MEMBER TYPE / COUNT
REALTOR® 1,213
Offices 132
Affiliate 249
Click here to see which RVAR members have switched firms, gone inactive, or joined recently.
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BOD Election Results
Congratulations to the following winners of the election for the 2018-2019 RVAR Board of Directors. 416 votes were cast in the election.
Barry Bridges, Weichert, REALTORS® Bridges & Co.
Jerry Cohen, Park Place Realty
Meg Smith, RE/MAX Valley
Previously elected to serve on the 2018 Board are: President Connie Hash (MKB), President-elect Neil Conner (The Real Estate Group), Vice President Walter Grewe (Long & Foster), Immediate Past President Kathy Chandler (MKB), Directors Bitsy Davis (Long & Foster), Becky Fields (BHHS Premier), Jeff Fletcher (BHHS Premier) and Renee Wiggins (RE/MAX All Stars). Ashley Donahue (Wainwright) has been appointed to serve again as the Broker representative on the 2018 Board.
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Make plans to join us as we celebrate the many successes of 2017 and install our 2018 Officers and Directors including our 2018 RVAR President,
Connie Hash. Our Installation & Awards Breakfast will be held on
Friday, December 8th at the
Sheraton Hotel
Roanoke from
8:30 until 10:30 AM. The cost is $15 to attend which includes a deluxe breakfast. We will also be giving special recognition to our REALTOR® of the Year, and the Community Service and Distinguished Service Award recipients.
Click here
to register.
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2018 Dues Reminder
To date, 667 members have already paid their 2018 dues (which includes dues to RVAR, VR and NAR.) The final date to pay 2018 dues is Friday, January 12th.
Simply go to
www.RVAR.com and click on User Login (upper right hand corner). Follow the instructions to log in to access and pay your dues bill online.
Dues bills were NOT mailed to offices this year. However, any member may contact
Susan Edwards to request a dues bill via email or mail.
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RVAR Community Service Days
Community Christmas Store
The 2017 Community Service Committee needs your help by volunteering just a little of your time during the holiday season!
The Community Service Committee will again be volunteering with the
Community Christmas Store which will be located at
5384 Peters Creek Road, Roanoke 24019 (former Sunbelt Rentals - corner of Wood Haven Road & Peters Creek). We will have two opportunities to volunteer - Monday, December 4th from 5:30PM to 8:00PM to help sort donations and set up and/or Friday, December 8th from 1:00PM to 6:30PM to assist with the guests as they "shop" in the store.
The Community Christmas Store serves families in Roanoke County, Vinton, Salem and Craig County and its mission is to assist families in need in a dignified manner during the holiday season. In 2016, over 1000 people were served during the two days of the store operation and it is operated solely by volunteers.
Join in and help make a difference by donating just a few hours of your time at one or both volunteer opportunities. Please
click here to sign up for Monday, December 4th. Please
click here to sign up for December 8th. Or call RVAR to have us register you.
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A variety of MLS changes went into effect on November 15th. A new field was added for Leased Equipment. Additional options were added - such as another Lockbox option for Private Box, See Remarks.
Click here for a summary of the November changes.
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Advocacy @ Work
Advocacy @ Work is an article aimed at updating members on what is happening in our region regarding Economic Development and/or Governmental Affairs.
Tax Reform Proposal
The first of November, the House released details of their Tax Reform proposal. It was released right as the National Association of REALTORS® Convention was getting under way, so needless to say, it was THE topic for many of the meetings at the Convention.
Be clear - NAR is OPPOSED to the tax reform legislation unveiled by the House.
NAR had previously sent a Call For Action (see below) and is now coordinating a targeted approach to discuss, in person, their opposition of this proposal with certain members of Congress. They flew in 65 REALTORS® who serve as the Federal Political Coordinators to meet with their member of Congress this week. They scheduled meetings with 38 House members and 23 Senators about the harm this Tax Reform will have for homeowners and to your businesses. This proposal adds $1.5 TRILLION in new federal debt.
The Senate has now released their plan for Tax Reform. Here is a Side by Side Comparison of the House and Senate Tax Legislation. Read this carefully, especially the differences between the two proposals, all it will eliminate in each plan and the changes to exemptions on capital gains.
I would also ask you to do two things:
1. Please follow this link and respond now to the "Call For Action", if you have not already done so. It is not too late to respond. This is important!
2. Please send this consumer-focused link to your clients and ask them to oppose the current Tax Reform proposal.
I thank you in advance for taking these two important steps to send a loud and clear message to Congress NOT to increase taxes on middle class homeowners!
Article provided by Joe Sutliff, RVAR Director of Economic & Governmental Affairs.
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Homeowners who take on remodeling projects gain not only equity and more resale value in their home, they are also more likely to find satisfaction and enjoyment, according to the 2017 Remodeling Impact Report from the National Association of REALTORS®, with insights from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
Interior Projects: For owners looking to sell their home, REALTORS® named complete kitchen renovations, kitchen upgrades, bathroom renovations and new wood flooring as the interior projects that most appeal to potential buyers. When asked which interior projects yield the largest financial return upon resale, REALTORS® named hardwood floor refinishing (recovers 100% of costs upon resale), new wood flooring (91% of costs recovered) and insulation upgrades (76% of costs recovered.)
Exterior Projects: When it comes to exterior projects, REALTORS® said new roofing will recover 109% of costs upon resale. Other exterior projects that appeal to buyers include new vinyl windows, a new garage door and new vinyl siding.
The Report revealed that 32% of owners did the project themselves, 32% hired a professional for the entire job and 21% hired the labor but purchased the materials. Also, 35% of homeowners would rather move to another home than remodel their current home.
Click here to read more of the Remodeling Report.
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When you volunteer for one of RVAR's Committees, you serve not only your Association but yourself as well! Research shows that members who work on Association committees are:
1. Better informed (that's good for business)
2. Better networked (ditto)
3. Better prepared to act on trends and regulations impacting their business
Join a Committee and let RVAR help improve your business! Both REALTORS® and Affiliate members are welcome to serve.
Click here to volunteer for a Committee, plus review a description of each Committee's purpose and how often it meets. Please submit your request by
Monday, November 20th!
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Friday, November 17th is the deadline for two important RVAR awards. Both awards have the same deadline - and will be presented at the December 8th Installation and Awards Breakfast.
REALTOR® of the Year: If you can think of a fellow REALTOR® who is well respected, known for professionalism, volunteers time to RVAR and/or the community, then you should take a moment to nominate that deserving colleague for RVAR's most prestigious award. The nomination process is as simple as writing a letter to RVAR's CEO
Laura Benjamin explaining whom you want to nominate and why. RVAR will contact all nominees to obtain their resumes. The winner will be selected by the past five recipients of this award.
Click here to see who has already won this prestigious award.
Community Service Award
: RVAR created this award in 2005 to honor one REALTOR® each year who has contributed to improving our community by volunteer service to a local program or organization (not necessarily related to housing). The nomination process is simple - just write a letter to Jim Sweetwood at RVAR explaining whom you want to nominate and why. RVAR will contact all nominees to collect the necessary information. RVAR will donate $1,000 to the award recipient's charity of choice.
Click here
to see who has already won this award.
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Brokers: Distinguished Service Awards
The Distinguished Service Award is presented each year by RVAR to those firms whose agents have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the Association through Committee service and attendance at RVAR classes and events. The deadline for Brokers to submit an award application is Friday, November 17th, for the award period November 1, 2016 through October 31, 2017.
Click here for the application form. RVAR can provide firm
attendance/Committee service/RPAC. Contact
Laura Benjamin at RVAR with any questions about this award.
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"My RVAR Commitment Matters": Donna Marie Harris
 Donna Marie Harris, GRI, ABR, SFR with Long & Foster attributes much of her success in real estate to her involvement with RVAR.
Donna Marie says, "when I joined the RVAR in January 2006, I immediately knew I wanted to learn more and wanted to be involved. I wanted to know how things operated. I wanted to know who did what. Most of all, I wanted to know who are all these agents selling homes! Being involved was a way for me to find this out, and that was exciting to me!"
She continues, "I like being part of the process. I like knowing that if I'm involved, I have a voice."
Donna Marie has the distinction of serving as the 2016 RVAR President. She says, "the relationships and friendships I've made have been amazing. I will likely always be involved at some level with the RVAR, such as on a Committee and supporting our events. I will always treasure my years of service on the RVAR Board of Directors." Donna Marie currently serves on the Leadership Team, Board of Directors and on the Governmental Affairs Committee and MLS Policy Committee.
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REALTORS®: Do You Know How to Use This Trademark?
Which of the following are incorrect uses of the term REALTOR® (answers appear below):
Jones REALTORS® Inc.
Realtor
Franklin County REALTOR®
@botetourtrealtor
Trademarks are unique terms and/or symbols that communicate a specific message to the public. The term "COKE", for example, is a trademark which identifies a specific soft drink produced by The Coca-Cola Company. History teaches that trademarks not properly protected can be lost forever. The words "escalator" and "aspirin" were once trademarks, but for lack of protection and promotion are now words of ordinary use.
The National Association of REALTORS® aggressively protects and promotes the REALTOR® trademark, first coined in 1916, which signifies membership in the National Association. NAR requires the following when using the REALTOR® trademark: (1) all capital letters, (2) separating punctuation where necessary and (3) the use of the federal registration symbol "®".
NAR has adopted two exceptions for use of the REALTOR® marks on the Internet. First, because the public has adopted the use of all lower-case letters in domain names and email addresses, the requirements to use capitalization and the registration symbol are relaxed. And second, no punctuation is required to separate the member or firm name from the term REALTOR® in a domain name or email address.
As for the examples above, all are incorrect.
1. Jones, Inc., REALTORS® is an example of proper usage. The terms REALTOR® or
REALTORS® can not be incorporated within a firm name, but may appear adjacent to a
firm name, separated by punctuation.
2. REALTOR® is proper usage of the term.
3. No descriptive words may be used with the term REALTOR®. This applies to website
addresses, email addresses, twitter accounts etc.
Click here for an NAR brochure for more guidelines on using the REALTOR® trademark.
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Upcoming Education
Code of Ethics -- This Wednesday, November 29th (9AM - Noon) class, taught by John Dickinson, not only provides 3 hours of CE credit for license renewal, but also meets NAR's ethics training requirement. NAR requires all REALTORS® to complete 3 hours of Code of Ethics training every two years. The current two-year cycle ends December 31, 2018. Click here to register.
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Our RVAR Family
Congratulations
RVAR congratulates Neil Conner of The Real Estate Group upon his appointment to Salem's Planning Commission.
RVAR also congratulates Edgar Tuck of Movement Mortgage upon his election to the Bedford County Board of Supervisors.
Sympathy
RVAR expresses sympathy to
Cindy Clayton of BHHS Premier upon the loss of her father.
Let RVAR know
if you have news to share.
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Upcoming Events
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November 16th
November 17th
November 20th
November 23rd & 24th
November 29th
December 8th
December 22nd
December 25th
December 29th
January 1st
January 12th
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REALTOR® After Hours at Pinball Museum
Awards Deadline
Deadline to Apply for 2018 Committees
Office closed for Thanksgiving
Code of Ethics Class
Installation and Awards Breakfast
RVAR Offices Closes at Noon
RVAR Office Closed
RVAR Office Closes at Noon
RVAR Office Closed
Deadline to Pay 2018 Dues
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Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS®
Proudly Recognizes Our 2017 Partner / Sponsors
Platinum Level Partner / Sponsor
Diamond Level Partner / Sponsor
BB&T Home Mortgage
The Roanoke Times
Virginia Mountain Mortgage
Gold Level Partner / Sponsor
Acquisition Title & Settlement Agency, Inc.
Bill Meador Insurance Agency
Blue Eagle Credit Union
Colonial Mortgage Company
Consolidated Construction Services, Inc.
Integrity Home Mortgage Corporation
Southwest Virginia Moving & Storage
Virginia Title Center, LLC
Virginia's All-American Movers
Silver Partner / Sponsor
Bug Man Exterminating, Inc.
Colonial Title & Settlement Agency, LLC
First American Home Buyers Protection
First Citizens Bank
HMS National Home Warranty
HWA (Home Warranty of America)
Seal-Tite Basement Waterproofing Co.
VIA Insurance Agency, LLC
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