SAMCAR Updates

RSVP is May 7 through 9

2012-02-24T13:38:00.004-08:00

The REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program (RSVP) is a community outreach project of the San Mateo County Association of Realtors (SAMCAR) and its Affiliates. This annual program provides cost-free assistance to homeowners and renters who are advanced in years, disabled or otherwise challenged and lack the financial resources to get certain household tasks accomplished. Signed applications for volunteers and homeowners are due by March 8.

For applications forms and more, please visit www.samcar.org/RSVP

SAMCAR Closed on February 20 | Tour Deadline: Friday, February 17

2012-02-16T10:59:00.001-08:00

The SAMCAR Office will be closed on Monday, February 20 in observance of Presidents' Day.
The Tour Sheet deadline is Friday, February 17 by 11 a.m.

SAMCAR Crab Feed & Variety Show on March 15

2012-02-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

Join us for a fun evening of cracking and feasting on crabs and watching an entertaining variety show featuring acts by SAMCAR members. Tickets and more at www.samcar.org/CrabFeed

Synopsis of C.A.R. BOD Actions at the 2012 Winter Business Meetings

2012-02-13T14:33:00.001-08:00

Highlighted by the appointment of SAMCAR’s own Sue Walsh to the Executive Committee of the California Association of REALTORS®, following is a summary of the significant action items approved by the C.A.R. Board of Directors at its’ Winter 2012 meeting. A complete set of minutes is available for review upon request from C.A.R. Read the full report online at: http://www.samcar.org/userfiles/file/BOD12_CAR-winter.pdf

Important Information about Gray Keyboxes

2012-02-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

If you have both the Display KEY and are using your cell phone as an eKEY you have until February 21, 2012 to return your DisplayKEY to SAMCAR. A refund of your security deposit will be mailed to you following the return of your DisplayKEY and cradle. You are to only use iBoxBT boxes on your listings. Do NOT use the gray boxes. There will be a $50 fine beginning February 21, 2012 for every gray box found in use on a listing. (Read the full text at www.samcar.org/keys#GrayBoxes)

Congresswoman Jackie Speier at January 10 Central Tour

2012-01-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Representative Speier for visiting SAMCAR and speaking to our members at the January 10 Tour Meeting. Photographer Craig Burleigh captured the event for us and you can view photos on SAMCAR's Facebook Page.

Jackie Speier to speak at January 10 Central Tour Meeting

2012-01-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

Rep. Jackie Speier

On Tuesday, January 10 at 8:30 a.m. at the SAMCAR Central Tour Meeting Representative Speier will discuss:

• What was really behind the GOP’s decision to extend payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits.
• What had to be done to extend the FHA Loan Limits and the National Flood Protection Act.
• Her analysis of the fate of the home mortgage interest deduction.
• What’s happening and what’s going to happen in Washington D.C.

Click here to join the Facebook event!

Become a 2012 SAMCAR Corporate Sponsor!

2011-12-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

Increase your marketing reach to your target audience in 2012! Sponsors enjoy the exposure that comes with marketing to SAMCAR's over 2500 members all year round. Benefits include continuous recognition, exclusive promotional opportunities, member dues and more. View more detailed information at www.samcar.org/sponsorship and contact Nasreen Wills at (650) 696-8220 or nasreen@samcar.org to sign up as a 2012 SAMCAR Sponsor!

YPN Presents a Morning with Armando Diaz on January 25

2011-12-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

Join us on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 10 a.m. at SAMCAR for a presentation by REALTOR Magazine's "30 under 30" 2011 class member Armando Diaz. Cost is $10 per guest (at the door). For more information, including RSVP details, please go to www.samcar.org/YPN

Congratulations Annual Awards Winners + Welcome 2012 Board of Directors

2011-12-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

As we head into 2012, and an improving real estate market, the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR) is proud to introduce its new leadership team and 2012 President, Anne Oliva.

Anne Oliva is a REALTOR® at Marshall Realty in San Bruno, which Bob Marshall, her father and mayor of San Bruno for 12 years, started in 1959. The tone for her tenure as President was basic yet elegant: “We Are SAMCAR.”

Oliva stated in her inaugural address at the December 1 SAMCAR Installation luncheon, “SAMCAR is ‘The Voice’ for real estate in San Mateo County. We need to keep educating elected and other officials on the importance of private property rights, the need for housing, removing impediments to home sales and assisting them in keeping San Mateo County a strong and attractive place to live, work, and do business.”

She has volunteered at the state and national levels as a Director for the National Association of REALTORS® and the California Association of REALTORS®. At SAMCAR, Oliva has served on numerous committees including Strategic Planning and Legislative, and on the Board of Directors.

Tim Auran was selected as 2011 REALTOR® of the Year. Auran, a political powerhouse for SAMCAR, has held various volunteer positions including Chair of the Legislative Committee and as a Trustee on the Local Candidate Recommendation Committee (LCRC).

Corrin and Virginia Trowbridge from Trowbridge Insurance were selected as 2011 Affiliate Members of the Year for their efforts in serving SAMCAR and the real estate industry, while broker Alan Craig Louie, Broker, was honored with SAMCAR’s 2011 Community Service Award for an expansive list of volunteer activities for and on behalf of SAMCAR including the RSVP program.

The 2012 SAMCAR Board of Directors are:
Anne Oliva, 2012 President – Marshall Realty
Suzan Getchell-Wallace, 2013 President-Elect, Coldwell Banker Fahey Properties
Philip Houston, Treasurer – Coldwell Banker
Robert Brisbane – McGuire Real Estate
Bobbi Decker – Intero Real Estate
Karon Knox – Prudential California
Dennis Pantano – Pantano Properties
John Prouty – Prudential California
Marianne Zanone Rush – Coldwell Banker San Carlos
Corrin Trowbridge – Trowbridge Insurance
Michael Verdone – Economic Concepts
Sue Vaterlaus – Immed. Past President-RE/Max Star Properties
Frank Vento – Dolphin Real Estate
Diane Wilson – Prudential California
David Zigal – David Zigal, REALTOR® - Region 25 Chair

SAMCAR Office Closing Early on Thursday, December 1

2011-11-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

The SAMCAR Office will be closed for the afternoon, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 1 in recognition of the 2012 Installation luncheon. Please join us at the event! For more information, go to: www.samcar.org/Events

Join us at the 2012 Installation luncheon on December 1

2011-11-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

JOIN US FOR OUR 2012 Installation Ceremony and Luncheon including a reception for networking and mingling with fellow members and elected officials, a gourmet luncheon, installation of our 2012 President, Anne Oliva, and Board of Directors and the presentations of our annual REALTOR® of the Year, Affiliate of the Year and Community Service Awards, and CAR Honorary Member for Life. More at: www.samcar.org/Events

Home Buying in Your Financial Future: A Workshop

2011-10-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

SAMCAR will be hosting a worskhop at CSM on November 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. Understanding the basics of how to buy a home - even if you’re not at that place in life yet – is a key to achieving the American dream. Professionals in banking, title, credit, law and real estate will provide both rudimentary knowledge and interact with students, faculty and the public on the basics in planning for homeownership. No pre-registration required. Open to CSM students, faculty and the public on a first come, first served basis. Questions? Contact Paul Stewart at (650) 696-8200 or paul@samcar.org More at: www.samcar.org/homebuyerworkshop

SAMCAR Affiliate Council's Third Annual HOLIDAY SEASON AUCTION

2011-09-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

To benefit the SAMCAR Foundation and the San Mateo County Second Harvest Food Bank. This coming holiday season please help feed the hungry by participating in the Third Annual Holiday Season Auction on Tuesday, December 6 at the Combined Meeting . We encourage companies and individuals to donate a Holiday Basket to be auctioned off at the Combined Tour Meeting. Please consider adding gift certificates, services and other “add-ons” to your donation to generate bidding excitement! More at: www.samcar.org/events#Holiday-Auction

SAMCAR YPN: Ike Shehadeh (Ike's Place) on September 14

2011-08-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

SAMCAR YPN (Young Professionals Network) presents Special Guest Entrepreneur Ike Shehadeh of Ike’s Place (famous sandwiches) with locations in Redwood Shores, San Francisco, and Stanford. www.ilikeikesplace.com. Ike is a former SAMCAR member and Realtor who was with RE/MAX Dolphin Real Estate on the Peninsula. He’s going to share his secrets to success in the sandwich business and as an independent business owner. He will also tie together how his success in real estate helped him parlay that success into Ike’s Place. All SAMCAR members are welcome. All SAMCAR members are welcome. More at: www.samcar.org/YPN

Join us for the Spaghetti Feed on September 15!

2011-08-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Mangia! Mangia! The 2011 SAMCAR Annual Charity Spaghetti Feed Auction and Dance is right around the corner! Join your fellow members and their families to enjoy a scrumptious spaghetti dinner with wine. Bid on fabulous live and silent auction items such as sports memorabilia, all inclusive trip to Disney Land including park hopper tickets and a stay at the Marriott Anaheim, adventure outings such as sailing on the bay, wine tastings, gourmet dinners and pampering spa experiences. And not the least a fun SUMO wrestling contest – cheer your contestant from either the North, South, Central or the Coast – and see who is the last one standing! Last year, members and their families and friends had a great time and raised $9,000 for charity at the spaghetti feed and auction. Don’t miss out, buy your tickets now and send in a sponsorship recipe for the event’s program! More at www.samcar.org/Events

ACT NOW! Save Your Homeowner's Tax Deduction

2011-07-29T10:05:00.001-07:00

Congress is considering the ELIMINATION or reduction of the Mortgage Interest Deduction – your homeowner’s tax write off – as part of further cuts to balance the federal budget. The Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID) is often the largest tax write off for any family. Let our Representatives know you want to maintain the homeowner’s tax deduction! Please thank them for their past support of the MID and ask them to please continue supporting the Mortgage Interest Deduction AS-IS! Time is of the essence! Email your local Member of Congress today and ask them to support House Resolution 25.

Representative Jackie Speier (Dist. 12): jackie.speier@mail.house.gov
Representative Anna Eshoo (Dist. 14): anna.eshoo@mail.house.gov

CALL FOR ACTION | FHA & Conforming Loan Limits

2011-07-15T15:20:00.001-07:00

FHA and Conforming loan limits will drop DRAMATICALLY on September 30. Bank of America has already lowered theirs for new loans, and others will follow suit. Early next week the U.S. Senate will consider amending the Military Construction Appropriations bill to maintain the current loan limits for at least another year. C.A.R. and NAR support this effort. It is imperative that SAMCAR REALTORS® join in the national effort and communicate the need for making the conforming loan limits permanent. Please respond to this Call for Action NOW to urge both Senators to work to maintain the current loan limits through this amendment or some other means. Please spread the word to your colleagues and encourage them to take action. If you need additional information or have more questions, contact SAMCAR Government Affairs staff at (650) 696-8200.

June 2011, Q2 and Semi-annual Sales Statistics Reports Now Available

2011-07-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Monthly sales statistics reports for June 2011 as well as the Q2 and semi-annual sales statistics reports are now available on SAMCAR's web site at www.samcar.org/Stats (Data provided by MLSListings, inc.)

SUPRA Keybox Exchange UPDATE

2011-07-08T15:50:00.001-07:00

Though much of the membership participated in the lock box exchange on June 29 and 30, your dedicated SAMCAR staff is still busy contacting those members who could not complete the exchange on those dates to arrange for an alternative time. If you don’t hear from us, we need to hear from you. Make sure to call us at (650) 696-8200. The last day to complete the lock box exchange is August 1, 2011. After that SAMCAR can no longer exchange your old lock boxes for new ones.

InstantetForms (platform for PRDS) Releases Tablet Support

2011-07-07T11:07:00.001-07:00

Great news: Instanet has officially released tablet support. PRDS subscribers are now able to login to create transactions, forms and edit forms just like you currently do using your desktop or laptop. You can access PRDS Forms on Instanet on popular Apple, Windows and Android-based tablet devices such as the iPad/iPad2, Xoom, Galaxy, Playbook and others at no additional charge. Instanet’s approach has been to make its site “tablet friendly,” rather than require users to learn an entirely new interface and download an app for a certain device. The goal is to provide as many features as possible on as many devices as possible.

As a current PRDS/Instanet user, all you need to do is log into your existing Instanet account through your tablet browser and you will automatically be accessing the new version. There is no new software to install or apps to download.

Most system functions will already work on the tablet. As Instanet makes more features “tablet ready,” they will give us updates which we will share with you and all of our customers. Instanet will also post a system message for users logging-in on tablets, so they are aware of the updates.

PRDS and Instanet Solutions are pleased to bring you this mobile technology.

If you have any questions, please contact support@instanetsolutions.com

April 2011 Housing Market Report

2011-05-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

The median home price for a single family home in San Mateo County increased from $700,000 in March to $725,000 in April 2011, a 4% increase, according to sales statistics from the San Mateo County Association of Realtors as supplied by the regional Multiple Listing Service. In comparison, the median price of a home was $754,000 in April 2010, a 4% drop year over year. However, the median price has increased 23% from $587,500 in January 2011 as signs of a pick up in home sales, beginning this spring, may have been driven by the recent encouraging employment reports, low mortgage rates and continued high homebuyer affordability.

Closed sales kept their brisk pace month to month. In April there were 365 closed sales countywide, compared to 366 in March, a marked increase from 221 sales in February.

Inventory continues to increase, as sellers get into the full swing of the spring housing market. Inventory rose 8% from 1651 in March to 1791 in April. In comparison, during the height of the housing market boom in April 2006, inventory was 1179. 702 new listings came on the market in April compared to 782 last year and 675 in March.

The percent of list price received rose from 97% in March to 98% last month with a slight decline from year over year of 98% in April of 2010. San Carlos was on fire last month with a median price of $941,000 and 24 DOM with 101% of listing price received. Another hot market was South San Francisco with 38 DOM, a median price of $530,000 and 100% of list price received.

Price Trends Dropping Across San Mateo County
According to real time data from Altos Research, the median price, in general, has been declining within the past few weeks. In both Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, there are downward blips on the home prices. (See Half Moon Bay chart). The downward trend is also occurring in other County cities, such as San Mateo. (See San Mateo chart). This is a trend to watch as May progresses.

March 2011 Sales Statistics Reports Now Online

2011-04-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Monthly sales statistics reports for March 2011 are now available on SAMCAR's web site at www.samcar.org/Stats (Data provided by MLSListings, inc.)

Each month SAMCAR compiles data provided by MLSListings, inc. into these PDF reports for sales of Single Family Residences and Common Interest Developments with information for each city in the county ranging from current inventory, days on market, median price and more. These reports go as far back as 2005 on our web site and new reports are available around the 10th of each month on samcar.org. Also be sure to read your monthly Resource where we'll provide you with a market overview culling together MLS statistics with other figures and infographics.

February 2011 monthly sales statistics now available

2011-03-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

Monthly sales statistics reports for February 2011 are now available on SAMCAR's web site at www.samcar.org/Stats (Data provided by MLSListings, inc.)

Each month SAMCAR compiles data provided by MLSListings, inc. into these PDF reports for sales of Single Family Residences and Common Interest Developments with information for each city in the county ranging from current inventory, days on market, median price and more. These reports go as far back as 2005 on our web site and new reports are available around the 10th of each month on samcar.org. Also be sure to read your monthly Resource where we'll provide you with a market overview culling together MLS statistics with other figures and infographics.

Resource | March 2011

2011-02-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

The March 2011 issue of the monthly Resource newsletter is now available online, please click the links to view either our Interactive format (requires Flash) or PDF (requires Adobe Acrobat)