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The Realtors® Association of Citrus County, Inc. exists to inform, educate and uphold the high standards set forth in the REALTOR® Code of Ethics enhancing our members professionalism and image while fostering cooperation among our members and serving our communities. We provide education and leading-edge technology to better safeguard private property rights and promote equal housing opportunity.

April, 2012 Realtors®Association of Citrus County Volume X , Issue 4

Greetings All! Well, we are finishing our first quarter of the year. From all the reports I am hearing the Easter bunny isn't the only one hopping! Our market is on track for a great year. If you are NOT busy, you may consider using some of the great tools available to you free through the association. There are books and tapes in the library (now in the restructured Realtor store) for you to check out and use at your discretion. The education committee is offering a wide variety of classes to help kick things into gear. Don't sit back wishing for more business - use these tools and go after it! Have you signed up for Chili Cook-off? Don't miss out on this networking opportu-nity. Also best way to get your $99 RPAC by bidding on auction items. Our legislative team of Peggy Taylor and Debbie Scott are working on getting everyone up to speed

on election and local political issues. You need to register to vote now! Cheryl Lambert our President-elect and chair of technology has her committee giving monthly "hands on" teaching

tech talks. The last one was on our new MLS Advantage. Wow what a program! Another tool to improve your business - are you using it? Do you even know what it is? CHECK IT OUT!!!

Greg Younger and his team are re-visiting our MLS input forms and making suggestions for "narrowing down" the process for entering in a listing. Time is money to us all , and this should save us time. Congrats to all the Million $ producers and Multi-Million $ producers for 2011.

Remember you can come to most of the monthly membership meetings at no cost so no excuses to miss out on important networking time!

Your Humble President,

Sarah Spencer

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Million Dollar Producer Breakfast March was our annual Million Dollar Producer Breakfast at Black Diamond. Over 150 Members, Business Partners and Guests welcomed Robert Kane ~Home Buyers Friend and Mark Stone~ Keller Williams as new members before enjoying a delicious breakfast and some great networking.

The 2011 Million Dollar Producers were recognized with a beautiful plaque from our Business Partner of the month, Capital City Bank. Congrats to all the recipients!!

There were also a few other awards handed out that morning. Our Association Executive, Bonnie Rosenberger, was awarded the RPAC Statesman Award for donating $500 so far in 2012 and Dennis Pilon, Tom McMurray, Sherri Orendorf, Sarah Spencer and Rob Tessmer, Jr. received Honor Society pins from the Florida Realtors. Kudos to all!

Other big winners of the morning included Tom McMurray who won the share and share worth $225 (the other half of the money will go to the Relay for Life), Hugh Tolle, Lou Nalley, Debbie Cleary, Kim Fuller, Cheryl Nadal, Tami Mayer, Marvia Korol, Dennis Pilon, Bonnie Rosenberger, Linda Cridland, John Maisel, Denise Hudson and Debi Beltz all won $50 gift certificates to Vintage on 5th, congrats everyone!

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REALTOR® SPOTLIGHT OF THE MONTH Getting to know our Past-President Tom McMurray.

-at-heart, giving, fun, involved, kind and just a really all-around nice guy!

This is not news to anyone who knows Tom. Citrus County and the Board of Realtors® are very fortunate that Tom decided to venture south upon retirement. He retired from the army and joined Digital, a large computer company in Massachusetts. He eventually was transferred to Greenbelt, Maryland. His parents were living in Ft. Myers and he and his wife would often visit. During one of those visits they decided to return north via the west coast instead of the east coast and discov-ered Citrus County. A fly down with Citrus Hills resulted in a purchase of land in Fairview. This was in 1992. In 1994 they returned to Citrus County and purchased a home. Tom went to real estate school and then, a position with Citrus Hills in the building/operations department became available. Chuck Sanders, the builder at Citrus Hills at the time, eventually left to start his own company (Sanderson Bay Homes) and offered Tom a job. Tom was already a broker so he be-came the sales manager/broker for Sanderson Bay. After three years Tom decided it was time to

It was 2005 when Tom first became seriously involved in the Board and also began serving on state committees. In 2008 Tom became RACC President and in 2010 District 7 Vice President for Florida Realtors®. District 7 is comprised of Hernando, Citrus, Marion, Lake/ Sumpter County Boards. This involves meetings, travel and attending meetings in Tallahassee. The next year he was obligated to be on the nominating committee because the District 7 Vice President is a 2-

Tom is on the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce for the 4th year. He was chairman of the Strawberry Festi-val this year and has been co-chair of the special activities committee. I cannot imagine that work that goes into the Straw-berry Festival. It was a huge commitment and it involved 4 days of intense organization and long hours. He wanted me to

Previously, Tom was on the Shareholders Advisory Group appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. Their job was to review land development code, look at the impact fees etc. It has since been dissolved.

2. Most of the children and grandchildren live in the Maryland/Delaware area. Tom has a daughter in Key West and a son in New Jersey. Between them they have a total of 12 grandchildren and, get this, SEVEN great-grandchildren. Wow! That is some family!! Tom is very proud of this wonderful family and rightly so.

she and her friends follow them around the country attending their concerts. Trans Siberian has a sound similar to the Manheim Steamrollers. I had never heard of Trans Siberian but I goggled it and truly enjoyed the music. Charlayne is a breast cancer survivor so annually they participate in the Maryland Relay for Life walk and of course, they participate in the Relay for Life walk here. They try to also attend the huge Relay for Life walk in Washington, DC.

They have been annual pass holders at Disney for years. They are at Disney every Thanksgiving and often stay at Shades of Green, which is an armed forces resort. Often, they are at Disney at Christmastime, during the flower show and for other Disney events. Epcot is their favorite and I can totally agree! Tom told me they sure do KNOW Disney!

Written by Marvia Korol

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RPAC NEWS

WOW, my apologies to everyone! February just absolutely got away from me and I neglected to get this in for the March Newsletter.

Just wanted to give you a quick report on the 99 Club + Appreciation Dinner. What a huge success it was again. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal and had a good time.

I am so excited to report that RPAC is currently at 81% of goal! And that is about 90% from dues billing. Once again, RACC rocks! You guys are the best, by far! With the Chili Cook-off approaching, I know my fondest dream of 200% of goal just might come to pass.

Speaking of the CHILI COOK-OFF th is the date. I look forward to seeing everyone there. Please make your reservations ASAP. Also, for those of you wanting to show off your best chili recipe, we only

Please contact myself (795-2441), or the Board office (746-7550) to reserve your spot. Also, see this newsletter for the entry form and information. We need any donations you have, or can get, for auction items and for the Party Wagon. Baskets, gift cards, small appliance items, etc are always great for the auctions; and for the party wagon, bottles of

Congrats to John Finley, our latest 99 CLUB investor. And a BIG congrats to Bonnie Rosenberger for her STATESMEN AWARD status. This award is for $500 in contributions to RPAC. Investor pins were handed out at the February

February meeting.

Lamont Alford Gary Altman Karrie Baily Margit Barth

Gary Baxley Karen Baxley Linda Bega Wilhelmus Berndsen

Lourdes Billingsley David Bramlett Bruce Brunk Joseph Cappuccilli

Nancy Castro Richard Christensen Robert Christensen Gail Cooper

Maria Cubelo-Hinton Karen Cunningham Kevin Cunningham Sally Cure

C J Dixon Quade Feeser Jennifer Fudge Jean Gaskill

Chris Grant Daniel Hoffman John Hoffmeister Beverly Isabelle

Nancy Jenks James Kearse Marvia Korol Peter Korol

Cheryl Lambert Lorelie LeBrun Ron Lieberman Marco Macaisa

Sandra McDermott Ron McEvoy Doris Miner Jim Morton

Cheryl Nadal Richard Naylor Sherri Parker

Marilyn Pearson-Adams Sherri Potts Randy Rand Myriam Reulen

Bonnie Rosenberger Kerry Rosselet Martha Sather Jack Schofield

Debbie Scott Heather Steighner Harold Stevens Rob Tessmer

Dawn Theroux Lisa VanDeBoe John Wheeler Lillian Wilson

Nancy Wilson

SEE YOU AT THE CHILI COOKOFF!!!

Cheryl Nadal

RPAC Chair

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WANT TO WIN A FREE MEMBERSHIP MEETING MEAL?

To the first member to email bonnie@raccfl.com the answer to question below.

How many calls did the Florida Realtors® legal hotline answer last year?

FLORIDA REALTORS® HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS Florida REALTORS® established an Honor Society twenty-five years ago to recognize local board and association members who are active in the state association. The Honor Society also salutes members for participation at the local and national levels of the Realtor® organization: for activity in

political involvement.

The following members received pins. The design on the pin symbolizes homes for people, business and industry.

2nd Year SHERRI ORENDORF

2nd Year SARAH SPENCER

2nd Year ROB TESSMER, JR.

5th Year TOM MCMURRAY

9th Year DENNIS PILON

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National Mortgage Settlement and REALTORS®: 5 Quick Takeaways

On Monday, March 12, 2012, the federal government released details of the $25 billion dollar nationalmortgagesettlement stemming from improper foreclosures and other deceptive practices in the origination and servicing of mortgages.

The agreement with Bank of America Corporation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Company, Citigroup Inc., and Ally Financial Inc. (formerly GMAC) is designed to provide eligible homeowners with relief as well as prevent future abuses. Along with billions of dollars of relief for homeowners, the servicers are required to implement across-the-board servicing standards meant to improve borrower communication and provide servicing consistency among five of the largest servicers.

NAR has advocated for many of the servicing standards addressed in the settlement. These standards will help keep fami-lies in their homes and, if that is not possible, will assist in streamlining the short sale and other loss mitigation processes.

Here are five initial takeaways from the settlement that will impact real estate transactions:

1. Short Sale Timeline. The settlement contains short sale standards that are similar to the Treasury Depart-ment's Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative, or HAFA, program. A number of these standards will improve the short sale process including making short sale requirements publicly available, development of co-op pro-grams to evaluate short sales prior to marketing the home, and the implementation of a 30-day response re-quirement after receipt of all required information and third party consents.

2. No Dual Tracking. As part of the settlement, the five servicers will no longer be able to proceed with a foreclo-sure sale if a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure has been approved by all parties (first lien investor, junior lien holder, and mortgage insurer, as applicable) and proof of funds or financing has been provided to the ser-vicer. Servicers will also face strict foreclosure referral guidelines if borrowers have requested a loan modifica-tion.

3. Single Point of Contact. NAR has long called on servicers to establish a single point of contact for borrowers. This provision will not only assist in maintaining consistency and coordination of loss mitigation options, but will reduce the amount of time agents and brokers spend discussing individual short sale files with new negotiators.

4. Establishment of Loan Portal. Though processes have recently improved, many members report that lost documents requiring multiple submissions continue to cause delays. The five servicers have agreed to consoli-date information for borrowers by developing online loan portals that will provide borrowers with access to infor-mation, eligibility factors for loss mitigation programs, and inform borrowers of required documentation that is missing.

5. Strong Enforcement Mechanism. The success of a number of well-intentioned programs has been hampered by voluntary servicer participation and a seemingly lack of compliance oversight. The five national banks party to the settlement will be required to regularly report compliance to an independent, outside monitor that reports to state attorneys general. State attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice can seek redress if the banks don't follow the settlement terms.

The servicing standards and relief requirements will be implemented over the next several months and will be prioritized based on the importance to borrowers and difficulty of implementation.

Information sent by: John M. Sebree/Senior Vice President of Public Policy | Florida Realtors®

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Facts on the 3.8% Health Care Tax Daily Real Estate News | Monday, March 12, 2012

A 3.8 percent levy on certain investment income was included in healthcare legislation two years ago, and -

mail, throwing some prospective home sellers into a panic. In actuality, very few owners will be affected by the new tax taking effect in 2013.

The tax will only be on investment income of upper income taxpayers. Included in the definition of invest-ment income is capital gains from home sales above a certain amount and for households whose income is above a certain amount. This means individuals who make $200,000 a year or more, or married couples who earn at least $250,000 a year are affected. Additionally, the tax is only applied to home sales if the pro-ceeds exceed $250,000 for an individual, or $500,000 for married couples. And there still are other income and tax particulars that are considered before the 3.8 percent tax is triggered.

The National Association of REALTORS® recommends that members become familiar with the tax, but avoid coaching their clients on the policy because the amount of tax will vary from individual to individual as the elements that comprise adjusted gross income differ from taxpayer to taxpayer. NAR has published a brochure on how the tax works, which is now available online.

To download the 3.8% tax brochure, go to : http://www.realtor.org/small_business_health_coverage.nsf/docfiles/government_affairs_invest_inc_tax_broch.pdf/$FILE/government_affairs_invest_inc_tax_broch.pdf

Source:NAR and "Realtors Say Despite Efforts, Tax Rumor Keeps Spreading," Glens Falls Post-Star (NY) (03/10/12)

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version Posted on March 19, 2012 by Matey Veissi Florida Realtors® 2012 Secretary Probable Cause What is it? Why do we need to know? Why should we care? If you or someone you know has a complaint filed against you to the Florida Real Estate Commission you need to know happens next:

If it is, a case number is assigned and the case is forwarded to the Investigative Field Office in this area.

FREC legal department.

Panel of the commission. This panel is comprised of 2 commission members (2 Commissioners, one past and one current) who are not employed by the state.

settlement with the person involved based on standard penalties.

law judge for a hearing. After serving two terms (8 years) on the Florida Real Estate Commission, I still continue to participate in the Probable Cause Panel for the Commission. In the course of the past 14 years, I have sat on many Probable Cause panels, but this is the first time I was totally ashamed of many of the real estate licensees in our state. Of the 40 complaints almost 3/4 was Escrow thefts. Now I understand that mistakes are made. A deposit check in the wrong account and it is rectified quickly. Depositing the escrow check 1 or 2 days beyond the mandatory due date. The Probable Cause Panel and the Commission under-

we are now encountering are outright thefts, with absolutely no intention of returning the deposits. And the comments of the real estate licensees? How about when the licensee just moves with no forwarding address and no way for anyone to contact them? Now we are not talking about small amounts of money. We are talking 5 and 6 figures. Something is seriously wrong here. Do they not know it is not their money? Do they not know that we do not get paid till it closes and certainly not before? Where is the integrity? Where is the professionalism? Dare I ask where is the moral fiber here? I guess they reason that it is happening in many professions so that makes it OK? But everyone is doing

You are not everyone We all need to remember that we are entrusted with what, for many, is the biggest investment of their lives. We need to maintain trust. We need to maintain our integrity. We need to maintain our professionalism Remember: We are not everyone. We are REALTORS®.

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Legal advice for Florida Realtors® members is just a phone call

away at 407.438.1409.

Florida Realtors® Legal Hotline attorneys answer questions about real estate license law and related real property issues. Attorneys also offer legal interpretations of the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contract and other standard business forms and contracts. What You Need:

Have your Florida real estate license number or NRDS number ready when calling the Legal Hotline. The

MLS or procuring cause will be redirected to staff specializing in these areas. Save time: Ask a question online:

Legal questions may now be emailed to the Legal Hotline. Members will receive a live callback from a Legal Hotline attorney. Ask a question now. (login required) go to: https://www.floridarealtors.org/LegalCenter/helpline/Member/Legal-Question-Form.cfm

Who May Use This Service?

Current Florida Realtors® members. If your license number does not appear in our computer system, you will not be able to speak with an attorney.

Local board/association attorneys, executive officers and staff.

Private attorneys who represent a current member as long as the member is also on the line for the call.

Cost:

As a member service, there is no charge to access the Legal Hotline. If you are calling from outside the 407 area code, you may incur a long-distance telephone charge.

me instead of calling the Legal Hotline?

section of floridarealtors.org. Legal Hotline at-

torneys have compiled more than 100 questions and answers in these categories:

continued

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Advertising Appraisals Broker Business Brokerage Disclosure Code of Ethics Commercial Lien Commissions Complaints Condominium Contracts Disclosure Escrow Fair Housing Federal Law Landlord/Tenant License Law

Q: How are Legal Hotline calls processed?

answered. Last year, the Legal Hotline handled more than 30,000 calls! Q: My seller/buyer has asked me a legal question. May I ask the Legal Hotline attorney for the answer?

A: No. The advice given on the Legal Hotline is intended only for use by the individual Florida Realtors® member. Parties to a transaction who have a specific question about their legal rights should consult their own attorney. Q: An agent with whom I am having a commission dispute called the Legal Hotline to ask for advice about the dispute. May I also call the Legal Hotline for advice on the same dispute?

A: No. The rules of the Florida Bar prohibit the Legal Hotline attorneys from counseling more than one side of a dispute. Q: Is the Legal Hotline a substitute for private counsel?

A: No. Members who require representation in lawsuits, the drafting of specific language or documents or resolution of problems going beyond the scope of real estate law should consult their own attorney.

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REALTOR® Fair Housing DeclarationI agree to:

Provide equal professional service without regard to the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or sexual orientation of any prospective client, customer, or of the residents of any community.

Keep informed about fair housing law and practices, improving my clients' and customers' opportunities and my business.

Develop advertising that indicates that everyone is welcome and no one is excluded;, expanding my cli-ent's and customer's opportunities to see, buy, or lease property.

Inform my clients and customers about their rights and responsibilities under the fair housing laws by providing brochures and other information.

Document my efforts to provide professional service, which will assist me in becoming a more respon-sive and successful REALTOR®.

Refuse to tolerate non-compliance.

Learn about those who are different from me, and celebrate those differences.

Take a positive approach to fair housing practices and aspire to follow the spirit as well as the letter of the law.

Develop and implement fair housing practices for my firm to carry out the spirit of this declaration.

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BUSINESS PARTNERS

NEW MEMBERS

None this Month

AGENTS No Longer With Now With

Maria Elena Carter Coldwell Banker Next Gen. Only Way Realty Anita Fuss EXIT Realty Leaders Kiefer Realty Services Maria Pauelsen ERA American Realty Tropic Shores Debbie Rector Keller Williams Top Performance RE Cons. Katherine Thompson-Appie Keller Williams Top Performance RE Cons Marie Toomey Keller Williams Top Performance RE Cons.

NEW MEMBER OFFICES

Top Performance Real Estate Consultants

1942 N Prospect Ave

Lecanto, FL 34461

(352) 746-9924

Inactives with REALTORS® ASSOCIATION OF CITRUS COUNTY Nicole DiMichele Sherri Roper James Stoneman

None this Month

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APRIL 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 MLS Bd of Mgrs 3:30pm

4 Legislative Committee 1:00pm

5 Bd of Directors 8:30am Generational Selling 10:30-11:30am

6 Good Friday Board Closed

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8 9 10 Education Committee 8:30am

11 Technology Committee 1:30pm

12 Chili Cook Off 5:30pm

13 Short Sale Top Prducer-Panel 1:00-4:00pm FREE

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15 16 17

Social Media 9 -11am

18 19 District VII Citrus Hills 8:30 - 1:00pm Property Management 10:00am

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22 23 Laying Groundwork for Safety 1:00 - 4:00pm 3 Hrs CE

24 25 26 27 Identity Theft 9:00 - 12:00pm 3 Hrs CE

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These statistics were taken from the MLS on These statistics were taken from the MLS on

February 29, 2012 March 29, 2012

RESIDENTIAL VACANT LAND RESIDENTIAL VACANT LAND

Active 1731 Active 1983 Active 1692 Active 1942

New 322 New 116 New 307 New 87

Closed 137 Closed 37 Closed 172 Closed 56

Pending 243 Pending 59 Pending 224 Pending 40

BOM 127 BOM 63 BOM 117 BOM 65

050

100150200250300350400450

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

Single FamilyCondoMobileVacant

Realtors Association of Citrus County 714 S Scarboro Ave Lecanto, FL 34461 Phone: 352-746-7550 Fax: 352-746-3223 email: bonnie@raccfl.com Web: http://www.raccfl.com

Chart displays Closed listings

Sincere Sympathy

Our condolences and deepest sympathy are extended to the family of long time REALTOR® Linda Bega on the loss of her mother-in-law