May 2022 - VOLUME 27 - NUMBER 5

Sauk Columbia Bags Tournament

Wednesday, June 22

2:00pm-4:00pm

Balanced Rock Winery

Save the Date!

Commercial Real Estate Summit

Thursday, June 23

1:00-6:00pm

Lussier Family Heritage Center

Save the Date!

MLS Paragon Trainings

Multiple Dates/Times

Virtual/Zoom & In Person

Register Now!

Networking Happy Hour

Members had a great time connecting and catching up at the Membership Networking Committee's Networking Happy Hour at Bonfyre Grille in Madison in April. Thanks to the committee for organizing the event and to all who attended. Such great energy with everyone together!

Sauk Columbia Chapter Axe Throwing

Sauk Columbia members had fun and gained some new skills last month at the first ever Axe Throwing event at 608 Axe Throwing in Baraboo. Thanks to the Chapter Committee for planning the event, and to all who attended - so much fun!

RASCW Accepting Applications for 2023 Board of Directors

The REALTORS® Association of South Central Wisconsin is seeking forward thinking, industry aware members who bring diversity of thought and background to apply for service on the Board of Directors for a three year term beginning on January 1, 2023.

Why Should I Apply?

• To take part in guiding RASCW'S strategic vision and direction for the benefit of its members
• To help increase the value of RASCW to the South Central Wisconsin REALTOR® community
• To discuss current challenges and expand opportunities at RASCW and industry wide
• To grow your network and expertise while sharing ideas in a collaborative setting

Required Qualifications:

Must be eligible to fill an open seat. Open seats for 2023 are:

• One Non-residential broker or agent
• One Class I broker-owner*
• One Class II broker-owner*
• One Affiliate

* Class I firms are defined as having 26+ REALTOR® Members. Class II firms are defined as  

  having 1-25 REALTOR® Members.

* “Broker-owner” is defined as an individual who has an ownership interest in the firm he/she 

  represents, or his or her Association REALTOR® designee from the Broker-owner’s firm.

How to Apply:

Click here for a complete description of the Board of Directors role, and here for the application. Please email your completed application to Janine Smith at janine@wisre.com by June 1, 2022. The Nominating Committee will interview applicants the week of June 13.

RASCW & SCWMLS Announces New Staff Member

Charisse Gipson

If you have called or visited our office recently, you may have already had a chance to meet our new team member, Charisse Gipson. Charisse is our new Office Administrator replacing Patricia Borman, who has retired after 28 years of service. Charisse is a vital member of our team greeting and assisting members, and providing important administrative support to both RASCW and SCWMLS. Welcome, Charisse!

NAR Lawsuit Updates & Communicating Your Value

The National Association of REALTORS® has made the news lately regarding multiple antitrust commission/MLS related lawsuits currently filed against them. Check out these articles for updates and reactions from within the industry:

• Federal Commission Suit Now a Class Action
• Next Steps in Class-Action Suit Over Buyer’s Rep Compensation
• Watchdog Calls For Ban on Sellers Offering Buyer Agent Commissions
• Judge Halts Commission-Sharing Case Alleging Inflated Buyer Costs
• Why the Two 'bombshell lawsuits' Will Probably Be Duds

In light of these lawsuits, NAR has expanded their related resource page to assist REALTORS® in discussing the topic of antitrust and effectively communicating their value as agents and that of the current MLS system. They have created a comprehensive list of message points to use as a guide, as well as a number of infographics you can use in your communication to help educate your clients and accurately represent your business, your value as a REALTOR®, and that of the entire real estate industry. Click here to access those resources.

RASCW Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

As National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, May is dedicated to learning about and celebrating the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) throughout the history of our country, as well as recognizing the barriers, bias, and discrimination they have faced, and in some cases continue to face, including in the areas of housing and real estate. Here are a number of ways you can educate yourself about and honor AAPI history, as well as continue to help work toward positive change, equality, and inclusion in our industry and communities, now and every day:

• Read about the history of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
• Complete the NAR Fairhaven Housing Simulation
• Watch this NAR video, Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing
• Learn about the many contributions, accomplishments, and experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout our country's history
• Educate yourself on some of the barriers Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are currently facing on their journey to homeownership
• Learn about and get involved with the Asian American Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), an organization that works to improve the lives of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through real estate and homeownership
• Check out the RASCW Minority Scholarship, which aims to help increase diversity amongst area real estate professionals
• Get involved with the RASCW Affordable Housing & Equal Opportunities or Diversity & Inclusion Committees, which work to promote fair housing locally and diversity in our industry and association

New RASCW Member Spotlight Series: Share Your Story!

RASCW is currently collecting member testimonials to help highlight our members' work and achievements, inspire and empower others to successfully pursue a career in real estate, and promote association engagement. We would like to invite you to share some of your own real estate story for use in this new "Member Spotlight" series. To collect these stories, we've created an online form with a few questions, your answers to which will allow us to create testimonials to be used on our website, as well as on social media and in our monthly e-newsletter. While we can't guarantee that everyone who provides responses will be spotlighted, we will do our best to highlight as many members as possible over time. We will also share a draft of your testimonial for approval before using it. Click here to access the online form and questions.

Please feel free to contact Erin Volland at erin@wisre.com with any questions. Thank you in advance for taking the time to participate - we can't wait to start shining the spotlight on our amazing members!

Member Benefit Spotlight: NAR REALTOR® Content Resource

The NAR REALTOR® Content Resource is one of the many benefits RASCW members receive through their membership. This FREE tool provides ready to use content on everything related to homebuying and homeownership, including articles on making an offer, closing on the purchase of a home, home improvement, maintenance, taxes, and insurance. By using this content in your client communication via social media, your website, email, and handouts/mailings, you'll be able to help support and stay connected with your clients both before and after the sale. Check out the REALTOR® Content Resource here.

April 2022 Membership Updates