| Weekly News Service
Providing the Latest Association and Local Real Estate
Information
The Weekly News
Service is an exclusive benefit available to members of the Suburban
West REALTORS Association. Featuring both Association news and local
real estate industry information, the Weekly News is a service meant
to benefit all members of the organization.
REALTORS Encouraged to Participate in Tax Study
Commissions
School boards across the state are scrambling to appoint tax
study commissions, a result of recent taxpayer-relief legislation
signed by Gov. Rendell. As mandated by Act 1 of Special Session
2005-6 passed June 27, school boards must put together commissions
consisting of residents or taxpayers of the school district who
reflect the socioeconomic, age and occupational diversity of each
school district.
School districts will appoint citizen tax-study commissions
by September 14 to review how school property-tax rates can be
offset by a greater proportion of income-based taxes such as earned
income or personal income taxes. School boards will appoint five,
seven or nine district residents as commission members, who will
study district finances, hold at least one public meeting and make
recommendations on taxes and tax rates for the 2007-08
budgets.
This is an excellent opportunity for REALTORS to become
involved in local property-tax issues. The RLA and PAR encourage you
to serve on your school district’s commission. Contact your school
district directly to inquire about application deadlines. Click
here for a list of public school districts in our membership
area.
Save the Dates Upcoming Association Events in the Fall
The Suburban West REALTORS Association will be conducting a
number of events for members in September and October. These events
are a tremendous opportunity to build business relationships with
other REALTORS and Affiliate Members and gain valuable information
to assist with growing your business. The upcoming events
are:
TREND classes are coming back to Malvern. On September
18, the Association will host CMA- Comps and Reports from 10 a.m. to
12 noon AND Top 10 Tips To Maximize the Effectiveness of TREND from
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Note that both of these courses are free of
charge and open to all REALTORS of the organization. To register,
call 610-560-4800 or email Vinnie at vpagnini@suburbanwestrealtors.com.
On September 20, the Association will conduct its next
Happy Hour at George's in Wayne. This has been one of the best
locations for the events and many members have come out to meet and
greet fellow members, enjoy complimentary appetizers and drink
specials, and be eligible to win great door prizes generously
donated by Affiliate Members. The event will run from 5:00 p.m. to
7:00 p.m. and for more information, please
click here.
Finally, on October 25, the Association will conduct its
Annual Membership Meeting at the Springfield Country Club. This
year's meeting will feature nationally-recognized speaker Terry
Watson and his program Top 10 Technology Mistakes that 99% of Agents
Make. Watson's energetic style has wowed REALTORS at National
Association of REALTORS Conferences over the past several years and
we are fortunate to have him for our event. The cost of the event is
$35 and also features a complimentary continental breakfast. Click
here for more information.
Professionalism Tip--Why and When Should You Use the
Cooperating Broker Compensation (CBC)
There are two primary purposes for using the Cooperating
Broker Compensation form. 1)To negotiate cooperating compensation
where no offer is being made (e.g. where the cooperating broker is
not a member of the MLS, or where the property is not listed in the
MLS and 2) To renegotiate an offer of compensation in the MLS. Many
brokers use the CBC to confirm the offer made in the MLS; however,
this is not necessary.
The Internet has dissolved physical geographic boundaries.
REALTORS find themselves serving clients interested in property
outside their own MLS system. If you are not a member of the MLS
where the property is listed, the listing agent has no contractual
obligation to give you cooperating compensation. This is a perfect
example of when to use the CBC.
Standard of Practice 3-1 states in part, “Terms of
compensation, if any, shall be ascertained by cooperating brokers
before beginning efforts to accept offers of compensation.” In any
scenario where the CBC is used, the form shall be used BEFORE an
agreement of sale and preferably before introducing the buyer client
to the property. Your business relationship agreement with the buyer
will dictate how you expect to be paid and insufficient funds from
the listing broker could affect the buyer’s bottom line.
Sharon Hill Considers Sprinkler Ordinance
The Sharon Hill Borough Council is expected to consider for
adoption a sprinkler ordinance at their next meeting on Thursday,
August 24, 2006. REALTORS support the development and enforcement of
reasonable fire prevention criteria for all types of real property.
However, in general, REALTORS believe that sprinkler requirements
enforced solely at the point of sale or conversion to a rental
property do little to promote health, safety and welfare of all
citizens.
Please visit the RLA
Action Center to contact the Sharon Hill Council Members via
email at boro@sharonhillboro.com or
by calling 610-586- 8200 to voice your opposition to this ordinance.
REALTORS are also asked to forward this information to clients and
neighbors to have them participate in this response to borough
officials as well. Finally, please show your support for our efforts
by attending the meeting on the 24th at the Sharon Hill Municipal
Building located on 250 Sharon Avenue Sharon Hill, PA 19079.
Questions about this issue can be directed to James Ridge or Erin
Smist at 610-981-9000.
Memorial Notice
The Association is saddened to report the passing of Mary
Christy, a REALTOR with with Century 21 Alliance, Havertown on
August 12. A viewing will be held tomorrow morning (Saturday, August
19) at Buxmont Christian Church, 400 Jacksonville Road, Ivyland from
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The service will follow at 11 a.m. at the Church.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Mary Christy
Scholarship Fund, in care of Commerce Bank, 120 W. Eagle Road,
Havertown, PA 19083.
Reminders
Begin Earning the ABR Designation in Springfield--
Following up on our successful MCE courses in the spring, the
Association of REALTORS School is pleased to bring more education
courses to Delaware County. The 2 day Accredited Buyer Agency course
will be held at the Springfield Country Club on September 18 and 19,
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The course tuition is $249 which includes
lunch both days and all course materials. The ABR designation class
has been submitted for 14 hours of PA MCE credit, 12 Hours of DE MCE
Credit and 1 broker credit.
In addition to the required Accredited Buyer Agency course,
the School offers a full complement of elective courses, allowing
students the flexibility and convenience of completing the course
work needed to earn the ABR designation. For more information,
please click
here.
Know Someone Interested in a Career in Real
Estate--Pre-Licensing Courses could be the key to a successful
new career in Real Estate for your family, friends and clients. We
are now accepting registrations for our Fall Session that begins
September 12 and runs 10 weeks (two classes/two nights a week). To
sign up today, call 610-560-4900 or email gparke@suburbanwestrealtors.com.
Knowing that many individuals' schedules are tighter than
ever, the Association has also just begun offering our Pre-License
courses online. This provides another convenient option for students
to pursue their real estate license. To learn more, please click
here.
Important Phone Numbers & Websites
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