Individual Highlights:

Birthdays

Affiliates

WRA info

Special Interest

Articles:

Members on the Move

Calendar of Events

Announcements

Reminders

Sheboygan County Board of REALTORS ®

2015

BOARD OF

DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT

Barb Lukens

PRESIDENT ELECT

Barry Kreft

TREASURER

Derrick Hermann

NMLS #802725

SECRETARY

Kristine Hartmann

DIRECTORS

Connie Conrad

Jeanne Koehn

Steve Stoffregen

Tara Hocevar

Denise Summers

Sue Toerpe

Peggy Ayers

NMLS# 226399

(Affiliate director)

Matt Kapellen

(Past President)

EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jackie Kaiser

President’s Message

Happy New Year to all and hoping you all had a very Merry Christmas with your

family and friends and are ready to start a fantastic 2015. Did you make a New

Year’s resolution or maybe you just set out to make this your best year ever? 2015 is

the year to start out fresh and start running with a BANG!

The Core Standards is off and running. We had one meeting and I was happy to see

the large group of agents on the committee, thank you for stepping up. Let’s show

the public we are committed to our jobs and are working toward a stronger relation-

ship with them and our community.

We have a lot of new requirements for our agents this year with new well testing and

what that means for buyers and sellers. Jason from Complete Water discussed this at

our general membership meeting. But buying and selling couldn’t be better this year

with the interest rates steady and great inventory out there.

The five most common New Year’s resolutions are 1. Lose weight. 2. Volunteer to

help others. 3. Quit smoking. 4. Get a better education. 5. Save money. Only 8% of

people achieve their resolutions. My wish for the New Year is that we all work to-

gether to achieve resolution # 2. With your help 2015 can be our best year ever!

Barb

SAFETY TIP

Familiarize yourself with the exits: Prior to your open house, take a few

minutes to learn where the exits are and unlock the deadbolts, in case you

encounter a situation that requires a quick exit. Create a virtual floor plan of

the house using an app like Home Design 3D (iOS, Free).

Mark all entries and exits throughout the house so you can quickly exit if

necessary.

Members on the Move

2014 Dropped Membership

Adam Joseph, Amy Buechel (Classic Title), Anita Klein, Ashley Krause,

Ava Pack, Barbara Feld, Benjamin Franz, Carolyn Leynse, Cheryl Van Ells,

Christopher Ross, Dale Feld, Daniel Quinn (YourChoiceRealty) David Miller,

Gary Hale, Heather Kiehl, Jerome Fuhrmann, Jim Arentsen, Jim Glavan,

Judith Aldag, Kathleen Hoffman, Kevin Messner, Kristen Williams,

Lee Grosenick , Louella Koeppen, Margaret Ryan, Matthew Piper,

Meredith Bergersen, Peter Hammes, Rachel Marco, Randal Haag,

Richard Warden, Robert MacDonald, Scott Schultz, SuAnne Hartfiel,

Timothy Klingman, Vicki da Silva, Wendy Daane, Tim Mais

Calendar of Events January 1 New Years Day Board Office closed January 5 72 hour Pre-license Class January 16 Board Office Closed Special Meeting January 19 Martin Luther King Day January 21 MLS Committee 10:00am BOD Meeting 11:00

METRO NEWS

Be sure to keep up to date with the Flex system:

(Do we have you right email? You should receive the updates and tips each month)

For flexMLS Quick Tips

http://www.metromls.com/node/18

For MLS Support

support@metromls.com

For FYI issues:

http://www.metromls.com/node/283

For training class schedule

http://mlswis.com/calendar

THE COMMITTEE OF THE MONTH

RPAC COMMITTEE

Purpose: Collecting contributions to support the state and local political office in the State of Wisconsin.

Composition: Chairman (appointed by the President) and an at-large member

Term: One year

Duties and Responsibilities: Communicate what RPAC is and does

Collect contributions Coordinate RPAC functions

Promote political awareness and member involvement in the political process on National, State and Local levels.

Attend RPAC training seminar at WRA headquarters. Perform such other duties as directed by the Board of Directors or the President.

Board Directs NAR to Draft Member Code of Excellence

November 10, 2014

As part of a wide-ranging set of recommendations to raise the bar on REALTOR® professional-

ism, the NAR Board of Directors at its Nov. 10 meeting in New Orleans approved the drafting of

a proposed aspirational Code of Excellence to be brought to the board at a future meeting for ap-

proval. The goal is to raise the practice of real estate measurably through increased training in

the competencies that consumers value. These competencies include the stewardship of property

listing data, privacy and security of consumer information, advocacy of property rights, commu-

nity involvement, and technology.

“This is the first step in a process for the continuing improvement of our profession,” said NAR

President Steve Brown.

The provision was passed after extensive debate on the floor of the meeting. Related provisions

were also passed. These include provisions that would do the following:

• Change the frequency of NAR’s Code of Ethics educational requirement from every four

years to every two years, starting in 2016; add a biennial Code of Excellence education require-

ment; and mandate continual updating of the training.

• Help its members strive to be proficient in data content and have efficient access to the

broadest range of data available.

• Develop an industry standard that would allow consumers to evaluate REALTORS® fairly

and accurately.

House Passes One-Year Extension of Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Tax Relief

By Evan Liddiard, Ken Wingert

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 Congress, 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 biparti-

san 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 ex-

pired provisions, H.R. 5771 is likely to pass as the last best alternative to no tax extenders bill at all. The President

has signaled that he will likely sign a one-year bill.

Mortgage Cancellation Relief Passes Senate

The Senate passed mortgage debt cancellation relief as part of a large "tax-extender" bill just

before adjourning for the year, giving REALTORS® a hard-fought legislative victory. The

provision prohibits the IRS from taxing debt lenders forgive in a short sale, foreclosure, or loan

modification for the 2014 tax year. The House passed the provision last week, and President

Obama is expected to sign it into law. The legislation also includes one-year extensions of the

15-year depreciation schedule for leasehold improvements and the deduction for improvements

to energy efficient commercial buildings. "We are grateful to Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.,

and Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Reps. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., and Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., for

championing the provision," NAR President Chris Polychron says in a statement. NAR also

pressed lawmakers to extend terrorism risk insurance, which is critical to commercial mortgage

finance, but that provision will have to be taken up in 2015 under the new Congress.

The Winners of the 2014 Soup/Chili Cook-off

FIRST PLACE SECOND PLACE THIRD PLACE

Debbie Saueressig Cheryl Schommer Ann Rogers

Food Drive: We filled the Van

Here are some of the recipes from the Chili/Soup Cook-Off

#4 Hearty Cauliflower Soup by Debbie Saueressig *FIRST PLACE*

4 cups cauliflowerets

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 cups water

1 pound fully cooked smoked sausage, cubed

½ cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

8 ounces process American cheese, cubed

In a saucepan, cook the cauliflower and carrots in water until tender; set aside (do not drain). In a skillet over medium heat,

brown the sausage and onion, drain. Add flour, salt and pepper. Gradually add the milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2

minutes. Add cauliflower and carrots with cooking liquid; heat through. Stir in the cheese until melted. Yield 6-8 servings.

Enjoy.

#6 Italian Soup by Ann Rogers *THIRD PLACE*

2 pounds of Italian Sausage (bulk)

2 large onions – diced

1 large green pepper – diced

1 jar sliced mushrooms

2 – 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes

1 – 46oz can of V8 juice

4 Cups of water

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp salt

½ tsp Italian Seasoning

½ tsp dried thyme

1 cup Ready Cut Spaghetti (cook separately)

Cook the Italian Sausage. Drain grease. Add all ingredients in large pot and simmer for an hour. I like to blend the onions,

peppers and tomatoes in the blender for a smooth soup. You can leave them diced if you prefer a chunky style of soup. Add

the cooked noodles just prior to serving so they don’t get too mushy. This makes a very large batch and it freezes well.

#7 Turkey Wild Rice by Char Romanoski

I don’t really have a recipe. I just use turkey, chicken broth and Uncle Bens Chicken and Wild Rice along with whatever in-

gredients I like in a soup.

#8 Chili by Deena Bergstrom

1 lb ground beef (cooked and drained if necessary)

1 can chili magic

1 can rotel chilies

1/3 bottle chili sauce

cayenne pepper to taste

chili powder to taste

Combine everything in a crockpot and cook on low for up to 8 hours. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to you January 02 Bryan Daane, Matthew Piper

January 03 John Buss, Judy Opgenorth

January 05 Jay Schreurs

January 06 Margaret Trager

January 09 Katherine Cain, Rita Gast, Jeanne Koehn

January 12 Raymond Christ

January 13 Bonnie Plummer

January 14 Christine Mujkanovic, Daniel Quinn,

Gerald Vandermause

January 15 John Eisner, Mary Liebetrau

January 16 Paul Gottsacker, Joel Tetzner

January 17 Joseph Fannin

January 18 Edward Konz January 20 Ronald Karrels, Kimberly Riemer, Linda Serrano January 24 Cheryl Schommer January 25 David Last, Cleo Messner January 28 Roland Graumann January 29 Brian Homiston

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Board Office….……….………..892-7908

Board Fax………………………892-2182

Email………….Jackie@RealtorsBoard.com

Website…………………realtorsboard.com

WRA (www.wra.org)……...(608) 241-2047

Members only………..….....(800) 279-1972

Legal Hotline…….…...........(608) 242-2296

Members only…..……….…(800) 799-4468

MetroMLS………………....(414) 779-5400

Members only….………..…(800) 229-9211

Here are the phone numbers to contact your board of directors

when you have questions or concerns:

Barb Lukens 920-918-1412; Barry Kreft 920-980-3024; Kristine Hartmann 920-980-5542

Derrick Hermann (NMLS#802725) 920-528-8385; Steve Stoffregen 920-698-0527

Connie Conrad 920-892-7711; Jeanne Koehn 920-920-629-0866; Sue Toerpe 920-254-7766

Tara Hocevar 920-980-1675; Denise Summers 920-286-1187

Peggy Ayers (NMLS# 226399) 920-457-5626; Matt Kapellen 920-207-5450

639 Walton Drive Plymouth, WI 53073

www.RealtorsBoard.com

Phone: (920) 892-7908 Fax: (920) 892-2182

Email: Jackie@RealtorsBoard.com realtorsboard@yahoo.com (MLS email only)

All articles are reprinted with permission from the National Association of REALTORS®,

Wisconsin Association of REALTORS® and the Multiple Listing Corporation