JULY 2018

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE SAN ANTONIO AREA REALTORS®

KEEPING POSTED

Legal & Ethics

For REALTORS®, a first-rate education can be the difference between a lucrative career and a not-so-successful one. With a busy schedule and the need to cut the clutter and focus on the most essential information, it’s important to find classes that match your needs.

The REALTOR® Academy is your go-to resource for outstanding education. With a renewed focus, new brand and altogether new approach to education, this is the school for you.

Choose from a diversity of courses tailored to meet the ever-changing needs of agents. For example, are you trying to focus on a certain part of town or type of property and become the expert in that area? The REALTOR® Academy now offers a series of courses specifically on finding and growing your niche. The Hyperlocal series helps agents focus on the identity, growth and strategy of their community in order to provide a unique service to their clients.

How about commercial real estate training? The REALTOR® Academy has introduced a sequence of courses that covers everything from the basics of commercial transactions to commercial technology and commercial leasing strategies. Explore how to avoid the typical pitfalls made by inexperienced commercial agents and gain a deeper understanding of what a commercial lease covers. This will help you navigate this diverse transaction type and show your clients you are the most knowledgeable resource for them.

What about safety? The REALTOR® Academy has launched a new safety course called “Real Estate Safety Matters: Safe Business = Smart Business” which covers safety awareness and how to create second-nature habits to help you avert or respond to dangerous situations.

The REALTOR® Academy is also introducing the Historic Home Specialist Certification (HHS) in partnership with the City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation (OHP). The course material for this unique certification will highlight the importance of promoting and protecting the distinctive historic structures, archaeological sites and design features of San Antonio. REALTORS® will learn regulations, processes and programs to better understand historic properties and accurately guide clients when buying or selling these types of homes.

Are you interested in learning about the types of home improvement loans that are available to your clients? If so, take advantage of REALTOR® Academy’s new “Don’t Fear the Fixer Upper: Renovation Lending Overview.” This class will equip you to help clients understand the possibilities of refurbishing to achieve their dream home.

If you work with farm and land properties REALTOR® Academy’s “Trending Topics in Farm and Land” class is for you! The course covers the latest issues affecting the farm and land market, including land trends, contract informed updates, and wildlife management.

To make the learning process as efficient and convenient as possible for students, many of the REALTOR® Academy’s courses are offered in-person at two locations as well as online, and schedules are available daytime, evenings and weekends. Register for your next class by visiting www.realtoracademy.com.

Still have questions? Email one of our knowledgeable Academic Advisors at info@realtoracademy.com.

Photographs and Photographers Listing photos are vital to all listings. They provide a visual introduction to the property for prospective buyers. As essential as these photos are to your marketing campaign, so should be the license agreement you obtain from the photographer who takes the photos.

The photos you obtain from a photographer are going to be used in your print and online marketing. It is also possible that you might use the photos for other purposes, such as on your company webpage. The questions you need to ask yourself are, “What license have I been given by the photographer?” and “In what ways can I use the photos?”

In a recent court case, a photographer sued a brokerage for illegal use of photographs. The photographer alleged that the photos were given with a license that they were only to be used while the property was actively being marketed. When the photos were still being used even after the property had sold, the photographer instituted a lawsuit. In this instance, the brokerage had taken all the necessary steps to protect themselves, and they were able to avoid liability. But one of the few things that was potentially the most damaging was the fact that they had only obtained a limited type of license for use of the photographs.

When you hire a photographer, make certain you review the type of licensing agreement you enter into with the photographer so you know how the photos may be used. A critical component to review is whether the license agreement is a limited use agreement or an exclusive use agreement. The National Association of REALTORS® has provided sample agreements for your use that can be found at https://www.nar.realtor/legal/copyright-trademark/listing-photo-sample-agreements.

New Courses Offered at the REALTOR® Academy at SABOR

San Antonio – The San Antonio area housing market is continuing to outpace last year, as summer gets into full swing. May reported an eight percent increase in home sales over last year for a total of 3,326 homes sold, according to the Multiple Listing Service Report from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® (SABOR) which reports on all areas contained within the MLS. Average and median prices both experienced five percent year-over-year growth, with the average rising to $270,324 and the median increasing to $231,900. Months of inventory remained low with 3.6 months available in May, a slight decrease from the 3.7 months available in May the previous year.

“Prices tend to rise in the summer months as demand increases. People often want to move before the next school year starts making it a popular buying and selling season,” said Lorena Peña, SABOR’s 2018 Chairman of the Board. “With such high demand and low inventory, it is important to work with your REALTOR® to navigate your options and be ready to make a decision quickly.”

As home buying season heats up, home sellers are taking advantage of the competitive market to list their homes. In fact, new listings totaled 4,532 in May, an increase of over 300 more than this time last year. Additionally, there are a total of 9,531 active listings on the market in May and the month ended with 2,917 sales still pending.

In the San Antonio area, the majority of homes sold were priced between $200,000 and $500,000, with those sales making up 57.3 percent of the month’s market. Meanwhile, homes priced under $200,000 accounted for 36.6 percent of the sales in May and homes priced over $500,000 made up six percent of the market.

Bexar County reported a total of 2,333 single-family homes sold in May, a 1.9 percent year-over-year increase. The average price of a home sold in the county was $258,352, a 5.1 percent increase from 2017 while the median price increased 5.3 percent to $218,000.

In Texas, home sales in May increased 2.7 percent for a total of 32,416 homes sold. The average price of a home sold in the state was $295,549 and the median was $241,000, both increases from last year. On average homes sold in 53 days for $127 per square foot.

Home Sales, Prices Increase as Summer Heats Up

November 2017

San Antonio Area May 2018

A COMPLETE LIST OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS, EDUCATION COURSES AND OTHER BOARD EVENTS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT SABOR.COM

UPCOMING BOARD EVENTSJuly 2018

WELCOME NEW AFFILIATE MEMBERS

Fair Housing Commemorative Event11SABOR

Offices Closed4

Facebook.com/SABoardofREALTORS

Linkedin.com/companies/san-antonio-board-of-realtors

@ SABoardREALTORS

YouTube.com/SABoardofREALTORS

Pinterest.com/SABoardREALTORS

@SABoardREALTORS

Dominic Aruizu - Window to WallKristi Baker - Texas WDI Inspections

Corey Boling - 3G RoofingChristian Green - Original Bug Company San Antonio Inc.

Charles Howard III - Original Bug Company San Antonio Inc.HeeJim Karras - H Karras Photography

May Landon - Wells Fargo Home MortgageDavid Nasis - On the Move, Inc.Scott Otwell - Junk Ropers LLC

Sheridan Smurr - Sonora Title, LLC

Know Your City - Brooks13

Our thoughts and prayers go out to REALTOR® Jan Hicinbothom for the passing of her brother and to the friends and family of REALTOR® John Crone & REALTOR® Molly Ruiz.

THOUGHTS & PRAYERS

Summer Soiree for TREPAC26 General

Membership Breakfast31

The San Antonio Board of REALTORS® is an advocate for community involvement and actively participates with our two charities of choice: Habitat for Humanity and SAMMinistries. These charities reflect the values and goals SABOR members strive for, to help the San Antonio community find a place to call home. Each year SABOR members participate in numerous activities with both charities, find out here how you can get involved.

SAMMinistries’ mission is to help the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless attain self-sufficiency by offering, with dignity and compassion, shelter, housing and services. Each year SABOR participates in a variety of events and drives for the residents of SAMMinistries. Right now, if you stop by SABOR’s Member Care Department, you will see the big yellow school bus and information about the uniform drive for the children at the shelter. To participate, select a card which indicates a child in need of school clothing including size and type of clothing. Please note that each child needs two sets of clothes. Simply purchase your items at your preferred retailer, and bring them back to SABOR by Monday, July 30. Remember to attach the card indicating the child for whom the clothes were purchased.

In the last two years, SABOR began a tradition of hosting dinners for the residents of the SAMMinistries Transitional Living and Learning Center. This year SABOR will be hosting two dinners for the residents, one on September 27th and the other on November 15th. If you would like to volunteer your time to help prepare dinner, no special culinary skills are required.

During the month of November SABOR hosts a toy drive that all members are encouraged to participate in. This event provides small holiday gifts for the children at the SAMM shelter. SABOR also hosts “Santa at SAMM,” an event which allows the families at SAMMinsitries to participate in holiday arts and crafts and get family pictures with Santa. This is a fun event and volunteers are always welcome.

Additionally, SABOR members participate in build days with Habitat for Humanity, to join them in their mission to eliminate poverty housing in San Antonio. Build Days include painting, siding, roofing, cleaning and trimming the homes. On October 12th, SABOR is hosting their second build of the year. If you would like to participate please register on IMS, availability is limited.

With several charitable events coming up, stay up-to-date with SABOR events by visiting SABOR’s Facebook page. If you would like to participate in any of the events mentioned above please email communications@sabor.com for more details.

Get Involved with SABOR’s Charities of Choice

American Home ShieldApartment & Relocation CenterBBVA CompassBugco Pest ControlBuilder BoostBuilder GuideCalibert Home LoansCarter TX RealtyChicago TitleDon Hendricks Real Estate CenterDirections Home LoanFirst American Home Warranty

Gehan HomesLoan DepotLogiciel Prospects SoftwareMovement MortgageNew Leaf HomesOVM FinancialPure Pro BuildersRialto HomesSA Real Estate ShopSouth Central SurveyorsTop Flite Financial Inc.

Alamo Zippy ShellBella Vista HomesCapital Farm CreditColdwell Banker D’AnnHarper REALTORS®

David Weekley HomesHome Warranty of AmericaImagine HomesJefferson Bank

KB HomeLennar HomesMonticello HomesNARPMOneGuard Home WarrantyOpen MortgageRE/MAX of TexasSecurity Service FCUSentrilock

SUPRASWBC MortgageTAPFCUTexas Farm Credit ServiceTrinity Title

dynaConnectionsLegacy Mutual Mortgage

Meritage Homes

Thank You to Our SABOR Advertisers

BronzeSilver

Gold

Richard Alcorta

Tim Brown

Michelle Ellis

Sara Gerrish

Cortney Gill

Tracie Hasslocher

Ben Henderson

Diane Lauer

Cher Miculka

Patsy Oakley

Trudy Pape

Susan Rodriguez

Kim Young

ChairmanLorena Peña

Chairman-ElectMarty Hutchison

Member-At-LargeKim Bragman

Member-At-LargeGrant Lopez

Immediate Past ChairmanYvette M. Allen

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

REALTOR® AcademyPlatinum