CPAR Real Estate News - 1st Quarter 2012

VOL. 3 ISSUE 1 FIRST QTR

FIRST QUARTER 2012 CPAR ROCKS! Here are some exciting things you will read ...

We are barely into 2012 and already CPAR is achieving major goals and moving ahead….

(CPAR President Letter Page 3 ) Our membership is growing by leaps and bounds (Pages 4,5) CPAR now controls our own Multiple Listing Services.

Through an agreement with My Florida MLS, we are now a Customer Association. This means we purchase our MLS directly from My Florida and have total control of our services. (Page 7) CPAR won the Blue Ribbon at the Land O’Lakes Business Expo (Page 8,9) Your Supra Key is NOT an egg or an ice cube (Page 12)

Patsy Peterman Broker/Owner Seagrass Realty

We are not even thru the first quarter of this year and CPAR can now provide MLS to all of our members . . . and this is just the beginning of things to come!

It is important to our Association that our members are kept well informed and educated about their communities, the laws pertaining to real estate, changes in matters that could affect buyers/sellers and the real estate market in general. It is also essential that all of us have this information as quickly as possible. We can accomplish that goal by the speakers at our general membership meetings and by having special educational/informative seminars thru-out the year.

The speaker for our April 12th general meeting is one of our affiliate members, Randy Mabry with RAM Insurance. He will be sharing with us the changes in homeowners insurance and other insurance that can affect buyers and/or sellers. Something we all need to be aware of to better serve our clients.

On April 19th, we have an informative/educational seminar conducted by John Gallagher, County Administrator for Pasco County; Richard Gehring, Planning & Growth Management Administrator for Pasco County and David Goldstein, Chief Assistant County Attorney. They will be sharing information about the Mobility Plan for Pasco County. If you sell or list property in Pasco County, this is information you should be aware of.

How about the real estate contracts we all use? Are you aware of the most recent changes that have been made on these contracts? Our very own Hank Sorensen, Attorney at Law, will be conducting a seminar on May 10th to go over the contracts and make you aware of the changes and how they can affect you as well as buyers & sellers.

These are just a few of the “upcoming events” that we have planned. But it is not all just business, we also have a Before Dark Meet n’ Greet event scheduled for March 28 th at Rapscallions in Land O’Lakes. Here’s your chance to take a few minutes for yourself to relax and talk with your fellow Realtors and affiliates.

All of these events/seminars are on the CPAR calendar that you can access by going to the website www.centralpascorealtors.com. You can get the time, place and dates of everything that we currently have planned and how to make reservations as well.

So put these on your calendars now and remember: The more you know, the more you show . . .property, that is! See you at Rapscallions on March 28th!

REALAction 100 Realty Sybrian Castleman-Doan Charles Rutenberg Realty Stephanie Akhavan Nancy Anci Dale Harris Coldwell Banker Action Realty Cynthia Cabanas Eric Petty Vincent Scartz Homeward Real Estate Inc. John Montesano International Realty Plus Tampa Bay Rachel Melendez

NewHomePrograms.com Cory Kammerdiener Larry Buckalew Pamela Lee Terri McCormack Jose Mejia Jennie Sammur Diana Shepard Reginia Suggs Prudential Tropical Realty Suzanne Mitchell Kimberly Royals Iris Stevenson Eric Sanchez

Russell Adams Realty Lane Worley

Success Realty

StarLight Realty

Tobie Greenberg

Jerry Ciccone

AFFILIATES

Recently, CPAR Realtor Members were asked about CPAR Affiliates ~ Here’s what we have to say….

Anderson Home Inspection Darren Anderson Cooper Financial Services Christine Cooper Open Mortgage George Cooper Pestex International Tony Hedayat Hillsborough Title Joellyn Robles National Property Inspections Lynne Tonte

“Tony with Pest Ex…. Great service every time we use him. Never needed them to re-treat.”

–Ed Anderson, Broker/Owner Action 100 Realty “Ierna’s Heating & Cooling and Affordable Home Inspection… all terrific service” “ A year ago my California E + O Insurance Company notified me they would no longer provide insurance for my brokerage in Florida. As a member of CPAR, I knew Joe Flynn with Landy Insurance and had attended a seminar he conducted for CPAR. I contacted Joe and not only did Landy Insurance provide me new E + O in Florida, he saved me $600/year on our premium the first year and almost 50% on my renewal premium this year” Deborah Farmer, Broker/Owner StarLight Realty

AE’s Corner…

Contacting your AE… The CPAR Association Executive, Joan Eustice is in the office every Wednesday from 10:30 am until 2:30 pm. She is also available by appointment on Tuesday or Thursday. You may email her at CPARAE@CentralPascoRealtors.org To leave a message on the office phone, please speak clearly and repeat your name & phone number at least two times. NOTE: When you leave a voicemail on the office phone, an email is automatically sent to the AE. All email and voicemail is answered within 24 business hours.

Important MFRMLS Information To make changes in your contact information as it appears in MLS, send an email to CPARAE@CentralPascoRealtors.org. Please include your NRDS number. Your update will be sent to the appropriate MFRMLS department. A confirmation will be sent to you when the update is complete.

For Technical Support questions, please call 407-960-5300 Option 1 or toll free 800-686-7451 Option 1.

MFRMLS Proud to Announce New Customer Association: Central Pasco Association of REALTORS (CPAR) CPAR will have "H" Board ID; New Board ID scheduled to take effect March 6 My Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS) is proud to announce that MFRMLS is growing again with the addition of a new Customer Association: the Central Pasco Association of REALTORS (CPAR).

"We are very excited to have the Central Pasco Association of REALTORS join our family, and are excited that CPAR members will have their own Board ID," said MFRMLS Chief Executive Officer, Merri Jo Cowen.

The change for CPAR members, as well as MFRMLS members, will be subtle since CPAR members are already MFRMLS members, primarily through the Greater Tampa Association of REALTORS (GTAR). As a result, most CPAR listings are already a part of the MFRMLS database with a "T" as part of the MLS number.

However, once the addition of CPAR takes effect, CPAR will be given the Board ID of "H" and the listings of all CPAR members will be identified with that "H".

The scheduled date for this new Board ID to take effect is Tuesday, March 6. We will, of course, keep you updated if there is any change in the scheduled date.

CPAR has approximately 140 members, and will join the Desoto County Board of REALTORS and the Lake Wales Association of REALTORS, giving MFRMLS three Customer Associations, in addition to its 15 shareholders. The primary difference between MFRMLS Customer Associations and MFRMLS Shareholders is that MFRMLS Shareholders have part ownership in MFRMLS, as well as actively participate in shaping MFRMLS policy and strategic direction. Welcome CPAR!

On March 22, 2012, MFRMLS came to CPAR for some initial training.

The following training was offered: · Identity Sharing - share your account without compromising security · Instanet Fax - FREE fax service from your computer · Down Payment Resource - online, interactive application that tracks and describes all Homebuyer Assistance programs · Kurio - APP for mobile MFRMLS access · Data Co-op - provides new tools, new reports, and a new way to access MLS listings

Katie and Penny – trainers from MFRMLS – were at the CPAR office on Thursday, March 22, 2012

· MyFloridaHomesMLS.com - Consumer website - your clients can access the same timely information used by REALTORS

BUSINESS EXPO REPORT Toby Caroline, Chairman WOW! What a great time everyone had at the Business EXPO held at the Land O Lakes Recreation Complex located at 3032 Collier Parkway, Land O Lakes, Fl 34639. The competition to win the BEST OF SHOW booth was steep. There were so many decorated booths offering everything from air-conditioning services to beauty supplies as our competition.

The CPAR EXPO committee, headed by Toby Caroline and her extremely talented crew, CPAR President Patsy Peterman and Deborah Catterton, had decided to create a booth that expressed the growth of CPAR. CPAR IS BLOOMING! What better way to capture the attention of the attendees than to have a “garden of blooming and colorful flowers”. With the blooming theme in mind, we set out to make our garden.

President Patsy, (the most talented of the trio) made the white picket fence that encircled our booth, along with the most colorful paper flowers! With the addition of several green plants and trees, we were able to create a beautiful, fun and colorful Spring garden.

We decided to honor our CPAR Gold and Silver Sponsors by displaying their company name on the large banner, also decorated with flowers, that hung from the top of the backdrop. We had some wonderful Sponsors who also helped us at the booth and a fun “Spin and Win” wheel where the participants were able to win some great prizes, as well as hundreds of items the sponsors and CPAR were giving away.

The BIG SURPRISE! CPAR WON THE BLUE RIBBON FOR BOTH “BEST OF SHOW” AND THE “SPEED BUMP” AWARD. The speed bump award is given to the booth that attracts the most people.

BUSINESS EXPO REPORT (con’t) CPAR and the expo committee would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of this fun event.

GOLD SPONSORS Caroline Contractors ~ Todd Caroline Iberia Bank ~ Gina Harris & Lenna Ellerbee Title Acquisitions I ~ J. L. Pelt SILVER SPONSORSHIPS Anderson Home Inspections ~ Darren Anderson Attention to Detail Home Inspections ~ Steven Milek Dickey's Barbecue Pit ~ Ron & Charlotte Dykes Ed Anderson School of Real Estate ~ Ed Anderson Enterprise Title of Tampa Bay ~ Cindy Maxie Herbert Landy Insurance Company ~ Joe Flynn Hillsborough Title ~ Joellyn Robles Inland Homes ~ Rae Mims Mason Title & Escrow Company ~ Mary Turner National Property Inspections ~ Lynn Tonte Open Mortgage ~ George Cooper Paradise Lakes Vacation ~ Ed & Diane Moran Pestex Termite & Pest Control ~ Tony Hedayat Suntrust Mortgage ~ Shannon Barron Sponsors who donated prizes: Caroline Contractors, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Home Team /Mitch Rothenberg, Iberia Bank, Ierna’s Heating & Cooling, Pestex, Seagrass Realty, Sun ‘n Fun Realty CPAR THANKS ALL OF THE SPONSORS AND VOLUNTEERS! GREAT JOB!

AFFILIATES SPOTLIGHT ON...

George Cooper Open Mortgage, LLC I am a Mortgage Loan Officer for Open Mortgage, LLC. With the resources available to me through Open Mortgage, I can handle virtually any type of home lending need. For the last few years, I have specialized in reverse mortgages.

A little known fact about me is that I earned a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Michigan.

My career of 39 years has included a lot of noteworthy accomplishments, but none have been as fulfilling as being able to help a reverse mortgage client who wrote to thank me saying, “Thanks for your time and the patience you had for me and all the problems my situation incurred. I feel a sense of relief having done the reverse and am working toward a healthy future because of the security it will give me.”

My mission is to help as many homeowners as I can, while assisting my REALTOR® friends with transactions they would otherwise find too difficult. If you have a client age 62 or older who would like to downsize for more affordable living, relocate to be closer to family, or purchase a more accessible home, then an FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage may work for them. It could enable your client to make this purchase with no credit qualifications and no monthly mortgage payment as long as they live in the home. Think outside the box!

I can be found hanging out at Cooper Financial Services, 5420 Land O’Lakes Blvd, Suite 101, Land O’Lakes, Florida, 34639, 813-996-6100, GeorgeCooper@OpenMtg.com.

CPAR MEMBERS IN THE NEWS CONGRATULATIONS! CPAR Member Helen Williams (BrokerAssociate, SouthShore Homes & Properties) participates in the solo line dancing event at the annual FunFest in Sun City Center, FL. FunFest is held annually with all the clubs and organizations displaying what they are about and how to join. This was a special year – Sun City Center is 50 years old.

It is a free event and open to the public. There were approximate 6000 attendees participating in the event (9 am-3 pm).

CPAR 2012 President-elect Ed Anderson, has been appointed by the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners to serve as a member of the Historic Resources Review Board. The term is effective until March 1, 2015. This board serves as an architectural review board for the protection of historic resources in unincorporated Hillsborough County. It recommends archaeological and historical sites to the Board of County Commissioners for landmark designation and reviews alterations and new construction on landmark sites or districts.

Why Join CPAR? MEMBERSHIP FEES Local

$75.00 (pro rated quarterly)

FR Dues & Issues Advocacy

$126.00 (pro rated monthly)

NAR Dues & Public Awareness

$155.00 (pro rated monthly)

Campaign Assessment Total

$356.00

Secondary Membership

$75.00 (pro rated quarterly)

RPAC Voluntary Contribution

$25.00

Application Fee - New MemberCPAR

$85.00

Application Fee - New Member-FR Application Fee - New Brokerage Change Office Fee

$30.00 $100.00 $25.00

Supra Active KEY

2012 Dues Activation Fee

$149.76 plus tax (ANN FEE) $80.00 NEW ACTIVATION

eKEY-Basic Service (Smartphone)

$17.78 plus tax MO. FEE

eKEY-Activation Fee

$50.00 NEW ACTIVATION

Lock Boxes

$50.00 plus tax MEMBERS

Car Charger

Special Order

Fob for Smartphone

Special Order

MLS Annual Fee (June 2012-May 2013)

$339.00 (subscription fee)

Application Fee - New Broker

includes $90.00 $215.00 application fee

Application Fee - New User Reinstatement Fee

$90.00 plus past due in$150.00 voices

NOTE: The above fees are subject to adjustment by the vendors. 3/10/2012