REMINDER: ALL FLYERS ARE INCLUDED IN THE WEEKLY BROKER FAX

...from the staff & Board of Directors of the
Coastal Association of REALTORS®!

Holiday Closings
The association office will be closed Monday, December 24, and Tuesday, December 25, for the Christmas holiday. The office will also be closed on Monday, December 31, and Tuesday, January 1, for the New Year’s holiday. CAR wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

General Membership Meeting
There will be a General Membership Meeting on Thursday, January 17, 2008 from 10 a.m. to Noon at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City. An agenda will be announced in early January. Please encourage all CAR members in your office to attend and RSVP by clicking here.

DUES DEADLINE: DECEMBER 31!
Board dues for 2008 have been mailed and are due by December 31. Please either submit your payment or notify us if you do not intend on renewing your membership. If you have not yet received a bill, please contact the Association Office at 410-641-4409.

How Will REALTORS® Advertise in the Future?
After two years of depressed housing sales, Realtors have cut their print budgets and put more money on the Web. The result has been a slingshot effect for online advertising, says a new report by Borrell Associates. Full story >>

Real Estate Outlook: Economy Solid, Encouraging
Despite the impressions you might get from the network news, the U.S. economy continues to churn out solid, even encouraging, numbers -- and that’s important for anyone interested in real estate. Full story >>

Community Service Update

• Bill Ragusa, a long-time REALTOR® with Century 21-New Horizons has lost his Fruitland home, the contents and beloved pets due to a untimely fire on December 9. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, but it is believed to be electrical. The Community Service Committee is asking for donations to help defray our friend’s overwhelming replacement and housing costs. Please make checks to: CAR and drop off all donations to the CAR office at 314 Franklin Avenue, Suite 106, Berlin, MD 21811.
• MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Beach Blanket Blood Drive is scheduled for January 30-31. We will be looking for donors and volunteers at the start of the new year.
• At this time of year so many of our members help others, so please let us know by e-mailing realtor@intercom.net. Whether it was adopting a family, collecting "Toys for Tots" etc. Even if it was through your church or a local organization. We want to know about it. Next year we would like to collect another C.A.R.E. award at the MAR Covention. With your help we can do that. We just need to know:
  • Who it benefited?
  • Dollar amount collected?
  • How many man hours you volunteered?
    

 
From the Technical Corner:
Five Things You Forgot About In Your Home
#2–Divert Rain Water from House
Most crawl space, lower level, or basement water penetration problems are caused by mishandling of roof water. Water from roof gutters is coming toward the house, rather than being diverted away. Install downspouts, elbows, and splash blocks or piping to divert water away from your house (at least three feet away, to be safe). This can be done rather inexpensively. Creating a positive slope of the soil away from the foundation will also help to minimize any moisture entering the crawl areas. Moisture in crawl spaces can lead to mildew, fungus, and rotting lumber, as well as, be an attraction for termites and carpenter ants. Thanks to Alan Hoffman at HOUSEMASTER for the tip!

Earn Your Workforce Housing Certification In Just Two Days! Coming January 10-11 Sign Up Now! The Workforce Affordable Housing Seminar and Certification Classes will be held January 10 - 11 at the CAR office, with MAR instructors. Classes will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on both days, with CAR providing lunch. The first session on Thursday, January 10 will be a class on "Credit Smart" and no CE credit will be awarded. The second session on Friday, January 11 will have the following three classes: State and Local Programs, Federal and National Housing Programs, and Bridging the Gap between Availability and Affordability. Each Friday class will award 2 CE credits for a total of 6 CE credits. Classes are free of charge, but after receiving certification you will be expected to be a member of a team that will provide workshops for the community to educate members of the community on programs that are available to help them get closer to their dream of homeownership. We will be providing workshops for the community in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset Counties. If you are interested in receiving Workforce Affordable Housing Certification and joining our team, please click here to register to attend. What We Are Currently Exploring We have been meeting with three organizations to enhance and streamline our educational offerings. CAR, The Woman’s Council, and WOR WIC Community College are talking about a "partnership" that envisions us sharing CE, seminars and facilities. There are so many positive things that this partnership would bring to all three organizations. Pay close attention to this column to follow our efforts and look for more news in the new year.