MEMBERS FIRST
NEWSLETTER
January 2019
IN THIS ISSUE •
Code of Ethics
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Awards & Installation Ceremony
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Membership Benefits
•
Affiliate Member Benefits
•
Annual General Membership Meeting
•
Christmas Angels
you for choosing us as your Association.
•
Supra Ekey App Update
We know that our members are the
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Members First Texting Program
foundation of this Association. That
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2019 Professional Development
knowledge is what pushes us to provide
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Class Schedule
excellent service. As we transition into
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Affiliates
2019 we will continue to be a powerful
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New Member Welcome
resource for Realtors® in Central Florida.
We’d like to wish you a Happy New Year full of happiness and success. Thank
Code of Ethics Suspensions After Jan. 11 Being a member of the National Association of Realtors means you hold yourself to a higher standard. The REALTORS® Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice set you apart from those who are not members by establishing objective, enforceable ethical standards that govern the professional conduct of REALTORS®. Every two years, REALTORS® are required to take the Code of Ethics course. Have you completed the Code of Ethics training for the 2016-2018 cycle? The deadline to complete the course was December 31, 2018. Members who do not complete the course by Friday, January 11 will have their membership suspended. If you completed the course online or at another Association, please send a copy of your certificate to membership@ osceola-realtors.com so we can update your file. If you would like to confirm if you are in compliance, please call us at (407) 846-0117.
New Year, New Opportunities 2019 Board of Directors
Danny Hernandez President
Jose Alvarez
Jose Ortiz
Joe Johnson President-Elect
Becky Chirillo Past President
Norkis Fernandez-Valdez Maria Flores-Garcia
Ben Robles, Jr.
Teresa Reilly-O’Doherty
Donnie Martinez Treasurer
Alexandra Arena-Gil Secretary
John Goldsborough
Imran Mohamed
Gladys Thayer
Tim Weisheyer
2018 Award Winners N
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FU S ’ T .. .I I T ’ S F R EE Deanna Gassert-Murphy Affiliate Member Rising Star of the Year
Cheryl Grieb
Public Policy Award
La Rosa Realty
Real Estate Office of the Year
Lisa Bennett
Laureate Title
Affiliate Member of the Year
Affiliate Office of the Year
Sue Vasquez
Teresa Reilly - O’Doherty
Humanitarian of the Year
Maria Flores - Garcia
Realtor® Rising Star of the Year
Donnie Martinez Realtor® of the Year
Global Excellence Award
Justin & Nick Shrouder
OSCAR Realtor® Stars of the Year
Karen Dierickx
Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to all the award winners! We appreciate all that you do for the Association. For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page at www.Facebook.com/OsceolaRealtors.
What’s In It For You? Thank you for your membership! We commend you for taking the steps to advance your business. When becoming a member at the Osceola County Association of REALTORS®, we encourage you to look at this membership as an investment in your future. When making investments it’s important to know what you are getting in return, otherwise it doesn’t make much sense to pursue the opportunity. Your OSCAR membership benefits include: Professional Development courses, discounts on designation and certifications courses, Florida REALTORS® and the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) memberships, savings on MFRMLS fees, and much more! We know that our members works very hard for their money, so we wanted to express our membership value in dollars and cents. To view our Membership Value Check, please visit our website at www.Osceolarealtors.com. We appreciate your membership and look forward to working with you in 2019.
TWIS LIZASUAIN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Let’s Do Business Do you know any businesses that would benefit from joining our membership? We are looking for companies that provide products or services to the real estate industry. As part of our membership, Affiliates receive many benefits including: • Free Advertisement. Our Affiliate roster is included in our New Member packets and our monthly newsletter. Both of these publications put your contact information into the hands of every new member joining the Association. Paid advertisements are also available. Contact us at 407-846-0117, Membership@osceola-realtors.com, or visit www. OsceolaRealtors.com/affiliates-2/ for more information. • Sponsorship Opportunities. Affiliates are given the opportunity to sponsor educational classes, luncheons, and events. Sponsorships include logo placement on all promotional materials, social media marketing, recognition during the event/class, and the ability to distribute promotional material regarding your company. If you’d like to be a sponsor please contact Jonathan Gutierrez, Membership Specialist, at 407-846-0117 or Jgutierrez@Osceolarealtors.com. • Relationship Building. Affiliates may join certain committees as a non-voting member to assist with Association activities, give back to our community, and build relationships with our members. Being involved in the Association activities will lead to an increase of our member’s recognition of your company. To apply as an Affiliate member, please visit our website at www.Osceolarealtors.com/affiliatemembers-application, contact us at 407-846-0117 or memberships@osceola.com. Becoming an Affiliate is an excellent opportunity to get your company’s name out to individuals that can directly benefit from your products and/or services.
YOUR VOTE COUNTS! On December 4, we hosted our Annual General Membership Meeting at the Osceola Heritage Park Event Center. During the meeting we recognized our 2018 Board of Directors and received updates from Jeff Zipper, Senior Vice President of Communications for Florida REALTORSÂŽ and Shayne Fairley, COO of MFRMLS. In addition, we voted on several bylaw changes. Thank you to everyone who attended. Your involvement in important matters such as this allow us to better serve you. For more pictures, head over to our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/OsceolaRealtors.
Affiliates, please contact Nancy Hubbard at nhubbard@osceola-realtors.com to sponsor Brokerage Corporate Tables are also available
Toy Drive Success Each year during the holidays, the REALTORS® Care Committee coordinates a toy drive to collect gifts for the less fortunate. This year, they partnered with Guardian Ad Litem Osceola to bring a Merry Christmas to foster children across our community. With the help of our members, the REALTORS® Care Committee was able to collect gifts for 109 children in our community. All of the gifts were donated by our membership. We would like to thank everyone who participated and helped us bring joy to many deserving children.
Supra Ekey App Update SUPRA recently announced that they have begun the release of the new Supra eKEY app. They have implemented a staged rollout of the new app. This roll out began with a release to a limited number of Android users in December. IOS (iPhone) users will start to see the rollout today, January 7. Please stay tuned for details. We will notify our members with updates in the Realtor Resource, our weekly email communication. For more information on the new app, visit www.supraekey.com.
Stay Connected In 2019, we are introducing new tools that enable our members to stay informed and connected. We are excited to implement the Members First Texting Program. Entering into the program will allow you to receive updates on classes and events. Opting into the program is simple. Text “OSCAR” to 55222 and you will automatically be entered into our database. For more information on this program , contact us at 407-846-0117 or Communications@osceola-realtors. com
Text “OSCAR“ to 55222 to get alerts.
2019 Professional Development MONA SOMERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR 2018 was a great year! To all of you who attended classes at the Association, we thank you, and trust that you and your business are benefiting from your educational experiences. We hosted a total of 220 classes in 2018, serving 5,978 students. We look forward to a busy and productive 2019, and serving your needs! We kick off the New Year with a great variety of Professional Development offerings, many of which were suggested by you, our valued members: •
So You Think You Want to Be a Commercial Real Estate Professional, 1/7/19, instructed by Linda Olson
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The Art of Networking, 1/7/19, instructed by Linda Olson
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To Team or Not to Team, 1/8/19, instructed by Cynthia DeLuca
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Become a Social Media Super Star, 1/9/19, instructed by Craig Grant
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Goal Setting, 1/11/19, instructed by Cynthia DeLuca
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GREEN Designation, 1/14/19 and 1/15/19, instructed by Linda Olson
If you have not yet logged into our Members Portal, please call us if you need any assistance. By using the Members Portal you can check our education calendar and register for classes at your own convenience. Most of our classes fill to capacity, so please check the calendar frequently for Professional Development offerings that you may be interested in, and register early. Most of our first quarter classes are now listed, and we will continue to add some classes over the next few weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at msomers@osceola-realtors.com. Jasmin Gonzalez, our Education Specialist is also available at jgonzalez@osceola-realtors.com. We are available to assist you!
JANUARY CALENDAR So You Think You Want to Be a Commercial Real Estate Professional
REDEEM YOUR EDUCATION VOUCHERS BEFORE 12/31/19
1/07/2019
9:00 am-1:00 pm
4CEs
This course is designed for today’s busy residential Realtor who may have an interest in expanding their services to include commercial real estate, as well as commercial agents just getting their feet wet. This program will acquaint you with the fundamentals of commercial real estate including: the key differences between residential and non-residential real estate, identification of the players, and types of commercial real estate and associated transactions. We will also discuss methods for valuations of commercial property and will review the documents used in commercial transactions. The overall goal of the course is to better equip you to decide if this is a specialty you want to pursue.
The Art of Networking
1/07/2019
2:00 pm-5:00 pm
3CEs
Most real estate professionals agree that networking is critical to long-term success in real estate. Despite consumers’ assumptions that real estate professionals are outgoing and networking comes naturally, in fact, many real estate professionals dread networking. They perceive it as an awkward, forced, and an unnatural exchange --which only leads to sweaty palms, uncomfortable silences, and unproductive conversations. So, how do you leave those shaky knees behind and become better at networking? First, you attend this program! You’ll leave with solid strategies and techniques (that we’ll practice in class) that will allow you to 1) feel more comfortable in networking settings, 2) make a positive impression, and 3) generate new contacts.
To Team or Not to Team
1/08/2019
2:00 pm-5:00 pm
3CEs
Growing in popularity, teams are sprouting up all over real estate. Maybe you have a team that works in your brokerage or you’ve co-brokered a transaction with a team. But what exactly does it mean to work on a team, or start a team? What are the benefits, what are the disadvantages? Together we are going to answer these questions. We will take a deeper look inside teams, from all perspectives. Brokers, team leaders, and associates within the team will have a clearer understanding of an overview of teams by the end of class.
Become a Social Media
1/09/2019
1:00 pm-5:00 pm
4CEs
Super Star Whether you are new or well versed to the world of social media & looking for a way to take it to the next level, this course teaches you why social media has become a force in business, how you can find & connect with potential clients online and more. And more importantly how to generate online success in under 15 Minutes a Day! Plus a behind the scenes tour of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, YouTube, Pinterest & More.
iCE Topic: Code of Ethics
1/10/2019
1:00 pm-4:00pm
3CEs
Florida Realtors® iCE programs are courses offered for CE credit through live simulcast virtual campus technology. It’s convenient -- you take the course at our Association. It’s cooperative -- you share the experience with other members from our Association. It’s collaborative -- you participate in a session with other local associations, and network with Realtor® members from across the state.
Goal Setting 1/11/2019 9:00 am-12:00 pm 3CEs Everyone has heard it before; professionals need to set goals for themselves and work toward them. This course will examine what a goal should be, how one is set, and why they are an integral part of a REALTOR’S® success. This course will delve into this question and detail the process of goal setting to ensure that students will be able to set individual goals that will take them where they want to be, when they want to arrive.
Preparing and Navigating a
1/11/2019
1:00 pm-5:00 pm
4CEs
Listing Contract Listing Contracts are an important part of the real estate business. They effectively communicate who is responsible to do what, give a time for those items to be performed, and guarantee the listing broker to be paid for these services. Although it’s not required to be in writing that you will perform some of these services, to assure the broker will be paid for these services means you need a written agreement for your compensation.
Green Designation
1/14-15/2019
8:30 am-5:00 pm
NAR’s Green Designation is the only NAR conferred real estate designation designed for agents looking to learn about issues of energy efficiency and sustainability in the various facets of real estate. As consumer demand for knowledge on these issues increase, so will your awareness of green topics
MLS Basic (In Spanish)
1/16/2019
14CEs
$$
9:00 am-12:00 pm
0CEs
This class introduces you to the Matrix MLS system and shows you how to use it for your business. Learn about: personalizing your settings in Matrix; exploring market areas; searching by criteria and location; and managing the emails your contacts receive from you. REGISTER: MFRMLS.COM
MLS Compliance 101 (In Spanish)
1/16/2019
1:00 pm-2:15 pm
0CEs
To ensure the integrity of listing information and to protect the cooperative nature of the MLS, rules and regulations are in place for how to enter listings and use MLS information. This class will walk you through the rules, to ensure the best possible MLS experience for all subscribers. REGISTER: MFRMLS.COM
MLS Adding & Editing Listings
1/16/2019
2:30 pm-3:45 pm
0CEs
(In Spanish) This class shows you how to enter listings into the MLS. Topics include: types of listings; required paperwork for entering a listing; key fields on the listing entry form; adding photos and attachments; listing remarks; sending listings to various portals and websites; and making changes to a listing. REGISTER: MFRMLS.COM
CODE OF ETHICS (In Spanish)
1/22/2019
1:00 PM-4:00 pm
3CEs
All active REALTOR® members must take a code of ethics class sometime between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. Failure to meet the mandate is a violation of membership requirements and will result in suspension of membership until the requirement is met or until membership is automatically terminated. This class meets the NAR mandated requirement for completion of a Code of Ethics class.
MLS Basic (In Spanish)
1/23/2019
9:00 am-12:00 pm
0CEs
This class introduces you to the Matrix MLS system and shows you how to use it for your business. Learn about: personalizing your settings in Matrix; exploring market areas; searching by criteria and location; and managing the emails your contacts receive from you. REGISTER: MFRMLS.COM MLS Compliance 101 (In Spanish) 1/23/2019 1:00 pm-2:15 pm 0CEs To ensure the integrity of listing information and to protect the cooperative nature of the MLS, rules and regulations are in place for how to enter listings and use MLS information. This class will walk you through the rules, to ensure the best possible MLS experience for all subscribers. REGISTER: MFRMLS.COM MLS Adding & Editing Listings
1/23/2019
2:30 pm-3:45 pm
0CEs
(In Spanish) This class shows you how to enter listings into the MLS. Topics include: types of listings; required paperwork for entering a listing; key fields on the listing entry form; adding photos and attachments; listing remarks; sending listings to various portals and websites; and making changes to a listing. REGISTER: MFRMLS.COM
Negotiating Skills for Today’s
1/28/2019
9:00 am-1:00 pm
4CEs
Real Estate Professional It is a fact that nobody “wins” in a negotiation every time. In fact, to say that someone has won assumes that someone else has lost. Since their business is relationship based, licensees don’t ever want to create losers. What they seek is a negotiated outcome in which each party is satisfied with the results.
GRI 101 Professional Standards
1/30-31, 2019
Standards of Practice (Course 1): GRI 101, 102, and 103 are each a 15-hour course with a 1.5-hour exam approved for 8 hours of continuing education specialty credit or 15 hours of sales associate post licensing credit per module. Module GRI 101 carries 3 hours of Core Law credit, 3 hours of Ethics & Business Practices credit and meets the NAR Code of Ethics requirement.
8:00 am-5:00 pm
14CEs
$$
IMPORTANT: REGISTERING FOR CLASS Many of our classes, particularly CRP classes, fill quickly. Please enroll in any of the classes offered at the Association online at www.osceolarealtors.com, or by calling Membership Services. We’ve had an uptick in “walk - in“ traffic. Please know that we cannot guarantee you a seat unless you are registered for a class. Parking Reminder: please park in designated parking spaces in front of the Association and in the rear grass parking area. Please do not park on the unmarked driveway pavement. It is also not recommended that members park close to the retention pond (unmarked pavement) due to intermittent construction activity.
Register for classes and events in 3 easy steps!
Affiliate Business Community A Clear Choice Title & Escrow A.C.F. Home Inspections, Inc.
Adames Pest Solutions, Inc. Advertising Mania Inc. Altrua Global Solutions American Ad Specialties, Inc. ANB Inspection Services, Inc. Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group A-Z Team Title, LLC Best Home Inspections of Florida, Inc. Black Dog Drone Services Blue Water Clear Title LLC BPG Inspection, LLC Budget Professional Service Butler Mortgage Carpet Cleaners USA Inc. Celebration Title Group Centennial Bank CenterState Bank of Florida, N.A. Chief Inspection Services Closer Look Inspections, Inc. CPC Law Creative Printing Services CTR Multi Service Inc. Cunningham’s Inc. Double S Home Inspection First American Home Warranty First American Title First International Title Florida Blue Health Insurance Frank’s Home Inspections LLC Globe Home Protection Headquarters Heart of Florida Home Inspections, Inc. Home Warranty of America Homebridge Financial Services, Inc. Housemaster Home Inspections IFREC Real Estate Schools Inspect Central Florida Integrity First Title Kemp Howland Photography
Laureate Title Law Office of Daniel Villazon Lennar Homes Linscott Plumbing Services, Inc. Luis A Martin’s Home Inspections Mattamy Homes Michael Long, Florida Farm Bureau Moneycorp, Inc. Moneyhouse US New American Funding North American Title Company Old Republic Home Protection Oliver Title Law Olympus Insurance Company Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Inc Patricia L. Daugherty, Atty. At Law Photography By Skip Stowers Pillar To Post Premier Title of Central Florida, LLC Prodigal Homes Inspection & Consulting Quality Title & Escrow LLC Reliable Building Inspections Roland H. Acosta & Associates, P.A. Sanchez Law Group Serenity Reserve, LLC Smart International Title, LLC Solano Home Inspections Inc. Stewart Title Company Suntrust Mortgage Systeco Pest Control Title and Abstract Agency of America, Inc. The Grove Resort & Water Park Trustco Bank Uniform Cottage ValueCast INC Varep Central Florida Chapter Victoria Real Estate Academy Wayne’s Home Inspections, LLC Wells Fargo Home Mortgage ZAP Home Inspections LLC
Affiliate Business Community
Welcome New
Members
Maria Alcala - Exit Realty Champions Jerry Baier - G3 Residential Realty LLC Italo Batista - Keller Williams at The Lakes Nancy Carrasquillo - Cerramar Realty Corp Brianna Cotteleer - Watson Realty Corp. Tibayre Dugarte Ramirez - La Rosa Realty LLC Bret Dunn - La Rosa Realty, LLC Elliot Gonzalez - Keller Williams at The Lakes Cristian Huaman - Countrywide Realty Partners LLC Edgar Irizarry - Agent Trust Realty Corporation Maried Jimenez - Luxury Realty, Inc. Jodi Lambiase - Dalton Wade Inc Marion Luckman - Keller Williams Advantage III Julia Maldonado Montalvo - Exit Realty Champions Johanna Mejias - Fusilier Realty Group Harmony Phillip Randall - Keller Williams Classic II April Richey - Prestige Realty Professionals LLC Lynnette Rivera Gonzalez - The Property Pros Real Estate, Inc Brenda Rivera Hernandez - Home Trust Realty Group Angela Rivera Ponce De Leon - Keller Williams Realty of Winter Haven Tatiana Rojas - Florida Lakes Realty Jonathan Ruiz - Modern World Realty Michael Vasquez - Munns Real Estate Co Antonio Velazquez - La Rosa Realty, LLC Mark Wlodawski - Keller Williams at The Lakes Lurline Zoutenbier - Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate