2010 PASSING OF THE GAVEL - JANUARY 16TH
Mark Saturday, January 16th, 2010 down right now as the date of the annual Installation Dinner. It's an evening of food, fun, tradition, and ceremony, as the president's gavel is passed from 2009 president Harry Vearn to the incoming 2010 president Deb McCuiston. We will also swear in the new directors of the Board and recognize the acomplishments of the 2009 leadership.

Prior to the dinner, a cocktail networking reception will be held from 6:30 to 7:15pm. Members interested in attending the reception and dinner, at a cost of $60 per person, should call the Board office at 223-0900 to make a reservation by January 6th, 2010. Reservations will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

FOR SALE OR FOR LEASE - SETTING IT UP IN THE SYSTEM
How can I avoid pulling up leases in the same residential search with sales? How can I make sure that a property I have for lease is being found on other member’s searches? How do I close the property out on the MLS if it has been entered twice, as both “for sale” and “for lease”?

First of all, it is within MLS rules to enter a listing as both “for sale” and “for lease” under the residential property type with the corresponding information for each transaction type. On the listing input screen you can choose either transaction type from a drop-down menu just above the field for “areas.” Once the first listing is entered, simply use the “copy listing” function to open up another input screen and change the transaction type to the other option.

If a property listed both ways is later leased, use the change listing function to enter the lease information under the appropriate listing number. “Leased” is an option under status and, even though the prompts are for sale information, just fill the fields with the lease information (lease amount, lease date, etc.)

Then, fax a property change report to the Board (937.223.1084) authorizing the MLS to “Delete” (not “withdraw”), the listing that was showing the property “for sale.” Otherwise, this listing will eventually show up erroneously as ”expired.” If the property sells, do just the opposite, enter the sale information under the “for sale” listing number and have MLS delete the “for lease” listing number.

Concerning searching for leases or sales, it is important to understand how members, as well as the general public, can avoid missing all possible results. The first search option on the standard search page under property types is “sale” “lease” or “both.”

This search is defaulted to “sale” so you must change the radio button to “lease” or “both” if you want to pull results for leases. Otherwise, you will pull just sales and miss any “leases.” This pertains to an MLS search, as well as any search on dabr.com or other public sites, which use the standard MLS IDX search page.

Following these steps should help you sort out any confusion over how to list, close out, or search for properties that are listed under more than one transaction type. For any questions concerning any of these procedures contact the MLS at 937.223.0900.

IMPROVING YOUR MLS DATA
The MLS began implementing a new system called iCheck on December 1st, which automatically monitors the active listing database for violations and omissions. This new system sends out an automated email to members whose listing has a potential violation. The member can then make the appropriate correction before a fine is imposed.

Our fining policy will not be strictly enforced until January 1, 2010. The month of December will be the grace period for cleaning up the data in the system. If you receive violation e-mails from this system during December, please fix any problems with your listings as soon as possible. This grace period will allow you to not only review MLS listing policies with your office but also to make corrections and additions to current listings.

A list of MLS rules and regulations, as well as our fining policy, are posted on the Members Only section of dabr.com. You can view them by clicking on “Members Only” then select “MLS Support.”

The ICheck system is designed to work in the background of the MLS, so you should notice no changes in the way you enter and search listings.

We appreciate your cooperation while we initiate this new system. The result will be a much more complete and accurate MLS database. Please contact John or Nicole at 937-223-0900 with any questions.

Each month DABR releases its Membership Report and Director Actions. Click on the links below to view each report.

November Board of Directors Actions

November Membership Report

Harry Vearn, 2009 President of The Dayton Area Board of REALTORS®

The year 2009 is nearly up, and that means my term as your president is coming to an end. This time of year is always dedicated to giving thanks for the family and friends in our life, and in that spirit, I would like to give thanks to my friends in our REALTOR® family.

The Board of Directors always seems to have its hands full, but this year it seemed like they were especially busy. They rolled out a new taxroll system, introduced a new service for commercial properties (the Commercial Industrial Exchange), added a "Accessibility Features" form to the MLS (the first of its kind in the nation) and updated the building with new signs. As our 100th year of service to the membership, this truly has been a milestone year. I want to thank all the directors for their guidance and dedication to the Board.

The Executive Committee meets each month before the Board of Directors meetings, and they have really helped me to keep on track this year. I would like to sincerely express my appreciation for their leadership this year.

I know for a certainty that this year would have been far more difficult if it wasn't for the staff at the Board. Jesse Livesay kept our agenda on track and has been an insightful counselor, Bob Jones created a nice 100th anniversary magazine (due out later this month) and made sure I properly represented the organization to the media, and Tom, Peggy, John, and the others kept me up to date with the tools I needed to conduct meetings and perform as effectively as I could. I am grateful for their assistance and professionalism.

Finally, I want to thank all of you, my fellow REALTORS®, for your kind words of support this year. I have been very proud to represent you, and your feedback on my job performance has meant a lot. I'm sure you will all extend kind words and support to Deb McCuiston when she assumes the post of president in January.

Thank you all for a wonderful year, and I look forward to serving you in 2010 as past-president!

SALES LEADERS LUNCHEON SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 22
As we do each year, the Board is proud to recognize the Sales Leaders Club recipients. To celebrate these achievements, the recipients will be honored at a recognition luncheon scheduled for Friday, January 22nd at the Dayton Marriott Hotel.

The luncheon is being held to recognize members who have obtained one of five production levels of the Sales Leader Club award program and to announce the recipients of the Owner/Manager, Salesperson, Rookie and Affiliate of the Year awards. The REALTOR® Community Service Award recipient will also be announced.

Award recipients will be sent a registration form and a special invitation to the luncheon. For other members who wish to attend the event, more information will be forthcoming in January at www.dabr.com.

There is a full slate of continuing education classes to choose from at DABR, including the following:

DEC. 15 - RESPA Exposed! - Get up-to-speed with the new good-faith estimate requirements and the revised HUD-1 Settlement Statement. Two of the most experienced attorneys will present the specific GFE form and explain the purpose of the changes. They will also introduce you to the new HUD-1 and information required for the form to be completed. Finally they will alert you to several issues to watch out for at closing.
10-11:30am, 1.5 CE Credits, $10

JAN. 14 - Short Sale, Foreclosure, Sheriff's Sale and REO Essentials - You will examine the short sale process using NAR's Short Sale Workflow, get a run-down on the Sheriff's sale process, and study the bank-owned property challenges and procedures.
9-Noon, 3 CE Credits, $20

JAN. 20 - Stimulating Home Buying With Tax Credits - BRAND NEW CLASS! You'll learn about the details of the new tax credits for both first-time homebuyers and current home owners. Two experienced and savvy lenders will walk you through the details and answer the most important questions about thehousing market stimulus program.
9-11am, 2 CE Credits, $20

Get the full schedule and register for classes by visiting www.dabr.com/education.

Dayton Area Home Sales Figures for October 2009

October’s single-family sales figures reinforced the positive trend toward a real pickup in activity for the Dayton area market. A total of 994 sales represented a 12.8% jump compared to October of 2008. This is the fourth straight month of year-over-year increases, and the largest since February of 2006. Read the full release

MLS Residential Sales Statistics - October 2009
MLS Top Ten for October 2009