October 2008

Want to get a jump-start on creating your 2009 business plan? Find out what to expect in the coming year by attending the Institute of Real Estate Management’s (IREM) Real Estate Forecast Forum on Tuesday, October 28 from 8 – 11 a.m. at the Austin Convention Center.

The IREM Real Estate Forecast Forum boasts panelists from a number of real estate sectors, including office, multi-family, retail, industrial and single family markets.  Keynote speaker Mark Dotzour of the Texas A&M Real Estate Center will deliver an overview of the local, state and national economies.  Tickets for this event are $45 for IREM members and $75 for non-members.  For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Now you can quickly and easily manage e-mails from ABoR.  The improved “My Account” section of Abor.com lets you select the subjects for which you want to receive messages.

To create your ideal information combination, log on to the “My Account” section of Abor.com and select the “Edit Preference” link.  The “Electronic News Preferences” section enables you to subscribe to e-mails in a variety of categories.  For more information on communication preferences, contact the Marketing Department.

Explore luxury residences and help a worthy cause by attending the ABoR Foundation’s River Place Property Tour on Thursday, November 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Six homes from the River Place neighborhood, located in Northwest Austin, will be featured.
 
Tickets to the River Place Property Tour are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and include lunch provided by Emily’s Catering.  Sales benefit the ABoR Foundation, which performs charitable acts on behalf of ABoR.  Purchase tickets from any of the following Friends of the Foundation: Laura Pagnozzi; Doren Carver; Andrea Gowan; Andree Moore; Mary Ellen Schmidt; Katie Osborne; Lynn Bates or April Downey.

In September, Hurricane Ike devastated parts of the Texas coast.  Over 30,000 Texas Association of REALTORS® (TAR) members live in regions declared disaster areas.  Help your colleagues get back on their feet by making a contribution to the TAR Disaster Relief Fund. 

The ABoR Foundation has pledged $5,000 to aid victims of Hurricane Ike, but additional support is needed.  The TAR Disaster Relief Fund is a 501©3 charity, meaning that all funds go directly to victims of the disaster and donations are tax deductible.  Mail your contribution to:

Texas Association of REALTORS® Disaster Relief Fund
c/o Susan Chichester
P.O. Box 2246
Austin, TX 78746

For more information on the TAR Disaster Relief Fund, click here.

December 31, 2008 marks the deadline for completing the current cycle of ethics training mandated by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).  Beginning January 1, 2009, members who have not attended an ethics course between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2008 will have their memberships suspended.  If after two months of suspension the ethics requirement still has not been met, memberships may be cancelled.

There are several ways to fulfill your ethics requirement.  Register for a TREC or NAR ethics course, held monthly at ABoR, or take NAR’s free online ethics course.

If you completed an ethics course with an entity other than ABoR, send your ethics completion certificate or your education record to the Education Department by e-mail, by fax to 512/454-1730, or by post to the Austin Board of REALTORS®, Attn. Education, 10900 Stonelake Blvd., Ste. 100, Austin, Texas 78759.  Access your education records at the TREC Web site.  Please include your name and license number with all correspondence.

For more information on completion certificates or the NAR ethics requirement, contact Sally Yaryan.