January 2010

According to the Multiple Listing Service report by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, the volume of Austin-area home sales continues to surge, increasing 58 percent in November 2009 compared to November 2008.  

“This is the largest increase in year-over-year homes sales the Austin market has seen in more than ten years,” explained Jay Gohil, 2009 chairman of the Austin Board of REALTORS®.

In November 2009, there were a total of 1,576 home sales, contributing $377,603,296 to the local economy. The median home price for Austin in November 2009 was $179,000, a two percent decrease from the same month the prior year.

“The combination of steady home prices with increasing demand is very encouraging for the Central Texas real estate market,” said Gohil. View the entire press release online.

This past August, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) released their Game Changers Challenge to local REALTOR® boards, state associations and institutes, societies and councils. The challenge was to create programs that would assist association membership and improve the REALTOR® association. NAR received submissions for a range of programs in areas such as commercial services, technology, training, marketing and customer service.

More than 200 submissions were received and NAR selected 14 winners and 22 Runners-Up. ABoR was selected as Runner-Up for two game changing ideas – a mobile version of the Abor.com Web site and Value Videos focusing on membership benefits. Stay tuned for more information as ABoR begins developing these ideas.  

To learn more about the Game Changes Initiative, visit NAR on the Web.

The City of Austin is offering free training for REALTORS® on their Down Payment Assistance Program for first-time homebuyers. The program will be held on Wednesday, January 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The deadline to register is Wednesday, January 20 at 5:00 p.m. Click here for a registration form. Contact Sheri Munguia for more information.

The Texas Association of REALTORS® (TAR) will host its Winter Meeting in Austin on February 19-23. Programs will include forums on property management, MLS, risk reduction and housing initiatives. A variety of educational opportunities will also be available with courses such as What Real Estate Professionals Should Know About Access to the Surface of Real Property for Mineral Activities, The New Realities of Real Estate in Texas and Gadgets, Widgets, and Other Cool Doodads You Just Gotta Have. To learn more about the event and to register, visit TAR on the Web.

More than 400 guests came together on December 11 for ABoR’s annual Installation and Awards Gala. The evening recognized and celebrated the local real estate community and honored ABoR’s incoming Board of Directors. The evening could not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. Our humble thanks are extended to the evening’s supporters:

Grand Sponsor: Private Label Realty

Centerpiece Sponsor: CHORE Masters

Balloon Drop Sponsor: GE Supra

Gold Sponsors: Baker Botts, LLP; MarketLinx; Realty Line; and Republic Print & Mail

Silver Sponsors: Austin American-Statesman; Austin REAL Pros, REALTORS®; Champions School of Real Estate; Cornerstone Mortgage; David Weekley Homes; First American CoreLogic, Inc.; Leahy & Associates; National Tenant Network; and PriceLock Financial Services

Bronze Sponsors: Abundance Home Mortgage; Allied Home Warranty; Austin Inspectors Exchange; Austin Region Lone Star CRS; Austin Title; Austin Young Real Estate Professionals; Avalar Austin; Buffington Signature Homes; Cathy Coneway – Stanberry Commercial; CenTex Foundation Repair; DHI Title; EXIT Realty; Home Source Mortgage; Home Warranty of America; J.B. Goodwin, REALTORS®; MovinOn; National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals Austin Chapter; Prominent Title; Sky Realty; and the Women’s Council of REALTORS®

Diamond Sponsors: A+ Federal Credit Union; EcoBox; Energy Performance Analysts; Independence Title; Land Mortgage; Newland Communities; Perry Homes; and PriceLock Financial Services

Special thanks are also extended to Leahy & Associates. In addition to being a Silver Sponsor, Leahy & Associates donated a trip valued at $3,500, which included a seven night stay at a choice of destinations across the globe.

Thank you to everyone who attended the gala and helped make the evening a night to remember. Make sure to check out photos from the event on ABoR’s Facebook page.

In this month’s “Legal Topics” column, Don R. Hancock outlines 10 common mistakes made on real estate contracts. View the complete article.

Coming Soon: A Farewell to SafeMLS Tokens

The much-anticipated farewell to SafeMLS tokens is on the horizon. ABoR aims to transition away from the tokens beginning January 13. Look for a new MLXchange login screen that will signal the transition has begun.

MLS subscribers will need their Abor.com login and password to enter the new system and on subsequent visits until they are flagged to create a new MLXchange password. If you are unsure of your Abor.com login information, click here to have your password e-mailed to you.

The system will randomly flag users to create a new password to log in to MLXchange. Passwords must be at least eight characters and contain at least two numbers. Users will be asked to register their new password during the first two weeks of the transition. The staggered registration process is to prevent the application from becoming overloaded.

The new authentication system for logging in to MLXchange has several advantages for ACTRIS participants, including improved security and convenience. You will no longer need a physical token to log in to the system.

ABoR will host a collection box for your old tokens should you wish to recycle them. You can recycle your tokens at 10900 Stonelake Blvd., Suite A-100, Austin, TX 78759.

If you have questions or need assistance, contact the MLS support team at 512-454-7636. For a list of frequently asked questions, click here.

Have you ever noticed that there are question marks in front of many of the input fields when you are creating a new listing in MLXchange? These question marks offer important information on the type of data you can enter into these particular fields. Simply click on the question mark next to the field and an explanation box will appear. This can help guide you when you are unsure of what data to input. For example, say you’ve wondered exactly what you should or should not put in the Internet Remarks field. By clicking on the question mark, you will see that these remarks are displayed on the Internet and should not include any names, phone numbers, Web addresses or e-mail addresses.

Internet Remarks is only one of the many fields this option is available for in MLXchange. Check out this feature next time you enter a new listing to ensure your information is on target.

Join ABoR for the annual TREPAC Chili Cook-Off on February 17 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. in the ABoR Auditorium. For all you chefs out there, sign up to participate and show off your culinary abilities. Team registration is $99 and includes two tickets to the event and a display table. To participate, you must register by February 10. For details, contact Christina Ortiz in ABoR’s Government Affairs Department at 512-454-7636, ext. 1501.

Don’t feel like cooking? Not a problem. Purchase an individual ticket for $25 and taste all of the delicious entries. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. Click here to purchase your ticket online.

Looking for ways to get involved in politics in 2010? TAR’s Political Affairs program has a variety of options available to help you become active. Sign up today with TAR’s Call for Action Center and help influence proposed legislation. Once an individual is registered, e-mail alerts will be sent out when action needs to be taken for specific issues, including calling or e-mailing elected officials to inform them of a REALTOR®’s perspective on the issue at hand.

The Call for Action Center is one of the many avenues you can take to become involved. Visit TAR and learn more about what opportunities are available.