July, 2009Archive

Scott retires from the ARA after 10 years

July 31st, 2009 | announcements | 1 comment

Annice Scott, the receptionist at the Arkansas Realtors® Association (ARA), retired on July 31. She started at the ARA in June 1999 — right after the Memorial Day weekend. She came to the ARA after 11 years at TCBY Enterprises in Little Rock shut it’s doors.
“It was a great time,” she said. “I enjoyed working [...]

HUD reports national rise in housing discrimination complaints, drop in Arkansas filings

July 31st, 2009 | 2009 - 3rd quarter, Realtor® 'Rightings | No comments

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a record 10,552 fair housing discrimination complaints were filed in fiscal 2008.

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Understanding your green client

July 31st, 2009 | 2009 - 3rd quarter, Realtor® 'Rightings | 1 comment

As the topics of sustainability and green building continue to gain momentum, clients and customers interested in green features and amenities will become more and more common. But who is the green buyer, tenant, owner or seller? And how can you determine what green means to them?

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NAR calls for initiatives leading to environmental efficiency; some incentives already exist in Arkansas

July 30th, 2009 | 2009 - 3rd quarter, Realtor® 'Rightings | 4 comments

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) has come out in support of the goals behind federal legislation encouraging energy efficiency, but says a system of incentives is the best way to encourage people to go green. The two bills at issue are the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act – H.R. 2336 – [...]

The ARA goes PREP

July 29th, 2009 | 2009 - 3rd quarter, Realtor® 'Rightings | No comments

At the Arkansas Realtors® Association (ARA) Board of Directors meeting on June 16, a recommendation from the Public Relations Committee to set up a blog was approved. The group chosen to design a custom template for the blog and host it is Positive Real Estate Professionals (PREP), which is an established real estate community. The [...]

Are you ready for the Realtor® of the Year Gala?

July 28th, 2009 | 2009 - 3rd quarter, Realtor® 'Rightings | 2 comments

Wow – this September is the 50th Anniversary of the Arkansas Realtors® Association’s Realtor® of the Year program! Lesia and I are so excited to have been asked by ARA President Bob Walker to be your hosts for this once in a lifetime event.
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Updates from the AREC: Unlicensed Practice

July 27th, 2009 | 2009 - 3rd quarter, Realtor® 'Rightings | No comments

What do you do if someone is practicing real estate without holding an Arkansas Real Estate license? Contact the Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) and furnish all the information you have. If it appears  the person is conducting real estate activities without holding an active real estate license, AREC will investigate.

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Arkansas average/median list prices and inventories for July 27

July 27th, 2009 | Housing Market Statistics, News you can use | No comments

july-27-09-list-prices-3-month-graphicThere aren’t just a whole lot of surprises in the latest average/median list prices and inventories report released today by the Arkansas Realtors Association. read more

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The trick to buying a foreclosed home

July 27th, 2009 | House to House | No comments

house-to-house-logo-revisedOver the past couple of years we’ve seen a lot of news about foreclosures and with good reason – people who can snap up a bank owned property can often save some money. read more

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ARA President Bob Walker’s message, 3rd Quarter 2009

July 24th, 2009 | 2009 - 3rd quarter, Realtor® 'Rightings | No comments

2009bobwalkerI want to take this opportunity to wish a belated Happy Fourth of July to all Arkansas Realtors®. I truly hope that you were able to take the time to enjoy your family and friends and to reflect on the freedoms that we enjoy. The freedom to work in an industry such as ours where we touch so many lives is truly a blessing. read more

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‘Realtor® ‘Rightings’ articles coming soon to ‘The Arkansas Realtor®’

July 23rd, 2009 | Realtor® 'Rightings | 1 comment

realtormaglogoStarting soon (Friday, July 23 to be precise), we’ll start posting articles from Realtor® ‘Rightings to this blog. Realtor® ‘Rightings is the official publication of the Arkansas Realtors® Association (ARA) and it is printed and distributed to our members on a quarterly basis. read more

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Virtual Office Websites (VOW’s) – Friend or Foe?

July 22nd, 2009 | Jeff Israel, News you can use | 3 comments

friend-or-foeMany brokers have expressed concern or confusion regarding Virtual Office Websites.  What is a Virtual Office Website?  Why do you, the REALTOR®, need to know about it?  And how do I, the MLS geek, administer one?  I spend untold hours speaking to other MLS professionals (thank you Amanda Tester), NAR, ARA, attorneys, and the AREC.  I conduct VOW lectures to Boards of REALTORS® throughout the State and I always learn something new from particularly bright brokers and Association Executives.  The question I am most often asked is what will VOW’s do to my real estate business?  Are they a friend or foe?  I will attempt to answer these questions and hopefully alleviate some of your fears. read more

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Cleburne County Board July newsletter

July 21st, 2009 | Cleburne County newsletter, News you can use, announcements | No comments

j0254494The latest newsletter from the Cleburne County Board of Realtors® is out and available to you in that handy PDF format that all the kids are wild about. Want a copy? Of course you do, so click here and get it. read more

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Pending homes sales and the HVCC

July 20th, 2009 | House to House | No comments

house-to-house-logo-revised
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) announced the Pending Homes Sales index was up in May for the fourth straight month but expressed concern about the impact of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) on future sales. read more

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Arkansas average/median list prices and inventories for July 20

July 20th, 2009 | Housing Market Statistics | No comments

july-20-09-list-prices-3-month-graphic
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve seen the time tested rules of supply and demand at work — when the supply of an item increases, prices tend to drop. To get a copy of the latest average/median list prices for Arkansas report just click right here. read more

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