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Jason LaVanture {{Virtual Tours}}
From:
TAAR [kim@taar.com]
Sent:
Monday, March 30, 2009 6:06 AM
To:
 jason@bluelavamedia.com
Subject:
News from TAAR
March 30, 2009TAAR Newsletter
T A A R N E W S
 
TRAVERSE AREA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
 
March 30, 2009
 
Dear Jason,
 Well I have just returned from the NAR 2009 Association ExecutiveInstitute and am delighted to report that many of my peers feel that themarket is finally gaining ground again and they are optimistic aboutthe forecast for the next several months. There was discussion thatthe interest rates could hit 4% to 4.5% and hold there for a while. Weheard from NAR President Charles McMillan about the rise in realestate sales in February according to NAR data. President McMillanalso discussed the Right Tools - Right Now campaign designed to putmaterials, education and training and other services in the hands of the membership at no additional cost or a drastically reduced cost, asin the case of CIPS training. I'll be bringing you more about this eventin future TAAR News releases.Speaking of CIPS training, the TAAR will experience its own bit of international exposure in the coming months. Simon Thiry a native of Belgium will be joining the TAAR staff as an intern next week. As partof an international student exchange program the TAAR gets theopportunity to work with Simon at no additional cost to the association.Simon is fluent in French and German with a pretty good handle onEnglish. Simon will be helping us with our communication andoutreach program as he is a marketing student. One of the areas thathe can help us with will be CIPS training by putting the potential localmarket interests from his homeland into perspective for our members.I look forward to working with Simon, understanding his culture andassessing how a GenY from Europe views the world compared to aGenY here. I hope that you will stop in and meet Simon. He wants toengage in conversations that will help him understand our market andin doing so practice his English.All the best,KimKim Pontius
 
THOUGHTS
 
"The difference betweenschool and life? In school, you'retaught a lesson and then given atest. In life, you're given a test thatteaches you a lesson."Tom Bodett
QUICK LINKS
 
NAR Press Room
 
REALTOR® Benefits
 
TAAR Staff and Board Check Your Education 
SPRING CLEANING
 
Now that spring has officiallyarrived please check the signs onyour listings and make sure theyare upright and in good shape. Andplease remove them on propertiesthat sold or the listing expiredduring the winter and the sign wasburied under the snow. Alsoremember to update photos in your listings to reflect the season-hopefully photos with springflowers and no snow!
MEMBER UPDATES
MOVES:
 
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Executive Vice President852 South Garfield AvenueTraverse City, MI 49686p: (231) 947-2050f: (231) 947-1919Traverse Area Association of REALTORS®
 
IN THIS ISSUE
SOCIAL IGNITION WEBINAR
 
A RENAISSANCE IN DETROIT
 
HOUSEHOLDS SAY NOW GOOD TIME TO BUY
 
CORRECT YOUR LISTING ON REALTOR.COM
 
SPRING CLEANING
 
MEMBER UPDATES
 
SAVE THE DATESFEATURED LISTING SPECIAL
 
GREEN OPEN HOUSE
 
NEW MEMBERSHIP ROSTER
 
SOCIAL IGNITION WEBINAR
 
If you would like to find out how you can start to leverage the power of social networking, blogging, and social bookmarking please attend theBlueLaVaMedia Social Ignition Webinar on Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00PM. (Watch from the comfort of your home via the web.)The webinar is absolutely FREE to allTAARmembers. Yes, I saidFREE. The only thing that the program will require is a bit of your timeand willingness to make some small changes in the way you conductbusiness online. A webinar is an interactive presentation that youparticipate in on your computer This really is just as easy as sending email...I promise. See you onlineTo register for this webinar click here :http://www.bluelavamedia.com/socialignition 
 
REALTOR® MEMBERS:
 
Sue Vowels
is now atColdwell Banker Schmidt-KalkaskaKalkaska, MI 49646sue@suevowels.com 
 
Office: 231-258-8611Other: 231-564-0783
Billie Ketchum
is now at:Exit Home Town RealtyKalkaska, MI 49646Office: 231-258-0927Other: 231-258-8140
SORRY TO SEE YOU GO
:
REALTOR® MEMBERS:
 Anne Petrosky GutheriePreviously at RE/MAX HarmonyKalkaska, MI 49646
MLS SUBSCRIPTION:
 Gary R Schwaiger Manistee, MI 49660
WELCOME BACK:
 
AFFILIATE MEMBERS:
 Antrim County Title, Inc.Kathleen M. Kitchen504 S WilliamsMancelona, MI 49659Phn: 231-587-4833Fax: 231-587-4851Email:kathleen@antrimcountytitleinc
.com
 
 
Inactivated in error 
 
SAVE THE DATES
April 24th
RPAC Chili Cook-off 
April 28th
 Social Ignition Webinar 
May 1, 2009
Last Realtor Standing
May 11th
 
 
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A RENAISSANCE IN DETROIT
 As many know I have spent most of my career in manufacturing and for this reason I still read many of those trade journals to gain perspectiveof how others see the economy and the market. This latest releasecomes from a source that I highly value and have found to be most credible. I hope you will take a moment to read this unusual story.
 
Thanks,Kim
 Last week I went to Detroit to shoot a video spot for an advertiser of Today's MachiningWorld. A melancholy vibe permeated the city that I can only compare with the one I feltwhen I was last in New Orleans. When I arrived there were only three taxies and twolimos sitting outside. Five vehicles to serve the entire Detroit Metro airport? I decided toquery the empty rental car buses driving by to see if they had any cars available. I askedHertz, Avis, and Budget, and every driver claimed that there weren't any cars. Evidentlyso few people are traveling to Detroit Metro that the rental car companies havetransferred their fleets to other more bustling cities.Yet amidst all of its depression and desperation, Detroit now has an unexpectedgrassroots movement attempting to revitalize the city's housing market. At this momentartists from around the world are buying houses in the Detroit ghetto for a few hundreddollars each.Go towww.todaysmachiningworld.comto read the full story.
 
HOUSEHOLDS SAY NOW GOOD TIME TO BUY
 More than three-quarters (78 percent) of potential first-time home buyers say that nowis a good time to buy a home, despitewidespread concern about the economy.Out of the 1,000 prospective U.S. first-timehome buyers surveyed in early March for theCENTURY 21 First-Time Home Buyer Survey, 68 percent think now is a better timeto buy than six months ago.Prices are the driving motivation for potentialfirst-time home buyers with more than eightof ten first-time home buyers (85 percent)saying they consider current home prices affordable and 73 percent citing that takingadvantage of current prices is a major factor in their decision to buy.Interestingly, potential first-time buyers are still split between "being willing to consider anoffer now" (42 percent) and "waiting for prices to go down before they seriously consider making a purchase" (48 percent)."Current pricing, rates and incentives, such as the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit,provide tremendous opportunities for first-time home buyers to get into the market," saidGreen Today, Jobs Tomorrow -State Conference
May 11th to 15th
 NAR Midyear in Washington D.C.
May 20th
 Affiliate Breakfast Expo @ HagertyCenter 
May 28th
 Affiliate Wine & Cheese HappyHour 
July 23rd
 Affiliate Wine & Cheese HappyHour 
August 24th & 25th
 NAR Leadership Summit
September 24th
 Affiliate Wine & Cheese HappyHour 
October 3rd
 GS4 @ Hagerty Center 
October 7th to 9th
 MAR Statewide REALTOR ®Conference in TC
November 12th to 16th
 NAR National Meeting andConference in San Diego, CA
November 19th
 Affiliate Wine & Cheese HappyHour 
December 4th
 TAAR Holiday Party
FEATURED LISTINGSPECIAL
 Running a Featured Listings SpringSpecial - $10 per listing to show ontheTAARwebsite April 1 throughApril 30.
GREEN OPEN HOUSE
 
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