In this issue: 2 2015 Board Members

3 Announcement

4 News from VAR

5 News from NAR

6 Changing Trends

7 In Review

8 Generation X

9 Celebration Flyer

10 RPR Training Flyer

11 RPAC Contributors

12 Affiliate List

Valley Voice

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Jan. 14—RPR Launch & Training—10:30 AM, NRVAR Classroom

Jan. 15—Lunch & Learn, Noon—1:00 PM, NRVAR Classroom

Jan. 21—ListHub Training—9:00 AM, NRVAR Classroom

Jan. 28—VAR Roadshow, 8:30 AM, NRVAR Classroom

Jan. 30—Annual REALTOR® Celebration, The Inn at Virginia Tech

While it is hard to believe that 2014 is almost over, I hope you’re looking forward to the new year as it will bring both challenges and opportunity! Our Association is poised to move forward on several fronts. Over the past year we have strengthened our finances and recently paid off the Association’s mortgage. The 4,757 square foot facility that the New River Valley Association of REALTORS® calls

home rests on a one acre lot and is assessed for nearly $950,000. Congratulations to you—the general membership—as you now own this impressive property, free and clear!

We developed a new Association website, introduced a new Association logo, and breathed new life into our Facebook page as well as this newsletter, the Valley Voice. With the adoption of new Association bylaws we overhauled our governance structure and ensured an exciting, popular election for our Board of Directors. Our new Board for 2015 was installed on December 10th and is eager to get down to business to push our Association

forward. The work will begin in earnest on January 9th as the Board of Directors, Committee Chairs, and other members come together to forge a new Strategic Plan. As our leaders craft this new Strat Plan—the first since 2008—they will be assisted by an experienced facilitator paid for entirely by funds from NAR!

Please do take note of the calendar just below and make plans to attend the various training sessions for RPR and ListHub that are coming up in January. Also, our annual REALTOR® Celebration event is not to be missed and will be held on January 30th at The Inn at Virginia Tech.

In closing, I look forward to the upcoming year and to the good work that lies ahead, and I hope you do, too! My family and I wish each of you and yours a very special Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

All the best, William Haithcock

Ne w R i ve r Va l l e y As s o c i a t i o n o f RE AL T O RS®

1 2 5 Po nd e ro s a D r . Ch r i s t i a ns b urg , V A 2 4 0 7 3

Pho ne : 5 4 0 . 3 8 1 . 9 3 5 4w w w . n r va r . c o m

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December 2014

December —A Word from Our CEO—

New River Valley Association of REALTORS®

Amy Hudson President RE/MAX 8

Susan Erickson President-Elect

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

Frank Kregloe Vice President

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

Nancy Page Past President

Page & Associates Real Estate

Rachel Anker-Johnson Director

RE/MAX 8

Tommy Clapp Director

Coldwell Banker Townside

Katina Compton Director

Giesen-Caldwell Agency, Inc.

Rob Jones Director

Coldwell Banker Townside

Jeremy Hart MLS Chair

Nest Realty Group

William Haithcock CEO

New River Valley Association of REALTORS®

Welcome to our 2015 Board of Directors!

Final Mortgage Payment

NRVAR Building Mortgage

New River Valley Association of REALTORS®125 Ponderosa DriveChristiansburg, VA 24073540.381.9354

NRVAR HAS PAID OFF THE MORTGAGE!

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Valley Voice Page 4

News from the Virginia Association of REALTORS®

2015 VAR Board of DirectorsThe Virginia Association of REALTORS® 2015 President Deborah A. Baisden led the orientation training of the 2015 VAR Board of Direc-tors and the Committee Chairs/Vice Chairs on December 10, 2014. While leading the orientation, Debra shared her vision and expecta-tions for the year which ensures that all roles are clearly defined. The purpose of the orientation is to facilitate a smooth transition for new members of the Board, while maintaining an organized structure for the current Board members.

Meet the 2015 VAR Leadership Team:

President, Deborah A. Baisden, GRI

President-Elect, Bill White

Vice-President, Claire Forcier-Rowe, ABR, ABRM, CRB, GRI

Treasurer, Pat Sury, CRB, CRS, GRI, SRES

Immediate Past President, Bradley J. Boland

Chief Executive Officer, Terrie Suit

To learn more about the leadership team, visit http://www.varealtor.com/leadershipteam

A Packed Schedule for the Virginia Housing Center Article by Jenny Wortham

The Virginia Housing Center was bustling with activity on Tuesday, December 9th. In fact, it’s busy most days. The Center is a facility of the Virginia Housing Development Authority – it’s the office location of the agency’s loan servicing staff, but it also offers space to community housing groups seeking room for education and outreach activities.

The two meetings on Tuesday attracted over 150 people to talk about critical housing issues across Virginia. In the first room, VHDA offered training to a mix of industry professionals. REALTORS®, housing counselors, lenders, and fair housing advocates who gathered to learn the required curriculum for prospective homebuyers pursuing loans through VHDA. Each attendee is now qualified to facilitate this home buying education with partners across the state. Since 2008, VHDA has trained over 9,000 individuals to offer the courses. And do they ever! Over 12,000 people every year register for the homebuyer’s education designed to help them make the best housing decision. Across the hall, Housing Virginia got to work on a community seminar discussing NIMBYism. Planners, developers, public officials, and others met to address the misperceptions of affordable housing development. The program had sold out well in advance, but staff promise that it will be offered again. Presentations of real scenarios and interactive exercises educated the stakeholders on using data to make an effective case for community development and building trust to overcome the stigma of affordable housing.

For more information on the work of nonprofit housing partners or to find out more about becoming a Qualified Trainer of VHDA’s Homeownership Education Program, contact Jenny Wortham, VAR Director of Community Outreach, at Jenny@VARealtor.com.

VAR Calendar of Events: January 2015

2015 Professional Standards Roadshow Where: NRVAR Board Office, Christiansburg, VA When: January 28, 2015 from 8:30 AM—12:30 PM

Every year, VAR sponsors local training for Boards of Directors; Professional Standards & Grievance Committee Members; Certified Eth-ics Trainers; Executive Officers and staff; and Mediators to learn the concepts and management of professional standards.

Visit www.varealtor.com/calendar for more information on VAR events

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News from the National Association of REALTORS® House Passes One-Year Extension of Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Tax Relief Article by Evan Liddiard, Ken Wingert from NAR

On Dec. 3, 2014, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, by a strong bipartisan vote of 378-46. The Senate has not yet acted on the tax extenders, but is expected to do so the week of Dec. 8. Please visit the Mortgage Debt Cancellation Relief page on realtor.org for any developments in the coming week. The House bill includes a one-year extension of several expired tax provisions that benefit REALTORS and their clients, including tax relief for mortgage debt forgiveness. The relief is effective retroactive to Jan. 1, 2014, but expires again in just a few weeks, on Dec. 31, 2014. Also included in the bill are one-year extensions of the 15-year depreciation schedule for leasehold improvements, the deduction of mortgage insurance premiums, and the deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings. The House action came in the final days of the post-election “lame duck” session of Con-gress, and followed the breakdown of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over a more robust bill that would have extended most of the 55 tax provisions that expired last Dec. 31 for two years and made several others permanent. A bipartisan agreement for this larger legislative deal seemed promising but was not final when the White House issued a veto threat on it because the overall package would not benefit enough lower-income taxpayers. With time running out before the expected Dec. 11 adjournment of the Congress, House leaders put together H.R. 5771 as a last effort to prevent tax increases for many Americans for 2014. While there are many in the Senate of both parties who are disappointed with only a one-year extension of the expired provisions, H.R. 5771 is likely to pass as the last best alternative to no tax extenders bill at all. The President has sig-naled that he will likely sign a one-year bill.

REALTOR® Fact of the Month

In 1912, a group of local board secretar-ies formed the first specialty division

within NAR, the As-sociation of Secretar-

ies of the National Association of Real Estate Boards. The group is still active

today as the Associa-tion Executives Com-

mittee.

The Advancement of Big DataA session at the 2014 REALTORS® Conference and Expo concluded that advances in mobile technology have the potential to change how consumers search online for real estate in a radical way. The NAR Managing Director of Data Analytics, Todd Carpenter, led the session by discussing how big data and mobile computing can be utilized by brokers, agents, and real estate portals to more effective-ly market properties to prospective buyers. The session included a discussion on how evolving mobile technology will enable buyers to perform real estate searches that are tailored to the individual without requiring the guidance of a web marketing portal. Further-more, with the advancement of mobile technology, buyers will have more information available to them. “A buyer could eventually ask an agent about how a home functions – such as how well it heats or the amount of electricity it uses during certain parts of the day –and receive an immediate answer with detailed graphics and analy-sis,” said Carpenter. “That information may not be readily available to buyers today, but it’s coming soon as more individuals use their smartphone to connect their home to the internet.” And just be-cause clients are collecting more information from the internet, that doesn’t mean real estate agents will no longer be needed; it means the role of the real estate agent will evolve. “REALTORS® should educate themselves about big data and be knowledgeable of how it’s being collected through mobile devices,” said Carpenter. “Buyers will increasingly use their smartphone during the search process – often times before first talking to an agent. REALTORS® who adapt and embrace big data will add considerable value to their relationship with clients.”

source: REALTOR® Mag

December 16 to 30, 2014 YOUR ACTION: Register for the Discov-ering Commercial Real Estate Online CourseYOUR REWARD: Receive a REALTOR® Brochure eProduct Bundle via download ($13.90 value), PLUS a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card! Within 48 hours of registering for your Discov-ering Commercial Real Estate Online Course during the offer peri-od you'll be sent a coupon code to order/download your free REALTOR® Brochure Product Bundle - Download using your promotional code in the Realtor.org/Store.Value: eProduct $13.90, Gift Card $100

Details: Purchase NAR’s Discovering Commercial Real Estate Online Course through REALTOR® University between December 16 to 31. Develop the business building skills and resources to rep-resent commercial buyers and sellers and find out how commercial real estate differs from residential. This is an ideal introductory course for those who are newly licensed and/or residential agents who want to learn more about commercial real estate. Only online course registrations between December 16-31, 2014 will be eligible for this offer, no past registrations will be accepted. Only U.S. members of the National Association of REALTORS® are eligible to receive this offer. Must have have an active NRDS ID. Multiple entries will not be accepted and only 1 purchase per person will qualify. Visit mvp.realtor.org for more details.

NAR December Member Offers

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Looking Back: The Month in Review

Radon in VA Real Estate Class with Ryan Paris

2015 Installation Breakfast

Generation X Home Buyer Generation X individuals represent the largest group of current home buyers, next to Millennials. Many Gen X buyers are making the largest home purchase of their lives, therefore this may be a group of potential clients you will want to connect with. See the infographic below for more de-tails on Gen X home buyers.

Never Forget Your Safety September may be REALTOR® Safety Month, but it’s important that REALTORS® keep safety top of mind every day. In addition to a training presentation, helpful tips, articles, videos and webinars, NAR has updated www.realtor.org/Safety with Resources for REALTORS®, which provides information on safety smart phone apps, safety products and a growing list of safety experts. The REALTOR® Safety Program reminds members to know about the potential dangers they face every day, take precautions and be pre-pared to avoid risky situations whenever possible.

2015 Annual REALTOR® Celebration

Friday, January 30, 2015, 6-9 PMThe Inn at Virginia Tech

$25 per person, $40 for couples

Registration Information:Phone: 540.381.9354; Email: mls@nrvar.com; Online: www.nrvar.com, Internet

Member ServicePayment is required for confirmed reservation.

Registration/Cancellation Deadline: Friday, January 23rd

Featuring the Rare Magic of Haydini

Please choose one of the following entrées: Beef

Fish (Mahi Mahi) Vegetarian Pasta

New River Valley Association of REALTORS® presents:

Cocktail Attire

* Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions

2 0 1 4 R P A C C o n t r i b u t o r s T o g e t h e r w e c a n r e a c h o u r

R P A C g o a l !

Invest in RPAC today! RPAC Fair Share:

Principal Brokers/Appraisers—$99.00

Associate Brokers—$65.00

REALTOR® Members—$35.00

Golden R $5000+

Charles Burnette

Sterling R $1000+

Louise Baker Jeannette Boyd Beth Dalton Amy Hudson Tina Merritt James Nolen NRVAR

$250+ Capitol Insider

Jeremy Hart Donna Travis

$99+ Club/Broker Fair Share

Marshall Anderson Rachel Anker-Johnson Dennis Bane Don Barker David Branch Tommy Clapp Ed Cox Scooter Darnall Booie DeHart Connie Dodson Susan Erickson Judy Fithian Ed Gallimore Bill Gearhart Darin Greear Ben Harris Matt Hicks Leslie Jester Ron Kindrick Frank Kregloe Phillip Morris Nancy Page Doug Phillips Bryan Rice

Phillip Russell Jeanne Stosser Joe Straub Susan Stroup Richard Varney James Wagoner Scott Ware

Associate Broker Fair Share $65+

Diane Boon Dee DeHart Wayne Elliott C.R. Gardner Jean Keith Tom Miller Trula Tuck

Agent Fair Share $35+

Donna Akers Donita Anderson Anne Collins Albimino Bernadette Alfonso Tiffany Armes Steve Ayers Jessica Benson-Taylor Laura Berry Chloe Bishop Daniel Bishop Reggie Britts Joel Burchett Sam Burnette Charlotte Chan Judy Chang Walters Barry Collier Pat Collins Karen Cox Barbara Cumbee Gary Douglas Cliff Dowdy Mike Eggleston Roxanne Elliott David Epperley Margaret Galecki

Joyce Graham Sandy Grant Rolfe Grubb Rebecca Hale Mary John Hall Aaron Harris Adam Harrison Maggie Hicks Anne Hite Rachel Hogan William Isenhour John Johnson Brian Juanarena Robert Kincaid Stephen Kitchen David Lane Carol Lidgard Angela Lieb Susanna Lilly Bill Linkenhoker David Mann Nancy Massey Elaine McKaughan Rita McKinster Aloma Meador Rhonda Melton Zac Milton Katie Monroe Priscilla Morris Patty Mostaghimi Heather Nipper Mike Noren Joy Nosenzo Tom O’Neill Mihwan Park David Phillips Michael Poldiak Pam Powell Adams Jeffrey Price Derek Reynolds Benita Rice Howard Sadler Angie Simpkins George Smith Rhonda Snider Desi Sowers

Jennifer Sowers Karen St. Clair-Nippert Sheila Stump Harry Surratt Stella Wheeling Chris Wilson Carrie Woodring Tom Woods Doug Wright Sheila Zellers Gerald Zirk

Participation up to $35

Linda Carter Chandler Carrie Cassady Debra Chase Terry McCraw Joan Mitchell Kenneth Parsons Hank Schneider John Skelton

Since 1969, the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) has promoted

the election of pro-REALTOR® candidates across the United States. The purpose of RPAC is clear: REALTORS®raise and

spend money to elect candidates who un-derstand and support their interests. The

money to accomplish this comes from vol-untary contributions made by REAL-

TORS®. These are not members’ dues; this is money given freely by REAL-

TORS® in recognition of how important campaign fundraising is to the political

process. RPAC doesn’t buy votes. RPAC enables REALTORS® to support candi-dates that support the issues that are im-

portant to their profession and livelihood.

2 0 1 4 A f f i l i a t e M e m b e r s Platinum Members - $2,000

Alcova Mortgage

First Bank & Trust Company

Shelor Motor Mile

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Gold Sponsors - $1,000

Atlantic Bay

Freedom First Credit Union

Hometown Mortgage

Patrick K. Moore, P.C.

Spicer Law Firm, P.C.

Southwest Virginia Moving & Storage

Union Mortgage Group

Silver Sponsors - $500

BB&T

Law Office of Diane L. Bibb

Pillar to Post

The Roanoke Times

Farm Credit of the Virginias

National Property Inspections

Quality Pro Home Inspections

The Shaheen Firm, P.C.

Bronze Sponsors - $250

Advanta Clean of Southwest Virginia

Advantage Title Insurance Agency, Inc.

Agricultural Economics, Virginia Tech

ALL Pest Control

All Seasons Pest Control, Inc.

Appalachian Inspections, Inc.

Brown Insurance

Bug Man Exterminating, Inc.

Clinton’s Transfer & Storage

CMG Leasing

Community Housing Partners

Dunmar Moving/Allied Van Lines

Embrace Home Loans, Inc.

Eric Johnsen State Farm

Foxridge/Hethwood Apartments

Gay & Neel, Incorporated

Henderson Roofing

Highlander Construction &

Development

Home Place Magazine

Inspections, Inc.

Legacy Builders NRV, Inc.

Member One Federal Credit Union

Mid-States Title of SWVA

National Bank

Premier Transfer & Storage, Inc.

ProTechs Home Inspections

Radon Safe

SAS Builders, Inc.

ServiceMaster of Blacksburg

Sean Shannon Photography

Squeaky’s Laser Wash

Stage 2 Smile, LLC

Stateson Homes

SunTrust Mortgage

Superior Exterminating Co., Inc.

The Real Estate Book of Blacksburg &

The New River Valley

TownBank Mortgage

Transitions Home Staging & Redesign

Turman State Farm Insurance

Valley Settlement Services

VHDA

Whitescarver Photography, LLC

WoodsEdge

For a comprehensive contact list, including address, phone numbers, and emails, please contact the Association Office.

Member input is essential to the success of the NRVAR! If you have any comments or suggestions for the Association, please send them to Molly Oudekerk at molly@nrvar.com

THANKS FOR READING! Like us on Facebook!

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