The 2010 dues are $346.00. This rate reflects a dues increase from the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS^® (PAR). PAR dues increased from $95.00 to $105.00. The Greater Harrisburg Association REALTORS^®, National Association of REALTORS^® and Public Awareness Assessment portion of dues remains the same as the previous year.

Please note the following dues payment policies:

Payment of dues is non-refundable.
Dues may be paid by cash, check, VISA, MasterCard, or American Express
The $35 NAR Public Awareness Assessment is required.
The $49.50 RPAC contribution is encouraged but voluntary.
RPAC contributions, in any amount, may be made when paying dues either by credit card, check or online through our website, www.ghar.info.
REALTOR^® dues are due and paid in full on or before January 3 and are considered past due after that date.
Payment must be received by the Association - not postmarked to be considered paid by a certain date.
After January 3, you will be assessed a $50 late fee.
If not paid by January 10, you will be assessed an additional $50 late fee.
If paying by check or credit card, please mail to GHAR, P.O. Box 244, Elizabethtown, PA 17022-0244 - this is our bookkeeping service - please do not mail payment to the Association office.
You may pay online at www.ghar.info with VISA, MasterCard, or American Express. Go to Members Only section. Paying online is EASY; however, you must know your password to sign on to the Members Only section. Call the Association if you do not know your password.

Brokers are notified of all past due accounts.

2009 HOLIDAY LUNCH AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS INSTALLATION!
The 2009 Holiday Lunch and Board Installation is scheduled for Friday, December 4, 2009 at the Holiday Inn East, Harrisburg. This year, Awards will be presented for REALTOR^® of the Year, Affiliate of the Year, Professional Merit and Hall of Fame. Additional awards will be presented to our 25 Year members and REALTOR^® Emeritus. Registration begins at 11:00 a.m. with Program and Lunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $20 per person.

Special thanks to The Central Penn Multi-List, Inc., The Patriot-News Company, Gloria Latin, Bank of America and Peter Jones, SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. for sponsoring this event!

Donate to Project S.H.A.R.E.!
Please consider donating one or more non-perishable food items or personal care items to Project S.H.A.R.E. You may also write a check payable to Project S.H.A.R.E. Contributors to Project S.H.A.R.E. will be eligible for a door prize!

ORIENTATION
Orientation is required for all new REALTOR^® members. You must meet this requirement within the first two offerings of applying for membership. Learn what it means to be a REALTOR^®, your obligation to abide by our Code of Ethics, and the many benefits and services that the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^®has to offer. A boxed meal is provided by the sponsor of the orientation.

Orientation will be held on the following dates and times: (Registration begins at 10:45 a.m.)
December 9, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. sponsored by SunTrust Mortgage, Inc.
January 20, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. sponsored by SunTrust Mortgage, Inc.

Remember failure to attend orientation as required may result in paying an additional application fee.

Sign up now for a Newsletter Sponsorship or House Cover Photo
The Association is now accepting reservations for the house cover photo and the sponsorship of the electronic newsletter. If you would like to showcase a home or development in the electronic newsletter or sponsor the newsletter as an advertiser, please contact Sara Bradnick for more information at sara@ghar.info or (717) 364-3200.

ICI BREAKFAST - JANUARY 7, 2010
The January ICI Breakfast is sponsored by GreenWorks Development. The breakfast will be held at the Campus Square Building, 1426 N. 3^rd Street, Harrisburg. Attendees are encouraged to bring marketing materials to the meeting and to utilize the Marketing Exchange Table. Registration is at 7:50 a.m. Breakfast begins at 8:00 a.m. Reservations are required by noon on Wednesday, January 6. Register online at www.ghar.info or call (717) 364-3200. Commercial REALTORS^®: the deadline to submit PowerPoint slides for the ICI Listings Slideshow is Monday, January 4, 2010.

GREATER HARRISBURG REALTORS^® INSTITUTE

GHRI BI-WEEKLY E-MAIL
To help decrease the size and scope of the weekly email, the Association has decided to send out a separate email highlighting upcoming classes held at the Greater Harrisburg REALTORS^® Institute. Look for the e-mail to be sent out the second and fourth Mondays of the month.

REQUIRED COURSE FOR NEW LICENSEES
If you were initially licensed on December 1, 2007 or later, to renew your license in May 2010 you will need to complete a required course for new licensees during the 2008-2010 renewal period. GHRI is offering the General Module and the Residential Module. Please call GHRI at (717) 364-3205 for dates .

SAVE THE DATE! 2010 FOUNDATION COMEDY NIGHT!
The Foundation's Comedy Night will be held on Friday, February 19, 2010 at Duke's Bar & Grill in Wormleysburg. Additional details and ticket release information coming soon!

Interested in being a sponsor? A $250 sponsorship gives your company event promotions, recognized at the event and you may submit a company banner to be displayed at each show. Contact Sara Bradnick at the Association office by calling (717) 364-3200!

Note: The official registration and financial information of the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® Foundation may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to a battery issue, SUPRA has started replacing all Active Keys. When you receive your new Active Key, simply follow directions included to return your old Active Key to SUPRA.

FREE WEBINAR TRAINING
Do you want training on the Paragon system but just can't seem to make it to one of our monthly classes? Here is your chance to get training in the privacy of your home. Stay in your pajamas, grab a cup of coffee and learn the Paragon system!!

FREE Webinar Paragon Training presented by the Paragon Training Team at LPS!! Click Here for more information and the registration page.

Here are the upcoming topics:

Dec 8th 11:00 am and Dec 9th 4:00 pm - User Preferences (Agent Photos & Logos, Market Monitor and more)

Dec 15^th 11:00 am and Dec 16^th 4:00 pm - CMA (Learn how to complete a CMA including adjustments, cover letter, resume and more)

Please call the CPML office at (717) 761-8440 to register.

IBOX LEASE PRICE SALE!
The CPML board of Directors has announced another iBOX lease price sale. From now through the end of December 2009, or while supplies last, the lease price on the iBox will be $42.40 (including tax).

UPDATE ON CPML OPEN HOUSE WEB SITE
NEW! CPML is implementing a new feature on the CentralPennOpenHouse.com website. When the consumer views the results of their search, there will now be a "CALL BUTTON" located under the photo of the property. When they click on this, they will be prompted to enter their telephone number. They are informed at this time, if they continue they are placing a call to a Licensed Real Estate Agent. At this point the system will then dial both the agents' phone number and the consumers' phone number. The system is designed that the consumers' phone rings first, when they pick up their receiver they will hear the agents' phone ringing. The connection is made. There is no fee to the agents for this service at this time.

As an agent, you can decide if you do not want the consumer to contact you. Fax a statement to the CPML office at (717) 737-5073 to inform us and we will turn the service off on your name. If you have any questions, please call the CPML office at (717) 761-8440.

REALTOR.COM UPDATE!
Realtor.com will soon be showing four photos with their free listings on their site. CPML will provide the first 4 photos of the 12 allowed in our system. If you have more than four photos in Paragon, you have the ability to rearrange them.

PARAGON TRAINING SCHEDULE
Training classes have been scheduled on the following dates for the PARAGON system:
                           December 10, 2009
                           January 21, 2010
                           February 11, 2010
                           March 4, 2010
                           April 8, 2010

Basic class will be held at 9:00 a.m. The Basic Class covers simple searches, descriptions of terms used in the PARAGON system, introduction to input sheets, CPML input rules for paragon as well as system requirements. The Basic Class also provides a brief look at the financial program.

Advanced class will be held at 1:00 p.m. The Advanced Class covers creating CMA's and using the Contact Manager to manage clients as well as send automatic emails.

You need only attend one day, but you may attend more than one class if you choose. Please call the CPML office at
(717) 761-8440 to reserve a time. Classes are held at the GHAR Office at 424 N. Enola Drive, Enola, PA 17025.

PAR LAUNCHES PARJUSTLISTED.COM
On September 23, the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS^® launched PARJustListed.com. This new site is easily accessible and contains the latest on real estate issues that affect your business. PARJustListed.com also features daily news and weekly podcasts on industry topics that will keep you on the cutting edge of the real estate market. With this new site, PAR will provide you with more timely information on a daily basis. PARJustListed.com is the one stop news source for REALTORS^® on the move and is also available on your mobile phone at m.parjustlisted.com. Check out this great new site from PAR!

FAQS OF ACT 14 OF 2009
For the past several years, PAR has been working to amend the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA) in two key areas. In early July we helped to pass what is now Act 14 of 2009, which takes effect on September 4, 2009.

The first change allows licensees to be paid through "qualified associations" that are established by one or more licensees affiliated with the same broker. Up until this change, the law required that brokers pay licensees directly and not through any sort of a corporate entity. Now, brokers can pay to (and licensees can be paid as) certain entities as laid out in the law.

There are a number of issues to be considered when deciding whether or not to establish a qualified association. These include:

whether the broker allows them as a brokerage practice
what tax or business benefits may be gained from setting up such an entity
whether you are willing and able to maintain the entity in compliance with RELRA and relevant state/federal laws that apply to the entity.

The second change clarifies a number of issues relating to escrow requirements. The biggest change to the escrow rules now permits brokers to release escrow where there is a dispute between the parties if the parties agreed in advance how the money should be distributed in the event of an unresolved dispute. The PAR Standard Forms Oversight Committee will be working on appropriate forms language to assist members in handling this issue.

Direct links:
Blog post - http://blog.parealtor.org/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=163
Resource Page - http://www.parealtor.org/content/RELRA2009.htm
Issues Resource Center - http://www.parealtor.org/content/IssuesResourceCenter_main.htm (use link for “2009 RELRA Amendments”)

JOIN THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NETWORK!
Interested in networking with local professionals in Central PA? Then join the Young Professionals Network!
Email Adrienne Loughery at adrienne.loughery@verizon.net if you would like to join this social networking group.

DNCQUICKCHECK PROGRAM AVAILABLE AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE
DNCQuickcheck, is the easy-to-use Do Not Call compliance solution for real estate professionals. If you call or e-mail prospects - referrals, expired listings, FSBOs - you need to complete protection against Do Not Contact laws. With DNCQuickcheck, you can take a proactive approach for your marketing campaigns. And only DNCQuickcheck includes everything you need in one quick, easy-to-use Internet-based service.

Get the protection you need now! Call PossibleNOW at (800) 585-4888 or (770) 255-1020 or visit www.dncquickcheck.com.

Are you a member of PAR? Use the discount code of sc0986pr to receive special rates for real estate professionals!

U.S. TREASURY UNVEILS SHORT SALES ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
On November 30, the U.S. Treasury Department unveiled its Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA). HAFA is part of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), and it provides incentives in connection with a short sale or a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (DIL) used to avoid foreclosure on a loan eligible for modification under the HAMP program. The HAFA program does not apply to loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, as both these entities will be issuing their own versions of the HAFA program in the coming weeks. Click here for more information on the NAR Web site.

PA HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY RESTARTS TAX CREDIT ADVANCE LOANS
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency announced that it will use an additional $5 million to fund its Tax Credit Advance (TCA) loan program. The TCA program provides interest-free loans to use towards down payment and/or closing costs. If the TCA loan is repaid by June 30, 2010, the loan is completely interest-free. Click here to read more about this issue on PARJustListed.com.

CONTACT GHAR TO SCHEDULE A GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICE VISIT!
Is your office interested in a government affairs update during one of your sales meetings? Are you looking for more information about what is going on at the local, state, and national level? If so, please contact Sherri Pursel at the Association to schedule a Government Affairs Office Visit. Sherri will come to your office during one of your sales meetings and make a 15 to 20 minutes presentation about government affairs and the important issues facing REALTORS^® at all three levels of government. It is a great opportunity to learn more about legislative “hot topics” and what is happening in government affairs! Feel free to contact Sherri at sherri@ghar.info or by calling (717) 364-3200.

CONGRESS PASSES FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT EXTENSION!
On November 5, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that included an extension of the first-time homebuyer tax credit. The U.S. Senate previously passed the tax credit extension on November 4. The extension was signed into law by President Obama on November 6. Under the approved legislation, the tax credit would be extended until April 30, 2010, and it would be expanded to include current homeowners who have lived in their primary residents continuously for five years out of the last eight years. Click here for more information on the NAR Web site. Click here for a summary chart regarding the tax credit extension.

BROKERS/MANAGERS CAN REQUEST OFFICE’S RPAC CONTRIBUTIONS REPORT
Attention brokers and office managers: If you are interested in learning who in your office has invested in RPAC, GHAR can provide you a report listing all your agents and their contributions to RPAC. Please feel free to contact Sherri Pursel at the Association for this report.

SIGN-UP to be a MUNICIPAL Political CONTACT!
GHAR is still searching for volunteers to be Municipal Political Contacts. As a Political Contact, GHAR will work with you when issues impacting REALTORS^® and the real estate industry arise in your municipality. GHAR’s goal is to identify REALTORS^® from each municipality in our tri-county area to be Political Contacts. We are still in need of contacts for the following municipalities:

If you are interested in participating in this vital program, please contact Sherri Pursel.

COURTESY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Condolences
Our condolences go out to Sharon Helsel of Prudential Homesale Services Group, on the recent passing of her father.

Our condolences go out to Vi Thompson and Steve Thompson of Prudential Thompson Wood, who's husband and father passed away recently.

In this Email: