SPAAR Closed January 16

SPAAR Announces New Leadership Program

St. Paul Housing Inspections Rip Up Building Codes, at Least on Paper

January 2017 RealTrends Now Available

SPAAR Member Named Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year

ISD 197 to Hold District Showcase for REALTORS

2017 Fair Housing Month Poster Contest: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

SPAAR to Host Collection Drive for Blue Star Mothers of America

Upcoming Education & Events

Bring in the SPAAR Squad for your Next Office Meeting

Twin Cities Housing Market Statistics

Welcome, New Members!

SPAAR Closed January 16

SPAAR offices will be closed on Monday, January 16, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, January 17.

SPAAR Announces New Leadership Program

SPAAR is pleased to introduce Leadership SPAAR, a 9-month program designed to identify 8-10 emerging leaders from within SPAAR membership and empower them to maximize their leadership potential and advance their efforts to build successful real estate careers.

One of Leadership SPAAR’s key objectives is to expand our candidate pool for future SPAAR leadership positions and we will do this by introducing participants to the committee/leadership structure, strategic objectives and operational practices SPAAR employs to achieve our goal of fostering Better Agents, Better Communities.

The deadline for application is Sunday, January 22. Completed applications should be emailed to Mandy Boldt at [email protected]. A Professionalism subcommittee will meet Monday, January 23, to review applications and schedule interviews with finalists.

APPLY FOR LEADERSHIP SPAAR

In the News: St. Paul Housing Inspections Rip Up Building Codes, at Least on Paper

Pioneer Press, January 9, 2017 - The city of St. Paul is ripping up its approach to housing inspections, at least on paper.

Rather than demand old homes meet modern property maintenance standards, dozens of technical changes recently adopted by the St. Paul City Council indicate city inspectors must abide by statewide building and fire codes. And those codes for existing homes and rental properties defer to building standards in place at the time of construction — even if that construction is a century old.

For homeowners looking to pass inspection before renting out a house or selling a property, the code changes could add up to hefty savings — in both costs and time.

CONTINUE READING

Your January issue of RealTrends is now available for viewing online.

In this month's issue:

• Data-Driven World
• Are Real Estate Offices a Thing of the Past?
• Update on EXP Realty
• Residential Property Management Attracting Capital
• Lone Wolf: The Secret to Being Productive
• Creating a High-Five Culture
• Matt Widdows, CEO and Founder of HomeSmart International
• Can Trump Reduce Housing Regulatory Costs?
• Movers Not Moving Quickly\
• What Can $1 Million Buy You in Prime Real Estate Around the World?
• Benchmarking Your Brokerage Performance
• Ninja Selling: The Book
• Determining Which Tech Products to Implement

READ THE JANUARY 2017 ISSUE OF RealTrends

SPAAR Member Named Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year

Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce named Colleen Ratzlaff-LaBeau as their 2016 Business Person of the Year. Colleen Ratzlaff-LaBeau, a SPAAR member, was one of the first women in the construction industry when she began selling real estate and building homes in the mid-1980s. She opened Ratzlaff Construction in 1986, which became Ratzlaff Homes in 1999, and she remains one of the few real estate professionals involved in both new construction and existing home sales.

Recently re-elected to her second term on the Lakeville City Council, LaBeau has been active in the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years, and a member of SPAAR (previously Southern Twin Cities Association of REALTORS - STCAR) for more than 30 years, serving in numerous positions. She served as STCAR president and was named Realtor of the Year in 2005 and in 2009 was awarded the organization’s Distinguished Realtor of the Year for Community Service.

ISD 197 to Hold District Showcase for REALTORS

West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area Schools (District 197) will hold a District Showcase for Realtors on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at Henry Sibley High School. All realtors are invited to this free event to learn about the exciting things happening in School District 197. Visit www.isd197.org/about/realtors to pre-register.

Event Schedule:
9:45-10 a.m. Check-in and continental breakfast
10-10:50 a.m. District update and presentations
11-11:30 a.m. Tours of Henry Sibley High School (optional)

If you have any questions about this event contact [email protected] or 651-403-7008.

SPAAR to Host Collection Drive for Blue Star Mothers of America

In late November, SPAAR’s members—through your Community Engagement Committee—approved an emergency grant of $2,000 to Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. This grant was used to ship “We Care” packages to active duty troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt. Facing increasing shipping costs, Blue Star Mothers was challenged to raise sufficient funds. Without your help, these packages would not have arrived in time for Christmas. Thank you!

Through February 3, SPAAR is hosting a collection drive for Blue Star Mothers of America. You can contribute items for We Care Packages that will be sent to members of the Armed Forces. Collection boxes are located at SPAAR’s offices in Saint Paul, Eagan and Coon Rapids. HERE is a wish list for We Care packages.

Sponsor a We Care collection box in your office. For information, or to receive posters or boxes, please contact Joe McKinley at SPAAR: [email protected] or 651-772-6344.

Thank you, Edina Realty in White Bear Lake, for sponsoring a collection box for the Blue Star Mothers Collection Drive! Their office emailed sent a picture of their collection box and were selected to receive “Sales Meeting Bagels!”

Upcoming Education & Events

• Metro YPN Kickoff and Happy Hour. Thursday, Jan. 12, 5pm-6pm, at the Ox Cart Ale House. REGISTRATION
• SPAAR Winter Social. Thursday, Jan. 12, 6pm-9pm, at A'BULAE. REGISTRATION
• Proper Pricing and Secrets of the CMA. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 9am-12pm. REGISTRATION
• Feels Like the First Time Every Time (Buyer Counseling). Wednesday, Jan. 25, 1pm-4pm. REGISTRATION
• Housing Day at the Capitol. Thursday, Feb. 23, 11am-4pm. REGISTRATION
  

Bring in the SPAAR Squad for your Next Office Meeting

Looking for useful content for upcoming office meetings? SPAAR Squad is here to help! Our staff members are available to attend your meeting and speak about a variety of relevant topics. We also provide onsite training (some with free CE) for groups of 25 or more.

SPAAR SQUAD TOPIC LIST | SPAAR SQUAD REQUEST FORM

Housing Market Statistics

Get up-to-date housing market information here! SPAAR provides four different types of reports so you can offer your clients the most accurate housing data available. Click below to see how the market's doing.

Local Market Updates | Weekly Market Activity Report | Housing Supply Overview | Monthly Market Indicators

Welcome, New Members!

SPAAR would like to welcome all our new members! Thank you joining, and we look forward to helping you be successful in your business.