Posts - page 8

On Thursday, June 16, 2022, for the first time in nearly two years, the San Mateo County REALTORS® Foundation hosted "Cheers for Charity"—an in-person fundraiser event at Dominic's at Oyster Point in South San Francisco—bringing together SAMCAR members, staff, and friends for dinner, drinks, raffle prizes and live music from the As Is Band, raising more than $5,900 to benefit housing-related charities in San Mateo County.

The South San Francisco City Council passed a new sewer lateral ordinance at its March 23 meeting. The new ordinance does not become effective until Tuesday, June 21, 2022. According to Eunejune Kim, City of South San Francisco Director of Public Works, purchase and sale agreements entered prior to June 21 are exempt. Transactions entered prior to June 21 do not have to be closed to be exempt. Multi-unit residential buildings sharing a lateral are exempt. However, June 21 marks the new compliance date for all transactions entered after June 21 moving forward.

In April the MLSListings Board of Directors voted to amend the MLS rules section for the type of lockboxes allowable in the MLS service area: Effective immediately, the Supra BT LE is the required type, if any lockbox is used to provide showing access for agents. Read more about this MLSListings rule change, enforcement and how to obtain Supra BT LE lockboxes as well as how to properly discard of Supra iBox BT, which are now considered electronic waste (e-waste).

We know you've been waiting! We have been too. There is so much added value in your MLSListings subscription with all these new features. The Aculist team is very excited to provide you with enhanced products and services...

The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, one of the nation's leading LGBTQ+ trade organizations with more than 2,200 members, has unveiled its second annual LGBTQ+ Real Estate Report, which found that while Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and marketing towards the LGBTQ+ community have gained traction, unconscious bias and blatant discrimination remain all too common in the real estate industry. This includes 20.7% of surveyed Alliance members identifying real estate agents as the leading culprit in how housing discrimination occurs against the LGBTQ+ real estate home buyer.

On Thursday, March 24 at SAMCAR's 2022 Annual Meeting, the recipients of the C.A.R. Honorary Member-for-Life were recognized by 2022 President Jessica Eva, acknowledging their achievement of this prestigious membership distinction.

PRDS has created a Comparison Chart of the December 2021 California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) Real Estate Purchase Agreement (RPA) and the December 2021 PRDS Real Estate Purchase Contract (REPC) for use by SILVAR members. This Comparison Chart is for general reference purposes only; it is designed to identify where comparable concepts or provisions in the C.A.R. RPA are located in the PRDS REPC.

The Chart includes a general description of the differences, but it is not intended to be a complete list of all possible differences that may arise between the C.A.R. and PRDS contracts as a result of legal interpretations of the diverse terminology used in these forms. This Comparison Chart is also not intended to constitute legal advice, nor can it take the place of advice from a qualified California real estate attorney with respect to any specific issue or transaction. This Comparison Chart should not be used in the event that either of the forms is modified after December of 2021.

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently launched a new website, Competition.Realtor, to serve as a hub of information about how REALTORS® and local MLS broker marketplaces create competitive, efficient, pro-consumer markets. Learn more at https://Competition.Realtor

Watch the latest MLSListings Vendor Spotlight video to learn how the new Symbium property information portal enables you to freely access property & permit info & streamline construction project applications. WATCH NOW: https://youtu.be/KajjJOwieZU

2022 SAMCAR President Jessica Eva and the Board of Directors were officially sworn into their term by special guest Installation Officer and National Association of REALTORS® Past President, Vince Malta, at SAMCAR's 2022 Installation ceremony on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at the Grand Bay Hotel in Redwood City. Also honored were SAMCAR's Past Presidents, Outgoing Directors and Committee Chairs, and award winners for 2021 REALTOR® of the Year, Affiliate of the Year, and Community Service Awards.

SAMCAR was recently alerted, again, to complaints regarding REALTORS®' signs placed in violation of Municipal Code. REALTORS® must be diligent about obeying local city ordinances and rules about placement of open house and directional signs by becoming familiar with city sign ordinances. Information on city sign ordinances can be found on the SAMCAR Website.

San Mateo County home sales reports and infographics (with data from MLSListings, Inc.) for all of 2021 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).

The County of San Mateo has provided a notice to lending institutions and real estate and insurance agents regarding flood insurance rate map zone information.

In 2021, the SAMCAR Foundation awarded $46,800 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 2021 charitable giving.

The "Switch is On" campaign has launched a new website where homeowners can easily find contractors, income qualifying programs, incentives for their zip code and to connect with electrification experts.

On Tuesday, November 23, SAMCAR Realtor member Karim Sarraf with ADUNow.House shared a presentation about opportunities for building Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) in San Mateo County and additional resources for information about ADU construction, costs, relevant state laws and more.

Pursuant to City of Brisbane municipal code 13.04.431, Public Works Director Randy Breault has provided a brochure for Realtors and Homeowners to understand the joint sewer lateral disclosure requirement:

On Tuesday, November 9, Kirsten Andrews-Schwind from Peninsula Clean Energy shared a presentation about opportunities for real estate professionals to collaborate on clean energy initiatives, including bringing up concerns about building electrification proposals.

On Thursday, October 21, SAMCAR Past Presidents Elmer G. Martinez (2020) and Jesse D. Gutierrez (2019) received California State Resolutions from California Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Kevin Mullin, Assemblymember Marc Berman and Senator Josh Becker. The resolutions were presented by Elmer Martinez Jr. at Green Hills Country Club at a special limited capacity ceremony. Also presented at the Speaker Series were C.A.R. Director Reports from the Fall 2021 Business Meetings from C.A.R. Directors Jesse Gutierez, Nestor Icaza, Elmer Martinez, and Michael Verdone, as well as an address from San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos, with Master of Ceremonies and 2021 SAMCAR President David Zigal. Read more for photos from the event provided by SAMCAR Affiliate member Craig Burleigh Photography.

On Tuesday, September 28, Boris Vatkin from HEART of San Mateo County and John Souza from Meriwest Credit Union presented about the HEART First Time Homebuyer Loan Program at the SAMCAR Marketing Meeting on Zoom. Together with Meriwest Mortgage, a subsidiary of Meriwest Credit Union, HEART has created a unique loan package that is not offered by any other lender. HEART's goal is simple: to help buyers purchase a home with 5% downpayment and no PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance). learn more at http://heartofsmc.org/

Thanks to the generous support of SAMCAR members, sponsors and community, our 2021 #SAMCARGivesBack fundraising campaign has raised $41,000, far exceeding our initial fundraising goal. Supported by unique fundraising events including "Thursday Night Live," this year's fundraising campaign drove community involvement and generous giving, which allowed Foundation Trustees to approve quarterly grants to numerous housing-related charities throughout the year. Read more for an overview of what the SAMCAR Foundation has been able to accomplish with your support.

On Saturday, September 11, Pacific Coast TV honored SAMCAR REALTORS® Christine Stahl and Suzan Getchell-Wallace for their volunteerism and philanthropy in coastal communities alongside notable community figures as part of the stations 2021 Honors. Both have served as SAMCAR Committee chairs, notably on the SAMCAR Foundation Council, and Suzan Wallace is a past president and currently serves as treasurer on the SAMCAR Board of Directors. Congratulations to Christine and Suzan for this acknowledgement! (A replay of the ceremony is available on YouTube)

On Tuesday, September 7, MLSListings President and CEO, Dave Wetzel, shared an MLS Update presentation about the recent frenzy of prop-tech acquisitions, and what MLSListings is doing about it at the SAMCAR Marketing Meeting on Zoom. Read more to download the slide presentation.

The SAMCAR Government Affairs Committee commissioned a study on the cost of converting a home to electric-only with estimates from eight electrical contractors in San Mateo County and a pool service company. The appliances, services, and range of costs in this study comprise a "menu" of possible options. Some homes will require only few of the options, others will require most, and some may require all.