ABoR Foundation announces 2009 Scholarship Recipients
The Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR) recognizes that education is the key to success. To help young Texans unlock their potential, the ABoR Foundation will provide ten high school seniors with a $1,000 college scholarship to help them begin their college careers. Students were selected based on their academic achievement, community service and employment histories. The scholarships may be used at any Texas college or university. The ABoR and the ABoR Foundation congratulate the following scholarship recipients for their commitment to academic achievement: Myranda Anderson of John B. Connally High School in Pflugerville; Jordan Brown of John B. Connally High School in Pflugerville; Steven Sowers Frazee of Marble Falls High School in Marble Falls; Sarah Kate Johnson of
Stony Point High School in Round Rock; Olivia Lust of W. Charles Akins High School in Austin; Harry J. Malinski of Luling High School in Luling; Marcy A. Munoz of San Juan Diego Catholic High School in Austin; Samuel N. Naccarato of Cedar Park High School in Cedar Park; Jenny Kim Nguyen of McNeil High School in Round Rock; and Phillip Niels of McNeil High School in Round Rock, whose mother, Cindy Niels, is a REALTOR® with Hillhouse Realty, Inc. With over 150 qualified applicants for this year’s scholarship awards, selecting only ten winners was a challenging process. Through their unfailing dedication to continuing education and community involvement, the 2009 ABoR Foundation scholarship recipients show great promise in positively shaping our future.
Upcoming Events: MAY 21 WCR Monthly Networking Meeting ABoR Auditorium - 11 a.m.
MAY 23-JUNE 7 HBA’s Annual Parade of Homes Mueller Development
JUNE 1 Parade of Homes REALTOR Day Mueller Development 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
FREE to licensed REALTORS - Must present business card.
JUNE 4 3rd annual CTCAR Expo Downtown Omni Hotel - 5 to 8 p.m. Visit CTCARonline.com for details
JUNE 11 ABoR Foundation Tour of Homes Barton Creek Community
JULY 25 WCAoR Green Expo 2009 Dell Diamond - 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
—Associates In— PROGRESS MAY 2009 • VOL. 14 • ISSUE 1
Enjoyable. Entertaining. It’s all About You.
ABoR Helps Professionals Prepare for Energy Audit Questions mandate energy efficiency upgrades at the time a home was sold. In response, ABoR worked to address private property rights and homeowner affordability issues surrounding the proposed mandates. Ultimately, the City Council agreed with ABoR’s approach to energy conservation by unanimously passing a new energy efficiency ordinance that requires Austin homeowners to have energy audits completed before selling their homes. “ABoR advocated for and supported this vastly different outcome from the city’s original plan,” Gohil says. “This shift in approach represents a major success for the REALTOR voice in local politics.” The ordinance affects properties that lie within the Austin city limits and are serviced by Austin Energy. There are exceptions for properties in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure, properties subject to eminent domain, transactions between family members and properties under court order in probate proceedings or under decree of legal separation or dissolution of marriage. In addition, properties that are fewer than 10 years old, manufactured homes designed for use without a permanent foundation and properties owned by participants in designated Austin Energy Electric Utility programs Presorted Standard or buyers who agree to parU.S. Postage PAID ticipate in these programs Austin, Texas within six months are Paid Permit #715 exempt. Energy audits must be P.O. Box 81366 conducted by professionals Austin, Texas 78708-1366 who have been certified by either the Residential Energy Services Network or the Building Performance Institute and who are approved contractors for this program. Audits need to be Don’t forget: You can visit us online 24/7 at www.realtylineonline.com completed before the home
The Austin Board of REALTORS has prepared some marketing materials to help members respond to questions that may arise from a new ordinance that requires some homeowners to conduct energy audits and disclose the findings if they wish to sell their property. The materials give details about the Energy Efficiency Ordinance, which takes effect June 1, and can be found in a new section of the ABoR Web site called Special Topics in Real Estate. With only a few keystrokes, the materials can be branded with company contact information and sent to customers. They may also be downloaded and professionally printed for distribution as direct mail pieces. “We want our members to be fully equipped with the most up-to-date details and best practices to use when dealing with properties that will be affected by the new ordinance,” says ABoR chairman Jay Gohil. “The materials also will allow agents to underscore the importance of using a REALTOR to maneuver through the ordinance requirements.” The ordinance is the result of more than a year of negotiation between ABoR members and staff and city officials. Together, they established a compromise plan that helps protect the city’s unique environment while ensuring homes remain affordable for Austin residents. To help alleviate the pressure of growing demand from Austin Energy’s service area, the City of Austin intended to
closes but can be done even before a property is placed on the market. “Austin Energy and ABoR encourage homeowners seeking to increase their energy efficiency and save money on the high cost of utility bills to have an energy efficiency audit conducted before thinking of selling their homes,” says Gohil. “Early audits may help homeowners identify possible areas of improvement and could help prevent last minute scrambles should a homeowner decide to sell his or her property at a later date.” REALTORS should offer clients three to five energy auditors and tell them to expect an audit to take two to three hours. However, the report will be good for 10 years under the current ordinance. The names of Austin Energy approved contractors can be found on the utility company’s Web site at www.austinenergy.com/go/ecad. The ABoR web site also has a wealth of useful information related to this topic on the Green Real Estate page, which houses information on green building, energy efficiency and the role “green” will continue to play in the real estate industry. “Studies show consumers consider energy efficiency, a key green building feature, an important consideration when buying a home,” says Gohil. “ABoR supports efforts to encourage energy conservation because we understand the important role rising energy costs play in homeownership. We also know that energy conservation is the key to protecting Austin’s unique environment.”