April/May 2006 SECOND ANNUAL RENTAL FORUM AT

April/May 2006
SECOND ANNUAL RENTAL FORUM
AT NARRAGANSETT TOWN HALL
The Rental Committee would like to invite all
REALTORS® to the second annual Informational
Workshop relating to rentals to be held on
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 in the Council Chambers of
the Narragansett Town Hall. This meeting is also
open to property owners and/or landlords. We also
urge you all to notify all of your landlords.
Although this meeting is rental related it will also
serve as a valuable tool for any sales agent who
represents rental property in any way. Topics to be
presented this year will encompass many statewide
issues, such as Lead, Insurance, Fair Housing, etc.,
and not be limited to local issues only.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
DATE:
THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006
PLACE: THE QUONSET ‘O’ CLUB
LT. JAMES BROWN ROAD, N. KINGSTOWN, RI
TIME:
6:00 P.M. REGISTRATION
6:30 P.M. DINNER
7:00 PM BRIEF BUSINESS MEETING
INDUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS
7:30 PM PROGRAM
TOPIC: DISCLOSURE
Jim Caruolo of the Law Offices of James J. Caruolo,
Esq., Inc.
CHOICE OF:
GRILLED SALMON FILET WITH DILL LEMON
BUTTER OR CHICKEN MARSALA
COST:
$23 PER PERSON
R.S.V.P. NO LATER THAN THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2006
CALL PAM AT 885-9300 OR FAX 885-5968 OR E-MAIL
[email protected]..
The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a Continental
Breakfast Reception until 9:00. From 9-10 there will be
speaker presentations followed by a question and answer
period from 10-10:30.
Please mark your calendar for this very informative
meeting. It is important that we all understand our
obligations and responsibilities and that locally our goal
is to build a community of mutual respect.
We ask that you RSVP attendance only by April 28th to
Kim Churas at 789-0666 or e-mail to
[email protected]
BBBB
DIRECTIONS TO THE QUONSET ‘O’ CLUB
From Providence & Points North…
Take Interstate 95 South to Exit 9, Route 4. On Route 4 take Exit 7.
Bear left on the exit ramp following Route 403 East. Follow Route
403 East for about 4 miles. Make a left onto Commerce Park Road.
Follow Commerce Park Road to the first intersection and make a
right onto Callahan Road. Follow Callahan Road to the very end, and
make a left onto Lt. James Brown Road, and continue to the Quonset
'O' Club.
From Connecticut & Points South…
Take Interstate 95 North to East Greenwich, Exit 8. Go right onto Rt.
2. At the first traffic light (Showcase Cinema will be on the left),
make a left onto Division Road. Continue to the second traffic light
on Division Road and make a right onto Route 4 South. On Route 4
take Exit 7. Bear left on the exit ramp following Route 403 East.
Follow Route 403 East for about 4 miles. M ake a left onto
Commerce Park Road. Follow Commerce Park Road to the first
intersection and make a right onto Callahan Road. Follow Callahan
Road to the very end, and make a left onto Lt. James Brown Road,
and continue to the Quonset 'O' Club.
From Newport Area…
Including South Kingstown & Narragansett Follow Route 138 East.
Take Route 1 North followings signs towards W ickford. Route 1
becomes Post Road. Follow Post Road/Route 1 heading towards the
Quonset District (Indicated by green signs). Route 403 East is about
5 miles from the Route 1/Route 4 split.Turn Right off Post
Road/Route 1 onto Route 403 East at traffic light. Follow Route 403
East to first traffic light and make a left onto Commerce Park Road.
Follow Commerce Park Road to the first intersection and make a
right onto Callahan Road. Follow Callahan Road to the very end, and
make a left onto Lt. James Brown Road, and continue to the Quonset
'O' Club.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Are you feeling as though business has slowed down a bit? If you have been selling
real estate for more than 5 years, you’d know that this is a normal market. Going back to the
basics is the key to success. The interest rates are still low and the economic outlook for real
estate still looks good. It is also a good time to get involved with the Association to meet
other agents with whom you may want to do business in the future. It makes a cooperative
transaction more pleasant and it’s nice to put a face to a name on the other end of the phone.
What an incredible 1st quarter we’ve had! The Awards Gala on March 15th was
another spectacular event thanks to Dean deTonnancourt and his committee. Jen Chancellor
and the education committee have booked the classroom at the Association for CEH classes
at least twice a week. Margy Thurber and the program committee are busy planning the
beach party. Bruce Wilks and the golf committee are hard at work with Valley Country Club
planning the Annual Charitable Golf Tournament. Anne and Kate Galvin have scheduled
another rental forum on May 2nd . The executive officers just returned from the New England Regional Conference in Boston.
Next up with the Board of Directors is the strategic planning session this April 12th in Newport. There is so much going on,
the staff is having a hard time keeping up. Allen Gammons and the RPAC Committee, taking an idea from the Newport
Board, will be scheduling some local Whine and Wine’s, so look for dates and places in your e-mails and newsletters. The
enthusiasm at the Association is contagious, and it’s never too late to join a committee.
Real Estate Taxes: As municipal budgets are being finalized we see each community looking for ways to fund
schools, Land Trusts, affordable housing and other things. We see more and more money being funneled into the school
budgets, draining funds from everything else. The only answer the municipalities can come up with is an increase in taxes.
Taxes on buyers, taxes on mortgages, or increased transfer taxes. We recently spoke against a transfer tax on buyers in
Westerly. The money from this transfer tax would be placed in a fund to preserve open space. We are not against the
preservation of open space, especially if it enhances the lives of the community in which people live. We are against the
mechanism in which they chose to try to get their funds. It was a misguided attempt to fund a Municipal Land Trust that was
developed years before with no plans on how to fund it. It is in our best interest as an organization to be aware and to speak
out against this kind of taxation. If you are aware of any “new” taxation plans in your community, we’d be interested in
hearing about it. Please keep us posted. Our Government Affairs Director, Karen Hagan, can be reached at
[email protected] .
REALTOR® OF THE YEAR
The REALTOR of the Year Committee will be meeting soon to select the 2006 Kent W ashington REALTOR ® of the Year. Here is
your opportunity to make a nomination. The Committee will review all of the nominations and choose a candidate based on the following
criteria:
1. REALTOR ® Spirit (25%)
2. Activity in Civic Affairs (20%)
3. Activity in Local Board (25%)
4. Activity in State Association (15%)
5. Activity in National Association (10%)
6. Business Accomplishments (5%)
The Local Association winner is then placed in competition with those from other Boards in Rhode Island. The winner of the State
competition is announced at the State Association event in the Fall, and each State REALTOR ® of the Year is honored at the National
Convention in November.
If you would like to recommend a nominee who fits the above criteria, please complete the following information:
1. Name of Nominee
3. Business Address
4. I would like to recommend the above candidate for the KENT W ASHINGTON ASSOCIATION 2005 REALTOR ® OF THE YEAR
Award because: (use additional pages if necessary)
REALTORS® ARE THE “SHINING STARS” ON AWARDS NIGHT
The Stars were out and shining on March 15th as the Kent Washington Association of REALTORS® recognized its Circle of Sales
Excellence Awards winners at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Newport.
Glittering backdrops and elegant centerpieces were the setting for the recognition of 354 winners, including 130 Bronze, 103
Silver, 58 Gold and 63 Platinum. The ceremony flowed smoothly, as individuals and teams were called by category to the
Winners Circle and were announced, guided across the stage to be recognized, and congratulated by President Becky Moniz..
They were then awarded Olympian-style ribboned medallions and led down the red-carpeted stairs to be photographed by Donnie
Bennett.
Forty-three Awards Sponsors were also recognized for the generous contributions that made the evening so memorable. Eight
4-Star sponsors, four 3-Star sponsors, twelve 2-Star Sponsors, and nineteen 1-Star sponsors supported this event.
Congratulations and may thanks to the entire Awards Committee for the fantastic job they did!
To view our Sponsors and Top Winners, see pages 4 and 5.
http://www.kwaor.org/2005Awards/2005awardslinks.htm .
To view all the Awards Winners and the Photo Gallery, go to:
Aw ards Committee (l to r): Dean de Tonnancourt, Chair, Kevin Skaltsis, Dotti Giamette, Petra Laurie, Jen Larson,
Terry Gengenbach, Vice-Chair, Donna Tow nsend, M argot Jozefow icz, Elizabeth Dauphinee, Sharon Smith, Cely
O’Brien, Pat Oliver, Donnie Bennet and Cherie Roach . (Not pictured: John Scolia, Janet Caldw ell, Patrick Deady,
Elaina Tavarozzi, Kate Galvin and Cheryl Lamothe.)
NEW DESIGNEES
Congratulations to these new designees for their outstanding accomplishments!
GRI (Graduate REALTOR®
Institute)
ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative)
Donna A. Greene, ABR®
Omega Real Estate
Susan C. Stephen
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage,
Coventry
James G. McLaughlin
RE/MAX Five Star
3
We thank these sponsors for their generous support!
4 STAR SPONSORS nnnn
3 STAR SPONSORS ooo
Borna, Scola & Vancini
Citizen's Bank
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerages
Coventry n East Greenwich
South County n Warwick
Harrington & Rhodes, Ltd.
Pawtucket Credit Union
RE/MAX Broker Owners
RE/MAX 1st Choice
RE/MAX Advantage Group
RE/MAX Central
RE/MAX Five Star
RE/MAX Flagship
RE/MAX Metro
RE/MAX Post Road Realty
RE/MAX Professionals
RE/MAX South County
Residential Title & Escrow Services
Team One Mortgage
Civic Mortgage Group,
Jen Larson & Bruce Weltin
First Horizon Home Loan Corp.
Hobson & Coutu, Ltd.
Law Offices of James J. Caruolo, Esq., Inc.
2 STAR SPONSORS oo
AMC Appraisal Company, Inc.
Countrywide Home Loans
Eastern Bank
Glenn Carlson, Esq., Ltd.
Homestar Mortgage
Joseph D'Amico, Attorney at Law
Julie A. Bruno, Esq.
Law Office of Joseph J. DeAngelis
Madonna & Connors
New England Regional Mortgage
The New York Mortgage Co.
Trident Mortgage
1 STAR SPONSORS o
AmeriSpec Home Inspection
BankNewport
Capital City Financial Corporation
Century 21 Access America, Coventry
Chicago Title Insurance Company
Cress & Company
Durkin Cottage Realty
Kenneth J. Rampino, Ltd.
Martha Day, Attorney at Law
National City Mortgage
Oaktree Funding, LLC
Primary Home Mortgage
Susan Pagliarini, Prime Mortgage
Real Estate Journal of Rhode Island,
Ralph & Dino Coppolino
Real Estate Masters
Rhode Island Housing
Salem Five Mortgage
The Washington Trust Company
Webster Bank
4
Congratulations to These Top Winners!
TOP INDIVIDUALS BY VOLUM E
#1
$27,741,900.00
John Krekorian
RE/MAX Flagship
#2
$27,564,000.00
James P. Durkin
Durkin Cottage Realty
#3
$27,495,501.00
Raymond A. M ott
Properties Unlimited
#4
$20,763,381.00
Rita W right
Picerne Homes
#5
$19,970,624.00
Carolyn Petreccia
RE/MAX Advantage Group
TOP INDIVIDUALS BY
TRANSACTIONS
#1
61 Transactions
Carolyn Petreccia
RE/MAX Advantage Group
#2
58 Transactions
Kimberly Pope Kettlety
Coldwell Banker Cahoone
#3
50 Transactions
Rita W right
Picerne Homes
TOP TEAM S BY VOLUM E
#1
$66,866,229.00
The Gammons Team
Prudential Gammons Realty, North Kingstown
Allen B. Gammons, Jr., Roxanne Tafuri, John
Heidt, Meredith Milner, Alisha Tafuri &
Carol Schneider
#2
$37,422,285.00
The Len Iannuccilli Team
RE/MAX Professionals
Len Iannuccilli, Paula Biello, Nelson Esteves,
Donna Mills, Augustus Marsella,
Cassandra Marsella & Linda Ollari
#3
$28,770,000.00
The Phipps Team
Phipps Realty
Aaron Fergola, Jake Heffern, Jared Randall,
Sophia Meyersiek, Matt Phipps,
Susan Martins-Phipps, Ron Phipps
& Joyce Phipps
#4
$28,092,706.00
The Zarrella Team
Prudential Gammons Realty, East Greenwich
Paul Zarrella, Kristi Chatelle, Luis Colon,
John Morgan, Jr., Daniel O'Neil,
Douglas Street, Jill Weathers,
& Janet Wennerstrom
#5
$26,961,400.00
The D'Ellena Team
Prudential Gammons Realty, North Kingstown
John D'Ellena & Margaret Lessa
#4
49 Transactions
49 Transactions
Janet Audet
John Krekorian
Coldwell Banker
RE/MAX Flagship
Residential Brokerage,
Coventry
#5
45 Transactions
James P. Durkin
Durkin Cottage Realty
5
TOP TEAM S BY TRANSACTIONS
#1
158.5 Transactions
The Gammons Team
Prudential Gammons Realty, North Kingstown
Allen B. Gammons, Jr., Roxanne Tafuri,
John Heidt, Meredith Milner, Alisha Tafuri
& Carol Schneider
#2
108 Transactions
The Zarrella Team
Prudential Gammons Realty, East Greenwich
Paul Zarrella, Kristi Chatelle, Luis Colon,
John Morgan, Jr., Daniel O'Neil, Douglas
Street, Jill Weathers, & Janet Wennerstrom
#3
103.5 Transactions
The Len Iannuccilli Team
RE/MAX Professionals
Len Iannuccilli, Paula Biello, Nelson Esteves,
Donna Mills, Augustus Marsella,
Cassandra Marsella & Linda Ollari
#4
103 Transactions
The Dean "de" Integrity Realty Group
Keller W illiams Realty
Dean de Tonnancourt, Jeff (Francis) Clare,
Cheryl Lamothe, Patricia Mottshaw,
Gary Lunsmann & Kristi Matos
#5
71 Transactions
The Elliott LeFaiver Team
DeFelice, Realtors
Elliott LeFaiver, Cheryl Rinfret,
Marcella Santos, Patrica DaSilva,
Carlo Acquisto, Kathleen Greenhalgh,
Tim Archibald & Linda Barros
SOUTH KINGSTOWN:
The town council voted to purchase 248 acres of land for
approximate $3 million to be funded by it's previously
approved open space bonds. The property, known as
Noyes Farm, is located on Route 138 near Rose Hill
Road. The land will be preserved as open space and
usage will be restricted to a walking trail and fishing.
GAD NEWS
April 2006
WESTERLY:
On March 27th , the Westerly Town Council voted to
support a resolution to allow Westerly to impose a new
1% transfer tax on home buyers in addition to the .4%
transfer tax that is paid by sellers. The tax would be
charged on the purchase of homes of $350,000 or
greater. It is not clear whether the tax would be charged
on the entire sales price or only a portion of the sale. The
town will submit the resolution in the form of a bill to
the general assembly for its approval.
Here's what's happening around the towns:
CHARLESTOWN:
The town council voted to increase the height limits on
all buildings from 30 feet to 35 feet. Those in favor of
the increased limits argued that surrounding towns
including South Kingstown, Narragansett and Richmond
all allow for a maximum height of 35 feet or more in
most areas. Opponents felt that a higher limit would be
environmentally damaging especially on smaller lots. A
group known as “Not All 35 Feet” filed suit in the state
Supreme Court challenging the across the board height
increase.
WEST GREENWICH:
On April 26, the town will hold a special financial
meeting to determine if an $8 million bond should be
floated to allow the town to purchase approximately
1600 acres to preserve open space. This includes 471
acres currently being considered for development and
known as The Preserve at West Greenwich. In addition
to the 471 acre parcel, the town is planning on
purchasing two adjoining
parcels totaling
approximately 1168 acres. The total estimated cost to
purchase the properties is over $20 million but the town
will only have to fund $8 million with the balance of the
purchase price being funded from several other sources.
EXETER:
The town council voted to adopt an amendment to the
zoning ordinance that regulates age restricted housing
developments.
The amended ordinance provides
guidelines when planning for septic system design,
occupancy restrictions, parking, and density bonuses.
The ordinance also requires each development to include
15 affordable units and will also give a builder a 70
percent density bonus.
SAVE THESE DATES!
HOPKINTON:
The owners and developers of 137 acres of land located
between Exit 1 and Route 3 detailed a plan to the town
council to construct a mixed use development that will
include approximately 100 store fronts, apartments and
possibly condominiums. The land is zoned residential
but the owners will request that the zoning be changed to
a planned unit development to allow for the mixed use.
Thursday, June 15th
Annual Beach Party
Canonchet Beach Club on Narragansett
Beach, Narragansett
Monday, June 26th
14th Annual Charity Golf Classic
NORTH KINGSTOWN:
On April 10, the town council will decide whether to
grant a developer a zoning change to allow for the
building of office space on approximately five acres of
land located on Route 2 south of Division Street. The
property is currently zoned for farming. A major concern
of town council members is the impact the project will
have on traffic in the area.
Valley Country Club,
West Warwick
6
“TECH THURSDAY” IS A WINNER!
“This was great!”
“Over the top. Way more than I ever expected to learn.”
“More! More!”
These are just a few of the evaluation comments we received about the Kent Washington Association’s new “Tech
Thursday” luncheon series. When the members of the KWAR Technology Committee first proposed free sessions
to help our members hone their technology skills, even they underestimated how well those classes would be
received. Rolled out in mid- February, the series was designed to help both “techie” and “non-techie” members
master the 21st century tools of the trade.
The series kicked off with Basic Digital Photography for Realtors, taught by John Leonelli of Century 21 Access
America in Coventry. Next came a class by Bob Carson of T-Mobile Wireless showing how to get the most out
of cell phones, and was followed a week later with a Desktop Production class from Greg DeCristofaro of
DeFelice, Realtors. In March, those who missed the original photography class were able to catch it again and
follow up a week later with Advanced Digital Photography by professional photographer Xavier Armand.
Says Technology Committee Chair Jim Saflund, "Our courses provide a means for members to become more
efficient, more professional and hence more financially successful through the application of technical tools. Our
classes assume no particular technical expertise and are designed as a stepping stone to further knowledge and
experimentation.”
More “Tech Thursday” classes are scheduled in the coming months:
April 13th - Bill Welch of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Coventry will unravel the mysteries of Adobe
Acrobat, showing you how to make PDF documents from any printable application, such as Word Perfect,
MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, MS Outlook, Internet Explorer, Access, and Publisher.
May 18th & 25th - Sally Owen of Coleman Realtors will teach Introductory Power Point and Advanced Power
Point for professional presentations in your Realtor business.
June 15th - Jim Saflund of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in North Providence will give you a guided tour
of The World of Disk Media , showing some of the best techniques for backing up your valuable files, for
“burning” CD’s and creating “pack and go” presentations.
July 27th - NAR’s Saul Klein of Internet Crusade will give an Introduction to e-Pro. Not only will you learn
about e-PRO, the only Technology Certification Program approved by the National Association of
REALTORS®, but you will also pick up valuable technology tips that will help increase your bottom line
immediately.
You can sign up for any or all of these classes by going to the Association home page at
http://kwaor.org/index1.htm
The Association congratulates the Kent Washington Technology Committee for putting together an outstanding
program!
Technology Committee members: Jim Saflund, Chair, Bill Welch, Vice-Chair, Greg DeCristofaro, Brenda
Fernandes, John Leonelli and Sally Owen. The Committee thanks Tech Guru Jimmy Butler of Exeter Computers
for the donation of a computer to the KWAR classroom and for his able advice and assistance.
7
THE KENT WASHINGTON
ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ®
2240 South County Trail, Suite 3
East Greenwich, RI 02818-1536
In this issue:
Rental Forum
Realtor of the Year Form
Tech Thursday
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