WEEKLY BULLETIN December 1, 2014 In This Issue Your Welcome to Southeast Minnesota Local on the 8's Association of REALTORS® REALTOR Ring Day Dear Karen, Sorensen retirement party Holiday Parties I saw on Facebook where people were weighing themselves before and after Thanksgiving. Really ? SEMAR closures for holidays Why would you want to do that to yourself? I, for one, have no intention of stepping on the scale from Hell Shaun's Tip Corner REALTOR until after the new year - LONG after the new year! Rally - sign up today! SEMAR My bad, I know. Mandatory Ed Schedule MLS I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Karen News You Can Use Members on We are officially in the shopping season - it's also the Becker, season of giving. Take a few hours out of your day CEO the Move to ring for the Salvation Army on December 5! It's a awesome way to give. Nuggets from NAR Speaking of giving... Ed Pompeian was featured on NBC News Contact Us Making a Difference! Click here - he's the 6th story as of today's writing. Rochester Office 3400 E River Rd NE Have a great week! Rochester, MN 55906 507-285-9833 Warm regards, Owatonna Office 140 W. Pearl, Ste 2 Karen Owatonna, MN 55060 507-455-0225 Your Local on the 8's The DMC Board will finish their work on Dec. 15. Soon thereafter, they will give their final plan to the Rochester City Council for its review and approval. By statute, the City has to provide 60 days for the public to weigh in. At the end of that time, a straight vote to "approve" or "disapprove" must be held. Patrick Sexton, SEMAR GAD REALTORS® from across southeast Minnesota will need to make their voices heard on this important 20 year plan. How we will be able to communicate on the plan hasn't been determined, but we will likely need to write letters, call city officials and attend public hearings. SEMAR will assist every step of the way. But there is no more powerful voice than yours, so stay tuned to see how you can help! Until next week Pat REALTOR Ring Day December 5 Time is fast approaching (hard to believe) to get scheduled to ring the bells for the Salvation Army. Get your spot today! Contact information is listed below for some of the bell ringing locations in southeast Minnesota. Information on Winona and Owatonna will be coming soon. Albert Lea, MN - Sign up online or call 507-373-5710 Austin, MN - Sign up online or call 507-437-4566 NEW info! Rochester/Byron/Chatfield/Stewartville, MN - Call Dave Ferber or Haley Welby at 507-288-3663 Linda Sorensen, Staff Executive, retirement open house Want a chance to say goodbye? We will be holding an Open House with Linda as the guest of honor on Monday, December 29, from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm at Plaza Morena Compestre Grill, 160 26th Street NW, Owatonna. Heavy appetizers will be served, cash bar. We're going to miss you! Santa Claus is comin' to town.. We have several holiday parties coming in the next few weeks. We're ringing in the season! December 10 - Albert Lea Dinner Cost: $15 members, $25/guests Venue: Wedgewood Cove Country Club Time: 5:30 pm social hour, 6:30 pm dinner Charity: Salvation Army Angel Tree - bring an unwrapped toy to donate December 11 - Winona Happy Hour - casual Cost $12.50 Naughty or Nice? Venue: Bubs (lower level) Time: 5:30 pm Charity: Winona Food Shelf - bring non-perishable food items December 12 - Austin Happy Hour - casual/business dress Cost: $5 Venue: The Corners Time: 5:00 pm Charity: Women's Leadership Initiative Personal Care Closet - bring hats, gloves and socks SEMAR will be closed December 24 & 25 and January 1 Happy Holidays! Shaun's Tip Corner Tip 1: Just scrape off the burnt part, it's still good!! Each week, I will provide you with a useful tip based on frequently asked questions and important updates. (My first tip will always be something useful in life.) This week I have chosen to make everyone aware of how to maintain their Active Keys as I have noticed a Shaun Martin, trend of new keys not working correctly, which MLS & IT Director leads us on to "Tip Two". Tip 2: Maintaining Your ActiveKey I have taken a step away from my normal routine and decided to give you official steps from Supra on maintaining your ActiveKey correctly. There will be no illustrations, just plain old text. Your ActiveKey is designed to operate in temperatures between -4o and 131o F(-20o and 55o C). Low (-) or high-temperature conditions may shorten battery life or cause the ActiveKey to malfunction. If the ActiveKey is below 32o F (0o C) or above 113o F (45o C), the battery will not charge. For maximum battery life, store your ActiveKey at room temperature. IMPORTANT: DO NOT leave an ActiveKey in hot or cold environments, including a car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range which will damage the ActiveKey. Remember you are responsible for the key, so please take necessary precautions to maintain working efficiency. If you have any suggestions or topics that you would like to see covered, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I hope you find these tips helpful, until next time have a great rest of the week!! Shaun Rah Rah Rally! Remember how much fun we had last year at the REALTOR Rally? Ready to do it again? So in between watching your football games and making pumpkin pies, give us a ring and get signed up for the Rally! REALTOR Rally Exhibit Hall When: February 19, 2015 Where: Rochester Event Center, 7333 Airport View Dr SW, Rochester Time: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm CE: 7.5 hours (pending) Tuition: Still only $25/REALTOR member! (For the whole Day!) Registration opens Tuesday, September 23! Want to know what you can expect from our two nationally acclaimed instructors? Instructor Trista Curzydlo, J.D. - With the knowledge you expect from an attorney and the sense of humor you wish your attorney had, Trista brings a fresh perspective to teaching continuing education classes for real estate licensees. Her career as an attorney both in the courtroom and the Statehouse provides her with a strong grasp on the "why" behind difficult legal topics while her experience as Government Affairs Director and Legal Counsel for a REALTORS® Association Trista Curzydlo, J.D. allows her to provide the "how" for risk management in a manner that everyone can grasp and enjoy. Here's how Trista can make you more knowledgeable: I Don't Give a Twit . Social Media Risk Management. Are you in danger of being "dooced"? 90% of homebuyers used the internet in their home search, making the internet and social media an important part of your real estate practice. It is important to understand how the entities regulating the real estate industry view social media. This course examines potential violations of advertising rules, RESPA, the Fair Housing Act, intellectual property laws and anti-trust. Providing practitioners with the tools necessary to create and implement risk reduction techniques in their practices. Let me Tell You About the Man Cave: The Fair Housing Act For the Modern Real Estate Agent. The Fair Housing Act might not have changed in the last decade, but real estate agents and consumers have. This course looks at recent technological developments in the real estate industry and their interplay with the Fair Housing Act as well as recent cases involving real estate professionals. Instructor Roger Turcotte - Roger's experience as a real estate agent and manager helped him create solution- based seminars that empower real estate managers and agents to sharpen their competitive edge. An ease with teaching and an engaging sense of humor enable Roger to provide seminars that are informative, enjoyable, and, ultimately, profitable. Roger has earned a reputation as a consummate real estate educator, with recognition by seminar students, agency owners, and ® Roger Turcotte REALTOR associations throughout the United States. Here's what you can learn from Roger: Teaching Consumers How To Negotiate This program will provide you with the information that you need to help sellers and buyers understand what is in their best interest when they negotiate and how they can avoid the pitfalls that can prevent them from negotiating a successful agreement. In addition to learning the 9 Success Keys that consumers should follow, you will receive a copy of Roger's 'Consumer Guide to Creating a Purchase and Sale Agreement.' Helping Buyers Navigate a Changing Market Is today's market causing you to question why you're in the real estate business? Are your buyers having a difficult time making a decision to buy a home? Do you ever feel that buyers just want to keep looking at homes ? If you answered YES to any of these questions then you will want to attend Helping Buyers Navigate a Changing Market, will help you work more productively with your buyers. This seminar includes such helpful information as: - The importance of getting buyers to use a home buying process - How to prepare buyers for making a buying decision - Tips on helping buyers define their needs - Avoiding the effects of the 'paradox of choice' - And much more LIVE SEMAR Mandatory Education Schedule The 2014 -2015 module requirement totals 7.5 hours. The 7.5 hours consists of TWO 2014-2015 general modules: * "Minnesota Disclosure Laws" for 3.75 credit hours, AND * "Financing Issues, Earnest Money, and Trust Accounts" for 3.75 credit hours.