REALTOR Happy Hour on February 2 The Suburban West REALTORS Association is pleased to announce the next Happy Hour for members of the Association. All members are invited to attend our Happy Hour on Thursday, February 2 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Alberto's in Newtown Square.

Like previous events, it will feature complimentary appetizers, discounted drinks and great prize giveaways courtesy of the following Affiliate members:

• Affinity Mortgage Solutions (Greg Clefisch)
• Helpful Home Inspectors (Alan Fastman)
• HouseMaster Home Inspection Service (Joseph Hagarty)
• Nicolas Building Inspection Services (Habib Nicolas)
• PA Certified Home Inspections (Steve Lybrand)
• US Inspect (Tom Braune)
• Washington Mutual Home Loans (Steve Lake)
• Wells Fargo (Dave Barton)

The Value of a REALTOR The Professionalism Task Force is charged with identifying and addressing issue(s) that affect REALTORS. One such issue is the public perception and image of REALTORS. To assist in addressing this issue, the task force is asking members to consider the following:

“In today's real estate market, the consumer has an unprecedented access to real estate information via the internet. This information includes, but is certainly not limited to, mortgage, market analysis, and even home inspection issues. How do you describe the value that you bring to your client that these web portals do not?”

Safety Initatives from the Suburban West REALTORS Associaiton While a sad reality, no one is immune to the possible dangers that exist for REALTORS on the job. Whether you are woman or a man, a REALTOR for 3 months or 30 years, there are inherent risks that you need to be aware of and try to minimize. The Suburban West REALTORS Association wants to remind all members that it has safety education opportunities available for all agents.

The Association has a safety program that can be delivered directly to your office. As part of our on- going outreach efforts, staff is prepared to speak anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours on safety issues that fit your needs. If interested in setting up a visit, please contact Steve Farace at sfarace@suburbanwestrealtors.com.

Coatesville Residents Can Pay Property Taxes in Installments City officials will allow residents to pay their city property taxes in installments this year, in an effort to lesson the impact of an 80 percent tax increase. In addition, under the new plan, there will be a longer window for residents to make payment without incurring a penalty. Property taxes in Coatesville have been raised to 9.905 mills. As of this year, Coatesville will no longer use a two tier system (taxing land an buildings separately), and this mill rate will cover both. (Source: Daily Local; 1/25/2006)

Memorial Notice It is with sorrow that we report that Frank Terrizzi, Sr., father of current REALTOR member Frank Terrizzi, passed away on January 25. Frank Sr. was Past President of the Delaware County Association of REALTORS and a longtime member of the Association. Friends are invited to attend his Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Monday, January 30 at St. John Fisher Catholic Church, 4225 Chichester Ave., Boothwyn, PA, where there will be calling from 9:30 to 11. Interment will follow in Lawn Croft Cemetery, Linwood. Contributions in Frank's name may be made to American Cancer Society, 1615 West Chester Pike, Suite 102, West Chester, PA 19382.

Land Development and Home Prices: What’s The Connection? Why have home prices skyrocketed so much in Chester County? The quick answer is low interest rates and easy money. We all know that to be true. There is another reason you may not have considered, and that is the cost of developing land and getting building lots approved for new residential construction. Developers who are in the process of subdividing land, paying for the rising costs of attorneys, engineers, surveyors, environmental specialists, township resources, etc. are adding to the end user’s cost of purchasing a new home. New home prices increase and existing home prices follow suit.

Additionally, the supply of developable land in the county has been decreasing. If you were to look at building lots available for purchase in Chester County, you will find several common themes. The lots may require a septic system and well water; they will likely be on a rolling hill or even a steep slope, or they may have streams or wetlands. All of these “features” are signs that the perfect building lot is hard to come by these days. Each year, Chester County has fewer and fewer sites that can support new homes and the sites it does have are more difficult to build upon. (Source: Daily Local; 1/24/06)

Millionaire Moms Mastermind Group Formed A number of REALTORS who are Moms have recently formed a group that will meet monthly. They are currently accepting more members who meet the following criteria: Mother to child(ren) at home, at least 2 years as a REALTOR and have completed at least 10 transactions. For more information, please call Kim Wood at 610-725-0749 or email kim-wood@comcast.net.Please note that is an announcement for the group and that the group is not affiliated with the Association.

Reminders Relocation Representation--Relocation sales are becoming an important growth area in real estate. Either transferred by their employer or seeking a change of venue on their own, these consumers need representation that is different form the traditional buyer or seller. To represent a transferee you need to know how the relocation process works as well as what kinds of service the transferee needs. The Association of Realtors School will present Successful Buyer Representation in Relocation Sales on Thursday, February 2, 9:00 – 5:00 p.m. Tuition is $149.00 and includes all course materials and lunch. The course has been approved for 7 hours of PA 04-06 real estate License Renewal, 6 hours of DE real estate license renewal and satisfies the elective credit for the ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative) Designation. Note: This course is open to all REALTORS. You do not have to be an ABR candidate to attend. To register, click here or call 610-560-4900.

e-PRO Approved for Continuing Education Credit-- We are excited to announce that e-PRO, the National Association of REALTOR'S online technology certification course, has been approved for 15 elective hours of Pennsylvania license renewal credit and 1 elective broker credit. Credits will be issued through the Pennsylvania Realtors Institute (PRI). Any student completing the course after November 16, 2005 may receive renewal and broker credits by forwarding their completion certificate to PRI at prionline@parealtor.org. The transcript fee of $20 can be paid by calling the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS solutions center at 1-800- 745-5527. To register to take the online e-pro course, please click here.

Important Phone Numbers & Websites

• Association of REALTORS School: 610-560-4900 (www.realtors-school.com)
• REALTORS Legislative Alliance: 610-981-9000 (www.rladirect.com)
• Suburban West REALTORS Association TECH HOTLINE: 800-704-7240 (email: techhotline@att.net) (8:30 am to 8 pm, Monday to Friday)
• PAR Legal Hotline: 800-727-5345 (9 am to 11 am & 1 pm to 3 pm, Monday to Friday)
• Suburban West REALTORS Association Website: www.suburbanwestrealtors.com
• SUPRA Support: 877-699-6787 (8 am to 10 pm, Everyday)
• TREND: 610-783-4650 (www.trendmls.com)