July 2020

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE SAN ANTONIO AREA REALTORS®

KEEPING POSTEDSABOR members are no strangers to giving back to the San

Antonio community. So many volunteer with local non-profits, civic organizations and other charitable groups throughout the year, demonstrating the care REALTORS® have for building communities.

SABOR has several opportunities for members to join us in giving back to the community. Last year SABOR adopted the San Antonio Food Bank as one of our two Charities of Choice. This year we decided to continue with our yearlong peanut butter drive to help satisfy one of the Food Bank’s greatest needs. If you would like to join in, please drop off your donations or have them sent to SABOR at 9110 W IH-10.

In late June SABOR kicked off our annual Uniform Drive for the children at SAMMinistries. SABOR members play a huge role in helping the kids at the shelter get ready for back to school, and we need your help to make this year a continued success. This year SABOR is hosting the Uniform Drive online, so there is no need to come to the association to select a child to sponsor. Simply select a child from the online form and purchase the requested items. After your shopping trip, drop off your items (with the child’s information attached) at SABOR and we will take care of the rest!

Beginning in July, SABOR’s REALTOR® Image and Community Outreach Committee will launch a donation drive to benefit Child Advocates of San Antonio (CASA). The drive is focused on collecting activities for children (infant to age 19) including items like games, puzzles, and crafts. Donations can be dropped off at SABOR or if you prefer you can have the item mailed to the association.

This year SABOR will also be hosting a drive for the Children’s Hunger Fund which will take place during the month of September.

Give Back with SABOR

Legal & Ethics

Historically the top category of TREC complaints have been related to “bad acts or negligence.” Therefore, this article will briefly discuss some common principles associated with negligence claims.

What is negligence? Negligence has been defined as the failure to do that which a person of ordinary prudence would have done under the same or similar circumstances, or doing that which a person of ordinary prudence would not have done under the same or similar circumstances. Essentially, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant owed them a duty, then breached that duty, and that breach was the cause of harm and damage to the plaintiff. So what does this mean to you?

Generally, we all owe some general duties to others. These duties are to behave reasonably and act with ordinary care to avoid causing harm to others. As REALTORS®, you also owe more specific duties to your clients. This means that a client would likely be able to prove the duty element of a negligence claim against their REALTOR®. This also means that to avoid a breach of these duties you need to be aware of the duties and understand how they impact your interactions with your clients.

Understanding Negligence and How to Reduce Your RiskEven if a client can prove you owed them a duty and that you

breached your duty, to prevail on a negligence claim they would need to prove that your breach was the cause of their harm and that they were damaged by your breach. In closing, remember your duties and consider how these duties impact your interactions with your clients and the public.

This article does not constitute legal advice and should not be construed as legal advice. For specific advice on your situation, please contact an attorney.

The drive will be specifically for 16-ounce packages of pasta. If you would like to participate, please bring your donations to SABOR during the month of September.

In October, a drive benefiting the Fisher House will commence. This year we are asking for donations of gift cards to grocery stores. The Fisher House is a home where military and veterans’ families can stay free of charge while their loved one is in the hospital. By donating grocery gift cards, you are helping the families with loved ones in the hospital not have to worry about food during difficult times. The gift cards allow the Fisher House to provide meals and snacks to their residents so food is never a concern.

In November, SABOR’s YPN Committee will put up their “Y We Care Tree” which helps to provide children at SAMMinistries with holiday gifts. The tree will have paper ornaments that have a child’s specific holiday gift wish on it. To participate just choose an ornament from the tree, purchase the gift and bring it back to SABOR unwrapped by the due date on the ornament.

On November 5, SABOR will be having a Volunteer Day at the San Antonio Food Bank. This is an opportunity for our members to help sort and package food in the Food Bank’s warehouse to help provide meals to families in our community. The event will last from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. and is a great way to get involved and give back.

With a wide variety of upcoming donation drives we are eager for your participation! If you would like more information about any of our upcoming charitable events, please email communications@sabor.com.

San Antonio – May Housing Trends Reports shows a total of 2,869 homes sold in San Antonio during the month of May. While this displays a year-over-year comparison decrease (compared to 3,590 in May 2019), it is an increase over April’s sales of 2,748 homes. This is according to the Multiple Listing Service Report from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® (SABOR) which reports on all areas contained within the MLS.

Compared to May 2019, San Antonio’s average price of a home increased by 3%. Year-to-date, the average price has shown an increase of 5% to $274,645. Since the start of 2020, there have been 18,676 active listings, and 13,032 total home sales in the city.

In a year-over-year comparison for May, Bexar, Harris, Travis, and Dallas Counties have shown a decrease in sales compared to May 2019. However, in a county-by-county comparison, Bexar County’s decrease in home sales is significantly less than the other Texas counties - only a 13.4% decrease in sales from May 2020 vs. May 2019. Harris, Travis, and Dallas Counties have had a decrease in home sales of 24.9%, 33.1%, and 32.9%, respectively. Bexar County is faring the best of any other major county in Texas, a positive indication for San Antonio’s housing market.

Additionally, pending sales (3,745) entering from May into June are 501 sales more than last year at the same transition time. This number is a great indicator for the city, as well, showing home buyers and sellers are back in action, leading into a very strong buying season in June, which should continue through the summer.

“While we saw a little downward trend this month compared to May 2019, if we’re looking at total numbers for the year, the sales numbers are only at 0.3% decrease, so we’re near par for year-to-date home sales,” said Kim Bragman, SABOR’s 2020 Chairman of the Board. “Also,

we are entering into June with total number of pending sales up by 20%, which is promising for an upward trajectory to round out the year, as we move into summer buying months.”

Bexar County Faring Well in County-by-County Comparison According to San Antonio Board of REALTORS® May Housing Trends

San Antonio Area May 2020

$281,353

Average Price

$242,400

Median Price

2,869

Total Sales

U P C O M I N G B O A R D E V E N T SJuly 2020

WELCOME NEW AFFILIATE MEMBERSBrandon Blake - Traditions InteriorsDaniel Contreras - New Dirt Studios

David Crawford - Real Estate NewslineRobert S. Handowski - Handy Home Inspections

Elizabeth James - L&L Images LLCJoshua Reed - Super Inspector

Ernest Santos - Partner’s Home InspectionTim Schneider - Browning Operations

David A. Smith - Grand Lake Home Inspections

Our thoughts and prayers go out to REALTOR® Lisa Weissgarber Harder on the loss of her mother.

THOUGHTS & PRAYERS

A COMPLETE LIST OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS, EDUCATION COURSES AND OTHER BOARD EVENTS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT MEMBER.SABOR.COM

Virtual: General Membership Meeting

Virtual: SABOR City Hall Visit - Councilwoman Jada Andrews-Sullivan (D2)

Virtual: SABOR City Hall Visit - Councilman Clayton Perry (D10)

Webinar: Economic Outlook with realtor.com

1 1314

Virtual: SABOR Committee Open House

Virtual: YPN Trivia for TREPAC

923 30

Join a SABOR Committee in 2021

Schedule One-on-One Video Appointments with SABOR

Barton CarpetsFidelity National Home WarrantyIndependence TitleLegacy Mutual MortgageOld Republic Home

Piece of Mind Property ManagementSpace on the Fly SWBC Mortgage CorporationTAPFCU

Chicago Title Jefferson Bank

Thank You to Our SABOR Advertisers

Bronze

Gold

Monique Bordelon

Kevin Crawford

William Curtis

Donna Drayton

Katie Griffin Ross

Jan Hicinbothom

Diane Lauer

Trudy Pape

Renae Pretty

Susan Rodriguez

Mindi Stange

Reagan Williamson

ChairmanKim Bragman

Chair-ElectCher Miculka

Secretary/TreasurerTracie Hasslocher

Members-At-LargeSara Briseño Gerrish | Marquis Williams

Immediate Past ChairGrant Lopez

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Applications to join a 2021 SABOR committee are open, and we encourage you to consider participating! Our committees are the backbone of SABOR as they shape the future of the association and the real estate industry locally. Our committees are diverse and do everything from providing oversight on the Multiple Listing Serving, coordinating charitable activities and participating in local legislative efforts to organizing speakers and special events, just to name a few.

There are numerous committees available for participation and you can apply to serve on up to three of these (though you may only be selected for one). Not only is this a great way for you to lend your expertise to the strategy used by SABOR, but it is a perfect opportunity for you to develop strong working relationships with your peers. Committee involvement is also a good step if you would like to pursue leadership positions at the association as well as at the state and national levels. You can visit SABOR’s member site, member.SABOR.com, to read the descriptions of these committees, see how often they meet, learn about projects the committees work on each year and consider where you can get involved. Just click on the tab that says “Governance” and in the dropdown, click “Committees.”

If you aren’t sure which committees might be the best fit for you, join us on July 9 for a virtual Committee Open House to learn more about the 2021 committees. You will have the opportunity to ask your questions and gain more in-depth knowledge of each committee.

When you apply, be sure to indicate which committee is your first, second and third choice. These will be used during the committee selection process to place members on committees. Once these selections have been made and confirmed by the Board of Directors, notices will be sent to those appointed to committees letting them know of their placement. Also, keep in mind that some committees have terms and are limited in the number of members that can be appointed to them.

Committee applications can be found on member.SABOR.com and are due by August 28, 2020. Watch SABOR’s Facebook page for the latest announcements and head to member.SABOR.com to check out our available

committees.

Beginning this month, you can make one-on-one virtual video appointments with SABOR’s Member Care and REALTOR® Academy representatives!

This service will allow you to choose a time and date that works for you to have an online appointment with SABOR or REALTOR® Academy and designate which representative to meet with. Appointments must be scheduled at least an hour in advance.

Once you’ve scheduled your appointment you will be sent an email confirmation with a link to the online meeting. You will also be sent an email reminder the day prior to and an hour before your appointment. To participate in the video appointment, you can use the device of your choice such as your phone, tablet or webcam.

This new tool is a way to help bring member and student services to everyone, regardless of location. You can save time and skip the drive to SABOR while still getting the assistance you need. To schedule your service, visit member.sabor.com.

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