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NAR Issues Call for Action on Tax Reform
President Trump has put a focus on achieving tax reform by the end of the year and the U.S. Congress is working behind the scenes to put something forward. Many of the changes being discussed would impact housing including changes to the mortgage interest deduction and state and local tax deductions. NAR is asking members to send their Members of Congress a message to ensure that taxes are not raised on middle class homeowners.
Want to read about what’s being discussed? Click here to read a Washington Post article that outlines the potential changes to MID and state and local tax deductions.
Take Action!
Find your way around REALTOR® websites with this nifty resource map!
Put a smile on a member’s face! Nominate for a FAAR award today!
“There is someone in your REALTOR® life who is perfect for one of the FAAR awards.”
Awards Update
Chair Bonnie Ramey is happy to report that Spring award applications were up and we are hoping that the fall awards season has similar increases. Some of the forms were tweaked to be easier to fill out. “There are members out there who are deserving and cumbersome forms should not be a deterrent to giving recognition to them.” She and Vice Chair Corey Green urge members and brokers to take the time to review the various recognitions. “There is someone in your REALTOR® life who is perfect for one of the FAAR awards.” The managing broker community is urged to recognize the achievements of their agents by promoting nominations or nominating someone from the office. Application deadline is October 31, 2017.
Fall Awards
Nomination forms are for Raising the Bar, the Good Neighbor, Affiliate of the Year and the new Spirit Award. Cindy LeBrun was the first recipient in 2016 because she exemplifies the criteria, a cheerleader for FAAR, who steps up to volunteer for events and activities with little fanfare but someone you always count on to be helpful with any task requested. Hall of Fame, Silver Circle and REALTOR® Emeritus are selected by date of membership and Hall of Fame by the Awards Committee or by the Board of Director.
Nominate a member for one of these awards at faarmembers.com/awards.
I-95 Extension to open next week
From VDOT press release….
I-95 EXPRESS LANES SOUTHERN TERMINUS EXTENSION IN STAFFORD COUNTY OPENING TUESDAY, OCT. 31
New two-mile expansion adds new Express Lanes entrance and exit ramps south of Exit 143 at Garrisonville Road
FREDERICKSBURG – A project to extend Interstate 95 Express Lanes by two miles in Stafford County, adding new northbound and southbound ramps, will open to traffic ahead of schedule on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. The $50 million project extends Express Lanes beyond the flyover ramp where they end today, just north of Route 610 (Garrisonville Road). The new southbound ramp will open to traffic on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 31. The new northbound ramp will open early Wednesday, Nov. 1.
What Drivers Need to Know
The extension will operate under the same rules and reversal schedule as the current 95 Express Lanes. When the extension opens, I-95 northbound traffic will be able to enter Express Lanes earlier at a new left entrance before the Garrisonville Road overpass. Southbound Express Lanes traffic heading to Fredericksburg will be able to continue past Garrisonville and merge about one mile south of the Garrisonville Road exit. All drivers need an E-ZPass to use the Express Lanes. Carpools need an E-ZPass Flex and three or more people in the vehicle to travel toll-free.
Project Background
Construction on the extension began in July 2016. The project’s design-build team is Branch Civil, Inc., and Whitman, Requardt & Associates. The project is a joint investment by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Transurban. Transurban operates the existing 29-mile Express Lanes facility that opened in December 2014, and will be responsible for maintenance and operations of the two-mile extension. Around 146,000 vehicles a day travel I-95 near Garrisonville Road.
More information on the I-95 Express Lanes Southern Terminus Extension project is available online at the project page at www.VirginiaDOT.org.
#MemberMonday | Meet Carol Libbon
Carol A. Libbon
Hometown
Dayton, Ohio
Current Location
Spotsylvania, Virginia
Title
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Elite-Spotsylvania
Number of Years in the Industry
8 1/2
Why do you love working in real estate?
I’m a people person and I love to engage with others and make friends. What a perfect match to reach out to others, help with a very important decision of buying or selling a home and to become their friend in the process. It’s a win, win for me at every turn. Keeping in touch with them is vital as they not only remember you as their friend, but as a point of referral to their friends and family.
Favorite Work Story
I am working with a one income family that homeschool their 2 teenagers. Their income is so limited that buying a home in their price point was a challenge. We found an older home in Caroline that was rebuilt after a fire, so everything was new inside. After having the septic inspection this past Friday, we found the septic failed and everything has to be redone and the seller agreed to pay for it. My client just beamed from ear to ear knowing she was going to have a whole new home, one that she could call her own and that she was going to afford that was fully renovated!! YEAH!! I am so happy for her!!
What are you most proud of in your career?
That people refer my name to others! Yes, I must be doing something right!!
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
I am very involved in my church, reaching out in the community and showing the love of Jesus to others. We host a college group every week in our home to have dinner & Bible Study.
Fun Fact
I love to make soap! This is my special homemade goodie I can give out as gifts and special events. It’s also my stress relief to be imaginative and creative.
Taking the Tech Time Technology Workshop for a Spin
The first tech time technology workshop was held at FAAR on Tuesday, October 10th, 2017. One member, Kat Kersey Horn of Tricorner Properties took advantage of the time with a compelling 2-part technology scenario. Technology Committee Member and REALTOR® Anthony Davis of Coldwell Banker Elite solved many of the steps to this tech puzzle!
The Situation
The member has created a wordpress site from which she would like to collect email subscriptions targeting consumers interested in a certain topic and a certain type of properties. She is interested in emailing her subscribers a somewhat-automated list of properties they might be interested in.
How we did it
MRIS has the ability to save specific search requirements and can generate a email to a user based on a specified interval. You would not want to send this automatically to your collected email list because if properties have not changed in a while, you are looking at the possibility of sending the exact same content multiple times. After setting up this search, the member now receives these emails from which she can copy and paste the relevant information.
For the actual collection of email addresses, we recommended utilizing a mass emailer system like Mailchimp or Constant Contact which generates the code for a subscription form that can then be embedded in the webpage. In addition, an email service like this makes it easier to bulk manage subscription lists.
Does this sound Greek to you? Never fear! We’re all at different levels on the technology map! FAAR is here to help. Bring your issues to the next tech time and the technology committee will work with you to solve them!
Do these types of scenarios interest you? Join the Technology Committee for exciting new ways to stretch your brain while helping your peers! Contact lzuza@faarmembers.com for more information.
Member Feedback
Congratulations to these FAAR members who have earned seats on Virginia REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS® committees!
2018 Virginia REALTORS® Committee Appointments
Melanie Thompson – Vice Chair for the Investment Management Committee
Drew Fristoe – Member Communications Committee
Chip Taylor – Vice Chair for the Member Communications Committee
Nick Brown – Professional Development Committee
Jenny Lloyd – Professional Development Committee
Sha Williams-Hinnant – Professional Development Committee
Dawn Josemans – Vice Chair for the Property Management Council
Linda Lightfoot – Property Management Council
Sarah Stelmok – Risk Management Committee
Suzy Stone – Strategic Funding Committee
Pat Breme – AE Liaison for Property Management Council
2018 National Association of REALTORS® Committee Appointments
Pat Breme – AEC-RCE Certification Advisory Board
Barbara Castillo – Professional Development Committee and Chair of the Local Education Directors
Drew Fristoe – Strategic Thinking Advisory Committee and Chair of the YPN Advisory Board
Christine Singhass – Professional Development Committee
Sarah Stelmok – Professional Development Committee
Michael Straley – Real Property Valuation Committee
Rebecca Straley – Consumer Communications Committee
Thank you for representing the Fredericksburg region!
Photos from YPN Pub Crawl
Photos from the Annual Foundation Golf Tournament
