Attention New Members
Just a reminder that there will be a New Member Orientation held on Thursday, November 16, at the Occasionally Yours Catering Hall. If you have not yet responded, please return your registration forms to the CAR office by Friday, November 10. If you never received a letter, please call us at 410-641-4409. There will also be an Ethics class held in conjunction with orientation that is open to both members and non-members. Space is limited, so please call the association office for registration.

Holiday Help
With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, it is time to get involved in the community and spread some holiday cheer. The Community Service Committee invites you to join them in helping our community celebrate the holidays. Whether it be filling stockings for children, selling hot chocolate out in the cold, or giving a donation that will allow less fortunate families to have a nice Thanksgiving meal, your help is needed. To express your interest in helping, please contact Terri Testani at tltestani@mchsi.com.

MLS Reminder
It has come to the attention of the association office that some brokers/agents are allowing non-authorized ARIS users to access the ARIS system by sharing his/her user ID and password. Please be advised that this is a violation of the MLS Rules and Regulations, Section 6.1.3.2 “Unauthorized Access.”  Violation of this section of the MLS Rules & Regulations will result in a minimum $1,000 fine. 

New Vendor for MAR Tech Helpline
Effective immediately, MAR has contracted Matthew Ferrara & Company as our new Tech Helpline source! Unfortunately, MAR was not able to carry its phone number from the previous company. The new toll-free number is 1-866-638-4411. The service allows members to ask any question related to software or hardware issues. No MLS questions though. There is essentially no wait time for the calls—this began to be a problem with the old service.

CAR Web Site Wins Award
The American Association of Webmasters has awarded the CAR Web site its Silver Award of Excellence in October. The committee had the following to say about the site:

"A nice clean design and layout of Web site, with quality content and informative information for its visitors."

Congratulations and here's wishing you great Web surfing!

REALTORS® Rock the Vote
Election Day is fast approaching! CAR urges all members to vote on November 7. We have held four Meet the Candidate Forums so that you will be well informed when you go to the polls. As a result of these meetings, past voting records, and the candidate answers to the many real estate questions asked at the various forums held throughout the counties during this election season we have endorsed the following local candidates:

• Worcester County Commissioner: Jim Purnell, District 002, Bud Church, District 003, Ted Elder, District 004, Louise Gulyas, District 007, and Tom Cetola, District 006 (write-in candidate).
• Wicomico County Executive: Rick Politt.
• Wicomico County Council: John Cannon, At-Large, William McCain, At-Large, and Ed Werkheiser, District 005.
• Wicomico County Judge of the Orphans Court: Pete Evans.
  

Tis the Season...
To renew your CAR membership for 2007! Renewal invoices have been mailed to all members. Payment is due no later than December 31.

IRS Announces 2007 Mileage Rates
The 2007 optional standard mileage rate will be 48.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, according to a November 1 IRS news release. That is up from 44.5 cents per mile for 2006. Other standard mileage rates for 2007 will be 20 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes; and 14 cents per mile driven in service to a charitable organization. The IRS said the higher rates for 2007 can be attributed to higher prices for vehicles and fuel during 2006. For more information, consult the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

This Month Is...

• Designation Awareness Month
• National Healthy Skin Month
• Lung Cancer Awareness Month
• National Adoption Month
• All Saints Day (Nov. 1)
• Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
• National Family Week (Nov. 19-25)
• Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24)