Arcadia REALTOR Magazine - November 2011

Arcadia

REALTOR速

The Official Publication of the Arcadia Association of REALTORS速

AAR Strategic Planning See page 16

Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Making Your Business Global See page 12

AAR YPN Heads North!

See page 10

Short Sales Deficiencies Facts See page 5

NOVEMBER 2011

WWW.THEAAR.COM

VOL. 15, NO. 11

Arcadia

REALTOR®

Arcadia Association of REALTORS® 601 South First Avenue Arcadia, California 91006 626.446.2115 626.446.4072 FAX www.TheAAR.com

2011 ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

REGULAR FEATURES 4 Events Calendar

4 From the EVP’s Desk

By Andrew Cooper, Executive Vice President

5 Attorney Comments

By Dave Freeman, AAR Legal Counsel

6 Market Matters

11 Tech Talk

“Great Savings & Technology Tools”

Source: N.A.R. Technology Tools Resources

13 Affiliate Corner

“It’s Not The Market - It’s The Chocolate Cake”

By John Thompson, Benchmark Mortgage

11.11

{ Arcadia REALTOR® | November | Two Thousand and Eleven | Volume Fifteen | Number Eleven}

2

November 2011

Paulina Lee {President} Ryan Asao {President-Elect} Andy Bencosme {Vice-President} James Thomas {Secretary/Treasurer}

2011 DIRECTORS

John Barker Margaret Garemore Jeanne Keating Suzie Koo George Monte Joseph Pacilio Mike Vachani Kelvin Wong Nick Zigic

2011 C.A.R. DIRECTORS

Ryan Asao John Barker Andy Bencosme Jeanne Keating Paulina Lee George Monte Richard Stone James Thomas Randall Traw Kelvin Wong Nick Zigic

ARCADIA ASSOCIATION STAFF

We are here to help you with your needs!

Office Phone 626.446.2115 Robin Allen Ext. 307 Bookkeeper Robin@TheAAR.com Michael Beltran Ext. 302 Webmaster / Tech Michael@TheAAR.com Jane DeGraaf-Wade Association Service Specialist Jane@TheAAR.com

Ext. 301

Stephanie Maertens Supra Specialist / MLS Caravan / Publications Stephanie@TheAAR.com

Ext. 303

Brenda Reed Social Media / MLS Data Integrity Brenda@TheAAR.com

Ext. 304

Maria Roberts Ext. 305 Director of Membership Maria@TheAAR.com Andrew Cooper Ext. 308 Executive Vice President Andrew@TheAAR.com

ON THE COVER 5

Short Sales Deficiencies Facts

A brief break-down from C.A.R. on Short Sales.

10 AAR YPN Heads North

Members of the YPN Committee headed North to San Jose to meet with legislators about important issues that affect real estate.

12 Certified International Property

Specialist (CIPS)

Making Your Business Global

A recap of the recent CIPS course that was hosted by the AAR.

16 AAR Strategic Planning

Members of AAR leadership and several AAR staff joined together recently to plan ahead for the future of our Association.

ADDITIONAL CONTENTS 7

AAR New Members The AAR welcomes its newest REALTOR® members.

15

Do You Treat All Parties Honestly?

Some simple guidelines to follow to ensure that you treat those around you with honesty and integrity.

8

C.A.R. Business Meetings Report A look at the recent C.A.R. meetings in San Jose.

15

Commercial Marketing Mixer

9

Monrovia Business Showcase

17

Now Accepting Installation Sponsorships

The AAR recently participated in this event which offered local businesses the chance to make their name known to the local community.

10

33rd Annual LACBOR Legislative Day

The AAR is now accepting sponsorships for the annual Installation on Friday, December 9, 2011.

17

AAR and Paulina Lee Presented with Award Certificate

C.A.R. recently honored the AAR and President, Paulina Lee with an Award Certificate.

(photo on front cover) CIPS Students with the course instructors are (Standing L to R): Yueming Zhu, Henry Liu, Roger Lan, Aihua Ji Craven, Simon Darvish, Carmen Li, Andrew Cooper, AAR Executive Vice President; Olga Anoshechkina, Brian Wahlbrink, Roland Rogge, Weige Yun, Michael Repka, Tommy Thai, David Hyun, Frank Tripicchio and Dorine Tuan. (Seated L to R): Jennifer Gonzalez La’O, Karen Rosenbaum, Sharon Mancillas, May Wan, Instructor; Fanny Chu, Instructor; Donna Johnston and Amy To.

Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

3

November Events Calendar 2

3

8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan - Food Drive, Bring NonPerishable Food Items 9:30 a.m. - Events 4 Charity Committee Mtg. 1:00 p.m. - Ethics Video

4

8:30 a.m. - “Economic and Real Estate Forecast for 2012”

5

Thanksgiving Food Drive

7

9:00 a.m. - New Member Orientation

8

8:30 a.m. - AAR Staff Mtg. 11:00 a.m. - Tech Committee Mtg. 1:30 p.m. - CRMLS Operations Mtg.

9

8:30 a.m. - New Member Induction 8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan 9:00 a.m. - Affiliate Committee Mtg. 9:30 a.m. - MLS Committee Mtg. 3:30 p.m. - Equal Opportunity / Housing Affordability Committee Mtg.

10

12:00 p.m. - Young Professionals Network Committee Mtg.

11

AAR Office Closed in Observance of Veteran’s Day N.A.R. in Anaheim (Nov. 11th - 14th)

14

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - CRMLS Training

15

10:00 a.m. - ZipForms Training 1:00 p.m. - Budget and Finance Committee Mtg. 2:00 p.m. - Education Committee Mtg.

16

8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan 9:30 a.m. - Marketing Committee Mtg. 1:00 p.m. - Ethics Video 1:30 p.m. - Local Governmental Relations Committee Mtg. 3:00 p.m. - Global Business Alliance Committee Mtg.

17

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - “Double Your Income” 1:30 p.m. - CRMLS Finance Mtg.

18

8:30 a.m. - Board of Directors Mtg.

21

10:00 a.m. - CRMLS Association Executive’s Mtg.

23

No MLS Caravan

24-25

AAR Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

28

12:00 p.m. - CRMLS Board of Directors Mtg.

23

8:30 a.m. - MLS Caravan

4

9:30 a.m. - Commercial Committee Mtg. 11:00 a.m. - Commercial Marketing Mixer

November 2011

FROM THE EVP’S DESK In these days of rushing through life, especially this time of year, it’s all too easy to not appreciate what we already have. As REALTORS® and Affiliates we are goal oriented by nature and as such we tend to live in the future. This oftentimes causes us to lose sight of the present. If we can realize that we can’t control the future but we can control the present by the choices we make (or don’t make) we will then have a better grasp of what we currently have and can in turn be grateful for those things and those people in our lives.

Whenever I make that statement the automatic response I get is “But I don’t have an escrow” or “I don’t have a listing, so how can I be thankful?”. It’s quite simple, really. By adhering to the present we will realize we are STILL in this business despite the economy and that we are survivors! By still being in business look at all the positive choices we can make TODAY such as networking with more people or making additional contacts to prospective buyers and sellers (your choices are endless). At the end of the day we will be thankful we still had these choices to make and we will be thankful to those in our lives who have supported us in our business as REALTORS® and Affiliates.

Remember, if we learn to appreciate more of what we already have, we will find ourselves having more to appreciate. I am truly thankful to all our members for being a part of the Arcadia Association of REALTORS® and I wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Andrew Cooper

Executive Vice-President

Attorney Comments October 2011

By Dave Freeman, Association Counsel 1. ASSISTANTS – EMPLOYEES OR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS? A great deal of time was spent at the San Jose C.A.R. meetings concerning this issue.

Many issues come into question here in determining whether the assistant is an employee or an independent contractor.

Agents generally like to consider the person an independent contractor, so that it is not necessary to withhold taxes, EDD payments and to have worker’s compensation insurance. However, the taxing and governing authorities love to prove you wrong. Remember, they can audit you and demand payments for three or four years in arrears if you fail to make the necessary payments.

Factors considered in deciding the issue are: • The amount of control the agent has over how the assistant’s work is done.

• Control over where the assistant performs the work.

• Control over the time the assistant works.

• Other relevant factors are taken into account as well Also consider the fact that unlicensed assistants are frequently performing activities which are reserved

solely for licensees, which activity can lead to liability for the agent, broker and manager. Be sure to use the forms, prepared

by C.A.R., to make as clear as possible your individual situation.

Remember: Brokers and managers are responsible for supervision over all of the people, employees or independent contractors, even if they are only working for an agent in the office.

2. MARS – DOCUMENTATION RETENTION AND ADVERTISING: This law, having to do with the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services, prohibits misleading statements in mortgages and mortgage products, primarily dealing with single family one to four unit properties.

The basic rule is don’t use deceptive practices or language and keep all your documents and advertisements for two years.

The Feds have recently given clarification regarding enforcement. If you hold yourself out as a way to stop foreclosures or a “Short Sale Negotiator,” you will probably fall under the MARS regulation. However, if you just perform short sales, or hold yourself out to be Short Sale Specialist, and end up negotiating a short sale with the existing lender, you will probably not be required to conform with

the MARS Rules and Regulations, nor will you be required to use the MARS disclosure forms.

There is a fine legal Q & A on the MARS Rule available to you through C.A.R. Legal on the C.A.R. website.

3. SMALL CLAIMS COURT: The limit for Small Claims actions is being raised to $10,000.00 on January of 2012.

Corporations and entities other than natural persons will still be limited in their claims to $5,000.00. Further, you will be limited to only 2 matters exceeding $2,500.00 in any 12 month period. Bodily injury/ automobile accidents will still be limited to the $7,500.00 limit where the defendant has insurance.

This new limit on Small Claims Court actions will greatly benefit your clients who have a claim against the seller of a property who fails to disclose defects, or, for instance, where a landlord has a claim against a tenant for delinquent rent or against a vacated tenant who has damaged the premises or owes rent, and various other matters. Many of these matters are too small and too cost prohibitive to employ a lawyer, but justify going after the defendant for this larger amount.

Short Sales Deficiencies Facts General Rule: A mortgage lender is generally prohibited from pursuing a deficiency or deficiency judgment for a short sale involving a one-to-four residential unit property.

Prohibited Acts: Where applicable, a mortgage lender involved in a short sale is prohibited from engaging in any of the following acts: • Collecting a deficiency; • Having a borrower owe a deficiency; • Requesting a deficiency judgment; • Having a court render a deficiency judgment; or • Requiring the borrower to pay any additional compensation, aside from the proceeds of the sale, in exchange for written consent to a short sale.

Applicability: A borrower is protected under this law if all the following requirements are met, and no exception applies: • Mortgage loan is solely secured by a deed of trust; • Mortgage loan is for a one-to-four residential unit property; • Borrower sells for less than the outstanding loan balance owed; • Lender provides a written short sale approval; • Title voluntarily transfers to a buyer by grant deed or other conveyance document recorded in the county where the property is located; and

•

Source: C.A.R. Legal

Proceeds of the sale have been tendered to the lender or lender’s agent in accordance with the parties’ agreement.

Exceptions: Exceptions include any of the following: • Lender seeking damages for fraud or waste; • Borrower is a corporation, LLS, or limited partnership; • Cross-collateralized loan (special rules apply); • Borrower is a political subdivision of the state; • Bond lien; or • Public utility lien.

Effective Date: July 15, 2011. The new law protects a borrower who closes escrow after the law came into effect on July 15, 2011. For short sales that closed escrow before July 15, 2011, the borrower may be protected for a first trust deed under the previous law or by asserting other legal arguments.

Practice Tip: Regardless of the law, it would be prudent for a borrower to obtain the lender’s written and signed agreement to release the borrower from any and all liability for the mortgage loan, and to report “no deficiency balance” to the credit bureaus.

Legal Authority: the full text of Senate Bill 458 (codified as section 580e of the California Code of Civil Procedure) is available at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

5

Market

Matters

Market Statistics for the San Gabriel Valley September 2011 Single Family Homes

City Alhambra

6

Zip Code 91801

Condominiums

Price % Sales of Chg from Sales Single Family Price Median September Count Homes SFR ($1,000) 2010 Condos 16

$453

SFR Only

Price Price & Median Chg from Median Condo September Home Price/ ($1,000) 2010 Sq. Ft.

0.7%

5

$335

-8.2%

$265

Alhambra

91803

6

$434

-4.9%

1

$340

n/a

$307

Altadena

91001

33

$372

-33.4%

4

$544

-37.5%

$316

Arcadia

91006

27

$720

-21.3%

6

$636

23.1%

$398

Arcadia

91007

12

$909

7.8%

4

$412

0.1%

$423

Azusa

91702

23

$250

-9.1%

10

$199

-4.2%

$215

Duarte

91010

9

$243

-21.0%

1

$316

-5.7%

$224

El Monte

91731

5

$315

1.3%

n/a

n/a

n/a

$281

El Monte

91732

11

$253

-7.2%

6

$285

-10.9%

$224

El Monte - South

91733

12

$297

-6.6%

3

$245

-24.4%

$236

Glendora

91740

17

$313

-6.4%

2

$285

-23.6%

$250

Glendora

91741

17

$475

3.5%

1

$713

69.8%

$254

La Ca単ada Flintridge

91011

19

$880

-11.1%

n/a

n/a

n/a

$412

La Verne

91750

22

$335

-27.2%

3

$229

-52.3%

$244

Monrovia

91016

24

$451

-8.6%

11

$260

-24.5%

$355

Pasadena

91101

1

n/a

n/a

10

$370

-14.5%

n/a

Pasadena

91103

9

$377

-21.8%

3

$284

-48.5%

$321

Pasadena

91104

17

$511

-8.3%

1

n/a

n/a

$366

Pasadena

91105

9

$790

-5.8%

7

$520

-9.2%

$408

Pasadena

91106

7

$865

17.7%

17

$335

-14.6%

$444

Pasadena

91107

26

$609

2.4%

2

$332

-30.8%

$376

Rosemead

91770

16

$336

-18.2%

n/a

n/a

n/a

$276

San Gabriel

91775

17

$640

-5.9%

n/a

n/a

n/a

$358

San Gabriel

91776

8

$414

-12.4%

5

$415

13.7%

$349

San Marino

91108

19

$1,338

-18.8%

n/a

n/a

n/a

$544

Sierra Madre

91024

8

$800

44.1%

1

$542

n/a

$416

Temple City

91780

16

$506

-7.6%

4

$375

-22.7%

$331

Source: DQNews.com

November 2011

AAR New Members The Arcadia Association of REALTORS速 would like to formally welcome our newest REALTOR速 members!

AAR new members with Membership Committee Vice Chairman, Cindy Shiao are (in no particular order): Irene Lin, Highland Real Estate; Steven Jones, RBD Real Estate Services, Inc.; Barbara Guo, Coldwell Banker Dynasty Temple City; Xiaodong Hu, Coldwell Banker George; Teresa Choi, Coldwell Banker George; Yan Zheng, Long Dragon Realty; Shun-Wei Fan, Long Dragon Realty; Jennifer Lipscomb, Keller Williams Realty; Rachel Rhodes, Prudential California Realty; Weirong Jiang, Long Dragon Realty; Ivan Yang, Long Dragon Realty; Adora Ma, Treeline Realty & Investment; Rosina Liu, Long Dragon Realty; Willie Kuo, Castleton Real Estate & Development; Karen Gee, Coldwell Banker George; Douglas Lee, AmerEstate Realty, Inc.; Hsiang-Jen Cheng, Treeline Realty & Investment; Yan Jiang, Coldwell Banker Dynasty Temple City; Kin Leung, Coldwell Banker George; Kristian Luong, Re/Max Premier Prop Arcadia; Kathleen Andrews, Coldwell Banker Arcadia; Alan Luu, Long Dragon Realty; Yan Chen, Grandmark Realty Inc.; Jessica Chen, Long Dragon Realty; Xiaohong Fu, Long Dragon Realty; Sandra Kao Yap, Coldwell Banker George; Kelly Andrews, Coldwell Banker Arcadia; Dianben Liu, IRN Realty; Kenny Liu, Long Dragon Realty; Elizabeth Lau, Long Dragon Realty; Lilian Fong, Keller Williams Realty; Betty Chan, Keller Williams Realty; Victor Han, Grandmark Realty Inc.; Chiaying Chien, IRN Realty; Chienchin Liu, Paul Shih Realty; Tienyu Wang, Coldwell Banker George; Andres Ortiz, Prudential California Realty; Jacklyn Chen, IRN Realty; Nong Chen, Treeline Realty & Investment and Karen Chang, Treeline Realty & Investment.

Arcadia REALTOR速 Magazine

Design Escrow, Inc. 20 Years of Doing Business and Providing Great Service!

C.A.R. Business Meetings Report

We offer Five Languages & Full time In House Messenger

By Ryan Asao, 2011 President-Elect

Standing (left to right): Yolanda Vidales, Julie Nguyen, Kai Wu, Jackie Ramos, Liem Ho, standing (left to right): Yolanda Vidales, Julie Nguyen, Kai Wu, Jackie Ramos, Liem Ho, Janet Cerswell, Janet Cerswell, Suzie Archuleta, Luly Goodmand and Jojo Ong Suzie Archuleta, Luly Goodman, Jojo Ong Sitting Fabbri,Alexis Alexis Ostensen, KayShelley GassMalicek and Shelly Malicek sitting(left (leftto to right): right): Terri Terri Fabbri, Ostensen, Kay Gass,

Specialize in: Bulks, Recently many of the AAR’s C.A.R. Short Sales Directors traveled to San Jose for the Commercial California Association of REALTORS® Shortpays Business meetings. One word that can REO’s sum up the week is, “INFORMATION!” Exchanges That’s why I love to be affiliated with Residential great organizations such as the Arcadia Associationand of REALTORS®, the Loans

California Association of REALTORS®, and the National Association of We are members of the: • Arcadia Association of REALTORS® • Amercan Escrow Association These esign Escrow is beginning our Association 20th year of doing REALTORS®. business! Our staff of organizations keep us informed of the • California Escrow Association • National Notary exciting things that • Escrow Associates of San Gabriel Valley • Pasadena Foothill Association of 6 escrow officers, a full time messenger and a supporting staff of 6, are are developing in our industry.

D

REALTORS®

committed to the successful 128 East Huntington Drive timely Arcadia, CA 91006

completion of your transaction.

This year the C.A.R. EXPO was in beautiful San Jose and

attracted over 5,200 attendees from throughout the state!

“It’s our people that make the difference.”

626.445.6137 The theme for the EXPO was E3 “Education, Enrichment,

Our team is expert in all aspects of conveyance including: Residential We had amazing keynote speakers such & Empowerment!” and Commercial Real Estate Sales, Exchanges, Loans & Refinances, as Jason Dorsey (The Gen Y Guy) and the always popular Business Opportunities & Probate Sales, Short Sales andEconomist R.E.O.’s . Leslie Appleton-Young (who is going C.A.R.

to be speaking at our Association on November 4th at the Krikorian Theatres Old Town Monrovia starting at 9:00 We are members ofinthe: a.m.). As Vice Chairman of the C.A.R. EXPO this year it was my pleasure to introduce our closing keynote speaker Walt arcadia association of realtors Mossberg, the author and creator of the weekly “Personal California escrow association Technology” column in the Wall Street Journal. escrow associates of

san speakers Gabriel Valleywere amazing and provided strategies All the to identify and work with Generation Y clients (who are american escrow association our future client base). The speakers gave us an economic 128 East Huntington Drive National Notary association update on the state of the market and we were informed Arcadia, CA 91006 about howassociation technology will influence our industry and Pasadena - foothill of realtors world in the future. For the first time ever we offered PRE EXPO TUESDAY which had different information tracts Log onto: www.designescrowcorp.com for attendees to choose from: Social Media, Education, Motivation, and even Property Management. This approach was very well received. The EXPO had over 160 exhibitors that introduced all the latest and greatest tools to help REALTORS® make more transactions and become more efficient.

We have Spanish, Cantonese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Mandarin speaking employees to assist you and your clients.

6 2 6 . 4 4 5 .6 1 3 7

Throughout the course of the week, the business meetings that were offered were all very informative. One of the most controversial topics we voted on was to keep our Political (continued on page 9)

8

November 2011

C.A.R. Business Meetings Report

(continued from page 8)

Action dues at $40 dollars in order to fight back and lobby for the real estate industry! In the end, the directors voted in favor of keeping our REALTOR速 Action Fund dues at $40 dollars in order to have the money to protect our profession and private property rights.

Next year, the C.A.R. EXPO & Business Meetings are in our neck of the woods. It will be held in beautiful Anaheim, California starting on October 3, 2012 and ending on the 6th. I hope to see many of you there. With that being said, our Association is always looking for agents to get involved with our Committees and we are always looking for the next leaders of the AAR. If you are interested in finding out what we have to offer, please contact either myself, any of our Board of Directors, or the wonderful Arcadia Association of REALTORS速 staff. I really hope you become involved and make it out to the 2012 C.A.R. EXPO & Business Meetings in Anaheim!

Monrovia Business Showcase

Last month the AAR Public Relations Committee hosted a booth at the Monrovia Business Showcase in Old Town Monrovia. This event serves as an excellent opportunity to make the public aware of the AAR and its purpose. Also, it offers a chance of promoting homeownership and using a REALTOR速. The AAR booth received a lot of interest and was a great success. Special thank you to Shannon Kriska, Fariba Tabibian, Arlynn Robinson and Sylvia Ramos who took turns with various shifts at the booth.

Sylvia Ramos (L) and Arlynn Robinson (R) take a turn promoting the AAR booth at the Monrovia Business Showcase. Not pictured: Fariba Tabibian and Shannon Kriska.

Arcadia REALTOR速 Magazine

9

AAR YPN Heads North!

By April Kass, YPN Committee Member

Some of our AAR Young Professionals Network (YPN) Committee members made it to San Jose for the C.A.R. Meetings in September. On Thursday, September 22nd, YPN members from around the state participated in the YPN Forum at the Hilton San Jose and later attended a C.A.R. YPN networking reception event.

At the YPN Forum we heard updates on YPN in regards to its state, national, and global growth (we currently have 15,000 registered members globally and are now in 48 states and 2 countries; California has the largest membership with 28 YPN Networks in the state). Current C.A.R. YPN Chairman, Tamara Suminski introduced the 2012 Leadership for C.A.R. YPN. The 2012 Chairman will be Jennifer Branchini and the Co-Vice Chairmen will be Melissa Krchnak and Yahia Zabdie. After the announcement about new and incoming leadership, a video for the YPN Million dollar pledge was shown which happened to be featuring our very own AAR YPN members, Ryan Asao and Micah Adams. (To watch the video online go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiOFGaFFOtM&feature=related).

As the meeting progressed, the Manager of Technology Training Programs for C.A.R., Chris Tellez, encouraged YPN members to become certified to teach classes. C.A.R. is in need of more people who are qualified to teach classes and offer designations. Those who are certified may even be able to travel in the instance that someone is needed in another part of the state.

The keynote speaker for the forum was Otto Catrina who spoke on the topic of Leadership. He is a Professor for the 2012 N.A.R. Leadership Academy. He inspired the packed room by discussing leadership traits and showing the group a couple of related videos on the topic. Within his message, he utilized a recent blog post that he wrote to sum up his entire point:

“The four areas or characteristics of being a great leader are honesty, being forward-looking, being inspirational and competency in your profession. Of those four, honesty keeps surfacing as being the number one trait in a leader. A leader needs to say what he or she plans to do, and then do it. I made it clear to the REALTOR® officers and executives that leaders have to talk candidly about expecting the best out of others, and to be inspiring and authentic, especially in today’s market when we’re going through some tough times. You can’t sugarcoat the message.”

The meeting closed with a couple of book suggestions on the leadership topic: “Credibility” and “The Leadership Challenge”. Also, there was an open forum to announce events and happenings in the YPN community. I was able to speak on behalf of the SoCal YPN group to announce the 2012 Mega Mixer which I am the Co-Chairman for. The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® will be a supporting Association for the second year and a number of our members are on the planning Committee for the event.

Following the completion of the forum event, YPN members from across the state gathered for a networking reception.

We shared food, stories, experiences, took photographs, and were able to network with top young professionals from throughout the state and be inspired by our industries next generation of leaders!

33rd Annual LACBOR Legislative Day

AAR members with the L.A. Country Assessor are (L to R): Camelia Vera; Assessor, John Noguez and Nick Zigic.

10

November 2011

Recently, AAR leadership members attended the Los Angeles County Board of REALTORS® (LACBOR) 33rd Annual Legislative Day. This event was both educational and informative with representation from the five County Supervisors (Michael Antonovich, Don Knabe, Gloria Molina, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Zev Yaroslavsky). Also present was the Los Angeles County Tax Assessor, John Noguez and California Association of REALTORS® Political Affairs Field Representative, Matt Garth. This event offers many great opportunities to network with community leaders and get updates on current changes in the real estate market.

Tech.Talk

GreatSource: Savings & Technology Tools N.A.R. Technology Tools Resources

Technology is an important part of a real estate professional’s life, and partners in this category have all the tools you need.

Browse this category and save on computers, peripherals and consumer electronics, create and maintain your Web site, and streamline your business with online management tools.

Dell Inc. Dell offers N.A.R. members discounts on all Dell desktops, notebooks, workstations, servers and storage.

zipForm® With zipForm®, information entered into a transaction form auto-populates to other forms without re-keying, saving time, while official association forms are printed right from your computer, saving money.

To access more information on any of these technology discounts and more, visit http://www.realtor.org/realtor_ benefits/technology.

DocuSign DocuSign Electronic Signature Service is the official and exclusive ESIGN provider for the National Association of REALTORS®.

DocuSign delivers a complete electronic process allowing you to quickly and easily electronically sign, track and store your documents.

Hewlett Packard Hewlett Packard is a global leader in digital imaging and computing technology; its reputation for quality and reliability is recognized worldwide. HP offers REALTORS® access to a customized site and discounts on HP commercial products.

Lenovo N.A.R. members save 5% to 21% on select award winning ThinkPad® notebooks and innovative ThinkCentreTM desktops from Lenovo. relay® relay® is a web-based transaction management system that provides a workflow and collaboration platform for all professionals and consumers participating in the real estate transaction.

Xerox Take advantage of the savings on Xerox products available for N.A.R. members.

Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

11

Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) “Making Your Business Global”

The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® had the honor and prestige of recently offering Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Courses. For a total of five days, instructors Fanny Chu, CIPS, SRES, TRC, SFR of San Francisco and May Wan, CIPS of Bellevue, Washington offered their expertise and knowledge to each of the attendees. This year, a total of twenty two students joined together in determination to gain their CIPS Designations and to learn all of the information required to conduct real estate business in various foreign countries. This number of students surpassed that which we had last year!

In addition to these wonderful courses, students were also invited to a free Global Business Networking Mixer held one evening during the week. This mixer was widely attended by current CIPS designees, Global REALTORS® and those interested in international real estate. The guest speaker for the evening was Steve Goddard, CIPS, SRES, CRS, ABR. Steve is Past President of the California Association of REALTORS®. While at the mixer, he took a moment to congratulate those who were working to complete their CIPS designation. He also gave an update on international real estate. The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® was extremely honored to have him attend and speak at the event.

Intertwined with the CIPS courses, the AAR hosted a Transnational Referral Certification (TRC) course in the middle of the week by the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (ICREA). This organization is comprised of over 30 national real estate organizations that represent over 2 million real estate practitioners throughout the world. This fantastic certification provides benefits to both brokers and agents by assisting them in facilitating their transactions in the global real estate market. The training for this unique certification prepares Brokers and REALTORS® to work with real estate practitioners in other countries so that they might give and receive client referrals and grow their business to a global level. After a day of study and training, the Arcadia Association is happy to welcome nineteen new certification recipients!

New TRC REALTORS® are (in no particular order): Christine Beaur-Mortezaie, LjiLjana Grozdanic, May Wan, Aihua Ji Craven, Brian Wahlbrink, Yuling Lee, Adelina Oyama, Ly Hua, Jane Wangsawidjaja, Frank Tripicchio, Simon Darvish, Nancy Weckwerth, Henry Liu, Olga Anoshechkina, Donna Johnston, Carmen Liu, Jan Thompson, Karen Rosenbaum and Tommy Thai.

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C.A.R. Past President, Steve Goddard speaks at the Global Business Networking Mixer.

November 2011

Attendees of the evening Global Business Networking Mixer.

CIPS students presenting information on a country during an exercise.

Affiliate Corner “It’s Not The Market - It’s The Chocolate Cake”

By John Thompson, Benchmark Mortgage - ThompsonSpiteri

French Fries, Chocolate Cake, skipping your workout to sleep in late, having that last drink before heading out, winning that argument with your spouse or kids, going home early instead of finishing.

“What gives you short term pleasure gives you long term pain – short term pain gives you long term gain” Darren Hardy, Publisher of Success Magazine.

Kind of gets you thinking a bit, huh? Consider the areas of our lives and businesses where we choose the short term pleasure over what we know to be the right choice.

“It’s okay; the work will be there tomorrow” “I can hit the gym or take a walk when I have a bit more time” “I deserve the dessert, what would this great meal be without the dessert?!”

Darren Hardy, the publisher of Success Magazine, a man who gets to interview the most successful people on the planet - people like Virgin founder Richard Branson, the late Steve Jobs of Apple, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, racing legend Jeff Gordon, actor Steve Martin, and singer Alicia Keys, has been on a mission to find out what makes some people extraordinarily successful in the same 24 hours, 365 days a year that we all have. What do they do with their 1440 minutes a day? How does Richard Branson run 400 companies, be in great physical shape and be constantly on the move in the exact same time that we skip the gym, ignore our friends and family, don’t return a phone call and then blame our lack of health and cash flow on something else – “It’s the Market” – “It’s the Economy” – “My kids just won’t listen to me – how can they act that way?”

The great news is that he has been able to identify the Key to Success and I am thrilled to bring it to you.

Success is earned by hard work – stunning isn’t it. Success is earned one day at a time, one step at a time, one conversation at a time, one transaction at a time and one

decision at a time. It can be pretty boring and unexciting to discover that there is no Silver Bullet, no secret handed down through the ages only to be lost and discovered recently to be shared via books, DVD’s and infomercials.

However, there are clues and Darren shared the Operating System and the top three things he discovered that were present in every super-achiever he has spent time with.

Success Operating System CHOICE – Avoid small insignificant choices in your life and business BEHAVIOR – You must own your time HABITS – Consistency wins The 3 Distinctions of the Successful 1) A Do Not Do List – Saying no is the master skill What crappy stuff do you need to get rid of?

2) Not doing many – Doing only the VITAL few 3) Perceive failure differently – how you respond makes all the difference The Working REALTOR Vital 3:  Pitch a listing  Negotiate a contract  Prospect That’s it. Imagine what your life and cash flow would look like if you only did those three things. So the next time a friendly colleague, well-meaning neighbor or even your best friend or spouse says “It’s a Tough Market”, tell them that 13,452 homes sold in the United States yesterday; 13,452 homes will sell today and 13,452 homes will sell tomorrow and you want your piece of it! Learn more and find resources at www.DarrenHardy.com – or let me know if I can assist you in implementing your own personal Success Plan.

For more information, contact John Thompson at (626) 5831623 or email him at john@thompsonspiteri.com. You can get our free mobile app at: borrowsmartmobile.com/jthompson Register your Mobile Device and get Live Mortgage Rates and Homebuyer Instant Affordability Calculator.

Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

13

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© 2011 W.J. Bradley Mortgage Capital Corp., 201 Columbine Street Suite 300, Denver, CO 80206. Phone #303-825-5670. NMLS ID 3233. Trade/service marks are the property of W.J. Bradley Mortgage Capital Corp. This is not a commitment to lend.

Restrictions apply. All rights reserved. Some products may not be available in all states. WJB is not acting on behalf of or at the direction of HUD/FHA or the federal government. NMLS consumer access: www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/ COMPANY/3233. Licensed by the Department of Corporations under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act RML# 4131002.

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November 2011

Do You Treat All Parties Honestly?

By Margaret Garemore, Grievance Committee Chairman

As the Chairman of the AAR Grievance Committee, I have a question for you: “In the business of real estate, do you treat all parties honestly?” If not, you could find yourself on the receiving end of a Grievance Complaint.

REALTORS®, through membership with a local Association, C.A.R. and N.A.R., have agreed to abide by the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics is our set of rules, or to put it simply, our road map in the business of real estate.

Our first and foremost allegiance is to our client, but we cannot just focus on one party’s interest at the expense of everyone else in the transaction. Article 1 of the Code of Ethics says that we have a fiduciary duty to the client, but that we also have a responsibility to be honest with all parties involved.

Here are a few tips to help you stay in compliance: DON’T 1. Don’t deliberately mislead an owner as to the market value of his or her property.

2. Don’t mislead a client as to savings or other benefits that might be realized through the use of a REALTORS® services.

3. Don’t use false information or alarming tactics to motivate a client to act.

4. Don’t reveal the client’s private or confidential information.

DO 1. Do put your client’s best interests before your own.

2. Do present offers and counter-offers objectively and as quickly as possible.

3. Do provide full disclosure and get written consent if you are representing more than one side in a transaction.

4. Do act with courtesy and fairness towards all parties in the transaction.

For more information you can reach Margaret at (626) 795-9571.

Commercial Marketing Mixer The AAR Commercial/Investment Committee recently held its monthly Commercial Marketing Mixer at the AAR building.

This month featured an instructional session on “CARETS Commercial” with Miguel Ramos, Systems Trainer, CRMLS. In addition to offering tons of great important information, a fantastic luncheon was also provided by Mary Kay with Advanced Group Property Inspection Co. and Mark Wu with Allstate Insurance for those who attended. If you are interested in Commercial real estate and would like to attend our free monthly marketing mixers, they are held at the AAR office on the first Thursday of every month at 11:00 a.m.

411 E. Huntington Dr. Suite 101 B, Arcadia CA 91006 Phone: 626-446-2401 Fax: 626-446-2362

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Members of the Commercial/Investment Committee with the speakers and sponsors are (L to R): Nick Zigic, Mike Vachani, Tim Johnson, Mark Wu, Allstate Insurance; Miguel Ramos, CRMLS Systems Trainer and Julie Arballo.

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Arcadia REALTOR® Magazine

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AAR Strategic Planning The leadership of the Arcadia Association of REALTORS recently met on October 10th and 11th for the 2012-2013 Strategic Planning meeting. The reason for these meetings is to plan the vision for the Arcadia Association of REALTORS® for the next 2 to 3 years. From these meetings the group brainstorms and develops main goals for the coming years for the Arcadia Association.

Each goal has many objectives and strategic methods that will enable the AAR to reach it.

The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® is extremely dedicated to its members and has very ambitious goals for the near future.

We are always trying to bring the latest and greatest information and benefits to our Affiliate and REALTOR® members. This is what makes us the best Association around. To find out how to get involved with our Association or to give us feedback about what we could be doing better, please contact the Arcadia Association of REALTORS® at (626) 446-2115 or you can email us at ContactUs@TheAAR.com.

Members of AAR Leadership and staff who attended the strategic planning meetings are (L to R): Stephanie Maertens, AAR Staff; Andy Bencosme; John Lee; Margaret Garemore; Paulina Lee, 2011 AAR President; James Pai; Jim DeLiza, Strategic Planning Moderator; Brenda Reed, AAR Staff; Jeanne Keating; Nick Zigic; Mike Vachani; Sylvia Ramos; Kelvin Wong; Roy Blume; Jill Nelson; April Kass; Andrew Cooper, AAR Executive Vice President; Ryan Asao, AAR 2011 President-Elect; Suzie Koo; Jim Thomas; Joe Pacilio; Robin Allen, AAR Staff; Micah Adams; Maria Roberts, AAR Staff; Kelvin Chang and George Monte.

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www.foothillcu.org 626.445.0950 November 2011

Stop by and meet the First Cal team at our NEW office location!

Citrus Valley Association of Realtors Building

Now Accepting Installation Sponsorships Installation Sponsorship Opportunities: Mardi Gras $1,500

3 Installation Dinner Tickets 3 Months Banner Ad on the AAR Website 3 Months 1/2 Page Ad in Monthly AAR Magazine Name Printed in Installation Program

504 East Route 66 Suite. #102 Glendora, CA 91740

Stop by and meet the First Cal team at our NEW office location!

Citrus Valley Association of Realtors building 504 East Route 66 Suite. #102 Glendora, CA 91740 Or call: 888.918.3262 NMLS # 24055

French Quarter $1,000

Larry Davis Area Sales Manager

2 Installation Dinner Tickets 2 Months 1/4 Page Ad in Monthly AAR Magazine Name Printed in Installation Program

Or call: 888.918.3262 NMLS # 24055 Larry Davis Area Sales Manager

New Orleans $500

1 Week 1/2 Page Ad in MLS Caravan Cover Sheet Name Printed in Installation Program and in Magazine

Louisiana $200

Name Printed in Installation Program and in Magazine

First Cal is a direct mortgage lender

Carnaval (Centerpiece) $65

Name Printed in Installation Program If you are interested in sponsoring the Installation, please contact Maria Roberts at (626) 446-2115.

AAR and Paulina Lee Presented with Award Certificate The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® and 2011 President Paulina Lee received an award from the California Association of REALTORS® for the AAR’s efforts in the California Association of REALTORS® Call-To-Action and Red Alert promotion. Red Alerts are important emails sent to all C.A.R. members urging their cooperation to help defeat or push through State or Assembly Bills that drastically affect our real estate industry. Each Red Alert email takes less than 1 minute to complete but the effect is enormous. It’s estimated that each email received by the State is worth 10 people’s opinions so every response is important. Please continue to do your part each and every time you receive a “Red Alert” or “Call-To-Action” email.

AAR Executive Vice President Andrew Cooper (L) presents AAR 2011 President, Paulina Lee (R)with the award from C.A.R.

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