The Other Side of EDCAR

Transcription

1

2 A Publication of the El Dorado County Association of REALTORS Inside this issue: Message from the President 2 zipforms Plus 3 Safety 4 Insurance 5 General Membership Luncheon Golf Tournament 6 7 The Other Side of EDCAR This year, as in years past, the members of EDCAR have given their time and their money in fundraising efforts that have benefited so many local organizations. We started off the year with a H.O.T. Breakfast in January. The Honor Our Troops Committee under the chairmanship of Affiliate Cyndi Romano held their annual January breakfast. Through ticket sales, sponsorships and raffles the event raised a little over $3000 to go toward sending care packages to the troops overseas. Next fundraising event for 2013 will be the October 10 Spaghetti feed. Last year this event raised over $4000 to go toward care packages. The YPN Young Professionals Network held an Easter Egg Bowl and raised $600 which was donated the United Outreach of El Dorado County program. These efforts were guided by REALTOR Casey McLeod. Another bowling event is planned in November. This year marked the third annual Fun Run, Walk, Crawl ; this is a 5K event open to all. It was held on July 27 th under the direction of REALTOR Lauri Clupper and members of the task force. Each year any proceeds have been earmarked by the Sunshine Fund. The Sunshine Fund is used to send cards, flowers, remembrances, etc. to our Members who are hospitalized or seriously ill or who have suffered the loss of a close family member. The Fund receives donations from individual members; proceeds from Pancake Breakfasts sponsored by EDCAR Affiliates and now from the Fun Run event. This year over $900 was raised from this event. In September, the 15 th Annual EDCAR Golf Tournament was held. The event was a great success thanks to all the efforts and participation of several of our Members. Affiliate Jeremy Miehe directed these efforts along with co-chairs, REALTOR Jim Vindler and Affiliate Kevin Fritz and many other individuals who were involved in the planning. The groups who benefitted from October 2013 this event were: El Dorado County Habitat for Humanity; CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate); El Dorado County Union High School District Boosters and United Outreach of El Dorado County Another group using their efforts to benefit our community is the EDCAR Top Achievers. Each year they award over $12,000 in scholarships to students who are graduating from El Dorado County High Schools. This year the Top Achievers Club is headed by REALTOR Andi Wagner. And of course there is CanTree. For many, many years the members of EDCAR have been involved in raising funds for those less fortunate in our Community. Last year through the efforts and participation of our members, $15,000 was distributed to the following organizations: Food Bank of El Dorado County; Family Connections; The Center for Violence Free Relationships; Partners in Care; the Upper Room; and Community Resource. This year the Christmas CanTree efforts will again be headed by REALTOR Linda Riley. Several Members have volunteered to help with the efforts. If you are interested in helping with any of the events, please contact the Association at or Linda at Christmas CanTree will officially kick-off at the tour meetings on October 9 th and 10 th and continue until December 13 th with the CanTree finale right after our Installation/Awards luncheon at Serrano. Other events being planned are a Can Stacking contest; Turkey Bowling (literally turkeys!); and building a Cantree at the Bell Tower in Placerville. More information will become available in a couple of weeks. The recipients of this year s Christmas CanTree proceeds will be: Food Bank of El Dorado County; Habitat for Humanity; CASA and Sierra Child & Family Services which merged with Family Connections.

3 The EDCAR Voice Page 2 Message from the President Karen Larson FUN FACTS ON FIRE FEES I have learned about some interesting situations from clients who have received bills from The Franchise Tax Board. These bills are not actually levied on the property; they are levied on the individual who owns the property on July 1st. The State uses the information obtained from the Assessor's records. These bills, if unpaid, achieve the status of a "State Tax Lien". You cannot hide from the Franchise Tax Board, so don t even try. (This is not a challenge). Legislation states that the owner of record on July 1 st is responsible for the bill. The Assessment roll on which the bills are prepared contains the owner as of the lien date January 1 st. That means the data in these bills is twenty months old. Some of the mailing addresses may have been corrected and others are being computer matched by outside entities to locate property owners who have not paid outstanding bills. Errors are made and it is up to humans to make corrections. One error was brought to my attention by a friend who retired out of California after I sold her house 5 years ago. She received a bill for a property she never owned. Her former name matched the name of the current owner of this property (only in reverse) and the computer determined this was her bill to pay. I have a new friend at the Assessor s Office; our County Assessor, Karl Wieland. He has been most helpful in finding solutions for these quirky issues and contacting key people to help with these billing problems. The Assessors office ( ) is the first point of contact, so please call if you have issues. Here is the rule: The person responsible for paying the fee for the fiscal year is the owner of record as of July 1, 2011 on the County Assessor rolls, or as recorded in the records of the California Department of Housing and Community Development. This is the case, regardless of whether the owner of record at that time is still the property owner now, The July 1st date is used because that is the same date used for the issuance of property tax bills. If you no longer own the property, you will not be subject to this fee for that particular property in future years. If a property is transferred after July 1 st, the old owner is still responsible for the bill. This is not something that can be ignored because the property sold. The penalties are brutal. REALTOR DO S AND DON T S! Do consider Cal Fire bills when representing the seller. The bills are in the name of the person who owned the property on July 1st. Even though the issuance of the bill may be months away, making your client aware that they are responsible in the eyes of the state, gets the issue on the table for discussion. If the bills go unpaid, they have the status of a "perfected state tax lien". Do inform your buyer about the general nature of the bills so they won't be surprised when the bill show up. Do remember that the County Assessor or other departments can help research and resolve billing questions.

4 Page 3 The EDCAR Voice Available Now zipform Plus Forms Software A recent notice from C.A.R. announced that zipform Plus is now available to C.A.R. members. It will give access to the most comprehensive online forms application available and offers many new features including a unified transaction list, stored files and transaction forms in one cohesive list; improved search tools; redesigned and enhanced user interface with quick loading forms and much more. According to C.A.R., Members should start using zipform Plus now while they still have access to zipform 6 Professional so that they can learn the new interface at their own speed. C.A.R. advises that as of October 21, 2013, Java plugin support will no longer be available. A video outlining the benefits of zipform Plus is available on the EDCAR website, on the Member s side or at C.A.R.,

5 The EDCAR Voice Page 4 More Break-ins In a September EDCAR Update we relayed reports we had received from members regarding open house thefts. Apparently after open houses held on weekends, the Sellers found that they many items had gone missing even though most of the items had been hidden We now have received another report of theft. This time the agents felt that it occurred after a tour during the week. The speculation is that the thieves may have gone on a tour of homes that were open during the week and then gone back to rob the home. It was apparent that this particular property was not occupied; however there were still some items of value there. Some of the items were later discovered for sale on Craigslist. The local authorities were able to track some of the stolen items by responding to the ad. Following is an article from the National Association of REALTORS which is a comprehensive list of tips to share with your Sellers regarding open houses. REALTOR Safety: Knowledge Awareness Empowerment Safety Tips to Share with Sellers The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS and this organization have worked hard to keep REALTOR Safety foremost in everyone s minds. But what about your clients? They, too, face some dangers in allowing strangers into their homes or visiting other people s properties. Share this valuable advice with everyone, and you ll help them learn to protect themselves against crime: Remind your clients that strangers will be walking through their home during showings or open houses. Tell them to hide any valuables in a safe place. For security s sake, remember to remove keys, credit cards, jewelry, crystal, furs and other valuables from the home or lock them away during showings. Also remove prescription drugs. Some seemingly honest people wouldn't mind getting their hands on a bottle of Viagra, uppers or downers. DON'T leave personal information like mail or bills out in the open where anyone can see it. Be sure to lock down your computer and lock up your laptop and any other expensive, easy-to-pocket electronics, like ipods, before your showing. Tell your clients not to show their home by themselves. Alert them that not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Predators come in all shapes and sizes. We tell our children not to talk to strangers. Tell your sellers not to talk to other agents or buyers, and to refer all inquiries to you. Instruct your clients that they are responsible for their pets. If possible, animals should be removed during showings. Make clients aware that buyers and agents are sometimes attacked, and the owner will be held liable. At an open house, be alert to the pattern of visitors arrivals, especially near the end of showing hours. In some areas, a group of thieves will show up together near the end of the open house and, while a string of potential buyers distracts the agent, the rest of the group walks through the house, stealing any valuables they come across. Finally, when you leave a client s property, whether after an open house or a standard showing, make sure that all doors and windows are locked. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves. Let your clients know that you will take all of the above safety precautions, but that when they return home, they should immediately verify that all doors are locked and all valuables accounted for. (Source: REALTORSafety911.com; Realty Times; ThinkGlink.com) Visit NAR s REALTOR Safety Web site at This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS REALTOR Safety Resources Kit.

6 Page 5 The EDCAR Voice

7 The EDCAR Voice Page 6 El Dorado County Association of REALTORS 60th Anniversary General Membership Luncheon August 2, 2013 Pictures provided by: Lori Wilson

8 Page 7 The EDCAR Voice EDCAR Golf Tournament Cameron Park Country Club September 9, 2013 Pictures provided by: Bret Smith

9 The EDCAR Voice Page 8

10 4096 Mother Lode Drive P.O. Box 627 Shingle Springs, CA Phone: Phone: Fax: Website: EDCAR Board of Directors Karen Larson President Diamond Springs & Pollock Pines Tour Wednesdays 8:30am Lions Hall 4701 Missouri Flat Road Diamond Springs Weekly Tours October 2013 Cameron Park Tour Thursdays 8:30am Cameron Park Community Center 2502 Country Club Drive Cameron Park Katie Minor President-Elect Erlinda Vindler Treasurer Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday John Di Nocco Immediate Past President 1 YPN Meeting 1:00pm 2 D.S. Tour 3 C.P. Tour 4 5 GAC 3:00 Directors Trent Andra Brian Frazier Sue Cox Jesse Crawford Andi Wagner Stewart Lomax Sandi North Mike Southwick Affiliate Director: Cindy Holland Kim Beal Government Affairs Director EDCAR STAFF: Phyllis Bartosh Executive Vice President pbartosh@edcar.org 6 7 CAR Top Achievers Meeting 10:30 8 CAR Exec Mtng 9:00 Insurance Forum 1: D.S. Tour CAR D.S. Tour 23 D.S. Tour C.P. Tour HOT Spaghetti CAR 17 C.P. Tour MLS Class 24 C.P. Tour CAR 18 Affiliate 9:15 HOT 10:15 WCR Luncheon Mary Faure Bookkeeper & Continuing Education Specialist mfaure@edcar.org Barbara Terrill Membership Coordinator membership@edcar.org Holly Hegseth Professional Standards Administrator & Websmaster service@edcar.org Devin Woodard Store Manager, Tour Coordinator, & Webmaster dwoodard@edcar.org Mary Thompson Office Assistant mthompson@edcar.org Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm BOD 8:30 D.S. Tour C.P. Tour Mission Statement El Dorado County Association of REALTORS The El Dorado County Association of REALTORS supports its members through information, education, products and services. EDCAR provides opportunities to expand professional growth through knowledge, leadership and a commitment to excellence. A vital part of the mission of the Association and its Members is the protection and preservation of private property rights.