Posts - page 6

Director for Life is one of the most prestigious awards that California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) can bestow on a member. To be considered, a member must have years of outstanding performance and dedicated service to the Association, including a minimum of ten years of active service to C.A.R. and at least five years as a C.A.R. Director. We are pleased to announce that Michael G. Verdone received this honor at the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) Spring Business Meetings on May 2, 2024. Congratulations, Michael!

Tuesdays are your go-to day for property tours in San Mateo County! Broker Tour Day allows listing agents to showcase properties to fellow Realtors, attracting qualified buyers. This concentrated environment facilitates discussions and highlights unique features, increasing buyer interest. Tuesdays benefit both sides: sellers gain efficient exposure, while buyers' agents see a wider range of listings. Read more for additional resources like the Tuesday Marketing Meeting, Tour Sheet and Best of Tour award that you can leverage to further promote properties.

On Thursday, March 28 at SAMCAR's 2024 Annual Meeting, SAMCAR President Moisés Pelayo provided an overview of association activities for the year, and recipients of the C.A.R. Honorary Member-for-Life were recognized by Association Executive Alane Gilbrech, acknowledging their achievement of this prestigious membership distinction. Honorary member David Cline led the Pledge of Allegiance to open the program and honorary member Josephine Moore delivered a keynote address. Also at the Annual Meeting was the presentation of "2023 by the Numbers" -- an infographic annual report -- inspirational remarks by Affiliate member Olivia Edwards, a legislative update with SAMCAR Government Affairs Director Fernando Peña, and an MLSListings update with Mark Messimer and Jesse Gutierrez.

In 2023, the SAMCAR Foundation awarded $51,700 in grants and donations to numerous charities in San Mateo County thanks in large part to the generous support of SAMCAR members and sponsors. Read more for a detailed report of 2023 charitable giving.

PRDS recently revised its Buyer Representation and Broker Compensation Agreement (BRBC). One of the critical changes to the BRBC was including a buyer obligation to inform their broker/agent (collectively and individually referred to as "Agents"), in writing, of the buyer's needs, wants and concerns. The specified, preferred method for buyers to provide that information is the PRDS® Buyer Needs and Wants Assessment form; however, the BRBC authorizes the Parties to use alternative means of documentation, such as emails, to convey the relevant data so as to create flexibility and to prevent a breach of contract claim if the Assessment form is not used.

The 2024 President of the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR), Moisés Pelayo, and the Board of Directors were officially sworn into their term by Installation Officer and Past President, Jesse Gutierrez, at SAMCAR's 2024 Installation ceremony on Friday, January 12, 2024 at Domenico Winery in San Carlos. Also honored were SAMCAR's Past Presidents, Outgoing Directors and Committee Chairs, and award winners for 2023 REALTOR® of the Year, Affiliate of the Year, Community Service, and Homeowner Hero Awards, as well as a special posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael Monozon.

San Mateo County home sales reports and infographics (with data from MLSListings, Inc.) for all of 2023 are available for you to share on your social media, e-mail and other marketing (remember to use the hashtag #SAMCARStats when sharing on social media).

On Wednesday October 18, 2023, the San Mateo County REALTORS® Foundation hosted Cheers for Charity, a fundraiser event at Devil's Canyon Brewing Company in San Carlos, bringing together around 100 SAMCAR members, staff, and friends for food and drink, live music from the AS IS BAND, a trivia contest and generally fun evening that raised $9,200 to benefit housing-related charities in San Mateo County.

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023 guest speaker Jacquie Berry (Community Association Data Source) presented "HOAs: What you don't know CAN hurt you" in discussion with SAMCAR Professional Development Committee Chair, Jean Joh. A recording of the class is now available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/XveXi66Wlhk?si=kphdlv5-ih1cK6VD

The SAMCAR Marketing Meetings Committee directed staff to conduct a survey in September 2023 to determine member attitudes about the format for weekly Marketing Meetings. Responses to this survey indicated a strong preference for continuing Tuesday morning meetings on Zoom. Read more for details about survey responses and conclusions by the Marketing Meetings Committee and SAMCAR Board of Directors for moving forward.

In the summer of 2023, SAMCAR YPN Chair Wilson Leung revived the popular "Wake Up YPN!" coffee chat series at Blue Bottle Coffee on South Delaware in San Mateo. Attendees were invited to drop-in for no-host coffee and an opportunity to chat with Wilson (and casual interviews with guest presenters) about a variety of real estate topics and more on the second Wednesday of each month at 10 AM. Topics covered in 2023 included ChatGPT and AI, Follow-up Strategies and more.

In the latest episode, Fernando Peña, Government Affairs Director (GAD) for the San Mateo County Association of Realtors, discusses recent examples of member mobilization positively affecting SAMCAR's legislative agenda.

Seven leading MLSs in Northern California created the NORCAL MLS® Alliance to ensure real estate professionals have the greatest access to MLS data in and near the areas they do business. Read more for a map MLSs that are participating in Data Share and Reciprocal Access.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's office provided SAMCAR members with a list of 20 Real Estate Agent Safety recommendations.

To address growing concerns surrounding finding and maintaining homeowners insurance coverage in California, experts at the California Dept. of Insurance, CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and United Policyholders, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of consumers, recently gathered for an insurance townhall briefing for REALTORS®.

On Thursday, August 3, SAMCAR members and friends gathered at Long Branch Saloon & Farms in Half Moon Bay for the annual Member Appreciation BBQ. Guests were invited to explore the unique Old West Town at — and enjoy Texas-style BBQ prepared by — Long Branch Farms in Half Moon Bay, owned by Affiliate member Kevin Palmer. Photography of the event was provided by Affiliate member Craig Burleigh. Many thanks to SAMCAR members and friends for joining us for the BBQ and to our 2023 Corporate Sponsors for making this event possible. (READ MORE FOR PHOTOS)

MLSListings reminds you to stay alert for an active real estate scam related to vacant lots and land parcels which first surfaced as a nationwide scam earlier this year, and recently is reoccurring here in our local market. Read more for a helpful infographic to identify scams. And, if you discover your listing is fraudulent, please contact your broker and MLSListings Compliance at Compliance@MLSListings.com immediately.

Realtor Survey Shows Strong Demand for Housing in Walkable Communities — The National Association of REALTORS® recently released the "2023 Community & Transportation Preferences Survey" which found that Americans living in walkable communities report a higher quality of life. Learn more...

On Thursday, June 22, 2023 the San Mateo County REALTORS® Foundation returned to Bel Mateo Bowl for its popular Bowl-o-Rama fundraiser event bringing together over 200 SAMCAR members, staff, and friends for an energetic evening of bowling, prizes and fun, raising more than $6,400 to benefit housing-related charities in San Mateo County.

State Farm and Allstate have announced they will no longer sell new home insurance policies in California because of wildfire risks and an increase in construction costs. C.A.R. has created a fact sheet, Quick Guide and One Sheets for Consumers to help address some common questions you and your clients may have about how this will affect consumers.

In the latest episode of MLSListings Vendor Spotlight, see how Symbium Rebates enables homeowners to easily find and apply for rebates for home improvements. https://youtu.be/NTPbTS54M6s

3... 2... 1... LAUNCH: LGBTQplusHOMES.com IS NOW OPEN! LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance CEO and Founder, Ryan Weyandt, announced the launch of LGBTQplusHomes.com—a new consumer site that will not only share important real estate content to the LGBTQ+ community through a partnership with Keeping Current Matters, but also allows the LGBTQ+ community to connect directly to practitioners.

The NEW California Rental Listing Service is free for all C.A.R. members: get the listings, leads, and tools you need to conquer the rental market. Together with the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, Rental Beast is proud to provide C.A.R. members with a new member benefit: the California Rental Listing Service, the first statewide source of residential rental listings in California. (Read more to learn about this member benefit, including a link to register for upcoming introductory webinars)

On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, SAMCAR members Sue Walsh (FPC Coordinator), Paul Beaudreau, Judy Taylor, Frank Vella, Jerome Madigan, and SAMCAR Government Affairs Director Fernando Peña met with Congressmember Kevin Mullin to discuss research/data, fair housing, inventory, supply, and affordable housing. The purpose of the meeting was to reinforce National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) priorities, provide the Congressmember with a new resource team, and for members of SAMCAR to weigh in locally on important topics impacting the real estate industry at the local, state, and federal levels. (Read more for an overview of the REALTOR® Priorities discussed).