April 2015 Newsletter.pub

The News
Volume 2, Issue 4
April 2015
Inside this
issue:
LAR
Upcoming
Education
3
LAR
Calendar
4
IRES
Article
5
IRES
Calendar
6
Who’s
Where
7
Affiliate
Spotlight
8
Ethics
Corner
9
Governmental 10Affairs
12
Page 2
LAR Educational Classes
Please Support your Association
by taking your classes at LAR!
4 Hour Code of Ethics Review
Date: April 2, 2015
Time: 9am—1pm
Instructor: Lorraine Roemer
Cost: $35
CE Credit: 4 Hours
Location: LAR Classroom
What’s It Worth?
Date: April 9, 2015
Time: 9am—1pm
Instructor: Steve Olson
Cost: $40 REALTOR/ $50 Non-Member
CE Credit: 4 Hours
Location: LAR Classroom
4 Hour Code of Ethics Review
Date: April 16, 2015
Time: 9am—1pm
Instructor: Lorraine Roemer
Cost: $35
CE Credit: 4 Hours
Location: LAR Classroom
Home Inspections
Date: April 23, 2015
Time: 9am—11am
Instructor: Rob Knepshield
Cost: $20
CE Credit: 2 Hours
Location: LAR Classroom
We would like to Thank the following Affiliates for their generous
Class Sponsorship during the month of March:
Dianna Arrington, US Bank Home Mortgage
Jason Thomas, Premier Mortgage Group
Glenn Grothe, Pillar To Post—Frederick
Greg Fineberg, Summit Carpet and Tile, Inc.
Jennifer Paris, State Farm Insurance
Page 3
2015
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
1
5
6
7
2
9am Independent Brokers Meeting
9am‐1pm 4 Hour Code of Ethics Review 8
9
9am‐1pm What’s It Worth? 12
13
Easter 19
20 Fri
3 4
10
11
14
15
16 17
8:30am Affil. Committee Mtg @ Le Peeps 11:30am Lunch & Learn:Energy Smart 9am Independent Brokers Comm. Meeting 9am‐1pm 4 Hour Code of Ethics Review 23
24
9am‐11am Home Inspections 21 22
11:30am ‐ 1pm Earth Day Rookie Club: “What a Home Inspector Does” 4pm: Happy Hour @ Sat
18
25
Rachelli’s Italian Deli 26
27
28
29
30
8:30am Board of Directors Meeting Be sure to look at
your Friday Notice
for more
information on
meetings & events
at LAR!
Page 4
Come Home to ColoProperty.com®
By Niki Moran, Projects Manager
To say that listing portals are in a state of flux would be an understatement. Acquisitions, mergers, data feed disputes,
rising advertising rates are in the news every week. IRES is keeping an eye on the shifting sands on your behalf. What
is IRES doing and what can you do? Here are a few important facts for you, your sellers and your buyers:
As far as leads generated, ColoProperty.com® is #1! In 2014 ColoProperty generated more email leads than any
other site -- three times as many as Zillow. Surprised? With that in mind, if you paying for leads and advertising on
third party sites, consider the ROI. One broker told us she is “paying a mortgage” to Zillow. Is it worth it?
Live mapping was recently added to ColoProperty.com®. Now consumers can click and drag a map of our
beautiful northern Colorado area and listings display automatically as they roam. A ‘Near Me’ option is a
much-requested tool that zooms to the user’s current location. Get details about that home right in front of you! And it’s
all mobile enabled, written with a ‘responsive design’ so it works
on a phone, tablet or laptop. Watch for continued improvements!
Educate! When a prospective buyer tells you they are
using a third party site, suggest they use
ColoProperty.com® instead. Why might they like it? No
advertising is accepted, from anyone. Imagine the pleasure of an
ad-free site and no paid placements. All inquiries go straight to
the Listing Agent, who is the expert on the property and will be
able to answer all of their questions. And, the listing information
is coming straight from the MLS, updated every 15 minutes, so it
is up to date…no more disappointments about a house that is
actually under contract.
Tell your sellers how Coloproperty.com® is working for them.
Make use of the ColoProperty Usage Report or ListTrac
report, available under the “Reports” menu in IRESis. These
reports illustrate the traffic and leads on their property. Schedule
either report to be emailed automatically each week.
If you have input on how ColoProperty could be an even more
effective marketing partner for you, email us at [email protected].
We’re listening!
Page 5
Page 6
PRIMARY REALTOR® MEMBERSHIP:
Jeffrey Tomlan – Equity Colorado Front Range
Tim Rakow – Diamond 4 Realty
Richard Slama – KW 1st Realty Associates
James Graham – KW 1st Realty Associates
Amanda Strine – Troy Terry Homes
Ariel Steele – KW 1st Realty
Christy Adams – Colorado 1st Realty
Elizabeth (Betty) Trott – Equity Colorado Front Range
Christopher Caldwell—Neuhaus Real Estate Inc.
SECONDARY DESIGNATED
REALTOR® MEMBERSHIP
James Brough—Brough Real Estate
NEW REALTOR® OFFICE:
Brough Real Estate
REALTOR® OFFICE DROPS:
Estate Professionals
REALTOR® TRANSFERS:
Dena Schlutz – Estate Professionals – Steps Real Estate
Nancy Sundal—KW 1st Realty—Brough Real Estate
Ericka Campos Quiroz—Rocky Mountain Real Estate—
Equity Colorado Real Estate
PRIMARY AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP:
David Trow – Meritage Homes
Victoria Long – Jack Fisher Homes
PRIMARY AFFILIATE TRANSFERS:
Terry Berger – Rocky Mtn Insurance Center – Hessling Insurance
Your local Land Title real
estate sales and marketing consultant is
Kyle Snyder
303.328.7157
or
[email protected]
PRIMARY AFFILIATE DROPS:
James Hansen – Jack Fisher Homes
Erik Chesher – Carpet Wise, Inc.
SECONDARY AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP:
Charles Maas – Transamerica
Carrie Newman – Exodus Moving & Storage
Do You Have A Change ?
AFFILIATE OFFICE DROPS:
Carpet Wise Inc.
Please notify LA R
whenever you have a change in
address, email, or phone number.
Thank you!
Page 7
Terry Berger - Hessling Insurance
Greetings! Let me introduce myself: I am Terry Berger, an Independent Insurance Broker for Hessling
Insurance. I haven’t always been in insurance, in fact, my roots go back to Newton, NJ where I grew up. A
beautiful place to start one’s life, with rolling green hills, fields to play in, and a great small home town feel
where everyone knew everyone, and the business community knew their clients (neighbors) by name. My dad
was the Manager of the Social Security office, my mom a graduate student at Rutgers University and a
substitute teacher for languages (German, French, Spanish and Latin). Education and social service were
impressed on us kids at a very young age-anyone remember doing newspaper drives? My two older sisters and I
were well involved in school, which continued onto college. I also went to Rutgers University. I was an English
major, however, before I received my degree, I took a semester off to hike the Appalachian Trail. The intent
was to hike the whole thing from Georgia to Maine, however, my knees thought otherwise, and I made it from
Georgia to North Carolina-roughly 250 miles or so.
Ever since I was a kid I had a sense of adventure and to do the unusual-among them (aside from the
Appalachian Trail), working at Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor Maine, working with the lab animals at
Rutgers (that one didn’t last long), hopping in my VW Bug and driving out to Colorado the moment I received
my degree, living in a log cabin with no electricity or running water, wholesaling my husband’s jewelry,
opening a few retail stores: two in Estes Park (The Parrot and The Stone, and Mrs. Toad’s Emporium), and one
in Longmont (Mrs. Toad’s Toys). And my personal favorite was writing, producing and directing TV
commercials for my businesses. The Mrs. Toad’s Toys commercial was my crowning ‘professional’ achievement.
It involved my daughter’s Airborne Gymnastics Team, their brothers and sisters, my own kids and a jingle
written by a friend of mine who used to tour with the now deceased Pete Seeger. So you may gather, I am the
original Mrs. Toad!
Oh, and I did mention I have kids. They are their own crowning achievement and I bask in their glow. My son,
Taury Kai, is 27 and is a Whole Body Specialist at a Whole Foods in South Denver. He’s a sponge when it
comes to learning science, so he’s in his own little heaven working with the supplements and lotions and such.
He also is an artist, and for quite a while he was a leading glass blower in Estes Park; you can see him on You
Tube! My daughter, Lea, is 24 years old. She had an adverse adventure of her own, receiving a Traumatic
Brain Injury when she was 13 which truly changed her life. We thought she would never graduate high school.
She had to overcome many adversities, including how to read all over again and do so with all the horrible
symptoms eating at her. With perseverance and true grit, she did graduate and is now an Accounting major at
Metro State University. She is amazing, and received a scholarship just a few weeks ago from IMA
(International Managerial Accounting). If you were ever at Mrs. Toad’s Toys during a Beanie Baby run in 1997,
you may have been rung up by a little 7 year old tow headed girl-that was Lea! This momma is clearly proud of
her kiddos!
As you can see retail has been a major part of my professional life: in fact, 38 years of it. My last few years were
spent being a Manager and District Manager at Clarks Shoes. It was during this time I started thinking about
doing something different, something more meaningful, and something to really help. One thing led to another,
and here I am, helping people understand their insurance, listening to their needs, and helping them save
money and be there when something goes wrong. It’s my joy and my passion and intent to bring that old
fashioned home town feel to my business.
Being part of LAR has been great thus far-from painting a bowl, to collecting prizes for CARHOF and bowling,
to getting to know this wonderful Longmont group. Thank you for taking your time to read my biography. I
hope to be able to chat with each and every one of you and get to know you individually!
Page 8
Ethics Corner
by Steve Stazel
Is Your Website Ethical?
Standard of Practice 12-9 states “REALTORS firm websites shall disclose the firm’s name and
state(s) of licensure in a reasonable and readily apparent manner.
Websites of REALTORS and non-member licensees affiliated with a REALTOR firm shall
disclose the firm’s name and the REALTORS or non-member licensee’s state(s) of licensure in a
reasonable and readily apparent manner.”
Is your website in compliance? Is your firm’s name readily apparent?
The Colorado Real Estate Commission agrees with the Code. In Rule E-8 the Commission states:
“A real estate licensee who performs any act requiring a license, including advertising or
advertising property belonging to another shall do so in the name of the employing broker.”
Standard of Practice 12-8 states “The obligation to present a true picture in representations to
the public includes information presented, provided or displayed to REALTORS websites.
REALTORS shall use reasonable efforts to
ensure that information on their websites is
current. When it becomes apparent that
information on a REALTORS website is no
longer current or accurate, REALTORS shall
promptly take corrective action.”
Page 9
Governmental Affairs Update
By
Barbara Koelzer
Regional Government Affairs Director
[email protected]
303.886.5675
Boulder County
City of Boulder
Building Height Discussion New Version of Growth Debate: Boulder’s latest controversy is related to the proposal to
remove developers’ ability to request height variances for a two year period. Observers call this one of the nastiest
political fights in years. The reason this discussion has become so heated is because it is the latest variant in the growth/
no growth debate.
Boulder is a city encircled by open space in which opportunities for development are increasingly rare. At the same time,
the City has robust affordable housing regulations. But if a builder cannot go up in height, how many units can be built?
How can Boulder address growth, affordable housing and transportation if taller buildings are prohibited?
The debate researched a new crescendo when the City Council considered the height moratorium ordinance for second
reading, bringing out the segment of the community that realizes that density is the only way to provide more growth and
redevelopment opportunities such as Open Boulder and Better Boulder.
After hours of discussion, the Council revised the ordinance to expand the number of areas in which height variance
requests can be submitted to include University Hill, Boulder Junction, 29th Street, the Armory and the Gunbarrel town
center. The complicated ordinance also includes other provisions that make height variances possible if certain
conditions are met in all zone districts provided “at least forty percent of the floor area of the building is used for units that
meet the requirements for permanently affordable units.”
The ordinance will put a moratorium on height variances for two years (other than the areas specified above). A third
reading on the ordinance is scheduled for March 17 as part of the consent agenda.
City Expands Use of Linkage Fee: In 2010 City voters denied a ballot question asking for approval to increase the
affordable housing excise tax. The excise tax is $.51 per square foot of space (PSF) of nonresidential and $.23 PSF for
residential projects.
Residential and nonresidential developments are also charged impact fees, For example, the developer of an office park
pays a total of $.97 PSF for municipal facilities, police and fire impact fees.
Now the Council is pursuing an additional fee on commercial developments to help fund affordable housing. A housing
linkage fee is another per square foot payment charged “on new non-residential uses to mitigate impacts on the demand
for affordable housing created by those uses.” The proposed rates vary from $2.24 for a new school to $9.53 for an
office. In a Daily Camera article, Andy Bush of Morgan Creek Ventures was quoted as saying the proposal “would add
$1 million to the cost” of his development at the Steel Yards site in Boulder Junction that consists of two, four-story
commercial buildings.
The linkage fee is anticipated to be in place for an interim period until a new comprehensive housing linkage fee study is
completed later this year. The Council will hold a public hearing on the ordinance next week.
Note: The housing linkage fee is not subject to voter approval unlike the excise tax that was voted down in 2010. NAR land use
consultants Robinson & Cole say that there are several incentive concepts that would achieve the same results: 1) incentive
zoning that allows developers who want to exceed max FAR or get density bonuses to provide housing in exchange for these
incentives; 2) special assessment districts that cover all or most of the businesses and spread the cost burden to all benefitted
businesses instead of imposing them on specific developments. Robinson and Cole say, “the goal of linkage programs is to
provide housing in the lower price ranges. This is done by either reducing the value of developable land or by increasing the
prices of “other” housing.
Page 10
Governmental Affairs Update, cont’d.
Longmont
Composting on the Ballot? Mayor Dennis Coombs wants to put the proposal for mandatory curbside composting on
the November ballot. Apparently he feels that the support for a small but vocal group of citizens amounts to a mandate
from a majority of citizens.
After a quick, but heated discussion at a recent Council meeting, Coombs agreed to instruct staff to bring back possible
options for a future curbside composting program in time for the Council to put it on the November ballot. City Manager
Harold Dominguez said that would have to be no later than June. The motion passed 5-2 with Council Members Santos
and Bonnie Finley dissenting.
Note: LAR’s policy is to support incentives not mandates. Any proposal that requires mandatory participation and
increases cost for homeowners should always necessitate careful scrutiny.
Larimer County
Berthoud
More Growing Pains: The Town of Berthoud just held its first public meeting concerning the 184-acre Bader property,
west of Taft/LCR 17 and bisected by US 287. The property was annexed into Berthoud in 2007 and rezoned to Planned
Unit Development with a maximum density of 562 dwelling units (3.5 per acre) and 419,000 SF of commercial space.
Recently the developer submitted a preliminary plat application for Phase 1 of the project. The plans include
approximately 34 acres of commercial development, 38 acres of single family and patio homes — 172 units, with 17
acres of high-density residential.
At the same time, Prairie Star subdivision (east of LCR 17) is now under construction and the Heron Pointe annexation
south of LCR 14/Highway 60 and bisected by LCR 17 was approved by the Board of Trustees in January. The
neighbors, who were already upset by the Heron Pointe project in particular, are getting more irate.
A group of neighborhood activists has created a website, https://sites.google.com/site/sw42ndtaftneighbors/ to mobilize
against Heron Pointe. The group hired an attorney to oversee the collection of signatures of registered voters in
Berthoud to force the Heron Point annexation to a public vote (even though the property is within the Town’s Growth
Management Area). Berthoud has observed legal requirements and done as much as any government typically does to
garner citizen input on these land use applications. Unfortunately for Heron Pointe opposition group, they don’t live in
Berthoud and the Board of Trustees was in no way beholden to them. REALTORS® should always advise clients to
check the status of vacant property near homes in which they have interest. Just because a lot is undeveloped now, they
should never assume that it would remain so.
REGION
Littleton Voters Will Have to Approve Urban Renewal: Littleton voters approved ballot measures reforming urban
renewal in the City following a special election, making it the only Colorado municipality to require voter permission for
urban renewal. Voters will have to approve the use of tools such as tax increment financing or eminent domain.
The initiative’s supporters, Your Littleton Your Vote, argued that Littleton doesn't need taxpayer money to assist with
economic development, and shouldn't do so without voter consent. They also objected to the city's decision last year to
map out four zones — deemed blighted — where urban renewal dollars could be used. Opponents of the measure,
which include the REALTORS®, warned that Littleton would stunt its economic growth potential without ready access to
these tools.
However the measure passed by a 20 percent margin. Opponents put another measure on the ballot to limit eminent
domain powers hoping to convince voters to approve a less onerous measure, which was also approved. NAR
contributed $30,000 to the losing effort, known as Littleton Strong. Note: Hopefully the successes of Your Littleton Your
Vote won’t motivate other activists to try the same tactics in their communities. Public votes are not the best way to
decide policy.
Page 11
Governmental Affairs Update, cont’d.
COLORADO ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Legislative Update:
Senate Bill-177 “Construction Defects”
CAR Position: Support. The bill was introduced on Feb. 10 and was finally heard in committee on March 18 where it
passed on a 6-2 vote. On the House side Speaker Dickie Lee Hullinghorst (Boulder) opposes it. CAR and its coalition
are working to find some common ground with the Speaker that would gain her support. Please make sure that you have
responded to the Call for Action, which is ongoing, and encourage others to do so as well. Construction Defects Call to
Action
House Bill-1260 “Change Wildfire Mitigation Tax Deduction To Credit” Position: Support. The bill was introduced on
March 4 and will be considered by the Finance Committee on April 2. The bill changes the wildfire mitigation income tax
deduction to an income tax credit. The bill allows a landowner a credit of 25 percent of the costs incurred performing
wildfire mitigation measures, not to exceed $2,500. Any amount in excess of the landowner's tax liability in the year the
credit is first claimed may be carried forward to offset the landowner's future tax liability for 5 years.
NATION
FHFA Improves Note Sale Program: On March 2 the Federal Housing Finance Agency enhanced requirements for
sales of non-performing loans by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (the GSEs). In a letter last year NAR raised concerns
that this disposition strategy gives investors an advantage over potential owner occupant buyers. NAR requested more
information on the sale of the notes and asked FHFA to study the cost and impact of bulk note sales to institutional
investors.
As part of the changes, borrowers whose loans are sold as part of the program must be considered for other relief such
as a short sale. Additionally, if the home should go through the foreclosure process, for the first 20 days after a REO
property is marketed, the property may be sold only to buyers who intend to occupy the property as their primary
residence or to non-profits.
NAR Supports Employee Housing Bill: Representative Nydia Velazquez (New York City) has introduced H.R. 480,
“Housing America’s Workforce Act”. This bill creates a tax incentive for businesses to encourage more employers to offer
employee assisted housing benefits to their employees.
Employer Assisted Housing programs have been shown to be a successful private sector tool to helping lower- and middle-income families afford suitable housing where they work. Downpayment assistance, interest rate buy-downs, rental
assistance, and closing cost grants are some of the tools typically included in an EAP program. NAR's Housing
Opportunity program strongly supports Employer Assisted housing programs, and NAR sent a letter to Rep. Velazquez,
thanking her for introducing the legislation.
Page 12
Get Involved
Benefits of Being a REALTOR®
Being a REALTOR® has its advantages! Through a
three-way agreement the local, state and
national association of REALTORS® provides
numerous programs, products and services to help
their members distinguish themselves in the
competitive industry of real estate and be more
successful in their business.
Political Advocacy
If real estate is your career then politics is your
business. Did you know that each year
REALTOR® associations advocate on REALTORS®
and consumers behalf to promote private property
rights and protect business interests of
REALTORS®? You can get involved by answering
calls to action, volunteer on LAR or CAR’s political
committees and by donating to the REALTOR®
Political Action Committee (RPAC).
April 22, 2015 is the 45th Anniversary of Earth Day
The idea came to Earth Day founder, Gaylord Nelson, then a WI Senator, after
witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA.
Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse
that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water
pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political
agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the
environment” to the national media and assembled a staff to promote events across the nation.
As a result, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to
demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies.
Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and
Democrats, rich and poor, city dwellers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led
to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of the
Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Today over 190 countries celebrate Earth Day!
Senator Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 for
his role as Earth Day Founder.
Page 13
Electronics & Mobile Technology
Stay current with the latest in tablet, laptop, PC, printer, and smart phone technology from industry leaders. REALTORS® receive
exclusive pricing on the hottest gadgets and mobile services to help you work smarter, soar higher and go further.
Receive up to 35% off on select consumer and business class electronics and accessories.
Special discounts up to 16% off on a variety of innovative business products and accessories.
Save up to 25% on the entire product line from a global leader in the PC market.
Both new and existing Sprint customers receive discounts up to 18% on select wireless service plans and 20% off select
accessories.
Receive preferred-level pricing on Xerox products and solutions built to help you generate more sales.
Page 14
Longmont Association of REALTORS®
Mission Statement
The Longmont Association of REALTORS®
helps its Members to be ethical, professional
and successful by providing quality services,
protecting the free enterprise system and real
property rights.
The Longmont Association of REALTORS® is pledged to the letter
and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing
opportunity throughout the nation. The Association encourages and
supports an affirmative advertising and marketing program in
which there are no barriers to obtaining because of race, color,
religion, sex, handicap, familial status or nation origin.
Page 15