EL PASO REALTOR THE VOICE FOR REAL ESTATE IN EL PASO THE ELECTION GEPAR & MLS ELECTION GUIDE ELPASOREALTOR.COM STAY CONNECTED AUGUST 2013
IMPORTANT REMINDERS 2013 Quarterly Billing Schedule 3RD QUARTER BILLING 08/01/2013 - SUSPENSION OF OFFICE IF MEMBERS ARE PASTDUE W/ACTIVE LICENSE. 09/03/2013 -TERMINATION OF OFFICE IF MEMBERS ARE PASTDUE W/ACTIVE LICENSE. 4TH QUARTER BILLING 08/15/2013 - INVOICES POSTED EMAIL TO AGENTS INVOICES READY TO VIEW & PAY ONLINE 08/30/2013-4TH QUARTER PAYMENTS DUE 10/01/2013 - SUSPENSION AND $50.00 RECONNECT FEE 11/01/2013 - SUSPENSION OF OFFICE IF MEMBERS ARE PASTDUE W/ACTIVE LICENSE. 12/02/2013 - TERMINATION OF OFFICE IF MEMBERS ARE PASTDUE W/ACTIVE LICENSE. 2014 YEARLY DUES WILL BE BILLED THE 1ST WEEK OF NOVEMBER, 2013 AND ARE DUE DECEMBER 31, 2013 6400 GATEWAY EAST BLVD EL PASO, TX, 79905 (915) 779-3521 2013 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President, Kenny Gross ERA Priority One President-Elect, Andrew Haggerty Century 21 Haggerty Secretary/Treasurer, Susan Craig Craig Realty & E-Z Apt Finders Immediate Past President, Jennifer Stroh Century 21 The Edge Chief Executive Officer Sharron K. Ramirez 2013 DIRECTORS Mickey Molina Century 21 The Pass Patti Olivas Dan Olivas & Assoc. Diana Perez Coldwell Banker Timothy Cantrell Sandy Messer Tom Torres Century 21 The Pass 2013-2014 DIRECTORS Caroline Camfield Golden Real Estate Rick Snow First Choice Realty Angel Ochoa Success Realty Steve Carvalho RE/MAX Real Estate Group NAR DIRECTOR R. Scott Kesner Century 21 The Edge TAR REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Rick Snow First Choice Realty TAR DIRECTORS Linda Bastraw Cheryl Thomas Realty Doug Hamilton Hamilton Associates TAR NOMINATING COMMITTEE Patti Olivas Dan Olivas & Associates TAR TREPAC TRUSTEE Jennifer Stroh Century 21 The Edge ELPASOREALTOR.COM Please watch for the online notification of the EL PASO each month and for a new weekly update bulletin. TAR POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEE Al Jurado Any Casa Realty 2013 COMMITTEES Budget and Finance Susan Craig Education Mickey Molina Equal Opportunity Ernesto Robali Governmental Affairs Kim Reagan /Builder Adel Reyes TREPAC Patsy Maese Olivas YPN Serena Gervasi 2 ELPASOREALTOR.COM EL PASO MAGAZINE AUGUST 2013
SOCIAL MEDIA ARTICLE Social Media: Are You Doing it Wrong? On August 1, 2013, in Sales & Marketing, Technology & Social Media, by Blog Contributor By Scott Newman You re on Facebook and Twitter four hours a day and you re telling me you haven t closed a lot of business lately? Of course not! Social media is just a tool in your arsenal and when used effectively and efficiently it can help you cultivate business. So, how do you best use social media to benefit your business? Funny you should ask Make Your Time Count I speak frequently on the subject of social media to all kinds of real estate professionals, and one of the first things I usually do is ask the following question of the audience: Having reviewed my social media presence, how many of you think I spend more than an hour a day on social media? Almost all the hands go up. Then I ask about two hours, then three, then four. Believe it or not, usually at least a third of the room thinks I am spending at least two hours a day on social media, but the reality is that isn t even close it s more like 5-7 minutes, MAX. There is a greatly diminishing rate of return on the amount of time you spend on social media. As a real estate professional, it is your job to have a solid, well thought out presence, which showcases you in a positive light and makes it easy for people to reach you. Beyond that, if you think playing on social media for hours a day is somehow going to replace tried-and-tested business cultivation techniques, you re dead wrong. Understand Your Audience This is the easiest thing in the world to breakdown. Write this down, save it somewhere safe even consider tattooing it on your arm so you NEVER forget. Facebook: This is a place for you to share who you are as a person. Remember, clients need to like you before they decide to work with you! Never directly sell on Facebook it turns people off. Instead, think of this as a great place to showcase your successes and entice people to seek you out for more information on their own. An example would be posting a picture of you and your clients at closing and tagging them in a congratulatory message (with their permission of course). Twitter: This is where you should be showcasing your local expertise by sharing interesting things that are going on in your local market and community. Demonstrate your involvement in the place you live and the things you care about, and organically engage with people who share similar interests. LinkedIn: This is the one place where you do not want to share ANYTHING personal. This is for business and business only. LinkedIn is a great place to recruit agents, engage with fellow industry professionals, and do research on potential clients and associates. No one here is interested in seeing pictures of your child taking their first steps or hearing about the awesome time you had last weekend at the beach. Don t over think it. Social media is a fun, free, and effective way to cultivate relationships and stay in touch with potential clients you wouldn t otherwise have the opportunity to connect with. However, thinking social media will replace conventional sales techniques is a mistake, as it is only one tool in your tool belt for continuing to grow and improve your business. Scott Newman is the broker-owner of Newman Realty in Chicago. Connect with Scott at www.newmanknowschicago. com or @newmanrealty. Mag ARTICLE AUGUST 2013 EL PASO MAGAZINE ELPASOREALTOR.COM 1
THE ELECTION GEPAR & MLS ELECTION GUIDE ELECTION OF ASSOCIATION OFFICERS & DIRECTORS The Nominating Committee announces the candidates running for GEPAR Officers and Directors. You will be voting for President-Elect & Secretary/Treasurer and for five (5) Directors. Electronic voting will begin on September 9, 2013 and will run through September 27, 2013 or you may vote by ballot in person at the Association Office the week of September 23, 2013 through September 27, 2013. All votes must be in by 5:00 p.m. on September 27, 2013. 2014 PRESIDENT - ANDREW HAGGERTY CENTURY 21 HAGGERTY - Broker / Owner President Elect 2013 Secretary/Treasurer 2012 GEPAR Director 2010 2013 Governmental Affairs Committee 2010-present Budget & Finance Committee 2009-present Education Committee 2010 YPN 2012-2013 2014 PRESIDENT ELECT - SUSAN CRAIG CRAIG REALTY & A-Z APARTMENT FINDERS Secretary/Treasurer 2013 Board of Directors 2010 2013 MLS Board of Directors 2007-2008 Salesman of the Year 2006 Budget & Finance Committee 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013 TRLP Graduate 2011 Education Committee 2007 2013 Education Committee Chairman 2008-2009 Professional Standards Committee 2007 2013 TREPAC Committee 2010 TREC Certified Real Estate Instructor 2013 2014 SECRETARY/TREASURER Elect ANGEL OCHOA Success Realty / MLS President 2013 MLS Vice-President 2011-2012 MLS Secretary/Treasurer 2010 GEPAR Director 2012-2013 TRLP Graduate2012 YPN 2011 TAR MLS/Technology Committee 2012-2013 WCR El Paso Technology Chairman 2013 Technology for REALTORS Special Committee - 2013 VOTE 2 ELPASOREALTOR.COM EL PASO MAGAZINE AUGUST 2013
2013-2014 GEPAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINEES Steve Carvalho Cindy Lucile S. Christie Andrew Gomez RE/MAX Real Estate Group Realtor /Co-Owner Success Realty Caravan Realty GEPAR Director 2012-2013 Education Chair 2011 Education Co-Chair 2010 New Member Ethics Instructor 2008 to present NAR Professional Standards Committee 2013-2016 Equal Opportunity Chairman 2014 Equal Opportunity Committee 2011 present Education Committee 2009 present Governmental Affairs Committee 2010 present Professional Standards Committee MLS Director 2009 2010 Jese Gonzalez Kim Reagan Joann Garcia The Real Estate Power Houses ERA Priority One The Real Estate Power Houses Technology Committee 2013 WCR Member 2010 & 2013 GEPAR Director 2013 Governmental Affairs Chairman 2013 Governmental Affairs Co-Chair 2012 CCIM Board of Director Coronado High School PTA & Band Booster President, Zach White Elementary PTA Danii Sedillo Rick Snow Keller Williams First Choice Realty Education Chairman 2012 Education Committee 2012-2013 TRLP Graduate 2011 Professional Standards 2012-2013 YPN 2012 TAR Housing Initiative Committee 2013 Governmental Affairs Committee 2013 MLS President 2011, 2012 MLS Vice-President 2010 MLS Secretary/Treasurer 2009 Realtor of the Year 2011 GEPAR Board 2012 TAR Regional Vice President 2013-2014 Professional Standards Committee 2008-2013 2014 MLS BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINEES The MLS Nominating Committee announces the candidates running for MLS Board of Directors. The MLS Participants will be voting for two (2) Directors for the two year position. Electronic voting begins September 9, 2013 and will run through September 27, 2013. Angelo Amoriello Barry Karch Paula Kesner Amore Realty & Appraising The Real Estate Power Houses Century 21 The Edge /Office Manager MLS Director 2007, 2009 & 2010 GEPAR Director 2008-2009 TREPAC 2006 MLS Vice-President 2013 MLS Director 2012 Grievance Committee1 TREPAC Contributor WCR Member Attended Winter Meetings & Conferences Attended NAR Conference Angela Ochoa Peggy Oxford Success Realty /Office Manager Keller Williams Realty TRLP Graduate 2011 YPN Committee 2011-2012, Chairman - 2011 /Builder 2009-2012, Chairman 2011 Technology Committee Chairman 2012 Education Committee 2012 Professional Standards 2012-2013 AUGUST 2013 EL PASO MAGAZINE ELPASOREALTOR.COM 3
= BY THE NUMBERS JUNE REPORT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Real Estate Trend Indicator Board: Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS State: Texas Date of Report: 7/15 /13 NAR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOME SALES REPORT 4 ELPASOREALTOR.COM EL PASO MAGAZINE AUGUST 2013
Mag ARTICLE Why PATH Approach to Fannie, Freddie Phase-out is Troubling On July 29, 2013, in Breaking News, Mortgage Financing, Politics & Government, by Robert Freedman Lawmakers have been talking about reforming the secondary mortgage market since the housing bust, but the effort has remained largely in the planning stage. Now it s moving forward. In the House last week, the Financial Services Committee passed a bill, called the PATH Act, which would phase out the two secondary mortgage market companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The bill would also make major changes to the way FHA conducts its business. PATH stands for Protecting America s Taxpayers and Homeowners. In the Senate, comprehensive legislation has been introduced that would also phase out Fannie and Freddie but, unlike in the House, the federal government would remain as an insurer of last resort, much like the FDIC is the insurer of last resort for troubled banks. In the House, there is no plan to keep the federal government involved in mortgage financing except through a much-modified FHA (not counting specialized markets like those served by the Rural Housing Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs). NAR has long called for replacing Fannie and Freddie while ensuring continued mortgage market liquidity through the maintenance of an explicit federal presence in the market. On that basis, the Senate approach, called the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act, is the better starting point of the two. But a lot more discussion is needed, both in the House and in the Senate. In both approaches, questions remain about how households would fare should ether become law in their current form. It s unclear how far Congress will get this year in taking the next step to pass either of these bills or to consider other bills that need to be factored in, including those that just focus on FHA reforms. But now that the process is getting started in earnest, anyone with an interest in the availability of mortgage financing will want to pay attention to what s happening. Because even if the process takes a couple of years, there will be key points in which input from the real estate industry is needed to move the debate in the direction that best protects households who want to buy. In the 6-minute video above, NAR analysts talk about the concerns NAR has with the approach that was passed last week by the House Financial Services Committee. They also talk about what s moving through the Senate and why engagement by NAR members will be so important in the months ahead. Robert Freedman Robert Freedman is manager of multimedia communications for the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS. He can be reached at rfreedman@realtors.org. Mag ARTICLE AUGUST 2013 EL PASO MAGAZINE ELPASOREALTOR.COM 5
= WORKING TOGETHER On August 2, 2013 your colleagues, members and leadership team of the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS came together in an all day work shop to strategically plan the direction of the organization for the next three years. 6 ELPASOREALTOR.COM EL PASO MAGAZINE AUGUST 2013
+ CALENDAR CALENDAR OF OF EVENTS EVENTS AUGUST 2013 1 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 1:30 am Governmental Affairs 5 9:00 am ERA SB&A 12:30 pm Toast Masters 6 11:30 am Education Luncheon 1:30 pm Education Committee 6:00 pm TREPAC Talent Show 7 8:00 am Orientation 1:00 pm YPN Meeting 8 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 1:30 pm TREPAC Meeting SEPTEMBER 2013 2 Office Closed 3 11:30 am Education Luncheon 1:30 pm Education Committee 4 8:00 am Orientation 1:00 pm YPN Meeting 5 8:00 am Cloud CMA 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 1:30 am Governmental Affairs 6 8:00 am Cloud CMA 7 TAR Conference 8 TAR Conference 9 TAR Conference 8:00 am Electronic Voting Begins 12:30 pm Toast Masters 9 11:30 am Builder Luncheon 12 12:30 pm Toast Masters 15 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 19 12:30 pm Toast Masters 20 8:00 am MCE 21 8:00 am MCE 1:30 pm Budget & Finance 2:00 pm Executive Committee 22 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 10 TAR Conference 11:30 am Builder Luncheon 12 8:15 am Military Relocation Class 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 1:30 pm TREPAC Meeting 13 8:15 am Military Relocation Class 16 12:30 pm Toast Masters 17 8:00 am MCE 18 8:00 am MCE 12:00 pm Budget & Finance 2:00 pm Executive Committee 19 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting TAR Commercial Road Show 23 12:30 pm Toast Masters 26 10:00 am Tech Class 12:30 pm Toast Masters 28 8:30 am MLS Board of Directors 8:30 am CRS Class 29 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 10:30 am Golden Real Estate Meeting 30 8:30 am Board of Directors 24 8:30 am Tech Class 25 8:30 am MLS Board of Directors 9:00 am Safety in Real Estate Class 26 8:30 am RCA weekly meeting 10:30 am Golden Real Estate Meeting 27 8:30 am Board of Directors Electronic Voting Ends 30 12:30 pm Toast Masters ML Exchange CUT OFF DATE GEPAR UPCOMING EVENTS AUGUST 2013 EL PASO MAGAZINE ELPASOREALTOR.COM 7