You are currently browsing the daily archive for January 20, 2012.
Lawmakers are expected to turn their attention to reforming the secondary mortgage market this spring, although passage of legislation may not take place till 2013. National Association of REALTORS® Government Affairs discusses some key issues that are expected to be discussed this spring and what prospects of reform look like in this 6-minute video.
The California Association of REALTORS® is warning members of yet another identity theft scheme – an unexpected IRS refund. If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from the IRS requesting that you file a “tax refund request,” do not fall victim to this identity theft scheme.
Numerous people are receiving unsolicited email informing them that a $9,390.55 IRS tax refund is due them if they complete a tax refund request form. The email code will be forged to appear as if it originated from a trusted source, usually the IRS or an IRS tax preparer, but viewing the “message header” or “message source” will reveal its origin to be something else, and the link will not lead to a trusted domain, but one controlled by identity theft criminals.
If you file a tax return and a refund is due, you will automatically receive your refund. You will never be contacted by the IRS, and there is no tax refund request form. Never disclose personal information to any unsolicited inquiry, as compelling as the story may be.
If you have questions or concerns about any IRS tax refund you may have due, you should access the official IRS “Where’s My Refund” online application at the following destination: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96596,00.html.
At the helm of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® this year is Suzanne Yost, a REALTOR® who is passionate about organized real estate and highly values professional standards and the REALTOR® Code of Ethics.
Yost has been actively involved in organized real estate long before becoming a SILVAR member in 2009. Yost was named REALTOR® of the Year in 2006 by the Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® and Salesperson of the Year in 1982 by San Luis Obispo Board of REALTORS®.
Involvement in organized real estate provides opportunities for REALTORS®, including the tools they need to succeed in business, says Yost. Associations provide education courses to sharpen a REALTOR®’s knowledge and skills, networking opportunities, and valuable information they need to know to assist their clients in making a decision that’s right for them.
Yost said SILVAR’s Government Affairs staff, the local government committees and Political Action Committee have been successful in warding off proposals that would hurt REALTORS® and homeowners, like business license taxes, transfer taxes, time of sale restrictions, sign ordinances, rent control, zoning, to name a few.
Yost is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara University School of Law. She is a broker associate with Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Gatos. She is also a trainer for new agents and a statewide instructor of real estate continuing education classes.
Yost has served as a California Association of REALTORS® Director and as member and chair of a number of NAR and C.A.R. committees. At SILVAR, she chaired the Professional Standards Committee in 2009, joined the Board of Directors in 2010, and co-chaired the Bay Area REALTOR® Leadership Academy (BARLA) in 2011.
In the 32 years she has been practicing real estate, Yost has witnessed three housing market downturns. She is certain the market will come out of this one. “This downturn is lasting longer than the others, but the market will bounce back again. I’m already seeing positive things happening,” says Yost.
Yost advises fellow REALTORS® to “stay positive, get back to basics, and get involved.”
As members take advantage of the opportunities SILVAR offers, they also can give back to the Association and their community. Most of all, Yost wants all members to adhere to the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, because “it’s what defines a REALTORS® and sets us apart from other licensees.”
There are unlimited possibilities in real estate, says Yost. This is her theme for 2012: A Year of Possibilities. She wants SILVAR’s members to take hold of these possibilities and run with them.
The 2012 leadership team of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS (SILVAR) was installed Jan. 12 at Villa Montalvo in Saratoga. California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) treasurer Chris Kutzkey administered the oath of office to the association’s 2012 president Suzanne Yost and the board of directors.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® represents over 4,000 REALTORS® and affiliates engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
Yost is a broker associate with Alain Pinel Realtors, Los Gatos. Also on the leadership team are Carolyn Miller (RE/MAX Real Estate Services), president-elect, and Phyllis Carmichael (Coldwell Banker), treasurer.
In addition to the three lead officers, the following members sit on the 2012 board of directors: Gene Lentz (RE/MAX Distinctive Properties), past president; Jeff Bell (Coldwell Banker), Region 9 chair; Chris Isaacson (Coldwell Banker), Menlo Park/Atherton District chair; Cassie Maas (Luxor Real Estate Group), Los Gatos/Saratoga District chair; Niki Miller Maroko (RE/MAX Real Estate Services), Cupertino/Sunnyvale District chair; Jane Volpe (Midtown Realty), Palo Alto District chair; Denise Welsh (Intero Real Estate), Los Altos/Mountain View District chair; John Tripp (Foundation Trust), NAR director; David Barca (Alain Pinel Realtors), Bill Moody (Referral Realty), Bill Rehbock (Coldwell Banker), Bryan Robertson (Sereno Group), David Tonna (Alain Pinel Realtors), directors at-large; and Richard Miller (RateComb.com), affiliate chair.
A graduate of California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo and Santa Clara University School of Law, Yost was named REALTOR® of the Year in 2006 by the Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS®, Salesperson of the Year in 1982 by the San Luis Obispo Board of REALTORS®, and has served as director and chair of a number REALTOR® committees at the national and state level. She was SILVAR’s 2009 Professional Standards Committee chair, a 2010 board director, and 2011 co-chair of the Bay Area REALTOR® Leadership Academy. Yost is a Los Gatos resident.
The 2011 Appreciation Awards were presented to Julia Truesdale Keady (Alain Pinel Realtors), REALTOR® of the Year; Richard Miller (RateComb.com), Affiliate of the Year; Eileen Giorgi (Alain Pinel Realtors), Spirit of SILVAR; and SILVAR board attorney Dave Hamerslough (Rossi, Hamerslough, Reischl and Chuck) and Vickie Naidorf (legal counsel for Coldwell Banker), President’s Award.
As 2009 president, Keady spearheaded the Bay Area REALTOR® Leadership Academy, a leadership program designed to identify, train and develop existing and emerging leaders to serve and advance organized real estate. She was also recognized as 2011 C.A.R. Region 9 chair. Presenting the award, 2011 president Gene Lentz noted Keady “has performed in an exemplary fashion in every single committee or assignment that she has been given. They take huge effort and dedication.”
Affiliate of the Year Miller was recognized for “unequivocally embracing and adopting the principles, goals, and purposes of the association.”
As chair of the REALTOR® Service Volunteer Program (RSVP), a free REALTOR® service assisting senior homeowners with household tasks, Lentz said Giorgi, who also served as 2011 president of the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation Trust, “personifies the essence of this award, through her hard work in making RSVP the success it is today.”
Lentz thanked Hamerslough and Naidorf for educating REALTORS® on legal issues and for their efforts in updating the association’s PRDS Forms purchase contract and creating the counties’ advisory.
Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® says ... 