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2010 Distinguished Sales Associate of the Year
Nominations for selection of Prince George's County's 2010 Distinguished Sales Associate of the Year are now being sought.
Any licensed sales agent or associate broker holding REALTOR® membership is eligible for consideration. Candidates must have not held an active broker's license any time during 2010 and may not hold any percentage of ownership in the firm they represent. Also, managers, owners and salaried officers are not eligible to enter this competition.
There are three standards used in the selection process:
Local Board / Association Activity (50%)
Community / Civic Activity (30%)
Business, Education, Designations (20%)
Please fill in details under each of the three standards and submit your entry along with ONE (1) COLOR PHOTO (any size) now for consideration. REMEMBER, individuals may nominate themselves. To encourage participation you may submit your entry unsigned or anonymously, so if you think you qualify, why not nominate yourself!?
Distinguished Sales Associate Nomination  
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2010 Affiliate of the Year
Nominations are also being sought for the 2010 PGCAR Affiliate of the Year. Which one of our many distinguished affiliates will be named the 2010 Affiliate of the Year? Please nominate yourself or one of our many active Affiliate members. We appreciate you and your contributions to PGCAR!
Affiliate of the Year Nomination
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ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED AT PGCAR
no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010.
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| REALTORS® VOTE! |  |  |
Are you registered to vote? If you have moved since the last elections, have you updated your Voter Registration? Are you attending the MAR Conference in Ocean City? If so, now is the time to apply for an absentee ballot for the Primaries being held September 14. Important Election dates are listed here and on the pgcar.com Events Calendar.
Election day is approaching. Please take advantage of these opportunities to learn more
about candidates running for political office to represent Prince George's County.
All listed forums are FREE and open to the public.
The Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce presents
"Candidates Forum 2010"
District 23 Senator and Delegates
Wednesday, August 25
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Bowie Senior Center
14900 Health Center Drive, Bowie, MD 20716
Prince George's County Executive and Councilmanic District 6
Wednesday, September 1
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Bowie Senior Center
14900 Health Center Drive, Bowie, MD 20716
For additional information, please contact the
Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce
301-262-0920 or kelly@bowiechamber.org
If real estate is your profession, politics is your business.
2011 Dues Renewals are Now Online!
Primary REALTORS®: Paying by Installment?
First Installment is Due Next Tuesday, August 31 |
Don't wait until the last minute to pay this year's dues.
Use our fast and secure Online Dues Payment!
Paying online is easy, secure, and supplies you with a receipt.
Renew as Easy as 1-2-3:
- Click here
- Log in
- Renew online and receive receipt !
The Board of Directors has voted to allow 2011 dues to be paid in installments. The 2011 dues in the amount of $503 are currently being invoiced and are payable no later than October 1th, 2010 in order to prevent late charges. The installment payments will be due as follows:
| August 31 |
$125.75 |
| September 30 |
$125.75 |
| October 31 |
$125.75 |
| November 30 |
$125.75 |
Please note: If dues payments are not made online, they may not be reflected in your private, online History portal.
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| 2010 - 2011 Officer and Director
Elections - Voting Opens Next Week |  |  |
PGCAR is pleased to announce the following candidates for the 2010 - 2011 PGCAR Board of Directors. Voting will open on September 1 using our secure online service. Anyone wishing to have a paper ballot should contact the Association office as early as possible.
| The 2010 / 2011 Candidates are as follows: |
| President: |
Joanne Darling, Darling Real Estate |
| President-Elect: |
Alease Bowles, RE/MAX Specialists |
| Secretary: |
Anthony Williams, Long and Foster Real Estate |
| PGCAR Director Candidates are as follows: |
| Directors: |
Cheryl Abrams,, RE/MAX Specialists
Sonata Camara, Camara & Company - The Real Estate Group
George Mitchell, Real Estate Around America
Yolanda Muckle, Long and Foster Real Estate
Chris Richardson, RE/MAX Professionals
Willie Rhone, Weichert, REALTORS®
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6 CEU SFR Designation Class
Back by popular demand
Thursday, September 9
9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Maneuver the complexities of short sales, master the opportunities, learn how to evaluate options for distressed homeowners, and counsel buyer-clients in purchasing foreclosures.
- Earn your Short Sales and Foreclosures Resources (SFR) certification with just this core class,
3 FREE 1-hour webinars plus your application
- an ABR designation elective
- worth 6 elective MD CEU if you score at least 80% on the test at end of class
Only $75 for this full-day designation class.
Register early. The June offering sold out!
Registration & Details >>
PDF Flyer >>
SEPTEMBER 10, 2010 NSP APPLICATION DEADLINE
FOR BORROWERS WITH INCOME AT OR BELOW
50% OF THE AREA MEDIAN |
All applications for borrowers with income at or below 50% of the
Area Median must be submitted by September 10, 2010.
Funding will be awarded on a first come first completed basis and
MAY BE DEPLETED PRIOR TO THE SEPTEMBER 10, 2010 DEADLINE.
When funds are depleted, for applications received by the September 10, 2010 deadline, NSP will establish a waiting list, for funding allocation in the event that previously funded applications fail to close.
Because funds are awarded on a first come first completed basis, NSP does not guarantee funding for applications received by the September 10, 2010 deadline, or for applications placed on the waiting list.
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GUIDELINES FOR REMAINDER OF NSP APPLICATION PERIOD:
INCREASED LOAN LIMIT OF UP TO $60,000 FOR HOUSEHOLDS
AT OR BELOW 50% OF THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME LEVELS ONLY
To increase housing affordability for applicants at or below 50% of the area median income levels, a NSP loan limit of up to $60,000 is available for down payment and closing costs assistance on foreclosure and short sale purchases in all 33 NSP eligible zip codes. The following new guidelines will apply until the September 10 , 2010 NSP Application deadline or until funds are depleted.
APPLICABLE ONLY TO HOUSEHOLDS WITH INCOME AT OR BELOW LEVELS OUTLINED BELOW
2010 Income Levels
Effective 5/14/10
| Very Low Income |
| 50% |
| 1-Person Household | $36,250 |
| 2-Persons Household | $41,400 |
| 3-Persons Household | $46,600 |
| 4-Persons Household | $51,750 |
| 5-Persons Household | $55,900 |
| 6-Persons Household | $60,050 |
| 7-Persons Household | $64,200 |
| 8-Persons Household | $68,350 |
REQUIREMENTS
- Up to $60,000 per household (note that $60,000 is not automatic). The amount approved is what will be needed to achieve requirements for back end ratio, and minimum LTV for 1st Trust.
- Maximum back end ratio 45% - no exceptions, no compensating factors
- Minimum LTV for the 1st Trust loan is 65%.
- Maximum of 2 points, including loan origination
- Additional points up to a total of 4, including loan origination, approved only if buy down of rate is documented.
- Minimum applicant contribution of $1,000
- 15 year primary residency requirement
- 15 year loan term
- 0% interest, deferred payment
REPAYMENT REQUIREMENTS
Length of Time Purchaser Retains Home
as Primary Residence | Balance Due
(As % of Total DPCCA Loan Received) |
| Less than 5 years | 100% |
| At Least 5 years but less than 15 years | 70% |
| 15 or more years | 50% |
If you have any questions, please contact Rosalyn B. Clemens, NSP Program Manager at 301-883-3288 or Yetta Stokes, NSP Senior Loan Processor at 301-883-7409 or HStokes@co.pg.md.us.
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NSP FORMS AND DETAILS AVAILABLE
IN PGCAR.COM MEMBER'S ONLY >>
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| New Rules Regarding Teams and Groups - Effective October 1 |  |  |
A new law will take effect on October 1, 2010, which is quite expansive and creates duties and obligations with respect to the operation of teams or groups within a real estate brokerage company.
New, specific requirements of disclosure and document retention should be taken in advance of the October 1 effective date. These new requirements affect all team members and leaders, brokers and managers.
Please login for a detailed article by Al Monshower >
| Huntley Square Condos - Towing Fines Alert | | |
We have been informed by a REALTOR® that the Huntley Square Condos has instituted 24 hour towing. If you have plans to show a condo in this complex, please be sure to acquire a guest pass so that your car won't be towed. The cost is over $150 to retrieve your car if it is towed.
| REALTORS® Dental Insurance: Smile Today, Sell Tomorrow | | |
National Association of REALTORS® and REALTORS® Benefits® Program is pleased to introduce REALTORS® Dental Insurance (RDI), an affordable and valuable benefit for NAR members nationwide. RDI offers dental plans designed exclusively for NAR members and their families. Unique benefits include: orthodontia, professional whitening, dental rewards, and more.
| Market Sen$e: Interest Rates, How Low Can We Go? | | |
Mortgage rates continued to fall, and new all-time lows were experienced again in fixed-rate 30-year and 15-year rates for the week ending August 19. According to Freddie Mac:
- The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.42 percent, down from 4.44 percent a week ago.
- The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.90 percent, down from 3.92 percent.
- The five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid ARM average fell 2 weeks ago, then held steady at 3.56 percent.
- The one-year Treasury-indexed ARM average also fell 2 weeks ago, then held steady at 3.53 percent.
2010 Weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey >>
For local market statistics, visit pgcar.com REALTOR® Resources >>. The only market increase seen from June to July was in Condo/Cooperative listings and contracts. 2010 year-to-date County home (single-family and condo/co-op) contracts and settlements have all improved significantly from 2009 levels. 31.3% of 2010 single family home sales to date are in the $200,000 to $299,000 range.
| 15 hours of CE in 2½ days |
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- Nationally known presenters – Terry Watson, Gee Dunsten, Amy Cherow
- Technology courses every day
- Expanded Commercial offerings
- Full-day NAR GREEN Commercial & Residential Elective Courses ($70 fee applies)
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Join REALTORS® from across the nation and the world in New Orleans this November, and learn about changing issues affecting the industry, share ideas with colleagues outside your local marketplace, and see the incredible innovations that are shaping the future of real estate.
For best lodging rates, reserve your hotel room when you register for the Conference & Expo.
Click here for hotels, rates, and a map!
For our amazing musicians — Enter the first national REALTORS® Got Talent Contest and you could be performing for 5,000 REALTORS® and guests in New Orleans. All 6 finalists receive FREE conference admission and $500. The winner receives an additional $1500! Accepting auditions until August 31 > |
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It's Back to School !
SUPPLIES FOR COUNTY CHILDREN
Give a little. Help a lot! Invest in a child's future by helping the PGCAR Community Service Committee collect school supplies for Prince George's County students. If you are able to supply some of the items, you can bring them to the Association office. Some of the most needed items are:
Washable Marker Sets
Composition Books
Zip Pouch Pencil Case |
Crayons
Pencils
Pencil-Top Erasers |
Tissues
Hand Sanitizer
Hand Soap |
We also have one school with students in need of uniform shirts. The shirts are the three button polo-style in black and/or white ranging in sizes from 6-20. The shirts can be purchased online at www.frenchtoast.com or at Kids for Less.
Kids for Less has two locations in Maryland:
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| PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOUSE | | |
 Prince George's County Habitat for Humanity is in need of funds to finish a home in Capitol Heights.
Please click here to contribute. Any amount will help put a family into a home.
You may also mail a check, payable to Habitat for Humanity to:
PGCAR
8400 Corporate Drive, Suite 225
Landover MD 20785
Thank you for your generosity!
| REQUIRED TOPICS CEU AND MORE! | | |
Earn ALL of your required Continuing Education hours for Maryland and DC license renewals -- and the SFR and GRI designations -- here at PGCAR.
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Code of Ethics Case Study: Case #10-4:
Use of "Choose Your Neighbor" Marketing Letters
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REALTOR® A listed a property in a new subdivision. At the instruction of his client, Seller X, REALTOR® A did not file information on the listing with his Board's MLS, did not place a "For Sale" sign on the property and did not advertise the property in the local newspaper. Seller X had told REALTOR® A that he wanted the sale handled quietly, with the new purchasers being people who would "fit into the neighborhood-people with the same socioeconomic background" as the other residents of the subdivision.
Based on his conversation with Seller X, REALTOR® A's only marketing effort was mailing a letter to the other residents of the subdivision, inviting them ". . . to play a part in the decision of who your next neighbor will be. If you know of someone who you would like to live in the neighborhood, please let them know of the availability of this home, or call me and I will be happy to contact them and arrange a private showing."
REALTOR® A's marketing strategy came to the attention of REALTOR® B, whose mother lived in the subdivision. REALTOR® B filed a complaint charging REALTOR® A with a violation of Article 10 of the Code of Ethics.
At the hearing, REALTOR® B told the Hearing Panel of receiving a copy of the marketing letter from his mother, who had recently moved to the subdivision. REALTOR® B advised the panel that he had checked the Board's MLS for information on the property, had driven past the house to look for a "For Sale" sign and had scanned the Sunday real estate section of the local newspaper for information on the property. Finding no mention of the property in either the MLS or the newspaper and noting the absence of a sign on the property, REALTOR® B concluded that REALTOR® A's marketing strategy was to limit access to the property to individuals preselected by the current residents. "In my mind," said REALTOR® B, "this could only mean one thing. REALTOR® A was deliberately discriminating against home seekers from other areas, or those with different backgrounds, who would never have the opportunity to learn about the house's availability. Obviously, REALTOR® A was directing all of his marketing energies into finding purchasers who would not disrupt the ethnic and economic character of the neighborhood."
REALTOR® A defended his actions by advising the panel that he was acting on Seller X's instructions. Seller X appeared as a witness for REALTOR® A and confirmed this fact, adding that he and the other residents of his block had an informal agreement that they would try to find "suitable" purchasers for their homes if they ever decided to sell. Seller X felt that by broadening the marketing campaign to include all residents of the subdivision he had increased the chances of finding such potential purchasers.
Based on your understanding of the Code of Ethics Article 10, how do you think the Professional Standards Panel ruled?
Find out here >>
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