1

The RACC Newsletter

REALTORS® Ass oc iat i on

o f C i t rus Count y , I nc .

Inside this issue:

President Message 1

General Membership RPAC

Chili Cook Off

2 - 6

Wollinka Wilke Title Co

Full page Ad

7

Law Offices of

Doris M. Rodriguez P. A.

Full page Ad

8

May Membership Meeting 9

Education Classes 10-16

Q Financial

District VII Conference

17

19

Volume X, Issue 5 May 2014

The REALTORS® Association of Citrus County, Inc. exists to inform, educate and uphold the high standards set forth in the REALTOR®

Code of Ethics enhancing our members professionalism and image while fostering cooperation among our members and serving our

communities. We provide education and leading-edge technology to better safeguard private property rights and promote equal housing

opportunities

Do Not Call List Info 20

ListHub 22-23

Business Partners Ads 24-25

Education Connection

and MLS Tidbits

26-27

Fines & warnings 28

Calendar 29

On the Move 30

MLS Stats 31

I have been reading some things and decided to share with you some of the more

interesting items regarding real estate.

What do you have to earn to afford a one-bedroom apartment?

The Washington Post has an interactive map that shows how much you

need to earn per hour to rent a one-bedroom apartment by county. The

data to create this map came from the National Low Income Housing

Coalition based on a report on what they consider “fair market rent” in

communities.

I was surprised to see that in Citrus County a renter needs to make well

over minimum wage at $11.27 per hour or about $450 per week which

comes out to just under $22,500 annually. We rank 878 out of 3,144. We are not alone. Not a

single county in the US is under the $7.25 minimum wage rate.

This highlights two things. The first is the need for affordable housing in Citrus County. We as an

association need to look for ways to help the community in that regard.

The second thing is we need to find ways to help people understand that buying a home is much

better than renting. We all know that home ownership is one of the keys for everyone in Citrus

County to have a better life. Now is an excellent time to convert renters to buyers. Prices are still

low and interest rates remain affordable.

Washington Post Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national/county-rental-wages/index.html NLIHC Article: http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/2014OOR.pdf

Electronic Signatures

As of January 30 the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced that it now recognizes

electronic signatures for lender-originated documents on both reverse and forward single-family

mortgages. Previous FHA policy only allowed for eSignatures on third-party documents such as

sales contracts and other documents not controlled by the lender. Now the FHA will also honor

other electronic signatures originating from lenders, such as servicing and loss mitigation

documents, FHA insurance claims and real estate owned (REO) contacts. E-signatures are not yet

accepted on the mortgage note itself, but will be at the end of 2014.

A real estate agent’s job will become increasingly easier as more and more transaction documents

are recognized as legally binding. Gone will be the days when real estate agents need to print,

fax, scan or even hand-deliver signed documents. Time savings will be the biggest benefit to

agents, but decreased costs affiliated with printing, postage and storage will bring more savings

as well.

Greg Younger, President

2

WOW!! April 10th was our largest turn out for the Chili Cook Off in years!! Over 200 Realtors, Business

Partners and Guests attended our annual event.

President Greg Younger called the meeting to order just after 5:30pm, followed by Secretary Rob Tessmer Jr

delivering the Invocation and Pledge. Next, Business Partner Chair Melissa Seney introduced the Business

Partners of the Month~ Robert Rodriguez of the Law Office of Doris M Rodriguez and Kelley Paul of Wollinka

Wikle Title.

President Greg took a moment to introduce the some special guests we had in attendance:

Sherri Meadows, President of Florida Realtors and her husband Bert

Greg Lord, Past District VII DVP and the Evenings Auctioneer

Bill Deese, District VII RPAC Trustee

Courtney Barnard, FR Political Representative and her brother Jarred

Cheryl Lambert, District VII DVP

Many people walked away with some great items from the silent and live auctions. The chili cook-off event

raised over $10,000 for RPAC.

John Conroy was the lucky winner of the Party Cooler and Daniel Gaddi won

$175 in the Share and Share. RPAC will receive the other $175. Thanks so

much to everyone who purchased raffle tickets, participated in the auctions, and

cooked chili.

The awesome Business Partners of the Month had lots of Chili Starter Kit Baskets as door prizes, the following

members won baskets:

Sandra Oller/ERA Suncoast Realty, Gail Granger/Century 21 Nature Coast, Dolly Mayes/PNC Mortgage,

Quade Feeser/Century 21 JW Morton, Donnie Bass/Only Way Realty, Kathy Tolle/Century 21 Nature Coast,

Sherri Orendorf/EXIT Realty Leaders, Tami Scott/EXIT Realty Leaders, Tony Pauelsen/Top Performance Real

Estate Cons., Cliff Anderson/Coldwell Banker Investors, Trish Antonetti/EXIT Realty Leaders, Bernadette

Poorman/EXIT Realty Leaders, and Tonya Kramer/Trotter Realty. Congrats and enjoy your chili!

Kathy Tolle was also chosen to draw for the Queen of Hearts, she did not draw that card but will receive a

free membership meeting. The next Queen of Hearts drawing will be in May for $180.00

The meeting adjourned at 8:55pm, a good time was had by all that attended!

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

STAY CONNECTED WITH RACC

Find us on Facebook

Have you “liked” RACC on Facebook yet?

If not, we invite you to join us! Every day we update our Facebook friends with information about

Education, Upcoming Events and Association News!

Keep up to date!

Click this link: www.Facebook.com./raccfl

18

FAIR HOUSING

Did you miss the important class taught by Dennis Pilon on April 22? The Fair Housing Act prohibits

housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and family status.

To download the fair housing poster for your office go to:

http://www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/Fair-Housing-Poster-2014-04-01.pdf

Legal Q&A

Q: Is it necessary to use the Equal Housing Opportunity slogan and logo in advertisements?

A: The Fair Housing Act does not require the use of the Equal Opportunity slogan or logo. Use of the

slogan and logo expresses your commitment to fair housing. Use of the slogan and logo can serve to

temper a perception that discrimination is indicated in an advertisement.

Q: I’m a landlord, and I don’t want to rent to college students. May a landlord refuse to rent to single

college students without violating the Fair Housing Act?

A: Yes. College students don’t constitute a protected class under the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits

discrimination based on race, color, religion, handicap, familial status or national origin. Familial status

has been defined as a person with one or more children under the age of 18, a woman who is pregnant or a

person who has custody or is gaining custody of a child under the age of 18.

Q: I represent an out-of-state buyer who is looking for property in a 55-and-older community. She is here

on vacation and has a limited amount of time to look for property. How can I find out where all the 55-

and-older communities are in my area?

A: The Florida Commission on Human Relations has a registry of “55 and older” communities available

on its Web site. Go to http://fchr.state.fl.us select the “Directory of 55+ Housing Communities" link,

then select "55+ Directory." You can then search the directory by county, unit, name address, city.

http://www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/Fair-Housing-Poster-2014-04-01.pdf

2014 NAR MEMBERSHIP CARDS AVAILABLE

Showcase your REALTOR® membership with pride by ordering your 2014 Membership card.

Members who visit MemberCenter.REALTOR.org and click on the "my card" link can choose a personalized

background, add up to six of their designations and certifications, and print or order a plastic version of the card.

They can also download the Member Center app to access their card on their smartphone.

19

20

645,000 Phone Numbers Now On Fla. Do-Not-Call list

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 23 – Two years ago, the Florida Legislature removed the $10 registration fee and

$5 annual fee for individuals to sign up for the statewide Do Not Call list at the request of Commissioner of

Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.

Since that time, nearly 575,000 phone numbers have been added to the list, which bans telemarketers – a term

that includes Realtors® – from calling Floridians at home unless a specific set of rules applies.

"Since eliminating the fee to subscribe, Florida's Do-Not-Call list has grown exponentially," said Commissioner

Putnam. "We're proud to prevent more than 645,000 Floridians from being bothered by unwanted sales calls."

A bill that would add text messages to the Do-Not-Call list is currently pending in the Legislature. The Florida

Senate passed SB 450, proposed by Sen. Jeff Clemens, while its House companion, HB 1191 by Rep. Janet

Cruz, awaits a final vote on the House floor.

A 2012 bill eliminated the fee for consumers and increased the penalties for businesses that violate Florida's

Do-Not-Call list.

Anyone who would like to add a number to the list can call 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish

speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832). Floridians can also sign up for the list online at

www.800helpfla.com.

The state's Do Not Call list is updated quarterly and available to solicitors upon request. It is illegal for

solicitors to make telephone calls to phone numbers on Florida's Do-Not-Call list.

Stay In Compliance With The Do Not Call Registry rules

As of Jan. 1, 2005, telemarketers and sellers (including Realtors) are required to search the registry at least once

every 31 days and drop from their call lists the phone numbers of consumers who have registered.

Five area codes will be provided at no charge and additional ones will cost $54.00 per area code, up to a

maximum annual fee of $14,850 for access to the entire list.

These charges will give the telemarketer access to the area codes they select for one year. Exemptions for

complying with the Do Not Call Registry rules include informational calls, survey or political calls, calls

promoting a political party or candidate, business-to-business calls, solicitations for charitable contributions,

calls involving an established prior business relationship within 18 months preceding a call and calls to

consumers who have given written permission to call.

FSBO’s and expired listings are not exempted from the application of the federal Do Not Call rules.

Access the National Do Not Call Registry here.

Since it takes time for Florida to upload its list into the federal registry, real estate licensees should also check

Florida’s Do Not Call List.

Find more information by visiting the Florida Do Not Call Program website here

21

CONSUMER OUTREACH PROGRAM

I am proud to announce a historic action being taken by NAR this week that builds on a strategic effort

we adopted and have progressively been working on for almost two years.

NAR is conducting the first test of the Consumer Outreach Program by launching a Consumer Call for Action (CCFA) to 85 million homeowners, including several million prospective owners, across the country. The CCFA will commence April 30, 2014, and run through mid-July (at least). This consumer outreach will help us find out more about how we should communicate with consumers in the future. It is part of a concerted home-ownership awareness, education and action campaign by NAR to demonstrate to homeowners that REAL-TORS® share concerns with consumers on issues relating to homeownership; and that REALTORS® can be counted on to articulate those concerns and stand up for consumers at the federal, state and local level.

The Consumer CFA is to alert consumers that Congress is having discussions about tax reform that include the possibility of future loss of current deductions for home interest and local and state tax deductions.

Consumers are being asked to sign a petition and or send a letter to their House of Representatives member to ask him or her to help homeowners keep their deductions.

While there is no legislation being proposed at this time in Congress to reform the federal tax code, there are Congressional discussions going on. I believe it is never too early for homeowners to know what the next Congress or a future Congress may consider that will impact their investment and their home.

This advocacy outreach to consumers is a part of NAR's Strategic Plan and is being executed through our Community and Political Affairs Department utilizing our state-of-the-art REALTOR® PARTY advocacy tools.

This is an important event and effort for NAR and for homeowners, and I trust you are as proud of this step forward as the Leadership Team and I are.

Steve Brown 2014 NAR President

FREE Prescription Drug Card Available to REALTORS®

Testimony from Realtor® John Maisel: “ I saved $62 on a prescription thanks to this Realtor Benefit recently.”

Prescription drugs can be expensive. Drug Card America, offered through the REALTOR Benefits® Program, saved members nearly $300,000 in 2013. Take advantage of this FREE discount prescription drug card instantly after downloading. The card may be used at over 60,000 pharmacies nationwide, including CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, Target and more. Learn more, here

22

Get Moving and Go Mobile

Audience: BROKER or AGENT

Blog Keywords: Mobile metrics, real estate mobie apps, mobile metrics reports, online marketing

reports, ListHub

It wasn’t long ago that the thought of having access to the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a

device you could fit in your pocket, seemed like the stuff of science fiction. Today it is not only reality, it is

common place! In fact, the number of Internet-connected mobile devices (i.e. - smartphones and tablets) will

exceed the number of desktops and laptop computers in the next year according to recent report from

Morgan Stanley.

The growth and usage of mobile devices in the real estate

industry has skyrocketed in the last few years. Companies

in nearly every industry are considering how to leverage

mobile to maximize their ROI. With ListHub it’s easy! Many

of our top publishers have either a mobile friendly website

or application for download, and some have both making

it easy for you to reach consumers on the go.

Here are some recent stats from a few of our publisher

partners about mobile usage in 2013:

More than 241 million homes were viewed on Zillow via a mobile device in April 2013. That’s 93

homes per second!

In Q1 Trulia had 11.4 million mobile monthly unique visitors, up 122% year-over-year

Mobile traffic now makes up 40% of HomeFinder’s traffic across the site’s apps and mobile website

These stats make it clear that mobile is an important component of today’s marketing mix. ListHub has more

than a dozen publishers who offer a mobile app. We make it easy for you to determine which publishers

have mobile apps with our Publisher Filter tools, available for free to brokers in the ListHub dashboard.

To find out which publishers have a mobile application:

Get Moving and Go Mobile

www.ListHub.com

23

1. Log in to your ListHub account

2. Click on the “Marketing Choices” tab, then select “Publisher Choices”

3. On the Publisher Choices page you will find ten different Publisher Filters, including “Mobile App

Available. ” By selecting the mobile filter you will see a list of all the ListHub publishers that have mobile

apps available for you to display your listings, then you can pick and choose which publishers

Additionally, we are gathering valuable metrics

from our publishers, including those with mobile

applications, to help you measure your online

marketing. ListHub Reports include mobile metrics

from top publisher websites like Zillow,

realtor.com®, Trulia, and HomeFinder.com. Here

is a quick overview of the mobile metrics currently

available on the ListHub Reports today. As more

publishers add mobile apps or websites we will

continue to add additional mobile metrics!

Today’s online consumers are on the go and mobile

is another way they are searching for their next

home. By sending your listings to publisher

websites that offer a mobile application (and

others!) you will give your listings the maximum

exposure available and increase the likelihood of

finding a buyer.

Get Moving and Go Mobile

Get Moving and Go Mobile

www.ListHub.com

24

BUSINESS PARTNERS

25

BUSINESS PARTNERS

26

27

28

MLS WARNINGS AND FINES FOR MARCH

In April the MLS issued the following to Participants and/or Subscribers: Warnings: Duplicate Listing (0) Wrong Category or Area (6) Pending and Closed (6) Lender owned (0) No Photo (4) Branded Virtual Tour (0) Lockbox Code in Listing (0) Name/Phone# (1) Sign in Photo (0) Alt Key (0) Fine: (0) Violation of the same offense will be subject to the following:

1st offense: Written Notice

2nd offense: $50.00 Fine

3rd offense: $100.00 Fine

• Failure to submit contingent, pending and closed information within two (2) business days.

• Failure to enter a photo. Note: The seller may request in writing a photograph of the property not be included.

• Failure to enter a listing in the correct category.

• Duplicate address and/or alternate key for the same property.

Have you been to www.raccfl.com lately?

After you login (using your MLS login info) you can register for classes, pay any invoices you may have, find videos of past classes, visit the RACC Library and so much more.

29

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Bd Directors

meeting

8:30am

2 3

4 5 6

Orientation

8-4

Ed Comm

9am

7

Contact to

Close 9-10:30

Tech Comm

1:00

8

Membership

Meeting 9am

9 10

11

12 13

Ask the

Expert 1:00

Property

Appraiser

14 15

Quad Ethics

1-3:30

16 17

18 19

Preparing &

Conducting a

Real Estate

Transaction

1-4 3 Hrs CE

20 21

Business

Partners

11:30-12:30

22 23

CE 1-5

Real Estate

Analysis

4Hrs CE

24

25 26

Bd Closed

27

Tech Talk

9am

28 29

MLS Bd Mgrs

9:00am

Appraisal

Process 1-2

30 31

May 2014

30

31

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

Single Family

Condo

Mobile

Vacant

MARCH and APRIL Residential and Vacant Land MLS Stats

These statistics were taken from the MLS on These statistics were taken from the MLS on

March 31, 2014 April 30, 2014

RESIDENTIAL VACANT LAND RESIDENTIAL VACANT LAND

Active 1744 Active 1796 Active 1660 Active 1830

New 384 New 145 New 380 New 150

Closed 231 Closed 57 Closed 213 Closed 39

Pending 396 Pending 45 Pending 380 Pending 43

BOM 155 BOM 39 BOM 164 BOM 46

Expired 153 Expired 102 Expired 135 Expired 100

Withdrawn 70 Withdrawn 19 Withdrawn 90 Withdrawn 22

Chart displays

Closed listings

Our condolences and deepest sympathy are extended to the following that have lost loved ones recently: REALTOR® Becky Norman on the loss of her nephew Justin William Richard and REALTOR® Debbie Scott on

the loss of her grandmother, Mae June.

Sincere Sympathy