REMINDER: ALL FLYERS ARE INCLUDED IN THE WEEKLY BROKER FAX

Awards of Excellence Breakfast—February 13
The annual Awards of Excellence Breakfast will be held on Wednesday, February 13, at 9 a.m. at the Stowaway Grand Hotel, 2100 Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, MD.  Please be sure to return your reservation flyer or register online if you plan on attending. It is FREE for those receiving an award certificate, but you must pre-register!

Help A Family Recover From Disaster
Recently a Showell family lost two children and their home. The Community Service Committee will be collecting monetary donations, to help pay for funeral expenses, the surviving children, housing and other financial needs. Gifts of local gift certificates for food or clothing are also welcome, along with toiletries and children’s toys. Checks are to be payable to the: DUPONT CHILDREN’S FUND. All items may be dropped off at the Manklin Creek Coldwell Banker Office, 11001 Manklin Creek Meadows, Berlin, MD 21811. We will be faxing a flyer to all offices in the immediate area.

MAR Legislative Day—THIS MONDAY!
All REALTOR® members and their guests are welcome to attend the FREE Legislative Day Program which begins at 3:30 p.m. The evening reception will begin at 6 p.m. in the Hotel Atrium. Guests are welcome to attend for $15, payable at the door to cover drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The cut-off for discounted hotel room rates has expired. If you need a room, you may call the hotel and inquire for their best rate. Parking is complimentary with a validated MAR coupon presented at the door. The reception provides an excellent opportunity for Senators, Delegates and REALTORS® to meet and discuss issues of concern for the upcoming legislative session. Please RSVP to Sheryl Bergman at 1.800.638.6425 or sheryl.bergman@mdrealtor.org.

2007 Resort Symposium Registration Now Open
Space is limited for this 2 1/2 day networking and education symposium at the Vail Cascade Resort in Vail, CO on June 24-26. Read more>>>

Are You Past Due?

• Board dues for 2007 were mailed and due by December 31, 2006. Payments are now considered late and there will be a $50 late fee applied. Please either submit your payment or notify us if you do not intend on renewing your membership.
• MLS bills for 1st quarter of 2007 were mailed and due by December 31, 2006. Payments are now considered late and a $200 reinstatement fee for the office and a $30 reinstatement fee for each member will be applied. Please either submit your payment or notify us if you do not intend on renewing your MLS membership.

If you have not yet received a bill, please contact the association office at 410.641.4409.

Feeling Blue About the Winter Market?
Then take advantage of this great opportunity presented by the Women’s Council of REALTORS®:
Ellen Boyle from Ellen Boyle Seminars will be presenting a message to get us motivated in our business. To find out more about Ellen, click here.

• February 21, 2007
  9 a.m.
  Holiday Inn Conference Center
  67th Street in Ocean City, MD

Breakfast will be served. Please RSVP to Betty Green at greenbetty@verizon.net or 410.208.1300. COST: $15 for WCR members; $25 for non-members.

Roll Up Your Sleeves for the Beach Blanket Blood Drive
The Ocean City Beach Blanket Blood Drive 2007 will take place January 31-February 1. Donors and volunteers are needed!

Registration Table Volunteers

Hours of operation for the Blood Drive are:

• January 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Shifts: 9:30 a.m. to Noon; Noon to 2 p.m., 2 to 4 p.m.; 4 to 6:30 p.m.
• February 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Shifts: 8:30 to 11 a.m.; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 1 to 3 p.m.; 3 to 5:30 p.m.

Anyone can sign up. We welcome friends and family to volunteer. To volunteer, call Terry Testani at (443) 523-2966.

Flyers Need to be Distributed Around Town

Please call Shamrock Realty Group at (410) 641-3611 ext. 14, and leave a fax number for a flyer to be sent to your office.

There is also a contest going on for REALTORS®...

The Blood Bank has supplied cards for blood donors. Donors may write a real estate office’s name on them. The office that has the most donor cards returned by blood donors can win a FREE LUNCH FOR CARRABA’S ITALIAN GRILL! The only stipulations are:

• An office must have a minimum of 15 cards returned at the Blood Drive, and
• No donor cards may be given out at the event.

You may pick up donor cards from Community Service Committee Chair Terry Testani’s office at Shamrock Realty Group, 10776 Gray’s Corner Road,  Suite #7, Berlin, MD 21811.

		Don’t Delay, Act Today ... Make Your 2007 RPAC Donation Before January 31!   As members of the Coastal, Maryland, and National Associations of REALTORS®, we represent our profession, and more importantly, we represent America’s homebuyers and homeowners. No component of our nation’s economy is as important as homeownership, which we advocate tirelessly. Our National and Maryland Associations of REALTORS® go to bat for us every day, and our own Coastal Association serves an important “watchdog” function so our county governments will never lose sight of our contributions to our local economies and way of life. Although we’re sure you’re aware of RPAC’s accomplishments, we would like to take a moment to share with you some of the recent achievements that would not have taken place without your contributions. Stopped Worcester County from imposing a high impact fee on developers, thus saving money for homebuyers in our region Stopped State Legislature from taxing condo association management revenue Helped to keep taxes low on business telephone usage Prevented State Legislature from imposing countless taxes on REALTORS® and their commissions                         … and perhaps the MOST Important… Kept mortgage interest as a tax credit Without RPAC, our profession would function at the mercy of our legislators’ personal agendas, some of whom view our industry as a target for their own political gain. Our profession is difficult enough as it is, which is why support for RPAC has never been more important and is needed now more than ever. If you have not contributed to RPAC in the past let us ask you to contribute this year.  Our budget is based on yearly contributions of only $29 per member and of course more is always appreciated. Your contribution will make a big difference and help ensure the continued success of RPAC’s efforts. We are requesting donations by January 31, 2007! On behalf of the Coastal Association of REALTORS®, we want to thank you for your contributions to RPAC. We hope our association and the RPAC committee can count on your support and contribution for 2007. Sincerely, Ron Edelmann, Co-Chair, CAR/ RPAC Committee Sarah Martin, Co-Chair, CAR/ RPAC Committee Click here for a pledge form

President Signs 2006 Tax Bill With Real Estate Provisions
President Bush signed a wide-ranging tax bill, P.L. 109-432 (H.R. 6111), that renews and extends through 2007 the NAR-backed brownfields deduction and the 15-year life for leasehold improvements. A new, limited deduction for private mortgage insurance (PMI) premiums was also created.  These deductions are authorized only for 2007, and have various other restrictions. To view a summary of the PMI deduction, lgoold@realtors.org or 202.383.1083.

New Brochure to Help Your Clients Understand FHA Mortgage
Recently, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has made drastic changes to the application process for FHA-insured mortgages. Make sure your clients know all the advantages of securing an FHA mortgage with a new brochure produced by NAR, the FHA, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Click here to download this free brochure.