SMTAR Bits and Pieces http://www.SMTAR.com News and Important Info from the Southern Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS en-us MAY 2010 BITS AND PIECES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT'S INSIDE THIS EDITION
  1. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
  2. FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
  3. GOLF TOURNAMENT
  4. ABOVE THE BANKS
  5. REAL ESTATE COMMISSION UNDER WATER
  6. Q & A OF THE MONTH - RECIPROCITY
  7. UPCOMING EDUCATION
  8. DATES TO REMEMBER
  9. SYMPATHY NOTICES
  10. IMPORTANT CONTACTS
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

SMTAR is pleased to present new members for the month of April:
  • Matthew Collins - New Horizon Realty, Decaturville, TN
  • Brent Perryman - Russell Realty, Lewisburg, TN
  • Cindy Pruitt - United Country Columbia Realty, Columbia, TN

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FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

My how fast April went by!

A reminder that our Golf Tournament was postponed to May 20 at 12 noon. Moving the date up has given the Scholarship Committee more time to obtain teams. We have added several more to-date and have had good response for hole sponsors. We want to encourage everyone to come out for the activities. We are selling chances for a nice John Deere Push Mower, and also we will be selling Aubrey Tycer's Boston Butts. [As of May 14th, the Boston Butt sales have been cancelled due to lack of interest. We do hope to offer this opportunity again at a later time.]

Our Scholarship Committee met Wednesday, April 28 to select our winners. We had 171 outstanding applications. After about 3 hours of reviewing these, we selected 8 students to receive $500 scholarships. We were so pleased with the response, so our Scholarship Committee realizes how important this project is for our Association. We are really counting on our Tournament doing well because after giving these 8 scholarships, our Fund is going to need replenishing. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Click here for a list of winners.

Another important event is coming up June 3rd--our RPAC Auction. The Legislative Committee met last week to finalize plans for this. We are holding it this year at the American Legion Building. Mary will be sending more info on this soon. Along this note, I am happy to report the Rural Development bill has passed the House and a bill is in the Senate now. We know our RPAC funds are instrumental in getting legislation passed that concerns our Industry. By the way, thanks to all who directed emails to our Congressmen.

On a sad note, we are all so mindful of the flood damage to the north of us. We know many of our REALTOR family had homes & properties destroyed. We send our thoughts & prayers for their comfort and recovery from this terrible tragedy.

Fay Robinson
President

SMTAR's Facebook link (Be sure to copy and paste the entire link into your browser if you are unable to click!):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-TN/Southern-Middle-Tennessee-Association-of-REALTORS/38462364810

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GOLF TOURNAMENT

We still have plenty of room for teams in our Golf Tournament scheduled for Thursday, May 20th. If you'd like to join us, please call us at 931.381.5556.

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ABOVE THE BANKS

Nearly every person in Middle Tennessee has been affected, in some way, by the historic flooding in our area. Many people lost everything that they own, while others lost their lives. Tennessee is not known as the Volunteer State for nothing. Neighbors have been helping neighbors since the waters began to rise, and that help is still greatly needed. If you are in a position to lend a hand, here are some ways that you can help.


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REAL ESTATE COMMISSION UNDER WATER

It has been brought to our attention that the Tennessee Real Estate Commission is one of the offices severely impacted by the flooding in downtown Nashville. Regulatory Boards were ordered not to return to their offices until further notice. A temporary location has been set up for these offices, but the location is very small. They have minimal access to equipment, and are operating with a fraction of their regular staff.

Because facilities, equipment, and staff are very limited at this time, we can expect substantial delays in the processing of new licenses, license retirements and license transfers. We have been advised that staff currently responsible for posting education records are able to operate from a remote location. Only minimal delays might be expected for processing of education hours.

This disaster will likely affect our real estate lives for months to come. We are certain that your patience is greatly appreciated by the staff and leaders at the Real Estate Commission. If you have recently made a change such as a license transfer or license retirement, we encourage you to follow up on your paperwork with the Commission in 4 to 8 weeks to ensure that they have processed your changes. If you have submitted an application for a new license, we encourage you to keep regular tabs on your license status, and we remind you that you are not permitted to list and sell real estate without an active Tennessee license.

To check the status of your license, click here.

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Q & A OF THE MONTH - RECIPROCITY

During a recent member phone call, we were asked if Tennessee licenses are reciprocal to Alabama. This is a very common question, and we often answer with a simple "Yes." However, during the course of this particular phone call, we realized that this simple "yes" could be incorrectly interpreted to mean that one with a Tennessee license would have permission to list and sell in Alabama.

Tennessee holds reciprocity agreements with several states at this time. However, the reciprocity agreement does not mean that a Tennessee license is the equivalent of an Alabama license and vice versa. The agreement is in place to make it a little easier for a licensee in a reciprocal state to obtain a license in Tennessee. You MUST still obtain a license in the state that you wish to work.

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UPCOMING EDUCATION

  • Ethics
    Wednesday, May 19, 2010
    9:00AM - 12:00 PM 3 Hours of CE
    Cost is $40, DISCOUNTS are available. Register online with this REGISTRATION FORM or call 931.381.5556 for registration information, or e-mail SMTAR@RealTracs.com.

  • RealTracs Training Cancelled for May due to Golf Tournament

  • DON'T FORGET OUR ONLINE COURSES AT WWW.SMTAR.COM!!!!

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    DATES TO REMEMBER

    • Thursday, May 20 - Golf Tournament
    • Thursday, June 3 - RPAC Auction

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    SYMPATHY NOTICES

    • Rhonda King - Mother-in-law of Tawny King with Exit Realty King & Assoc.
    • Peggy Goad - Mother-in-law of April Goad with Williams & Associates
    • Elvis Butler - grandfather of Krissy Ray with Lampley Realty
    • Larry Fullerton - father of Jim Fullerton with David Jent Realty

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    IMPORTANT CONTACTS

    Association Office   931.381.5556
         Mary Scott, Association Executive scottm@realtracs.com
         Rebecca Head, Office Manager rebeccah@realtracs.com
         Tammy Brown, Administrative Assistant tammyb@realtracs.com
         
    SMTAR 2010 President    
         Fay Robinson   931.363.7515
         robinfay@realtracs.com    
         
    RealTracs (Middle Tennessee Regional MLS)   800.397.9282
         Member Login: www.RealTracs.net    
         Public Login: www.RealTracs.com    
         
    2010 MLS Director    
         Matt Collins   931.359.6231
         matt@grovercollins.com    
         
    Tennessee Association of REALTORS(r)   615.321.1477
         www.TARNET.com    
         
    Tennessee Real Estate Commission   800.342.4031
         www.state.tn.us/commerce/boards/trec    
         
    National Association of REALTORS(r)   800.874.6500
         www.REALTOR.org    
    ]]>     Sat, 15 May 2010