MEMBER TYPE / COUNT
REALTOR® 1317
Offices 139
Affiliate 326
Click here to see which RVAR members have switched firms, gone inactive, or joined recently.
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2019 Year End Homes Sales
2019 ended with record breaking MLS home sales - 5,688 homes sold, the highest year end total since 2005. And with over 1.3 billion dollars in volume sold, the highest year end volume on record at the MLS. A link to the year end
home sales statistics , along with a 4-year comparison is provided on the front page of RVAR.com. The MLS releases its monthly home sales statistics around the 15th of the following month.
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MLS BOD Appointed
At the November 21, 2019 Membership Meeting, revisions to the RVAR Bylaws were approved related to the composition and authority of the MLS Board of Directors. In accordance with those Bylaws revisions, RVAR's Leadership Team has appointed the following to serve on the MLS Board of Directors:
Representing Large Firms:
Kit Hale (2 year term)
MKB, REALTORS®
Ashley Donahue (1 year term)
Wainwright & Co., REALTORS®
Representing Medium Firms:
Tom Wilson (2 year term)
BHHS Premier, REALTORS®
Bill Gearhart (1 year term)
Coldwell Banker Townside, REALTORS®
Representing Small Firms:
Betty Kingery (2 year term)
RE/MAX Mountain to Lake Realty
Jack Frye (1 year term)
Young Realty
RVAR CEO Laura Benjamin is an automatic member of the MLS Board.
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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.
The Virginia General Assembly convened on Wednesday, January 8th for the start of the 2020 session, which is considered a "long session" consisting of 60 days this year. There are over 3100 bills and resolutions that will be considered this session along with the biennial budget.
Virginia REALTORS® have several bills making their way through the General Assembly. Fifteen RVAR members and staff representing the Governmental Affairs Committee and the Board of Directors visited Legislators in Richmond on Tuesday, January 28th. This group promoted the following bills and advocating on issues important to our industry.
The 2019 session of the General Assembly is scheduled to conclude on March 6th.
Association Health Care Plans - Virginia REALTORS® is seeking legislation to allow an association, like the REALTORS®, to work with insurance providers in Virginia and establish health insurance plans that they can offer to members of their association. Most REALTORS® are independent contractors. They work for themselves, meaning that under existing law, the only place they can acquire health insurance is on the "small-group" market or the "individual" market. These are very costly options.
POA /COA Act Extension for Right of Rescission - Virginia REALTORS® is seeking legislation that would allow parties to a transaction for a property located in a POA or Condo association to agree to extend the three-day right of rescission for up to an additional 4 days. Currently, the statute prohibits the parties from changing the three-day period, even if all the parties agree. Allowing the extension to 4 additional days provides extra time, if needed, but still allows for certainty of the contract.
Rent Money into Escrow - Virginia REALTORS® is seeking legislation to clarify a perceived discrepancy between escrow law and regulations. This legislation will
require all rent monies, including current rent, to be deposited into an escrow account instead of operating accounts. This will provide additional protection for consumer funds.
Security Deposit Disbursement - Virginia REALTORS® is seeking legislation to clarify that the 45-day time period for returning a security deposit to a tenant starts running from the date of the termination of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates the unit, whichever occurs last. This clarification will ensure that landlords and tenants are working with the same expectations.
Eviction Diversion Program Technical Edit - Virginia REALTORS® is seeking legislation to clarify that tenants who have not used their right of redemption within the past 6 months may be able to participate in the pilot eviction diversion program.
Death or Disability of a Broker - Virginia REALTORS® is seeking legislation to clarify that upon the death or disability of a real estate broker who was a sole proprietor or the only licensed broker in any business entity, the Real Estate Board can approve someone to close out the business.
Removal of Restrictive Covenants - Virginia REALTORS® is seeking legislation to remove discriminatory restrictive covenant language that would violate fair housing law from real property title and deeds. Current law already declares such language void. This legislation would require all deeds in any residential real estate transaction to remove this offensive language that can affect property values and delay or prevent the sale of real property.
Article provided by
Joe Sutliff, RVAR Director of Economic & Governmental Affairs.
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RVAR Wins Triple Crown for RPAC Success!
A huge "Thank you" to the 510 REALTORS®, Affiliates and RVAR staff who contributed to the 2019 REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) fundraising campaign! For the fifth year in a row, RVAR was presented the Triple Crown Award for exceeding all its RPAC goals set by Virginia REALTORS®. RVAR raised $42,324, including contributions from 18 Major Investors (contributions of $1,000 or more.)
"Thank you" to all who contributed!
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Recap from January BOD
Click on the photo above to watch the next installment of the video recap of what RVAR's Board of Directors accomplished at its January 16th meeting, presented by President Walter Grewe.
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RVAR's Family Fun Night on the Ice
Join us for a night of fun and fast paced hockey with the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs on
Friday, February 21st.
Tickets will be just $12 for adults and $10 for children (
under 12) and includes admission and a meal voucher to be used at the concession area.
Order as many tickets as you would like - bring your family & friends for a fun, exciting evening at the Berglund Center!! The puck drops against Peoria at 7:05PM.
These will be pre-purchase only tickets and
must be ordered by 2:00PM Monday, February 17th. Tickets can be picked up at the "Will Call" window on game day.
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Save the Date...2020 Spring Golf Tournament
The 2020 RVAR
Spring Golf Tournament will once again be held at the
Waterfront Country Club at Smith Mountain Lake on
Monday, May 4th. The day will start with check-in and a box lunch at 11:00AM and shotgun start at 12:00PM. It's going to be a great day of golf with great prizes and giveaways! Plus, what better way to start off your week than a day on the links!
Registration will begin on March 2nd!
Save the Date...2020 RVAR Golf Classic
The 2020
RVAR Golf Classic will be held on
Friday, September 11th with this year's Tournament returning to
Roanoke Country Club.
Registration will begin in July!
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RVAR Community Service Day Project
Join us in helping make a difference
The 2020 Community Service Committee would like you to join us as we kick off the new decade with our first Service Day Project.
RVAR will be volunteering with Feeding America (1025 Electric Road, Salem, VA 24153) on Friday, March 13. There are two opportunities to volunteer, 9:00am - 12:00pm or 1:00pm - 4:00pm. Choose one or, better yet, both! Breakfast snacks and lunch will be available.
You can also call the RVAR at 540-772-0526 to have us register you for the shift of your choice.
Feeding America Southwest Virginia was founded in 1981 and proudly commemorates 39 years of fighting hunger and changing lives through community partnerships.
The Food Bank is an affiliate member of Feeding America and for the last three decades the Food Bank's ultimate mission has remained the same: eliminate hunger in the region.
The primary function of the Food Bank is to secure large quantities of food for the hungry. Over $27 million worth of food and grocery related products are channeled through a network of 354 partner feeding programs in our 26-county, 9 city region that provide food or meals to those in need.
If you would like to donate or get more information for Feeding America SW Virginia please log on to their website at www.faswva.org.
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By the Numbers
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VAR BrokerPlus
Brokers and Managers should plan to attend VAR's BrokerPlus 2020: Trends and Training for Industry Leaders,
Thursday, March 5th in Richmond. Legal, legislative and DPOR updates plus Broker Management CE classes. Cost to attend is $150.
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NAR Changes Code of Ethics Training Cycle
Beginning in 2001, NAR has required REALTORS® to take a 3-hour Code of Ethics training class regularly to retain their REALTOR® membership. At its last Board of Directors meeting, NAR voted to extend the training cycle to every three (3) years. The current cycle will expire on December 31, 2021.
RVAR will offer four 3-hour Code of Ethics training classes in 2020. Each class satisfies NAR's requirement and qualifies for 3 hours of CE credit.
June 25th (1:00-4:00PM)
September 24th (1:00-4:00PM)
December 17th (1:00-4:00PM)
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RVAR and MLS Budgets: No Increase in dues or fees
The RVAR Board of Directors recently approved the 2020 budgets for RVAR and MLS, which reflect no increase in dues or fees. Summaries of the
RVAR budget
and
MLS budget
are provided.
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RVAR: A Decade or Two Ago
How much has changed in the past 10 or 20 years?
Click here
to check out RVAR and the real estate market in 2010 and 2000. (Hint: The year 2000 started with 913 RVAR members and the average home price was $138,250.)
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Upcoming Education
The 'List' Before You List: Learn how to help your sellers prepare their property for sale. The panel of presenters will include a listing specialist, a home inspector and an appraiser. You will learn how to identify home inspection and appraisal issues before the property goes on the market. You will get a better understanding of common home inspection issues, as well as common issues identified by FHA / government appraisers. Plus, attendees will receive a checklist to use with your sellers. Click here to register for this FREE class on Thursday February 20th, 10:00-11:30AM at the RVAR office.
Code of Ethics Training - This Wednesday, March 11th (9:00AM-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 three years. Click here to register. (Can't make this class? RVAR will offer this class again on June 25th.)
Radon in Virginia Real Estate Transactions: Radon is common in the Greater Roanoke Valley. Learn all about radon from Ryan Paris, Radiation Safety Specialist and Radon Coordinator for the VA Department of Health. This Wednesday, March 25th class (9:30AM-Noon) will explain how to test for radon and how to mitigate the radon levels. Click here to register for this class.
2020 GRI Designation Classes: RVAR's Education Committee will bring three GRI designation classes to the Roanoke Valley in 2020. Whether you are starting or finishing your goal of obtaining your GRI designation, take advantage of these classes offered locally.
Instructor: Michael Guthrie
Instructor: Tim Vohar
Instructor: LeRoy Houser
Click here to learn more about these classes and how to earn the Graduate, REALTOR Institute (GRI) designation, including a calendar of all the courses being offered in Virginia this year. Many of the classes provide continuing education (CE) and post licensure (PL) credit.
Already have your GRI designation? You can attend any of these courses for $45, with no exam needed. Contact Louann Pagans (louann@rvar.com) for this registration option.
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Our RVAR Family
Congratulations
RVAR congratulates
Bill Modica of Murray Realty upon being named Secretary for Roanoke Valley Sister Cities.
RVAR also congratulates
Lynne Boone of MKB, REALTORS® upon her appointment to the Board of Directors of Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge.
RVAR congratulates the following who have recently earned NAR's C2EX (Commitment to Excellence) certification:
William Barnes (Gracious Living),
Laura Benjamin (RVAR),
Donna Marie Harris (Long & Foster),
Betty Kingery (RE/MAX Mountain to Lake),
Lori Shultz-Moore (Wainwright & Co.),
Kelly Soriano (Wainwright & Co.) and
Joe Sutliff (RVAR).
RVAR congratulates the following who have been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce:
Charlene Jones (RE/MAX Lakefront Realty) and
Dana Montgomery (Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Smith Mountain Lake.)
Sympathy
RVAR offers condolences to Ryan Nicely of RE/MAX All Stars Realty upon the death of his father; to Chris Reavis of MKB, REALTORS® upon the death of his sister and to Teresa Fant of The Real Estate Group upon the death of her mother.
RVAR expresses sympathy to Ed Smith and Meg Smith, both of MKB, REALTORS®, upon the death of his mother and her grandmother. RVAR also offers condolences to Louann Pagans of RVAR upon the death of her father.
Let RVAR know if you have news to share.
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Upcoming Events
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February 20th
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Class: The 'List' Before You List
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February 21st
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RVAR Family Fun Night on the Ice
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March 11th
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Class: Code of Ethics
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March 13th
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Community Service: Feeding America
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March 25th
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Class: Radon in Virginia
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