Dates
General Membership Meeting
May 13,
12:00 @ Catfish Cabin
General Membership/Board of Director Meeting
June 10,
BoD-11:30
GM-12:00 @ Catfish Cabin
Region 9 Meeting South
June 17,
@ MCM Elegante'
2355 I-10 South,
Beaumont 77705
Contact Kathy Burkhalter 406/892-9761
Click here for region 9 registration form: http://texasrealtors.com/web/79/reg_mtg_2008.htm
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Stories
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Message from Brad Shepherd, president
Help more Texans realize the dream of homeownership by assisting clients and prospects at various stages of their home search. June is National Homeownership Month, and this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act. This watershed moment in our nation's history empowered people from all backgrounds and walks of life by protecting fair and equal access to housing. Today, Texas REALTORS® continue to work in every possible way to preserve and expand fair access to affordable housing and homeownership.
NAR has put together a kit of materials to assist you in promoting homeownership. The tools in this kit are located on NAR's Web site and include a series of workshops you can present to local community and civic groups, as well as press-release and article templates to help you publicize your efforts. These workshops educate consumers about owning a home, show them the value of REALTORS®, and help you build relationships with them as potential clients. Promoting homeownership not only helps consumers realize the American Dream; it also increases your opportunities for a successful real estate career.
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Did your fingerprints process correctly?
You are now required to submit your fingerprints when you renew your license; if this is news to you, visit TREC's Web site for some background. There have been some instances where licensees submitted fingerprints in a timely manner but later found out there was a problem with their prints. If this happens to you, TREC will send you a letter with instructions to contact IBT at 888/467-2080 to be reprinted at no additional cost. Reprints must be taken within 30 days of the renewal date of your license. If your prints are rejected a second time, TREC will be notified and will initiate a background check through other identification means. You will not have to do anything at that point.
To check the status of your prints, look up your record on TREC's Web site and check the newly created Fingerprinting Completed field. If the TREC Web site doesn't indicate prints within 10-15 days of the date you were printed, contact TREC at 800/250-8732.
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New Code of Ethics video series
What's the fastest and newest way to learn about the NAR Code of Ethics? The new NAR Code of Ethics video series. Make sure you understand what separates you, as a REALTOR®, from other real estate professionals and get your office talking about and living by the Code.
There are 15 short video segments covering the preamble, articles, and standards of practice. Included are support material and questions to stimulate discussion. Each segment is five to seven minutes long, available 24/7, and free of charge.
Use these videos as a start to your weekly office meetings or as part of other training. Visit Realtor.org to access the videos, which can be downloaded for later use or played directly from the site.
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Save the date: 2008 Texas REALTORS® Convention and Trade Expo
Mark your calendars now. The 2008 Texas REALTORS® Convention and Trade Expo is coming to San Antonio September 6-11. What better opportunity to learn, network, and grow your business?
This year's convention will have a new format: Governance meetings will be held September 6-8, and the convention and trade expo events will take place September 9-11.
Learn more about the schedule and registration information at TexasRealtors.com.
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Get your Affordable Housing Specialist certification
Texas REALTORS® can now achieve the Texas Affordable Housing Specialist certification while earning 12 hours of MCE. This certification combines five MCE courses that equip you with the knowledge to help first-time homebuyers and to increase homeownership and retention in Texas. Headlined by the popular four-hour United Texas course, the certificate components include:
- United Texas: Housing Initiatives that Work
- Marketing to the Affordable Housing Buyer
- Mortgage Lending One-on-One
- How Green is Affecting Affordability
- Predatory Lending and Mortgage Fraud
If you've already taken the United Texas course, you're a third of the way toward your new certification. If you can't complete all 12 hours of affordable-housing courses right away, don't worry. Take the courses individually until you achieve your certification.
The Texas REALTORS® Convention & Trade Expo in San Antonio will offer an opportunity to get your Affordable Housing Specialist Certification and earn 12 hours of MCE at the same time. Online registration begins June 2 on TexasRealtors.com.
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New FHA criteria secures more mortgages
The FHA will have more flexibility to insure replacement mortgages for borrowers struggling to stay current in their subprime mortgage in program changes announced by President Bush. Under some of the new criteria, the FHA can insure replacement loans of lenders who voluntarily write down the outstanding subprime mortgage principal balances to a 97% or 90%loan-to-value ratio, depending on the borrowers' circumstances, and lenders are encouraged to make other arrangements, such as subordinate financing, to fill the gap between the existing loan balances and the FHA-insurable loan amount. The refinanced loan amount backed by the FHA would be based upon a new appraisal, performed by an FHA-approved appraiser.
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Board Services Department welcomes new staff
Tina Fucile has joined the Texas Association of REALTORS® staff as board services coordinator. While she's new to TAR, Tina is no stranger to REALTORS®. She's been involved in the real estate industry for years and served as the 2007 president of the Bastrop County Board of REALTORS®.
The majority of Tina's responsibilities will be overseeing our management program, and she brings a wide range of knowledge and expertise to our association. She can be reached at 800/873-9155, ext. 160, or tfucile@texasrealtors.com.
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