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 Don't miss out...'Get in the Game'
 It's not too late to register for "Get in the Game," OAR's annual Convention & Trade Expo. The key to winning in today's challenging real estate marketplace is to simply "Get in the Game" on Sept. 14-17, in Columbus.
From top-notch educational opportunities to social gatherings to the always insightful business functions...the Convention will keep you busy from dawn to dusk.
Additionally, Ohio's Capitol City is ready to welcome you with world-class dining, trendy shopping and non-stop excitement.
Our line-up of activities includes:
A Heavy Hitter Opening Session -- featuring the presentation of the REALTOR of the Year award, along with the comedic antics of Greg Schwen, who has made numerous appearances on national television and taken the stage with the likes of Celine Dion and Jay Leno.
15 Credit Hours Continuing Education -- including core law, civil rights, ethics, marketing and technology will be offered throughout your stay. Top instructors from across the country -- including Terry Watson, Lynn Madison, Mark Porter, Frank Mears, James Cannon, Karel Murray, Jackie Leavenworth, Sean Carpenter, Dana Smith and Louis Caresani -- will present these unmatched professional development opportunities.
Another highlight ... and a first-ever ... is the Young Professionals Forum on Monday, 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. that will feature an open discussion on how OAR can better serve its young professional members. Additionally, the Generational Diversity Task Force report will be discussed, as well as creating Young Professional local chapters around the state. A panel of YPs will be available with Sean Carpenter as the session's facilitator.
Register today ... Schedule of events ... Committee/Forum agendas ... Convention highlights ... See who's coming!
NAR creates Young Professionals Network ...YPN is a growing group of young, career-minded real estate professionals who want to stay abreast of the latest tools, resources, and networking opportunities. As a member, you'll receive invitations to exclusive events at REALTOR conferences, news on how to get involved in leadership roles at NAR and updates on new tools and resources that will help you grow your career. View site at http://www.realtor.org/rmosurv2.nsf/ypnhome click here!
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Are you working with first-time buyers?
A friendly reminder that the Passage of the Housing & Recovery Act of 2008 in late July includes a temporary $7,500 tax credit for first-time homebuyers (that purchase between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009). The credit is available to anyone buying their first house or anyone who has not owned in three years. Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full credit. A home is eligible for the credit if it is any residence that will be used as a primary residence (single-family, townhouse, condo, etc.) View other key provisions of the Housing & Recovery Act.
End in sight for seller-funded down payments...In a related matter, prospective homeowners have until Oct. 1, 2008, to use down payment assistance from a seller to purchase a house. The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 signed into law in July bars such seller-funded aid on Federal Housing Administration-backed mortgages.
Lawmakers added the provision to the housing relief package because about 40 percent of FHA borrowers who went into foreclosure in the past year received down payment assistance from a seller. Read more >
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Going, going, gone
The growing inventory of homes and foreclosures makes real estate auctions an important option in today's markets. Learn about auctions in the newest online course from NAR: Introduction to Real Estate Auctions.
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Mortgage volume up 7.5%, rates down
 The Mortgage Bankers Association reports a 7.5-percent increase in home loan demand during the week ended Aug. 29.
The index indicates a 10.5-percent jump in purchase applications and a more modest 2.1-percent rise in refinancing requests.
Additionally, the group's index tracking mortgages backed by the FHA surged 19.9 percent. Refi demand accounted for 34 percent of all application volume and adjustable-rate loans accounted for 6.6 percent--versus 35.2 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively, the prior week.
The report also shows a drop in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to 6.39 percent from 6.44 percent and a decrease in the one-year adjustable mortgage rate to 7.11 percent from 7.15 percent, while the 15-year fixed rate edged up to 5.96 percent from 5.94 percent.
(Source: MarketWatch)
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Commercial issues
Commercial real estate fundamentals...Get back to the Fundamentals with "The Fundamentals of Listing and Selling Commercial Real Estate" which provides a complete foundation for a career in the Commercial Real Estate Industry. The text contains two sections, the fundamentals of commercial real estate, and the practice of commercial real estate. Order today >
Looking for more information on commercial and real estate investing?...NAR's online store has the commercial and real estate investing products you need to succeed in this changing market. Check out the Commercial and Investment section of the online store for the products you need.
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e-Patients: Chronically ill seek health information online
 The Internet is changing the way Americans gather information, whether they are choosing a president or making health care decisions. Two major drivers for this change are broadband adoption and personal motivation.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that between 75% and 80% of internet users have looked online for health information. Read more >
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One-in-five and growing fast...A profile of Hispanic public school students
 The number of Hispanic students in the nation's public schools nearly doubled from 1990 to 2006, accounting for 60% of the total growth in public school enrollments over that period. There are now approximately 10 million Hispanic students in the nation's public kindergartens and its elementary and high schools; they make up about one-in-five public school students in the United States. In 1990, just one-in-eight public school students were Hispanic. Strong growth in Hispanic enrollment is expected to continue for decades. Read more >
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Stop bad habits
So many times we examine what we don't have and come up with a list of things that we should do instead of cutting back on behaviors that have a negative impact on our personal and professional life. It is like your living room closet. Before you can buy more jackets, shirts, coats and suits you have to make room for the new ones by getting rid of the old ones. Read more >
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...And replace them with good habits
Replace those bad habits with good ones consistently and your business cannot help but grow. Make the following tips for success a habit in your daily routine. Read more >
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5 ways to differentiate yourself from the rest
If you're a buyer's agent, the key is to differentiate yourself and create a unique and memorable brand within your market in order to grow your business. Use these 5 easy steps to differentiate yourself, so a buyer chooses you. Read more >
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Save with OAR and NAR
Your membership in the Ohio Association of REALTORS allows you to take advantage of a number of member benefits. For questions about member offers and benefits contact Greg Stitz at stitz@ohiorealtors.org.
In addition, the National Association of REALTORS also provides its members many more benefits and offers.
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Tech Tips
Inspect your Excel spreadsheet...Your Excel 2007 documents contain a lot more information than just rows and columns of data. They may include tracked changes, comments, private properties and more. To examine (and clean out) the hidden data in an Excel 2007 document:
- Click the Office button at top left
- Point to Prepare
- And click Inspect Document.
Import/export favorites in Internet Explorer...IE has a very easy way of managing your favorite places. You can use the IMPORT/EXPORT feature. If you want to transfer your favorites to another computer or just print them out for reference, follow the steps below...
- Select FILE
- Choose IMPORT EXPORT
- Select NEXT
- Select the action you wish to take, EXPORT FAVORITES, click next
- Select WHICH favorites to export
- EXPORT to a file and name that file
- Open the file and select PRINT or copy the file and IMPORT it to another computer
Turn off scroll bars in Word...If you rarely use a mouse when you are working within Word, you can turn off the scroll bars so they are no longer visible. To turn off the scroll bars in Word 2002:
- Within Word, click Options from the Tools menu.
- Click the View tab.
- Remove the check beside the Horizontal scroll bar option.
- Remove the check beside the Vertical scroll bar option.
- Click OK.
You can turn the scroll bars back on at any time by repeating the steps described above.
Don't forget OAR's free Tech Hotline service...
866.478.TECH (8324) New EXPANDED hours of operation: M-F: 8 am - 8 pm ... S-S: 10 am - 4pm
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Education
GRI Institute coming this fall...
The Graduate REALTOR Institute (GRI) designation is the mark of a real estate professional who has made a commitment to providing a superior level of professional services. REALTORS holding this designation are highly trained in many areas of real estate and are better able to serve and protect their clients. Courses can be taken in any order. OAR will offer these classes in Columbus on the following dates:
GRI 100...Oct. 6-9
GRI 200...Oct. 27-30
GRI 300...Nov. 17-20
Register today!
Resorts & Second Home Markets...This 2-day course, held on Oct. 16-17, will teach the essentials of buying, selling or managing second homes. Register today!
30 hours online...Take your real estate continuing education hours online. You can take 3, 6 or all 30 hours in any combination...Sign-up today...
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