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.)
February 23, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. sponsored by Fine Line Homes
April 21, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

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

2009 COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Thank you to all of our members who volunteer to serve the Association and the industry by serving on a committee - you do make a difference! If you are interested in serving on any Association or Foundation committees in 2009, please notify the Association as soon as possible. The Association is creating our 2009 committees. If you were an active member of a committee in 2008, you will be automatically assigned to serve on that committee again in 2009. If you were not an active member of the committee, you will be dropped from the committee. If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Cuddeford or Kathy Ludwig at 364-3200.

ICI BREAKFAST - FEBRUARY 5
The February ICI Breakfast is sponsored by NAI CIR. The breakfast will be held at the Sturbridge Business Park, 2805 Old Post Road, 2nd Floor, Harrisburg. As was announced in the reminder e-mail sent earlier this month, the ICI Board is trying a new format to kick-off 2009. This breakfast meeting will not feature a speaker. Instead, attendees will have more time for informal networking and the Marketing Exchange. Attendees are encourage 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, February 4. Register online at www.ghar.info or call 364-3200.

ICI BREAKFAST - MARCH 5
The March ICI Breakfast is sponsored by Commerce Bank. The breakfast will be held at the Colonial Country Club, 4901 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg. As with the February breakfast, this meeting will not feature a speaker. 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, March 4. Register online at www.ghar.info or call 364-3200.

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 email to be sent out the second and fourth Mondays of each 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. Many of the "approved for continuing education" credits for Pennsylvania licensees currently being offered will not fulfill this continuing education requirement. If you have any questions about continuing education requirements contact GHRI at 364-3205.

PRE-LICENSING PACKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Pre-licensing packets including the spring pre-licensing class schedule is now available! Offices interested in receiving packets for distribution may contact Liann at 364-3205.

2009 COMEDY NIGHT! PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
Join us and support the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® Foundation at the 2009 Comedy Night on Friday, February 27 featuring Wise Crackers Comedians! Show times include 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Duke's Bar and Grille at 313 S. Front Street in Wormleysburg. Tickets are now available, cost is $20 per ticket. Seating is limited so please call today! All proceeds from this event go to the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® Foundation!

Interested in Sponsoring this event? Contact Sara at the Association by calling 364-3200 or email her at sara@ghar.info.

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.

iBOX LEASE PRICE SALE
In light of the current economy, the CPML Board of Directors has decided to have a “Lease Price Sale” on SUPRA iBoxes. Starting today thru March 31, 2009, the lease price for an iBox will be $53.00 ($50.00+tax)I would like to remind you of some of the benefits to using SUPRA iBoxes. The boxes are secure and can only be opened by agents with SUPRA Active Keys or eKeys.

An agent has the ability to assign their iBoxes to a particular Multi-List number in the Paragon system or by logging onto www.supraekey.com. You will then have the ability to obtain reports to see who has entered your property for any given time period. You can also receive an email when an agent has opened your iBox.

MANAGING CONTACTS AND AUTO NOTIFICATIONS IN THE PARAGON SYSTEM
CPML will be offering a class on Managing Contacts and Auto Notifications in the Paragon System February 20, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Class will be held in the GHAR building at 424 N. Enola Drive. Please call CPML at 761-8440 to register.

DICK BETTS IS RETURNING!
Mark you calendars for April 27 and 28. CPML will once again be presenting Dick Betts and 4 opportunities to brush up on, or learn new Smartphone Skills. We are looking at other topics as well, further details will be announced soon.

SUPRA SOLUTION FOR BLACKBERRY USERS
SUPRA has announced a solution for Blackberry users. CLICK HERE for information. Information is also available under MLS Docs.

CPML OPEN HOUSE WEBSITE

CentralPennOpenHouse.com is live! Consumers are now able to access this site and search, using individualized parameters, all scheduled open houses posted within the paragon system. Posting of your open houses is an existing function within the paragon system. But now, with our new WEB site, your clients and customers will have the ability to access the data on the Internet at CentralPennOpenHouse.com

We have begun promotion of this site with billboards and newspaper ads; we need you to promote this site to your clients and potential clients through your web sites. It is important now that your Open House information we be entered into the Paragon system. You can find instructions on entering your open house data under MLS DOCS in the Paragon System.

PARAGON TRAINING SCHEDULE
Training classes have been scheduled on the following dates for the PARAGON system:
                           February 12, 2009
                           March 12, 2009
                           April 9, 2009
                           May 14, 2009

Basic class will be held at 9:00 am. 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 pm. 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
761-8440 to reserve a time. Classes are held at the new GHAR Office at 424 N. Enola Drive, Enola, PA 17025.

ARE YOU A STAR IN REAL ESTATE?
The PAR Excellence Club honors REALTORS^® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATES^® who have exhibited a high standard of professionalism through active participation in National, State or Local Association/Board activities, business activity and pursuit of education in the real estate field. Any PAR member is eligible to apply. Click here to get your application. All applications are due prior to March 31, 2009.

DNC QUICKCHECK PROGRAM BEING DISCONTINUED
In 2007 the PAR Board of Directors approved the inclusion of the DNC Quickcheck program from PossibleNow as a free member benefit for all PAR members. Unfortunately, the number of PAR members participating in this program since its
approval has not been sufficient to justify the ongoing budgetary costs to PAR. As a result, this benefit is being discontinued effective December 31, 2008.

Users will receive the service at no charge through the end of the year; to continue using the DNC Quickcheck product after January 1 you will need to establish a paid account with PossibleNow. PAR has negotiated a discounted pricing model in an effort to keep these costs as reasonable as possible.

If you have additional questions about the decision to discontinue the program as a member benefit, contact Theresa Capricci, PAR Partnership and Outreach Specialist at 1-800-555-3390. For information about maintaining your account and continuing to use DNC Quickcheck, please contact Sandy Sponsler, Account Manager for PossibleNow at ssponsler@possblenow.com or 1-800-585-4888.

HAVE YOU VISITED JUST LISTED?
Just Listed is PAR's new blog, another member benefit for you. Log on and join in the discussion with authors including attorney Jim Goldsmith and his Legal Hotline team, economist Austin Jaffe and PAR staff.

GHAR WINS RPAC AWARD; PAR LAUNCHES NEW RPAC WEB SITE
On January 27, the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® won the Second Highest Per Capita RPAC Contributions Award for Extra Large Boards from the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS^®. GHAR had a banner year in 2008 for RPAC fundraising. We finished the year raising $43,352.75 – 169 percent of our fair share goal – and thirty percent of the membership contributing! Thank you to all members who helped win this award! And, please check out the new PAR RPAC Web site. This new site has a wealth of information about RPAC, fundraising, and PAR’s government affairs efforts. Members also can make an investment in RPAC online through this site. For more information, please contact Sherri Pursel.

U.S. HOUSE APPROVES ECONOMIC STIMULUS AND TARP REFORM BILLS
On January 28, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This legislation, more commonly referred to as the Economic Stimulus Bill, includes a number of provisions strongly supported by the National Association of REALTORS^®. The NAR-backed provisions include:

The U.S. House also has addressed housing issues in H.R. 384, the legislation reforming the Trouble Assets Relief Program (TARP). NAR was very supportive of a number of revisions to the TARP program, including:

NAR is monitoring closely these bills. Once the U.S. Senate approves its own versions, the legislation will move to a conference committee to craft final versions for approval. Please watch for more information on these legislative initiatives. For more information, please visit the NAR Web site.

NAR ISSUES 4-POINT HOUSING STIMULUS PLAN
Late in 2008, the National Association of REALTORS^® issued a 4-point housing stimulus plan. According to NAR, the four points of its plan include:

NAR RPAC EXCEEDS $10 MILLION FUNDRAISING GOAL FOR 2008
Thanks to the participation of REALTORS^® across the country, NAR RPAC successfully has reached its goal to raise $10 million in 2008! NAR reported that the total funds raised was $10,081,282! Click here to read more about this outstanding accomplishment on the NAR Web site.

LEMOYNE BOROUGH TO CONSIDER NEW SIGN ORDINANCE
On February 5, the Lemoyne Borough Council will hold a public hearing on a new sign Ordinance for the Borough. The proposed Ordinance does provide an exemption to real estate signs for the requirement of obtaining a permit for signs. However, the Ordinance does list some requirements for real estate signs. For example, real estate signs have a maximum area restriction, real estate signs must be removed within five days following the completed transaction, and only one real estate sign may be placed on the frontage of the property listed. The Borough Council intends to consider adoption of this Ordinance immediately following the public hearing on February 5. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Borough Offices, 510 Herman Avenue, Lemoyne. For more information, including a copy of the public notice and Ordinance, please contact Sherri Pursel.

PA SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS MILLERSVILLE BOROUGH LEASE TAX
On December 17, 2008, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the case of Lynnebrook v. Borough of Millersville. The case revolved around the question of whether or not the Borough of Millersville could impose a tax on all leases signed in the Borough. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lynnebrook and set precedent that localities could not impose taxes on leases. For more information, please contact Sherri Pursel.

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.

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU NEEDS REALTORS^®
Pennsylvania REALTORS® looking to supplement their incomes have a chance to make more than $13 an hour verifying addresses and collecting data for the 2010 census. The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting full- and part-time workers to work from home on their own schedules beginning in 2009. To qualify, workers must pass a 28-question basic skills test administered by the bureau. Call 1.866.861.2010 to schedule a test or visit census.gov.

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