RVAR - The Roanoke Valley REALTOR Online

MAY 25, 2016

ROANOKE VALLEY REALTOR® Online

You are receiving this online newsletter as a benefit of being a member of the Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS®.

CONTACT RVAR

Member Type | Count

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REALTOR@ 1,139

Offices 128

Affiliate 223

Click here to see which RVAR members have switched firms, gone inactive, or joined recently.

IN THIS ISSUE

Homes Sales on Course for Best Year

RVAR Dedicates Bench

Flex MLS Input Sheets

Advocacy @ Work

Do You Speak a Foreign Language?

Set Up Your Agent Profile

Five O'Clock Hops

Upcoming Education

Our RVAR Family

Home Sales On Course for Best Year Since 2006

Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist of the National Association of REALTORS®, forecasts home sales to come in at their highest pace since 2006. "The housing market continues to expand at a moderate pace in spite of the fact that home prices are rising too fast in some areas because of insufficient supply fueled by the grossly inadequate number of new single-family homes being constructed. The good news is that pending sales in recent months have remained stable and should support a modest gain in home sales heading into the summer."

Yun describes the absence of first-time buyers as the missing link to a full housing recovery. Despite positive conditions such as strong job growth, soaring rents in some areas and low mortgage rates, a multitude of factors such as increasing home prices amidst flat wage growth, the lack of available starter homes and student loan debt is thwarting many young would-be buyers.

Even with underlying challenges, Yun reports that the housing market has come a long way since the depths of the recession. Mortgage delinquency rates -- especially for Veteran Affairs mortgages -- have subsided to near pre-crisis levels and home prices have rebounded substantially in a majority of metro areas, which in turn has boosted household wealth for many homeowners.

"The economy should still expand enough to continue the current pace of job creation, which will in turn lead to slow, but steady sales gains for the housing market," reports Yun.

RVAR Dedicates Bench on the Greenway

Living in the Roanoke region, we recognize the importance of our Greenways to the residents throughout the Valley. Our Greenways are helping improve the quality of life for many folks who take advantage of our vast Greenway system. And we have recently seen the importance of the Greenways in attracting and retaining businesses for the area.

Last year, RVAR's Board of Directors and Community Service Committee sought funding from the National Association of REALTORS®, through its Placemaking Grant program and the Virginia Association of REALTORS®, through its Community Engagement Grant program. With those two grants, we were able to have a bench and handicap pad placed on the Greenway at the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail overlooking Mason Creek. A brief dedication was held on April 21st with representatives from Roanoke County, the Greenway Commission, RVAR's Board of Directors and the Community Service Committee. This project is another way for the Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS® to give back to our community.

Flex MLS Input Sheets

The MLS Input Sheets available in zipForms® will be changing effective June 1st. At the request of RVAR's Broker Council, the MLS Input Sheets will mirror those available through FlexMLS -- which means the layout of the Input Sheets will match the layout of the FlexMLS input screen. The new Input Sheets should improve the process for inputting new listings.

Advocacy @ Work

Advocacy @ Work is a regular article aimed at updating members on what is happening in our region regarding Economic Development and/or Governmental Affairs.

Some localities held elections on May 3rd and RVAR's endorsement efforts were very successful. We congratulate the winning candidates in elections in the Cities of Roanoke and Salem.

         Roanoke City Mayor & Council:
         Sherman Lea - Mayor*
         Anita Price (Incumbent)*
         Michelle Dykstra*
         John Garland*

Salem City Council:

Jane Johnson (Incumbent)*

Bill Jones (Incumbent)*

James Martin

* RVAR endorsed candidates

We commend local citizens who are involved in our community and take the initiative to run for elected office and serve in these roles.

The National Association of REALTORS® Legislative Meetings were held recently in Washington, DC. This is a busy week of meetings and updates on NAR issues with a focus on legislative priorities and the economic impact to our industry.

On Wednesday, individual meetings were held with Congressman Robert Hurt's staff and Congressman Morgan Griffith. These meetings were attended by Sonya Dickinson, (who serves as the NAR Federal Political Coordinator for Congressman Hurt), Kathy Chandler (RVAR President-elect) and myself. On Thursday, Dennis Cronk (Federal Political Coordinator for Congressman Goodlatte) and I met with Congressman Bob Goodlatte. Thursday afternoon, our entire RVAR team and over 100 REALTOR® leaders from Virginia attended a group meeting at the Capitol with both Senators Warner and Kaine. During each of these meetings we were able to discuss the importance of keeping the Mortgage Interest Deduction; issues with the Federal Flood Insurance Program to make it easier for consumers to use private insurers to help cut cost; and keeping 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges and the impact they have on many real estate transactions including commercial and investment properties.

All of these issues directly affect our industry and consumers. We need to be diligent in our efforts to keep our members of Congress informed as to why these issues matter.

Article provided by Joe Sutliff , RVAR Director of Economic & Governmental Affairs.

Do You Speak a Foreign Language?

RVAR is often asked whether there are REALTORS® who speak a certain language. Sometimes the public asks the question -- other times it is other REALTORS®.

If you speak a foreign language, add that information to your RVAR Member Profile. Not only will RVAR have access to that information, but the public will be able to search on RVAR.com for REALTORS® by languages spoken.

It's simple. Go to RVAR.com -- in the upper right hand corner, click on User Login. After logging in, look for the blue member profile box and click on Update Your Member Profile. Click on Personal Information. Select the foreign languages you speak and Save.

You can also add foreign languages to your realtor.com® profile. If you have not yet set up your profile, see below for instructions.

Set Up Your Agent Profile on realtor.com®

Claim your agent profile page on realtor.com®. Once you do, you will be automatically included in the realtor.com® Find a REALTOR® directory, boosting your visibility and referral potential. Plus, your profile will now be easier to find on Google when consumers are actively searching for an agent.

Your agent profile can be customized with your photo, an 'about me' romance paragraph, your specializations, foreign languages spoken, years in the business plus a link to your personal website and more.

Claim your profile in 3 easy steps:

Visit www.realtor.com/realestateagents/ and search for yourself
Once you find your profile, click on View full profile
Click on Claim my Profile and sign into the Control Panel

(Along with a self-selected password, you will need to know your MLS and MLS identifier in order to complete the sign-up process. The MLS identifier is a combination of your MLS Office ID and your MLS User ID -- both without the rva.)

Five O'Clock Hops in Daleville

If you have not attended a 5 O'clock Hops yet, you will want to venture out to Daleville to Flying Mouse Brewery for our next stop. Yes, this great brewery is off the beaten path, but that is part of the fun of these events! 5 O'clock Hops is a great opportunity to network and socialize with other REALTORS® & Affiliates... and support our local breweries!

5 O'clock Hops in Daleville, will take place on Thursday, June 16th at Flying Mouse Brewery (221 Precast Way, Troutville, VA 24175) from 5:00PM 'til 7:00PM. You are welcome to bring your significant other or friends! This is a fun event that is held occasionally at various breweries throughout the area!

No Registration Required for this event - just show up! And bring a friend!

Appetizers Provided!
Enjoy Flying Mouse Brewery's beer selection!
Door Prizes for REALTORS® & Affiliates! Bring a business card!
Click here for a printable flyer.

This event is sponsored by our fabulous 2016 Partner/Sponsors.

USDA Rural Development Programs: Info Session for REALTORS®

The USDA Rural Developement offices in Virginia are hosting information sessions across Virginia to allow lenders, REALTORS® and nonprofit partners to learn and ask questions abuth the guaranteed and direct loan programs for rural housing.

Only a few seats remain for the session in Salem on Monday, June 6th, 11:00AM - 12:30PM at the Salem Public Library ( 28 E. Main St.) Click here to register for this FREE session.

Upcoming Education

Code of Ethics -- This June 15th (9AM - Noon) class, taught by John Dickinson, not only provides 3 hours of CE credit for license renewal, but also meets NAR's ethics training requirement. NAR requires all REALTORS® to complete 3 hours of Code of Ethics training every four years. The current four-year cycle ends December 31, 2016. Click here to register.

1031 Exchanges: A Brief Primer -- This June 16th (10AM-Noon) class will provide a practical, working knowledge of the rules and logistics of like-kind exchange transactions. Carol Hayden, Executive Vice President of Investors Title Exchange Corp. will teach this class, which qualifies for 2 hours of CE and PL credit. Click here to register for this FREE class.

Our RVAR Family

Sympathy

RVAR expresses sympathy to the friends and colleagues of Bill Keenan of Wainwright & Co.'s Lake Office, upon his recent passing.

Congratulations

Congratulations to those recently named "2016 Best Of" by The Roanoker Magazine, which included categories for real estate firms and agents. Some of RVAR's Affiliate members were recognized, too!

Best Real Estate Firm: Platinum -- MKB, REALTORS®; Gold -- RE/MAX Valley; Silver -- Long & Foster, REALTORS®

Best Real Estate Agent: Platinum -- Timberly Robertson (Lichtenstein Rowan); Gold -- Norm Pullen (MKB, REALTORS®); Silver -- Vickie Clarke (Long & Foster, REALTORS®)

Best Credit Union: Platinum -- Member One FCU; Gold -- Freedom First FCU; Silver -- Blue Eagle Credit Union

Best Moving Company: Platinum -- Virginia Varsity Transfer

Best National Bank: Platinum -- Wells Fargo; Gold -- SunTrust; Silver -- BB&T

Best Pest Control: Platinum -- Bug Man Exterminating

Best Property & Life Insurance Provider: Platinum -- State Farm

Best Regional/Local Bank: Platinum -- Hometown Bank; Gold -- First Citizens Bank

Let RVAR know if you have news to share.

Upcoming Events

May 30th	RVAR Office Closed for Memorial Day
June 15th	Code of Ethics
June 16th	1031 Exchange Class
June 16th	5 O'clock Hops
June 17th	New Member Orientation
July 4th	RVAR Office Closed for Holiday