Another short complimentary video presented by The Online CE Shop, NCAR's online CE provider, on their site Real Life 365. "Use a Digital Photo Frame to Sell" is presented by e-communications expert, Terri Murphy.

Click here to view the video: http://ncrealtors.theceshop.com/reallife365

Real Life 365 is the real estate industry's ultimate resource for high-impact, on-demand learning presented by some of the nation’s top producing agents and leading instructors.

Ellie Edwards
Director of Professional Development
eedwards@ncrealtors.org

Join us in Raleigh on March 12 & 13 as instructor Tom Lundstedt explains tax laws affecting both transactions and agents in GRI 104: Tax Planning for the Real Estate Professional. Tom will also discuss how to analyze investment real estate from buying to selling in GRI 302: Residential Real Estate as an Investment.

Log into http://www.ncrealtors.org/ and click on the calendar for more details or to register.

Ellie Edwards
Director of Professional Development
eedwards@ncrealtors.org

An audit by San Francisco county officials of about 400 recent foreclosures there determined that almost all involved either legal violations or suspicious documentation, according to a report released Wednesday.

According to The New York Times, the detailed and comprehensive nature of the San Francisco findings suggest how pervasive foreclosure irregularities may be across the nation.

The improprieties range from the basic — a failure to warn borrowers that they were in default on their loans as required by law — to the arcane. For example, transfers of many loans in the foreclosure files were made by entities that had no right to assign them and institutions took back properties in auctions even though they had not proved ownership.

Click here for more details.

Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications & Community Outreach Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

Need help building a website?  Interested in a new domain name?  Get tips from the experts at Google at the “North Carolina Get Your Business Online” event on Feb. 24th – 25th, 2012, at The Big Chill in Charlotte.  The event is FREE to NCAR members.  Learn more and sign-up online at http://www.americagetonline.com/north-carolina/

When it comes to dating, homeownership can be a huge catalyst for love. Here are a few findings linking love and homeownership on this Valentine’s Day:

• In a survey of 1,000 single people, more than a third of women and 18 percent of men said they would much rather date a homeowner than a renter.
• Only 2 percent of women said they preferred to date a man who rents, while only 3 percent of men said they would choose a woman who rents over one that owns her home, according to the survey.
• Both sexes also clearly prefer it when there's no roommate in the picture; 62 percent of survey respondents, men and women, prefer to date singles who live alone.

Click here for more information. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications & Community Outreach Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

In this month's edition of "Getting to Know You," members will get to know one of the NC Association of REALTORS®' newest staff members -- Blair Wilburn, Business Development Manager. Enjoy!
Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

On February 1 President Obama, speaking to a crowd in Falls Church, Virginia, detailed his plan to “help responsible homeowners and heal the housing market.” The plan calls for streamlined refinancing for potentially millions of borrowers with loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while also creating a new FHA mortgage program to re-finance non-GSE mortgages. The FHA program will require Congressional approval as will most of the reforms proposed for GSE mortgages. Most observers consider that approval to be uncertain in the current environment.

For GSE mortgages, the plan would eliminate appraisal costs for borrowers, increase competition among the GSE’s by allowing them to re-finance each other’s loans, cover closing costs, and extend eligibility to all performing GSE borrowers. The new re-fi program for non-GSE loans would include the same elements and be financed by a new Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee imposed on the largest banks.

In a statement to the news media NAR President Moe Veissi expressed enthusiasm for efforts to help troubled homeowners and the housing market while emphasizing NAR’s concerns with elements relating to disposition of REOs. Complete details on the Obama Administration plan can be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/02/01/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-plan-help-responsible-homeowners-and-heal-h

Cady Thomas
Director of Government Affairs
cthomas@ncrealtors.org

It’s been frantic in Raleigh trying to keep up with all the announcements by elected leaders who have chosen not to seek re-election.

On the heels of Gov. Beverly Perdue’s announcement that she would not run again for governor, many legislators (most of them Democrats) have said they’ve also decided not to run for re-election.

This week alone, there have been four significant retirement announcements among legislators: Sen. Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth), former House Speaker and current House Minority Leader Rep. Joe Hackney (D-Orange), Rep. Jennifer Weiss (D-Wake) and Rep. Edith Warren (D-Pitt), all of whom announced they would not be seeking another term. All, except Rep. Warren, were double-bunked with other incumbent members of the legislature in recently redrawn legislative districts. Rep. Warren's previously strong Democratic district was significantly changed, making it a “swing” district.

Meanwhile, in the Governor’s race, Erskine Bowles has said he would not run. Former Congressman Bob Etheridge has said he will run for the Democratic nomination (joining Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and Rep. Bill Faison in that race), and Pat McCrory has officially launched his campaign for the Republican nomination.

Looking at North Carolina's Congressional delegation, two representatives have unexpectedly announced that they will not seek reelection: Rep. Heath Shuler (D) in the 11th Congressional District and Rep. Sue Myrick (R) in the 9th Congressional District. Based on the NC Free Enterprise Foundation’s analysis of the congressional redistricting map, both of these districts are Leaning Republican territory with Rep. Shuler's District 11 having been drawn as the strongest Republican leaning district in the state. Rep. Shuler's decision to retire makes it even more likely that this seat will end up Republican following the 2012 election. Not unexpectedly, Rep. Myrick's retirement announcement has been met with what appears to be a developing competitive and crowded Republican primary, with three candidates having already announced and several others considering a run for Congress.

Click on the following links to download an updated copy of the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation's 2012 Election Tracker and 2012 Turnover Tracker. These documents are updated daily.

Cady Thomas
Director of Government Affairs
cthomas@ncrealtors.org

The Online CE Shop, NCAR's online CE provider, also provides short complimentary videos presented by some of the nation's highest producing agents and leading instructors on their site Real Life 365. "3 Apps for Mobile Technology" is presented by leading technology expert, Amy Chorew.

Click here to view the video: http://ncrealtors.theceshop.com/reallife365

Real Life 365 is the real estate industry's ultimate resource for high-impact, on-demand learning presented by some of the nation’s top producing agents and leading instructors.

Ellie Edwards
Director of Professional Development
eedwards@ncrealtors.org

After months of painstaking talks, government authorities and five of the nation’s biggest banks have agreed to a $26 billion settlement that could provide relief to nearly two million current and former American homeowners harmed by the bursting of the housing bubble, state and federal officials said.

Many experts indicate the success of the agreement could depend in part on how effectively the program is carried out because earlier efforts by Washington aimed at troubled borrowers helped far fewer than had been expected.

Still, the agreement is the broadest effort yet to help borrowers owing more than their houses are worth, with roughly one million expected to have their mortgage debt reduced by lenders or able to refinance their homes at lower rates.

For more information, click here.

Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

Know what “Early-Early Bird” means? It defines historic savings to attend the NC/SC REALTORS® 2012 Conference & Expo on Sept. 8-12 in beautiful Savannah, Ga. Through the end of February only, the registration fee is only $150 – the lowest rate offered since 2002!Click here to register today!
Kevin BraffordDirector of Communications & Marketing
kbrafford@ncrealtors.org

The NC Association of REALTORS® is pleased to announce the launch of a statewide public issues campaign. Named “Professionally Guiding You Since 1921,” the campaign began over the weekend and fulfills a directive in both the 2011 and 2012 Strategic Plans. Since the campaign is issues focused, it is being funded through the Issues Mobilization Fund. Below are a few key components of the campaign. For more detailed information, click here.
• The “Guiding You” campaign is broken down into phases. Measurable success in Phase I, which extends through the end of March, will be required before Phase II is funded. When we have evidence that Phase I is going to be successful, NCAR will apply for grants from NAR to assist in the funding of Phase II.

• In Phase I the primary target audience is the North Carolina legislature, the Governor and various opinion leaders. As a result, a TV commercial has been produced and will play on NC SPIN and News 14 Carolina’s Political Connections shows.
• All of our ads direct viewers to an interactive page on the NCAR site, using the URL http://www.letarealtorguideyou.com/.  
• We are also using social media to ask for input from and begin a dialogue with consumers and citizens regarding how to improve the economy of North Carolina and in turn improve the quality of life of our citizens. Please “like” our “Let a REALTOR® Guide You” Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/); search for Let a REALTOR® Guide You. Our goal is to direct viewers to the many programs and good things REALTORS® and NCAR are involved in and do every day.
We want you, our members, to use this campaign in your business. As an NCAR member, you can place a link to the commercial and our new interactive website on any and all communications you feel would be appropriate to your individual business.

Since Google launched its Chrome Web store in December, extensions have sprung up to simplify the messy world of Internet browsing. If you're a member of the club that spends more time looking at screens than people, some simple browser add-ons can streamline many of your daily processes on the job.

http://www.openforum.com/articles/10-free-google-chrome-apps-for-increased-productivity

Samantha Ashburn
Electronic Communications Manager
sashburn@ncrealtors.org

Employees who lack enthusiasm for their jobs can pose a big hurdle. But as a manager, there are things you can do. In today's edition of Make-Your-Business-Better, the Harvard Business Review offers three tips to engage your employees every day.

They are:

• Facilitate progress. Employees feel engaged when they make headway toward objectives. So, make those goals clear.
• Make work meaningful. Your company doesn’t need a lofty mission to make employees care. They simply need to see how their actions contribute to company value.
• Reward and recognize. Don’t wait for milestones. Show appreciation every day for the work your employees do.

Source: Harvard Business Review Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

Blame it on distressed sales for falling home values, according to CoreLogic’s December Home Price Index.

Home prices nationwide dropped nearly 5 percent from 2010 to 2011, but if you exclude distressed sales, prices dropped only by 0.9 percent, according to CoreLogic.

"Until distressed sales in the market recede, we will see continued downward pressure on prices," Mark Fleming, chief economist of CoreLogic, told AOL Real Estate.

Source: NAR
Follow the link below for the complete article.
"Distressed Sales Undercut Home Prices in 2011, Study Says"

Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

Online Continuing Education - Presidents' Day Sale!

Take 20% OFF during the month of February!

Simply visit http://ncrealtors.theceshop.com/ and enter promotional code FEB20 at checkout.

Promotion ends February 29th!




Ellie Edwards
Director of Professional Development
eedwards@ncrealtors.org

As you've probably already seen across the headlines today, the most recent Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home-price index reported that home prices fell for a third straight month in November in nearly all cities tracked by the index.

But before you get too pessimistic, follow the link below to view an article appearing in the Wall Street Journal detailing what might be a disconnect between Case Shiller’s index and the actual state of the housing market.
Click here to view the article.

Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

In today’s hectic business world, who has the time to research vendors or check out how to get more for your money? Thank goodness for the REALTOR® Partner Program! Since 1994, the North Carolina Association of REALTORS® has partnered with Pearl Insurance to bring you the most comprehensive Real Estate Errors & Omissions Insurance coverage around. It is one of the best rated E&O programs and offers a wide range of programs especially designed for real estate professionals. Visit: www.pearlinsurance.com/ncar for more information.

The REALTOR® Partners Program is a program that offers discounts to NC REALTORS® on business purchases with participating companies.

Sarah Beth Coggin
Partner Program Manager
sbcoggin@ncrealtors.org

Inman News released a report highlighting metro areas that are expected to “outshine many other markets in real estate performance this year” and Raleigh-Cary topped the list!

In its report, Inman News scanned metro areas with populations over 150,000 to find where real estate sales volume is rising, job markets are growing, foreclosure activity is low, sales prices are appreciating, and home affordability is at high levels.

Follow the link below to view the other four metro areas. 

Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org

Getting people to do what you want is difficult, especially if you lack authority. In today's edition of Make-Your-Business-Better, we focus on getting what you want -- in a subtle way.

According to the Harvard Business Review, here are three tactics:

• Talk Less, Listen More
• Make Them Like You
• Do Something Nice for Someone

Click here for more details.

Barbara West, e-PRO
Communications Specialist
bwest@ncrealtors.org