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Brunswick County Association of REALTORS Association Insights Newsletter

REDISCOVER YOU MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

If you were not one of the 250 attendees at our General Membership Meeting last week, you missed one of our best meetings yet. I have heard from many that a great time was had by all. It has been a goal of our Membership Committee to make our meetings fun, factual and free. They knocked it out of the park last night. It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves. Hats off to our staff for a flawless event.

Recently I had a meeting with the Committee Chairs to review the Strategic Plan and mark our progress for 2008. We discussed how our programming is planned to bring the best possible services to our members and to fulfill our mission and vision. I thought it would be interesting to share a few of the benefits with you.

One benefit we tend to forget is the volunteer member. This year over 140 BCAR members are serving on local committees and 16 are serving on state committees. They spend their time and talents to bring you quality education programs, public relation efforts to promote the REALTOR® brand, new and innovative products and updates in the MLS and networking opportunities.

One of the newest benefits of membership is our new meeting and banquet facility 101 Stone Chimney Place.

I have been asked “How does this benefit me?” When the Building committee first considered the new building it was obvious we needed a centrally located facility in Brunswick County large enough to have our own meetings. To build a structure that large we needed to think about the cost effectiveness of using it only 6 or 7 times a year. The idea took form to have a banquet center we could also rent out to others for non dues income. Our facility is expected to develop into a substantial source of non dues income for our association well into the future. As I have stated previously, we are well ahead of our projections for the year. We continue to offer substantial discounts to our members for the use of the Banquet Salons for their personal or company events. As I am writing this the rooms are being prepared for a regional brokerage firm to hold a sales meeting that will host the CEO of that countrywide brand. That is exciting and events like this are what will make our facility a success.

Please circle Friday, June 13^th on your calendars. We are calling this Aloha Friday. It will be a fun filled evening with a reverse raffle. There will also be a silent auction. There will be a flyer coming out soon, so please mark the date.

Another question you might think about is: Where would we stand without the REALTOR® Association? The answer would be: Probably working under local, state and federal rules and regulations that stifle creativity, limit the use of real property and inhibit our ability to make a living. The fact is that you have local, state and national lobbyists monitoring the issues that affect real estate. Right now we are faced with proposed stormwater regulations that could hamper the ability to build a home on almost every lot in Brunswick County. BCAR and NCAR are working hard to identify the impact and develop strategies to change or defeat these regulations. It is hard to place a value on representation like this.

Our education committee and staff are working hard to provide CE classes to all our members on a regular basis. I would ask all of our members to take advantage of these classes. It is another way we can offset dues increases in the future. They are also working on increasing our designation courses. You will no longer need to drive hundreds of miles to get your GRI, CRS, CRB, SRES, ABR and other designations that assist in your personal development and profitability. This will allow our members to have significant travel savings.

We are constantly researching new ways to bring the best and most cost efficient services to the membership but we need your help. Please support our educational efforts and our facility. If you hear of someone planning an event, send them our way. We have received tremendous reviews from all of the folks that have used 101 Stone Chimney Place.

We have just received our new MLS Map books. These can be purchased for $25.00 and will assist you in locating and identifying information you need on listings.

While I have just named a few of the benefits, the biggest and best is to get involved yourself. I personally invite you to take advantage of all your member benefits.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to read this column and remember, BCAR can’t spell success without “U.”

Hope you have a great day!

President’s Message

Vol 1, Issue 3, April 2008

Brunswick County Association of REALTORS®

101 Stone Chimney Road

Supply, NC 28462

910-754-5700

www.bcarnc.com

MLS News and Notes

Listing Foreclosures owned by a financial institution

Remember, when listing foreclosed properties on the MLS that are owned by a financial institution, you must enter CORPORATE in the Owner Name field.

Entering “Comp” Listings

The MLS Rules & Regulations Section 4.7 state that only listings that were submitted to the MLS database are eligible for inclusion as comparables.

Full MLS news here

Click here for more new MLS info

Click here for MLS Charts

Click here for February and March MLS statistics

Dear Polly:

I have been asked to list a home in one of THE best subdivisions in the area. The seller has instructed me not to place the home in MLS or the paper, but to rather send postcards to everyone in the subdivision so they can “pick their own neighbor.” Apparently, everyone in the subdivision agreed to market their homes this way should they ever decide to sell. Is it ok for me to do this? After all, I’m following his instructions Full Story

Legislative Update

The legislative department is working several key issues affecting the real estate industry.

Coastal Stormwater-Brunswick New Hanover and Onslow counties are under federally-mandated stormwater controls called Phase II. These new rules were implemented in July of 2007. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) wants to expand the Phase II rules to the other 17 coastal counties. NCDENR also wants to amend the current Phase II rules with several additions that will affect property development. Three significant changes to the current rules include taking designated wetlands out of the calculated area for allowed built-upon area.

Full Story

NEWS from NCAR:

Renting is better than trying to sell an empty home!

Click here for full story

Special offer! Our banquet center is open for business! BCAR Members will receive 10% off the regular price of a rental with a signed contract and deposit thru July 31, 2008. Your event may be scheduled at any time.

www.101StoneChimneyPlace.com

Certain restrictions apply. Call 754-7050 for details