News & Updates
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When you add up all of your income from every possible source, and that total is less than $200,000 ($250,000 on a joint tax return), you will not be subject to this tax. The 3.8% tax will never be collected as a transfer tax on real estate of any type, so you’ll never pay this tax at the time that you purchase a...
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In This Issue: Sophisticated Zillow scam puts NAR and MLS on alert | Last Chance to Buy Your Tickets: STAAR Night (Unplugged)! | JUST ANNOUNCED: A SAAR Webinar! | YouTube & Video Marketing | Tired of Junk Mail Clogging Your Inbox? | Champagne Marketing on a Beer Budget | GRI 320 "Advanced Customer Care Through Technology" | Two Days Left:...
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Every May, thousands of REALTORS® make their way to Washington, DC to stress the importance of our issues directly with lawmakers during the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Midyear Meetings. NAR recently posted this year’s talking points for our members who will be meeting with members of Congress May 13-18: ...
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We hear a lot of complaints about real estate-related junk mail. Whether it’s new listings, recruitment emails, or just plain junk, it can get overwhelming filtering through all of those emails! So, what can you do? Here is a tutorial on how to filter out most of the solicitation e-mails so you don’t have to sort through them in your...
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There are lots of technology tools out there that can help you with your real estate business, but we know sometimes it can be hard to find them. Soon, you will have access to REPurposed Apps, a NAR initiative about smartphone and tablet Apps that have been re-purposed for use in real estate. You can also get information from the REALtech blog...
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What's your technology superpower? Find out at the ARMLS TECHNOPALOOZA 2013 on April 17th at the Mesa Convention Center. Check-in starts at 7:30am and the program runs from 9:00am to 3:30pm. Registration is $20 (plus minimal service fee) and includes all technology exhibits, classes, parking, continental breakfast and box lunch. Don't leave...
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STAAR NIGHT (Unplugged)! Tuesday, May 21st, 2013 Tickets on sale now! STAAR Night is a fundraiser for the Hutch Fund, a disaster-relief fund for SAAR Members. It will be held the evening of Tuesday, May 21st at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Don't wait! Tickets are first come, first serve! Click here to purchase your...
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Have you seen this trend? It was started by Tennessee REALTOR® Brian Copeland of Village Real Estate Services. In honor of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics Centennial, Copeland changed his Facebook Cover Photo to this fun image! The Code of Ethics is one of the many things that set you apart as a REALTOR® and not just a licensee! Show your worth to...
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This article originally appeared in the SAAR Journal Spring 2013 issue. You probably already know that the majority of home buyers begin their search online. You also probably know it is important to have a website; but do you know how to use your website as a lead-generating machine? Here’s a hint: It has very little to do with listings. 10 years...
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There are times when work engulfs us. Sometimes it’s two steps back for every step forward. We get buried in our business. It doesn’t take much of this to create massive stress. So, what can we do? In the world of real estate, technological advances can be overwhelming. Changes in the market also occur at a rapid clip. In order to stay on top of...
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Many of us long-time Valley of the Sun residents know what a great place this is to retire and own a home. If you are like me, you are frequently asked for advice on whether or not our area is amenable for retirees. Is it affordable? How is the transportation? What about health care availability and costs? Will taxes be a...
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Seeking to make a better connection with consumers online, Web site realtor.com® (yes, with a lowercase “r”) unveiled new branding this week. The rebranding effort covers — for now, anyway — the corporate logo and the overall design and structure of the Web site. “We wanted to focus in the near term on the new look and feel,” says Andrew...
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With the announcement that MongoFax has closed its doors, SAAR is pleased to announce its partnership with Impact Fax, an electronic faxing service that lets you receive and send faxes to and from your e-mail! No cover sheet or special software is needed to use this service. With this new service, SAAR Members can obtain their own fax...
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Since its formation in 2009, RPR’s core mission has been to provide access to robust property data, and advanced technology features in order to assist NAR’s 1,000,000+ REALTOR® members in creating new business opportunities, and to increase their efficiency in the housing market, to the ultimate benefit of their consumers. Today, RPR is proud to...
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Last night I attended a seminar hosted by Empire West Title that featured four of our states most successful REALTORS®. Wouldn’t you know it…the common theme throughout the stories about what helped them most was their involvement in their communities and civic organizations. Connectedness and volunteerism is one of the key pathways for...
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The General Plan update got into full swing last month with the 100 citizens selected to work on the General Plan update. I have used this space before to tell you how important this effort is for the future of Scottsdale. SAAR was fortunate to have Sabrina Walters, one of our SAAR Directors, selected to be one of the people on the...
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It’s been said that your home is your castle, and sometimes you need help defending it. NAR’s newest campaign, “Dreams,” assures consumers that NAR and REALTORS® are working hard to protect the dream and reality of homeownership for our families and our future. For more information on the campaign and downloadable tools for REALTORS®,...
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Quite a number of you have been pestering me (lol) for periodic updates on current events in our communities. When I have attended and spoken to RMS groups and at various brokerages and offices, attendees seem to really enjoy hearing about the latest big road project, special community event, public meeting or important civic initiative...
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This is a story of tragedy, love and compassion. It is also a story of perseverance and determination. It describes the heartbreaking case of 27 year old Nicole Glass and her friend and pregnant roommate, 27 year old Melissa Mason. Glass and Mason lived together in Glass’ home near 40th Street and Thomas in Phoenix. On or...
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January 11, 2013: On Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, NAR achieved a significant victory in obtaining a safe harbor in the QM rule for loans underwritten to the automated standards of the GSEs, FHA, VA, and RHS and within their respective loan limits for up to seven years and with regard to the GSEs, seven years or whenever they leave conservatorship....
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Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Treatment Gets One More Year (From the National Association of REALTORS®) While there is still very little focus on the importance of this law, the fiscal cliff deal did extend its provisions for one more year. The law – which was set to expire at the end of 2012 - is crucial to foreclosure mitigation efforts such as...
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I hope my dear friend and long-time SAAR staffer John Packham and his beautiful wife Miriam have an easier time of it in 2013. This same hope applies to all the rest of us who have had health challenges in 2012. I hope we don’t fall off the fiscal cliff, but if we do, I hope we land in a lake filled with expensive Cabernet Sauvignon....
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After the release of an audit showed the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was facing a $16.3 billion deficit, the FHA announced it is making changes in 2013. Here are the facts your FHA-eligible clients need to know: 1) Borrowers with credit scores between 580 and 620 will have stricter underwriting requirements (such as debt-to-income...
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On Thursday, December 13th, 2012, the SAAR Board of Directors having reviewed a comprehensive facilities report, determined that the current facility (at 4221 North Scottsdale Road) will not accommodate future member needs and plans should be made to take the next steps to acquire a new facility. This board action was the culmination of an...
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The below information is provided by AZRE Magazine. Nominations close January 4th, 2013. On February 28, 2013, AZRE | Arizona Commercial Real Estate Magazine will present the 8th Annual RED Awards - Arizona's most comprehensive annual real estate awards. The reception will honor the Biggest, Best and Most Notable commercial real...
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In an effort to find sources of revenue to avoid the looming “fiscal cliff,” Congress and the White House are deep in debate over limits on a broad array of deductions for taxpayers. One of these is the mortgage interest deduction, a tax break that REALTOR say is vital to the stability of the American housing market and economy. Specific...
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I received a call earlier this week from a veteran REALTOR® and friend who was disturbed because of a recent experience with an appraisal. He asserted that even though we are on the brink of recovery and there are positive signs of life in the real estate market, sales were being lost due to appraisals that did not meet market conditions,...
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Pending home sales rose strongly in October with mixed regional results, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, increased 5.2 percent to 104.8 in October from an upwardly revised 99.6 in September and is 13.2 percent above October 2011 when it...
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MARK THE DATE! SAAR Annual Meeting January 31st, Chaparral Suites 8:30 AM With the elections and behind us and 2012 now almost completely in the rear view mirror we can again start looking out the windshield at the road ahead. Where will the economy turn? Is there opportunity and/or danger ahead? Who will help lead us?...
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While the residential market is well covered with ARMLS, the commercial market is dominated by commercial brokerages that do not participate in the ARMLS system. Commercial agents have to rely on outside vendors such as CoStar, LoopNet (now owned by CoStar) and now a new entry, Xceligent. The basic cost for a membership in LoopNet, allowing...
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Upcoming Events
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GRI 320 "Advanced Customer Care through Technology"Tue, May 21, 2013SAAR Education RoomRegister at http://bit.ly/WtTs8V
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STAAR NightTue, May 21, 2013Scottsdale Center for the Performing ArtsBuy tickets at www.STAARNight.com!
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Commercial RMSWed, May 22, 2013SAAR, Lower Level
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Commercial Services Committee meetingWed, May 22, 2013Lower Level
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Board of Directors' MeetingWed, May 22, 2013SAAR Board Room