Parkersburg Area
Association of REALTORS®
July 2017                                                      Newsletter
PAAR Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30am - 4:30pm
Lunch is taken from approximately 12 - 1pm, daily
*please leave a message if no one answers the phone*
Upcoming Events
July 4 - Independence Day - CLOSED
July 5 - Committee Meetings
July 13 - Board of Directors Meeting
July 16-18 - Women's Council of                                  REALTORS ® Region 1                            Conference  at Stonewall                          Resort
President's Letter
Bill Casto, 2017 PAAR President

How much do you know about the REALTOR ® trademarks and how to use them correctly?
Here are five key facts.
(1) REALTOR® = Member of NAR

A REALTOR® is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. The term REALTOR® should never be used as a substitute for "real estate agent."

The REALTOR® trademarks include:
• REALTOR®
• REALTORS®
• REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®
• the REALTOR® block "R" logo

The REALTOR® marks let people know that you are more than just a real estate practitioner: you adhere to a strict Code of Ethics that protects clients, the public, and other real estate agents.

The term REALTOR® is not only a trademark owned by NAR and protected by federal law, it's a valuable membership benefit that distinguishes members from other real estate licensees.

(2) Members can use the REALTOR® trademarks, with limitations

Members may use the REALTOR® marks only in the context of identifying themselves as members of NAR. To maintain the value of the marks, it's important that they be recognized by the public as identifiers of NAR members, and never used generically to denote a vocation or a business.

Members are licensed to use the marks only in connection with their real estate business and in connection with the place of business with which their membership is associated.

(3) Non-members may not use the REALTOR® marks

Non-members are never allowed to use the REALTOR® trademarks in reference to or in connection with their businesses or themselves.

Certain nominal uses of the marks are permissible. For example, newspapers, magazines, or radio or television programs may use the marks to accurately identify an individual as a member of NAR or in reference to a Member Board.
(4) Design standards for REALTOR® marks must be followed

The preferred form of the term is REALTOR®—in all caps, and using the registered trademark symbol. If using the symbol isn't possible, then the next best form is in all caps: REALTOR.

The REALTOR® block 'R' logo consists of a letter R set in Futura Typeface on a sharply contrasting rectangular background to form a block “R” with the term REALTOR® centered underneath. The rectangular block and the term REALTOR® centered under that block must be the same contrasting color. View additional design standards here.

(5) The REALTOR® marks can be used on the internet and in marketing

In usernames, members are allowed to use the REALTOR® marks only to indicate membership in NAR by using the marks with a member’s name or with the legal name of a member broker’s real estate business.

In usernames, email addresses, and domain names, the REALTOR® marks do not need to be separated from a member’s name or real estate business name with punctuation, as they do elsewhere.

The marks may be used on merchandise such as T-shirts and ball caps, as long as the item includes the member’s name or firm name. However, the marks may not be used in institutional advertising by franchisors.
Women's Council of REALTORS®

Plan to join your fellow Women’s Council members from WV, TN, KY, NC and VA for our Biennial Conference at Stonewall Resort surrounded by the serenity of West Virginia’s Stonewall Lake. Registration is $250/person which includes education sessions, networking and team building activities, lunch and dinner Monday, and lunch Tuesday. Speakers include Dr. Alinda Perrine,
Marki Lemons-Ryhal, and Eric Murphy.

An email was sent out requesting content for our newsletter this month, and I heard back from several appraisers...

In order to be helpful, and cut down on turnaround time, please do your best to include the following information on your listings in Neohrex:

  • Accurate square footage (broken down by above and below grade)
  • Accurate owner information
  • Accurate maps/parcels/deed book (your appraisers are happy to assist if you need help with this)
  • Appraiser's name
  • Disclaimer about the possibility that the square footage may be a little off
  • make note of if the property is bank owned, owner occupied, or tenant occupied
  • sales concessions



Here is what one appraiser had to say about square footage:


"One of the biggest problems we face is the adding together of the above grade living area and below grade living area. For appraisals, we have to separate the above grade and below grade. The majority of listings have them added together without a defined amount for basement and the finished area in the basement. Some Realtors have put in comments the above grade square footage and the basement size and basement finish. This has been so helpful. Appraisers adjust for these items. It is taking us longer to do appraisals (sales) when we can not find the appraiser who may have inspected the comparable to get the correct information. Many of us now include a statement in our appraisals about the questionable square footage. I have also found that if a Realtor uses the info from realist, it may not include the total site size if there are more than one parcel. We verify each sale through the courthouse and I have found several deeds which include the total site but was not listed on the listing sheet."
  Open House Extravaganza

Please consider participating in the 2017 Open House Extravaganza, by hosting an open house at one of your listings on October 15, 2017 from 1pm-3pm.

If interested, please follow the link below and return the requested information to Kristen.