July 2009

Share your thoughts on ABoR and you could win big. From Tuesday, July 21 through Monday, August 3, the independent consulting firm Loyalty Research will conduct a comprehensive member survey via e-mail on behalf of ABoR.  During the course of the survey, two drawings for $100 Visa gift cards will be held.  One winner will be selected on July 27, the second on August 3.  Participants who complete the survey before July 27 will be entered into both drawings, so take the survey early to double your chances of winning. 

Each primary and secondary ABoR member will receive an e-mail containing a link to the survey.  When you receive this message, please take a few moments to share your opinions with us.  Your feedback helps us build a stronger association.

For more information on ABoR’s comprehensive membership survey, contact the Marketing Department at 512/454-7636.

Test-drive new wines and connect with your colleagues at Austin’s hip new wine bar, Uncorked.  On Thursday, September 3, ABoR will host the annual TREPAC Wine Tasting and Silent Auction from 6-8 p.m. at Uncorked.  This popular fundraiser gives you a chance to network with your fellow REALTORS® and bid on exciting silent auction items, all while enjoying fine wines from around the globe.  Best of all, proceeds from this event benefit the Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee (TREPAC), which works to protect the real estate industry from harmful legislation.

Tickets to the Wine Tasting are $35 each and may be purchased online.  For more information on this event, including advertising opportunities, contact Emily Chenevert at 512/454-7636, ext. 1501. 

Looking for a way to inform your buyers of the opportunities in today’s real estate market?  Podcasts of presentations given at ABoR’s recent consumer education event, “Here & Now: Facts about Homeownership in Central Texas” will be available AustinHomeSearch.com beginning Monday, July 20. 

The podcast provides potential buyers with a wealth of information about the current state of the Central Texas housing market.  Dr. Jim Gaines of the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M provides an overview of the Texas economy; Scott Norman, vice president of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association , discusses the availability of financing; Ed Clark, Austin Energy Communications Director, details the city’s energy efficiency programs; and Kendra Todd, host of HGTV’s “My House is Worth What?” talks about the latest trends in decorating and remodeling remodeling and how to build wealth through homeownership. 

Do you have a great idea for an ABoR article? We need your input for topics to address in upcoming print and digital publications.  Please send your suggestions to ABoR’s Marketing Department or join in the discussion on our ABoR and MLS Learning Communities.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Get your real estate news on the go.  ABoR has expanded its online presence to include today’s hottest social media sites. Keep current on Association news by following ABoR and the ABoR Government Affairs team on Twitter.com and get the scoop on the Central Texas housing market on Austinhomesearch.com Twitter page. Fan pages for both ABoR and Austinhomesearch.com can be found on Facebook.com. Additionally, ABoR members with profiles on LinkedIn  are encouraged to join the ABoR group, which is open only to Association members.

Be prepared for the switch to Active Keys. This fall, ABoR will replace dKeys with new Active Keys.  Active Keys offer a number of benefits over dKeys, including updating data via cell phone towers rather than landlines.  This allows for instantaneous reception of information and obviates the need for overnight syncing. 

Take advantage of this new technology by attaching your lockboxes to your listings.  When the Active Key is implemented, users will receive real-time updates of their lockbox activity.  If a lockbox is attached to your listing, the property’s address will appear on the Active Key along with a message showing when the property was viewed.  Agents are encouraged to get in the habit of attaching lockboxes to their listings before the Active Key conversion.

To attach a lockbox to your listing, access the listing through the Listing Maintenance feature of MLXchange.  On the drop-down menu next to the “Links” heading, select “Supra Keybox” and click on the green arrow.  A new dialogue box will appear; click on the “Assign Supra Keybox” option.  You will then be sent to the Supra Web site, where you can assign a lockbox to your listing.  Simply type in the lockbox serial number and shackle code, then click “Save” and the lockbox will be assigned to your listing.