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FAAR to host candidate interviews for local elected office
Each election cycle, members of the FAAR Public Policy Committee invite candidates running for local office to interview for potential Association endorsement. An endorsement can mean a press release stating support for the candidate and it can also mean a contribution of RPAC funds to help assist the candidate’s race for election.
This year’s candidate interviews will take place on Tuesday, August 6 beginning at 8:00am at the Association offices.
All members are welcome to attend and observe the interviews, but only members of the Public Policy Committee are permitted to conduct the interviews.
The full schedule of interviews is listed below, please email Kim McClellan if you plan to attend so we can ensure we have enough seats.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Interviews take place in the FAAR Board Room on the 1st floor
8:00am Jeff Sili, incumbent Caroline County Supervisor in the Bowling Green District
8:30am Scott Mayausky, incumbent Commissioner of the Revenue in Stafford County
9:00am Mark Bissoon, incumbent Commissioner of the Revenue in Caroline County
9:30am Crystal Vanuch, running in the open Stafford County Board of Supervisors Rock Hill District
10:00am Raymond Bell, running in the open Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors Livingston District
11:00am Gwen Bell, running in the open Stafford County Board of Supervisors Rock Hill District
Calling all Parade of Homes judges!
YOU be the judge!
Tour area new construction and pick the prestigious Realtors Choice Award winner!
Realtor judges will tour area homes and vote for the best home for the value. Each driver will be supplied with the list of homes to be visited in advance and will be responsible for mapping out the best route.
Judging will take place on Thursday, September 26. A continental breakfast, lunch allowance, and gas card for the driver will be provided.
#MemberMonday Meet Broker Dan Lesher
The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® Member Spotlight feature allows members of the community to get to know each other before working with each other in a transaction. Each member answers a series of questions to reveal more about themselves as people. It is FAAR’s hope that learning about an individual may spark connections that blossom via email, phone conversations or in-person meetings at events and classes.
Name
Dan Lesher
Hometown
Pendleton, Indiana
Current Location
Fredericksburg
Title
Broker at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Select Realty
Number of Years in the Industry
22
Why do you love working in real estate?
As an agent I always enjoyed helping people make wise real estate decisions and the satisfaction of putting a smile on their face regardless if they were a buying or selling. As a broker my passion is always in helping an agent grow their business so they are able to achieve their individual goals.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Starting my own company at the start of the housing crash and building it into one of the top 50 companies in the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network due to a core of great agents who believe in my vision and work hard day in and day out to be better than the day before.
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
Anything related to children but, The Sunshine Kids is the cause my family and I are most passionate about. It’s an amazing organization that helps children with cancer. Anyone looking for a great organization to get involved with should check it out.
Fun Fact
I owned a 1600 seat theatre in my hometown from 98-02 that held regular live concerts such as George Carlin, Merle Haggard and others.
Infographics to use and share
We love to give credit where it’s due and let’s be honest, these infographics are amazing!
Florida REALTORS® have created some stellar resources for you to use in your business utilizing publicly available data from NAR, NAHB, and more.
Download these PDF infographics and use them with clients or in your marketing products, such as newsletters, blogs or websites.
Look for a new graphic every month at the Florida REALTORS® website!
Wait, there's more!
Click to download all the infographics as a single pdf.
FAAR has A Downtown Affair tickets!!!!
Tickets sold out for this year’s A Downtown Affair in just hours!!! But wait….FAAR HAS FOUR TICKETS!!!!
Do you want the chance to attend this amazing, 6-course dinner under the stars on Caroline Street? Well, you can!
These tickets are a $300 value but FAAR is raffling them off for RPAC for just $50 for a 2-pack. That’s just $25 per person when the tickets cost $150!
To stay kosher with all of the RPAC contribution laws, this is a two-step process…you must do both steps are you are not eligible to win. But we’ll make it easy!
- Click here and fill out the quick survey.
- Once you’re done, the survey will redirect you to the secure online investment page for RPAC. Make your $50 investment and you’re done!
- The winner will be picked on Friday, August 2, 2019.
A Downtown Affair, brought to you by Fredericksburg Virginia Main Street
Saturday, October 6, 2019
4:00pm
600 block of Caroline Street
Want to know more about A Downtown Affair? Visit the 2019 event page and get all the details.
Check out the photos below from the 2018 event!
Contributions to Virginia REALTORS® RPAC are voluntary and are used for political purposes; they are not deductible for federal or state income tax purposes. Members may contribute more or less than the suggested amount and may refuse to contribute without reprisal. The National Association of REALTORS® or any of its state associations or local boards will not favor or disfavor any member because of the amount contributed. NAR has established state Federal RPAC Disbursement Allocations based on anticipated National RPAC needs. Thirty percent of all Major Investor contributions are sent to NAR to be applied to the Federal RPAC Disbursement Allocation and are charged against the limits under 52 U.S.C. 30116 with the remaining seventy percent maintained for state and local usage. Decisions regarding Virginia REALTORS® RPAC contributions to meet the Federal RPAC Disbursement Allocation will be made throughout the fundraising year.
#Member Monday Meet Rebecca Canter
The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® Member Spotlight feature allows members of the community to get to know each other before working with each other in a transaction. Each member answers a series of questions to reveal more about themselves as people. It is FAAR’s hope that learning about an individual may spark connections that blossom via email, phone conversations or in-person meetings at events and classes.
Name
Rebecca Canter
Hometown
Fredericksburg, VA
Current Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Title
Loan Officer at New Dominion Financial
Number of Years in the Industry
20
Why do you love working in real estate?
I love being able to see the look on a homebuyer’s face when I tell them that their home loan application has been approved! Even if I can’t approve them initially, I work closely with my clients to help improve their situations so that they are able to obtain financing. That is even more rewarding!
What are you most proud of in your career?
My drive and determination to continue learning everyday!
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
I like spending time senior citizens. Just lending an ear or a hug if they need it!
Fun Fact
I used to live on the Outer Banks, NC and I remodeled the interior design of many oceanfront mansions!
June Housing Market Posts Strong Numbers Despite Fewer Sales in Key Localities
June posted strong numbers despite a double-digit sales reduction in market leader, Stafford County. Total sold dollar volume increased 5.8%, settling at approximately $236.8 million in June of this year, compared to $223.9 million in June of 2018. Units sold increased over 5%, going from 678 last June to 714 units in June of this year. Median price saw a 3.3% year-over-year increase, going from $305,000 in June of 2018 to $315,000 in June of 2019.
However, the positive numbers from a regional perspective do not always translate directly into individual counties. Stafford County, the regional leader in home sales, saw a 10% year-over-year decrease compared to numbers from June of 2018. Stafford saw exactly 300 closed sales in June of last year, compared to 269 for this year, which corresponds to a more than 9% reduction in total sold dollar volume. Spotsylvania also saw a decrease in home sales compared to last year. The county experienced a nearly 8% drop in the number of sales which led to a nearly 6% reduction in total sold dollar volume. Orange, King George, and Caroline counties all experienced double digit increases in number of units sold in June of this year compared to last year.
FAAR Board of Director Carrie Danko comments, “Summer may be heating up but the market seems to be cooling off in some areas. After an extremely active spring market, the lazy days of summer have hit. The lull in the market could be due to school ending earlier than normal in some jurisdictions or constrained inventory in highly sought-after price points. The low inventory keeps our region in a sellers’ market but the continued low interest rates make this a great time for buyers, too.”
Days on market, the time it takes from when a listing enters the market until it receives a ratified contract and is removed from active status on the multiple listing service, decreased almost 7% with houses averaging 56 days on the market in June of 2019 compared to 60 days in June of 2018.
Active listings were up for the sixth month in a row, with 1,755 listings on the market representing a nearly 6% year-over-year increase. New listings posted a 4.6% increase with 987 new homes coming on the market this June compared to 944 last year. Future settlement activity continues to post strong numbers with over 37% new properties under contract in June of 2019 compared to June of 2018. Inventory overall continues to remain low, especially in the lower-priced market segments. The median price of active listings is currently $396,000, the highest it’s been in more than 10 years.
Need a new head shot?
Update your Head Shot at the FAAR Expo!
- Images by Tiffany professional head shots
- $60 for a digitally retouched image
- Onsite makeup artist available!
- Proceeds benefit RPAC
- Appointments beginning at 10:00am on Wednesday, September 25 during the FAAR Expo
- Email Kim McClellan to schedule an appointment today
FAAR Adopts 2019 Legislative Agenda
The FAAR Public Policy Committee reviewed several legislative requests over the past few months and with approval of the FAAR Board of Directors, has submitted one of those issues to the Virginia Realtors®. The state association will review all submitted legislative requests from across the state at a July 22nd meeting. Accepted issues will be included in the 2020 Statewide Legislative Package that is submitted to the General Assembly. Read below for FAAR’s submission.
Virginia Landlord Tenant Act Revision
Background: Prospective tenants looking to secure a rental unit are often required to pay an application fee and an application deposit when submitting their application. This application deposit turns into the security deposit if accepted, and can be several thousand dollars. For tenants who secure a money order for the application deposit and then are not approved for the unit, this often presents a significant challenge to receive those funds back. The current law states that funds must be returned within 20 days, or 10 days if the deposit is paid by cash, certified check, cashier’s check, or postal money order. Many tenants cannot afford to apply to another unit until they receive that application deposit money back from the property management company.
Request; FAAR requests that the General Assembly amend the VRLTA to require that the application deposit not be collected until application approval and give tenants two business days to pay.
NAR Update on MLS system lawsuit…
From NAR General Counsel Katie Johnson…
On May 17, NAR filed a motion to dismiss the Moehrl v. NAR lawsuit which we believe demonstrated that the plaintiff’s case was not legally viable. In response, the class action attorneys filed an amended complaint on June 14. While the new complaint presents additional plaintiffs and factual allegations, as well as revised arguments, the underlying foundation of it remains the same. The plaintiffs’ attorneys continue to misunderstand and mischaracterize the pro-competitive, pro-consumer MLS system, which – as you know – is designed first and foremost with the best interests of buyers and sellers in mind. As expected, the amended complaint also consolidated one of the copycat lawsuits filed in Illinois after Moehrl v. NAR. We will file a motion to dismiss this consolidated complaint on August 9.
On July 10, NAR will file a motion to dismiss another copycat lawsuit filed in Missouri. That motion to dismiss will focus solely on the court’s lack of jurisdiction over NAR. We intend to file another motion to dismiss based on the merits of the complaint on August 5.
NAR continues to believe these lawsuits are wrong on the facts, wrong on the economics and wrong on the law. We remain confident in our position to stand by the pro-competitive and pro-consumer MLS system.
Press Releases
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