August 2008

Join your fellow ABoR members on Monday, September 22 at the Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark. Arrive at 8:30 a.m. for a free breakfast prior to the 9 a.m. session. Topics will include local, state and national membership updates. ABoR will also be holding drawings for Realty Round Up tickets, a lockbox and a laptop at the meeting. RSVP online to reserve your space and to be registered for the drawings. Members must be present to win. The Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark is located at 4140 Governor’s Row, Austin, Texas 78744.

  Here at ABoR, we seek to provide you with the best products, tools and representation   available.
  Here are just a few of the ways we’re working for you.

  1. MLS Token Updates:  If you’re having problems with your SAFEMLS “blue token,”   contact the MLS Support Team for a free token exchange. For those of you who have eKeys -- isn’t it great to trade in your blue token for a SoftToken? We REALTORS® are never without our cell phones, which is why those of us who have SofTokens are in heaven.

2. New Market Stats Options:  ABoR has two new market statistics programs. With MarketMetrics, agents can show clients a snapshot of what’s happening in their neighborhood. Click here to register for this free resource. The ABoR Residential Sales are graphical representations of the house and townhouse/condominium markets. View the reports here.

3. POS Task Force Protection:  After the July 30 meeting, the City of Austin’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit Task Force is taking a short break before sending its recommendations to the City Council. The framework currently under consideration advocates a voluntary program that would become mandatory if goals set by the city are not met. We feel that a purely voluntary system would be best for Austinites. Please watch for updates on Abor.com and in our monthly newsletter.

Thanks for your support!
Socar Chatmon-Thomas
2008 Chairman of the Board

Do you know a colleague who stands out from the pack? Honor an outstanding REALTOR® by nominating him or her in one of six categories: REALTOR® of the Year, Affiliate of the Year, REALTOR® Community Service Award, Salesperson of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Cultural Awareness Award. Submit nominations here or on the form in your August 2008 newsletter. Nominations will be accepted through September 8.

ABoR’s annual real estate trade show is right around the corner. This year’s superhero theme promises to be the most exciting yet, so be prepared for adventure and excitement on October 22 at the Austin Convention Center. Tickets are available online beginning August 15 and at the ABoR REALTOR® Store beginning September 2.

There’s still time to complete the REALTOR® Public Awareness Campaign survey and be entered to win a $50 Home Depot gift card. Click here to complete the short survey by September 30, and you might be a winner!

Remember, subscribers can easily submit MLS payments online in the “My Account” section of Abor.com, in person at the ABoR offices or via mail to: Austin Board of REALTORS®, Attn: Membership, 10900 Stonelake Blvd, Ste. 100, Austin, TX 78759. Be sure to pay on time to avoid a $25 reinstatement fee and to continue receiving quality MLS content. Please direct questions or concerns to the Member Services Department.

Options for “Agent Full” reports in MLXchange have been expanded to incorporate the growing data fields available in the MLS system. The Agent Full 1 Page report presents information necessary for property showings, while the Agent Full 2 Page report contains all available MLS fields. The traditional Agent Full Original report displays no new data fields and has been reinstated as the default report in MLXchange.

ACTRIS subscribers are encouraged to explore the additional Agent Full reports, as the in-depth information about your listings will serve as an asset to both you and your clients. Please note that agents are not required to complete the new data fields in the Agent Full reports.

Subscribers may adjust their default reports at any time. Click here for instructions. Questions or concerns regarding the new Agent Full report options should be addressed to the MLS Support Team