to attends its meetings, which are held the third Tuesday of every month.

Professional Standards Committee
The Professional Standards Committee is trained to educate REALTORS® in the spirit and letter of the Code of Ethics and to assist in its enforcement. Complaints concerning arbitration or ethics are processed by the Texas Association of REALTORS®, and CCAR complaint inquiries are fielded by Mary Leidy, COO/acting CEO.

CCAR’s 2007 report:
• There were 20 inquiries. Of these inquiries, nine took advantage of the ombudsman service, with seven being resolved. Eleven declined the ombudsman service.

• One ethics complaint was filed and is scheduled for a hearing.
There are 28 Collin County members on the TAR Professional Standards Committee:

• Two members serve as mediators: Bob Baker and Hazel Edwards

• Six members serve as ombudsman: Ivy Boland, Judy McKee, Jerri Gilbert, Hazel Edwards, Rebecca Ray and Mauri Way

TAR’s 2007 report:
• TAR staff fielded 553 inquiry calls.

• Approximately 175 ombudsman calls made with a 65 percent resolution rate.

• TAR provided mediation for three cases, which were resolved.

• 80 complaints were filed with TAR.

TREPAC Committee
The CCAR TREPAC Committee is doing quite well this year. We have a goal of $123,086 and a TAR quota of $113,875. As of February 20, we have collected $72,435 with more commitments in the near future.

The projects that the TREPAC Committee are currently working on include:
1. “Challenges” are being made between offices and some CCAR committees for 100 percent participation.

2. The Miss TREPAC 2008 Pageant on April 3 is projected to generate about $2,000.

3. The annual CCAR Golf Tournament is scheduled for September 17. The TREPAC goal for the tournament is $15,000-$20,000.

4. The rodeo is in the early stages of planning, with the hope of increasing participation. The goal for this event is $5,000.
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Most members took such training by attending the TREC Ethics Update or the 15 hour MCE. Other opportunities are new member orientation and professional standards training. If you had your training at CCAR, we do not need any additional information from you. If you attended training at another facility or took an online course, we need a statement from you about what course you took and the date of completion. Please send this information to pam@ccar.net.
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Each year, the NAHB recognizes an individual for their work in this specialized field. The NAHB Remodelers, in collaboration with the AARP, NAHB Research Center, and NAHB 50+ Housing Council, developed the program to provide comprehensive, practical, market-specific information about working with older and maturing adults to remodel their homes for aging-in-place.

Slease, a CCAR member, is president of Tapestry Custom Homes in McKinney, which conducts remodeling, new construction and consultation on universal design. He has worked in construction for more than 25 years and sits on the boards of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas, the Texas Association of Builders and the National Association of Home Builders.
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The REALTOR®/Lender Committee is honored to participate in the advancement of our chosen profession and educate REALTORS® on topics that increase awareness of real estate finance.

We are entering a time of uncharted territory when it comes to the supply of funds for mortgage lending. The Federal Reserve is making decisions that will affect the way we do business for a long time to come. In the months ahead, the REALTOR®/Lender Committee will bring the impact of these policy changes to your attention.

I want to take a retroactive look at our business today and see if I can bring some past experiences to light in our current business practices. I call it the “Three R’s of Lending:” Relationships, Regulation and Reliability.

1. Relationships - Early in my career, I learned that my success in lending was driven by my ability to add value to a group of real estate professionals. The business was all referral based and was predicated on doing some simple things: being available, being accountable and being human. It didn’t take perfection but it took persistence. Relationship teams were formed in a triangle: REALTOR®, lender and title company.

In the early years, everybody knew whose team you were on and friendly competition drove the market. Further, everybody was the expert in their piece of the puzzle and there were no joint ventures, ABA’s, or false incentives to direct business to hide false agendas. Face-to-face interviews, applications and closings were the norm. The attitude was that if you represented yourself and your company well, you were “on the team.” Keeping these core practices well honed will be the means for survival when the number of participants in the real estate industry retracts.

2. Regulation - Based on rampant fraud and troubled loans made to under-educated consumers, there has been significant erosion in the value of mortgage backed investments. The lending industry tried to become transactional vs. relational, and the thought was the bigger you were and the more transactions you did, the better.

False profits in the securitization of mortgage debt and poor lending practices by companies that had no history in risk management was the reason the ship hit the iceberg. Now we are back to basics, well tested programs that require proof of the willingness and ability to repay a mortgage loan. Government sponsored entities such as Fannie and Freddie, as well as government supported programs such as FHA and VA will account for the majority of the loans provided to residential borrowers. This is good, as these programs will work to bring sufficient monies into our business to support prosperity for those who conform to reasonable requirements.

3. Reliability - As professionals in real estate, the reliability of our business model will be proven with the simple statement, “We made it.” As mentioned before, a required level of availability, accountability and human interaction will complete today’s successful real estate transaction. Choose to work with individuals who posses these qualities and make sure that their experience level is only surpassed by their desire to work as hard as you do on your business. When mistakes are made, allow room for the solution to be created within the team. Believe in your fellow team members and understand that there will be times where the strength of one will aid the weakness of another and this will vacillate amongst the team.

All of the members of the REALTOR®/Lender Committee look forward to a very successful year. All indicators point to great success in Collin County, and we encourage you to learn more, live more and enjoy more of the fellowship that comes from this wonderful industry.
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Miss TREPAC 2008 Pageant – A CCAR Male Revue
Join CCAR’s TREPAC Committee for dinner, drinks and dancing as they crown the man who’ll be named Miss TREPAC 2008.

April 3, 2008
7-11 p.m.
CCAR Banquet Room
6821 Coit Road - Plano, TX 75024

All sales go directly to your TREPAC investment!
Tickets: $35 each, or two for $60

Master of Ceremonies: Gerald Vokolek
Costumes by Costume World
Choreography by Stephanie Allen

Please RSVP to: Michael Marco at michael@ccar.net or 972-618-3800.

This event is rated PG-13.
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• Cannot exceed 6 square-feet and stand no higher than 4 feet.

• Signs may only be installed on Saturday and Sunday between 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Must be 10 feet from the curb.

• Are not allowed in subdivision entrances, medians, easements, or right-of-ways.

• Are not allowed on cars, fences, poles or trees.

• Cannot have balloons or wind devices.

Total cooperation in abiding by the regulations is needed to ensure continuation of this ordinance.
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Texas’ state government got a B-plus in a report card released Monday by The Pew Center on the States. The center ranked the states based on how well they manage their budgets, staffs, infrastructure and information. The state made a B in 2005, when the last report card was issued.

Other states: Grades ranged from A- (Utah, Virginia and Washington) to D+ (New Hampshire). The national average was B-, which 18 states received. Thirteen states got grades above the national average and 19 states’ grades were below the average.

What it means: The states with the highest scores have made accountability and innovation a priority, the report said.

Why it’s done: To give states objective information about how to improve their performance, The Pew Center said.

Report card: The fourth in a series of assessments by Pew’s Government Performance Project and Governing Magazine. Rankings are based on reviews by a panel of state government experts.

Article taken from khou.com: http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou080304_ac_txpewcenter.1f728087.html
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• We are running a special on Lock Box door protectors. Normally sold for $3 each, they may now be purchased for $2.49 through April 15.

• What’s new: “I Love Referrals” and “We Love Referrals” business card envelopes, sold in packs of 25 for $4.95. Also, ask about our new 3"x15" peel-off stickers displayed in front of the store desk - they sell for $2 each.

• Check out the new red “SOLD” portfolio which contains a tablet and business card slot for only $9.95.

• The new booklet, “101 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Sale,” comes with space to attach your business card - a bargain for only $2.95.

• Protect yourself: pepper spray is back in stock with a snazzy new red carrying case. Select from two styles, $9.95 each.

• Deluxe Supra cases in three styles are back in stock, ranging in price from $9.95-$16.

• The CCAR REALTOR® Store carries calculators for every taste and proficiency priced from $7.95-$59.95.

• We offer a large assortment of corrugated signs that are always priced with the stick included. However, we also sell metal sign sticks for $2.
We encourage you to tell us the products that you would like to see in the store. If you leave your business card, we will notify you via e-mail as soon as your requested item arrives. In addition, every time you shop in the CCAR REALTOR® Store be sure to drop your business card into our monthly drawing, the more you shop the more chances you’ll have to be a winner!
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When Should You Use The New TREC Addendum?
The Texas Real Estate Commission released a new form, Addendum Containing Required Notices under §5.016, §420.001 and §420.002, Texas Property Code (TREC 43-0; TAR 1927), that was mandatory to use as of March 1 and contains certain statutory notices. The form has three notices required by certain provisions that were added to the Property Code in the last legislative session. There are checkboxes before each paragraph in the form.

So, when is the user supposed to use the form and which boxes should the user check? Basically, there are two types of transactions in which the form may apply:

1. If the seller is a builder and is selling a new home, the builder is required by law to include the notices required under §420.001 and §420.002 of the Property Code. These are the notices found in Paragraphs B and C in the new addendum. If the seller fails to include the notices, the contract may not be enforceable against the buyer and the builder could face disciplinary action by the Texas Residential Construction Commission. Most builder-drafted contract forms contain the new notices. If a seller/builder is using one of the TREC or TAR new-construction contract forms, the seller/builder should attach the new addendum to the contract and check the boxes before Paragraphs B and C.

2. The form should also be used to help a seller comply with §5.016 of the Property Code, which requires a seller of residential property to provide the notice found in Paragraph A of the new addendum if the property is exempt from Title 16 of the Property Code. This means that the new addendum should be used in a transaction where the home was built by the seller (alone or by his employees or contractors) and the home was used by the seller as his primary residence for at least one year after the home was built. If this is the case, the seller should attach the new addendum and mark the box before Paragraph A in the new addendum. Hence, the new addendum could be used with any of the TREC contract forms.

For example, an individual who built his own home and lived in it for five years may then choose to sell it. In this case, he may use the TREC One-to-Four Family Contract form (TREC 20-7, TAR 1601) and should attach the new addendum and mark the box before Paragraph A.
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Beginning May 1, you will be able to renew your ZipFormDesktop with an easy one-click process. The entire renewal process starts and ends when the member accepts the ZipForm license agreement with a single click. No other action is required. The software automatically verifies your member status and performs the renewal.

To ensure your transition to this new process, there are a couple of things you need to know:

1. By March 17, you should have paid your dues to avoid interruption to your ZipForm access.

2. On May 1, you will be prompted to renew, even if you have already renewed the old way. This second renewal will require only a click to accept the license agreement and will happen only this year. Beginning in 2009, you will be prompted to renew only once a year on May 1 with a single click instead of multiple steps.
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Now is the Time for 2009 NAR Committee Recommendations
NAR is now accepting recommendations for committee service in 2009. All committee recommendations must be submitted via the Online Committee Recommendation Database on REALTOR.org. The deadline for submission is May 27.

Using the database, members can recommend themselves or other suitable candidates for up to three committees at a time. NAR encourages members to seek recommendations from colleagues with whom they have worked closely, and in particular members of leadership at the national, state and local level.

When submitting a recommendation, you will be required to include relevant comments that highlight the candidate’s skills and qualifications for consideration. All comments are confidential, so feel free to be candid.

Follow these steps to access the Committee Recommendation Database*:
1. Log-on to REALTOR.org
2. In the left-hand blue side bar click on "NAR Governance"
3. Beneath that, select "Committees"
4. In the center screen choose "Committee Recommendations for 2009 – Reference Page"
5. Select "I. Submit a Committee Recommendation"

The following link may also be used to directly access the recommendation database:
http://www.realtor.org/comsel.nsf/webpage/mbrhome?OpenDocument&Login

When submitting your recommendations, please consider that each committee is different. Some are large, others small. Some meet off-cycle (not at the midyear or annual meetings), and some require specific background to be considered for appointment. To determine which committee is right for you, please review the committee structure which lists each committee’s purpose statement, composition (how many members), length of term you would be expected to serve, and specific qualifications for consideration. Please keep in mind that if appointed to a committee you will be expected to attend all of its meetings and serve the full length of your term. Furthermore, please keep in mind that forums are open to all members; so you need not recommend yourself for appointment to a forum unless you are seeking the position of chair or vice chair. Individual committee structure can be found here: http://www.realtor.org/comsel.nsf/ViewNxtYrCommittees?OpenView

NAR’s Expertise Profile Database was designed to provide all levels of the REALTOR® family (including the local, state and national associations) with key information about you and your professional experience. The information that you will provide in this profile will be used as a resource in a variety of ways, including identification of members with certain expertise to serve on committees, working groups, presidential advisory groups; also, to respond to surveys about association issues, products, services, etc.

Individuals interested in serving on NAR’s committees are encouraged to create and/or update their expertise profiles. However, they are not required. Please note that completing an expertise profile is not the same as submitting a recommendation for yourself. If you wish to serve on a committee, you still must submit a recommendation via the online Committee Recommendation Database on REALTOR.org.

Follow these steps to access the Expertise Profile page:
1. Log-on to REALTOR.org
2. In the left-hand blue side bar click on “NAR Governance”
3. Beneath that, select “Committees”
4. In the center screen choose “Committee Recommendations for 2009 – Reference Page”
5. Select “II. Complete Your Expertise Profile”
6. Under “Create and Update Profiles” select “Create an expertise profile.”

The following link may also be used to complete or update your expertise profile: http://www.realtor.org/nrdsprof.nsf/GetUserInfo?ReadForm&Login.

Use of electronic mail and the NAR Governance page on REALTOR.org will serve as the vehicles for promoting and publicizing information related to the Committee Recommendation/Selection process. Therefore it is imperative that you adjust your e-mail spam filter settings so that you receive important e-mails from NAR.

The States Associations and Affiliates will have an opportunity to review the recommendations submitted from their state between June 1–8. An e-mail containing more instructions on this process will be issued at the end of May.

Members need to have a REALTOR.org login and password to access these databases. Contact Information Central at 1-800-874-6500 or InfoCentral@realtors.org for login and password assistance.
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