Voice

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N e w R i ve r V al l e y A s s o ci a t i on o f RE A L TO R S ®

1 2 5 P o n d e r o s a D r .

C h r i s t i a n sb u r g , V A 2 4 0 7 3

P h on e : 54 0 . 38 1 . 9 35 4

w w w . n r v a r . c o m

w w w . f a c e b o ok . c o m /n r v r e a l t o r s

May 2019

In this issue:

2 Energy Efficiency

3 Rising Tech Companies

4 That’s Who We R

5 News from VAR

6 Looking Back

8 Upcoming Events

10 Register to Vote

11 RPAC Contributors

12 Affiliate List

April 2019 Home Sales Report

F or much of the country,

the first quarter of 2019

provided several

disruptive weather patterns that

contributed to less foot traffic

toward potential home sales.

Coupled with low affordability,

higher prices and an inventory

situation in its infancy of recovering from record lows – not to mention several more days of wintry weather in

April – slower sales persisted across most residential real estate markets. However, buyers are beginning to return

in force this spring. For well-priced homes in desirable locations, competition is fierce.

Closed Sales decreased 16.1 percent for Residential homes and 58.6 percent for Land properties. Pending Sales

increased 1.2 percent for Residential homes but decreased 25.9 percent for Land properties. The Median Sales

Price increased 4.9 percent to $194,000 for Residential homes and 7.3 percent to $67,500 for Land properties.

All data from New River Valley Multiple Listing Service®. Report © 2019 ShowingTime.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 23 BOD Meeting 9:30 AM May 29 VR Education Day 9:00 AM June 7 REALTOR®/Affiliate Picnic 4:00 PM July 18 Town Hall Meeting 8:30 AM

Energy Efficiency Brings Buyers, More Agents Say From: REALTOR® Magazine

A majority of real estate professionals—69 percent--said that promoting homes’ energy efficiency features in listings is very or somewhat valuable, according to the newly released REALTORS® & Sustainability Report. The National Association of REALTORS® surveyed about 6,000 real estate professionals to learn about their clients’ perceptions over sustainability in real estate. Agents need to be ready to answer questions on the topic, the study found. Thirty-four percent of agents say that over the last year, they’ve been directly involved with a property that had green features, either on the buyer or seller side. However, 36 percent of agents say they are not sure how comfortable they are answering clients’ questions about home performance; 20 percent said they were “uncomfortable”; and 6 percent said they were “extremely uncomfortable.”

Still, over half of agents and brokers say that consumers are interested in sustainability. Some of the top issues agents say they’re fielding questions about are related to lending options for energy upgrades or solar installations and to improving the energy efficiency of existing housing stock. But many agents are still unclear about a lot of sustainability issues involving properties. For example, 50 percent of agents say they aren’t sure if homes with green certifications increase or decrease time on the market. Thirty-eight percent were not sure how to connect clients with lenders who could help them in financing sustainability improvements on their property.

NAR offers the GREEN designation for real estate professionals to get advanced training in green building and sustainable business practices to help market properties with green features and respond to client questions. Also, NAR’s Sustainability Advisory Group is offering a chance for members to get engaged in their communities around sustainability initiatives.

Forty-one percent of agents said their MLS has fields for green data, and they typically use those fields

when they can to promote green features and energy information, the survey found.

The Green Features Customers Care Most About

Overall, the home features that agents said are the most important to clients related to a comfortable living space, proximity to frequently visited places, and quality windows, doors, and siding. In general, the top neighborhood features that agents said their clients were most looking for were access to schools (80 percent), access to shopping (72 percent), and parks and outdoor recreation (59 percent), the survey showed.

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From marketing platforms to safety and staging solution developers, several startup companies are positioning themselves to grow their footprint in the real estate space over this next year. Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of REALTORS®, announced its 2019 Reach class on Friday.

The growth accelerator program helps launch companies into the real estate, financial services, banking, insurance, and home services industries. Reach selects early- to mid-stage companies and provides industry expertise and exposure to help launch firms into the trillion-dollar real estate space.

“As the real estate industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Second Century Ventures has positioned NAR at the forefront of the emerging technology landscape,” says Bob Goldberg, NAR’s CEO. “Reach continues to recruit and accelerate the most promising new technology companies through education, mentorship, and marketing exposure efforts, driving industry innovation and our ability to deliver new technology to our members.”

The companies selected for the 2019 Reach class are:

Amarki: A seamless, automated marketing platform that helps real estate professionals integrate their systems in one place;

Curbio: A solution to help agents deliver results for home sellers through ROI-focused, pay-at-close renovations;

Evocalize: A platform that aims to simplify digital marketing tasks and help brokerages and agents deliver highly personalized social media advertising;

Kleard: A safety and productivity app that provides real-time verification for open houses and showings;

RateMyAgent: A digital marketing tool designed to help agents easily collect, share, and promote verified client feedback;

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reConsortia: An open, crowdsourced referral consortium that sets out to build transparency, enhance professional-ism, and provide an improved customer experience;

Staging & Design Network: This is touted as the first-ever online shared rental pool for home furnishings built for the real estate and home staging communities.

“The future of our industry is increasingly dependent on fast, seamless adoption of technology that benefits home buyers, sellers, and investors at every step of a real estate transaction,” says Mark Birschbach, NAR’s senior vice president of strategic business, innovation & technology. “Companies accepted to the Reach program are posi-tioned for rapid growth within the real estate, finance, and home services spaces, which will help them expand into other verticals and benefit the overall real estate in-dustry.”

Second Century receives hundreds of applications annu-ally for its nine-month Reach program. Companies are selected on demonstration of solid business models, exe-cutable business plans, and the potential for influence in the industry.

Reach was launched in 2012. Past Reach class companies, on average, have doubled their customer base and collec-tively raised more than $300 million in financing after being in the program. For more information on Reach, visit narreach.com.

7 Tech Companies Poised to Disrupt Real Estate From: REALTOR® Magazine

Helping consumers understand why working with a REALTOR® is the best choice for this life-changing transaction goes way back to 1913.

That’s when National Association of REALTORS® began to set their members apart by adopting a Code of Ethics that still guides the business decisions of 1.3M REALTORS® today. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics isn’t just words on a page, but is a pledge of honesty, integrity, professionalism, and community service. Partnering with a REALTOR® delivers the peace of mind that comes from working with a real person. A real advocate. A real, trusted professional who is committed to their clients’ futures and neighborhoods just as much as they are.

It’s the Code of Ethics that helped to inspire our new campaign, “That’s Who We R”. The campaign demonstrates the value of a REALTOR®, distinguishes REALTORS® from the rest, and delivers a sense of pride in being a REALTOR®.

R Stories

We all have a story to tell, and we want to hear from you!

The ‘That’s Who We R’ campaign shines a spotlight on REALTORS®, and ‘R Stories’ gives you one more way to get involved! What to do:

• Submit your story

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• Read the other stories submitted

• Share your favorites on social media

Some stories will be featured on www.ThatsWhoWeR.realtor and on social media. Each month the prompt will change, al-lowing you to submit multiple stories.

This month’s question is: In real estate, your business can often feel 24/7. This month, in honor of Mother’s Day, how do you manage your work/life balance? Can you offer a tip?

That’s Who We R From: National Association of REALTORS®

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News from the Virginia REALTORS®

Nominate a REALTOR®

The Virginia REALTORS® awards recognize outstanding leadership, accomplishments, and professionalism in the real estate industry. The recipients are recognized during a special ceremony at the Virginia REALTORS® Annual Convention. Nominations close May 31, 2019.

Virginia REALTORS® Annual Convention

Check out Caveat REALTOR®, a podcast from the Virginia

REALTORS® legal team. You’ll be able to listen on the go

with this new format of legal updates. Now available

through iTunes, Stitcher, and GooglePlay.

Volunteer with Virginia REALTORS®

The Virginia REALTORS® committee volunteer process began on May 1, 2019. You can apply now to serve on the 2020 Virginia REALTORS® Board of Directors or on a 2020 Virginia REALTORS® Committee.

Virginia REALTORS® Podcast

The 2019 Virginia REALTORS® Annual Convention is being held in Williamsburg, September 17—19. Registration is now open!

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Looking Back

2019 REALTOR® Celebration Gala February 22nd

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Looking Back

2019 REALTOR® Installation Breakfast November 28th

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 !

Golden R $5,000+

Beth Dalton

Charles Burnette

Sterling R $1,000+

Jeremy Hart

Amy Hudson

Donna Travis

NRVAR

Capitol Insider $250+

Diane Boon

Frank Kregloe

John Travis

Club/Broker Fair Share $99+

Rachel Anker-Johnson

Dennis Bane

Donald Barker

Roger Cupp

Marie David

David Epperley

Darin Greear

William Haithcock

Kit Hale

Rebecca Harris

Leslie Jester

Rob Jones

William McCraw

David Miller

Phillip Morris

James Nolen

Nancy Page

Douglas Phillips

Robert Poff

William Price

Bryan Rice

George Smith

Timothy Smoot

Jennifer Sowers

Jeanne Stosser

Mary Wright

Associate Broker Fair Share

$65+

Steve Bodtke

Jeannette Boyd

Mike Eggleston

C.R. Gardner

Kerry Gillispie

James Parker

Erin Vogt

Agent Fair Share $35+

Anne Collins Albimino

Bernadette Alfonso

Donita Anderson

Stephen Ayers

Tammy Baldwin-Boboli

Jessica Benson Taylor

Travis Bishop

Tim Bower

Reggie Britts

Wendy Brown

Christine Chittenden

Tommy Clapp

Lisa Collins

Karen Cox

Dari Cupp

Kaleb Delk

Joseph Dykes

Susan Erickson

Judy Fithian

Linda Freeman

Lauren Frizzell

Edward Gallimore

Lucas Goodykoontz

Joyce Graham

Sandy Grant

Carmen Gravely

Rebecca Hale

Cline Hall

Anne Hite

Rachel Hogan

Tim Hudson

Cynthia Ilewicz

William Isenhour

Mitch Jearls

Michele Jeuck

Chris Johnson

Tombo Jones

David Lane

Carol Lidgard

Bill Linkenhoker

Leaona Lucas

Nancy Massey

Ryan McCollum

Rhonda Melton

Sheila Miles

Katherine Monroe

Pamela Montgomery

Priscilla Morris

Stephen Munro

Michael Noren

Marshall Overstreet

David Phillips

Vickie Phillips

Mary Piemonte

Pamela Powell Adams

Jeffrey Price

Leslie Roberson

Ellen Rorrer

Susan Russell

Jim Sarver

Henry Schneider

Mark Sechrest

John Skelton

Skip Slocum

Peggy Smith

Despina Sowers

Sheila Spindler

Rayne Stenger

Greg Vidmar

Therese Walters

Michael Weber

Carrie Woodring

Brenda Woody

Roland Wright

Sheila Zellers

Participation

Up to $35

Debra Chase

Joan Mitchell

Christopher Smith

Peg Warren

Deborah Crigger

Nancy Corvin

Doug Trexell

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 understand and support their interests. The money

to accomplish this comes from voluntary contributions made by

REALTORS®. These are not

members’ dues; this is money given freely by REALTORS® in

recognition of how important campaign fundraising is to the

political process. RPAC doesn’t buy votes. RPAC enables

REALTORS® to support candidates that support the issues that are

important to their profession and livelihood.

Invest in RPAC today! RPAC Fair Share: Principal Brokers/Appraisers—$99.00

Associate Brokers—$65.00

REALTOR® Members—$35.00

2019 A f f i l i a t e Member s

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! w ww. f a ceb oo k .co m/n r v r ea l to r s

@n r v r ea l to r s

Gold Members—$1,000 Annie Mac Home Mortgage Farm Credit of the Virginias First Heritage Mortgage Southwest Virginia Moving & Storage Spicer, Olin & Robertson, P.C. Virginia Title Center

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Platinum Members—$2,000 ALCOVA Mortgage Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group First Bank & Trust Company First Community Bank Freedom First Credit Union Member One Federal Credit Union Movement Mortgage Patrick K. Moore, P.C

Residential Mortgage Services, Inc The Shaheen Firm, P.C.

Silver Members—$500 American National Bank and Trust Company BB&T Mortgage, Inc. Brooks Title & Escrow Carter Bank & Trust Embrace Home Loans, Inc. Law Office of Diane L. Bibb National Bank Pillar to Post Home Inspections Quality Pro Home Inspections Quest Floor Care, LLC. Sage Title Group The Roanoke Times True North Title VHDA

Bronze Members—$250 ACE Home Services ALL Pest Control All Seasons Pest Control, Inc. Appalachian Inspections, Inc. Astrid Environmental Services Baseline Solar Solutions Bank of James Mortgage Brown Insurance Budget Blinds of Salem Bug Man Exterminating, Inc. Carper Insurance Associates Clinton’s Transfer & Storage CMG Leasing Cornerstone Inspections Cutco Closing Gifts Dunmar Moving/Allied Van Lines Dwell Check LLC Eric Johnsen State Farm First Residential Mortgage Foxridge/Hethwood Apartments Gay & Neel, Inc. Green Home Solutions Henderson Roofing Home Place Magazine Housing Connections, Inc.

Inspections, Inc. Legacy Builders NRV, Inc. National Property Inspections of SWVA Radford Radon Abatement Residence Inn—Marriott SAS Builders, Inc. Sci-Tech Shelter Alternatives Stage 2 Smile, LLC Stateson Homes Superior Exterminating Co., Inc. That Place Home Inspections The Federal Savings Bank The Orange Bandana, LLC Virginia Varsity Self Storage

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