CHANGES MADE TO ASSOCIATION GUIDELINES
GHAR has made changes to its Guidelines for Residential Co-brokerage in response to NAR's recent amendment to Standard of Practice 1-15 of the Code of Ethics. The section on "Multiple Offers" of the Guidelines for Residential Co-brokerage was changed to reflect the change to the Standard of Practice. In addition this change, GHAR made some other minor changes to the Co-brokerage and Signage Guidelines. A mailing outlining the changes was sent to all member brokers and managers of the Association. Questions should be directed to Kathy Ludwig at kathy@ghar.info.

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE ONLINE NEWSLETTER
The Department of State will no longer publish paper newsletters for Pennsylvania's 29 Professional Boards.

Beginning in March, you may view the bi-monthly electronic newsletters. Simply visit your Board web. To do so, go to www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa, select Business-Related Boards or Health Related Boards from the left navigation, and choose your profession.

Business-related board newsletters will be posted during the first week of January, March, May, July, September and November.

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.)
July 27, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. sponsored by SunTrust Mortgage, Inc.
September 24, 2009 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.

JOIN US FOR THE ASSOCIATION PICNIC - JULY 18
Join us for the first ever Association-wide Picnic on Saturday, July 18, from 3:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. at Serb Park in Harrisburg. Cost is $5.00 per adult with children 10 and under free! The Association will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken and pulled pork from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Attendees with last names beginning with A-M are asked to bring a covered side dish/appetizer/salad/finger food; N-Z are asked to bring along a dessert! (Only 1 Dish per family is needed!) This event is "BYOB" so bring your own beer and alcoholic beverages. The Association will provide soda and water for all attendees.

Free face painting and a bounce house will be available for the kids from 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Picnic tables are provided but lawn chairs are welcomed! Dance music and karaoke are being provided by DJ Joe Hertz from 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Volleyball, basketball and horseshoe areas are at the park so please bring along your sporting equipment!

While this event is Association-wide, all are welcome so bring your family, friends and neighbors. Registration forms can be downloaded at http://www.ghar.info/About_Us/Meetings_Events.htm. Deadline to register to attend is Wednesday, July 8!

Sponsorships are available for this great event! Please contact Sara Bloss, Member Services Manager, at (717) 364-3200 or e-mail her at Sara@ghar.info!

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 Bloss for more information at sara@ghar.info or (717) 364-3200.

SAVE THE DATE - SEPTEMBER ICI BREAKFAST
The September ICI Breakfast is sponsored by CAMPBELL Commercial Real Estate, and it is scheduled for Thursday, September 3. Please watch for more information about this breakfast later this summer.

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 Mondays of each month during the summer months.

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 (717) 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 (717) 364-3205.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN - DONATE TODAY!
Since 1993, the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® Foundation has donated a total of over $530,000 to housing and shelter related organizations in the greater Harrisburg area. To help raise the money, the Foundation holds various
fundraising events. In addition to these events the Foundation holds an annual Capital Campaign.

During the Capital Campaign, the Foundation asks each REALTOR^® to give a minimum contribution of $10. All funds go back to the communities in which we live. Our 2009 Capital Campaign goal is $15,000. To date the Capital Campaign has collected $13,097.00.

Thank you to the following Companies and Offices who have contributed to the 2009 Capital Campaign:

Caldwell & Kearns
CAMPBELL Commercial Real Estate
CB/Select Professionals
Central Penn Appraisals, Inc.
Central Penn Multi-List, Inc.
Clauser Real Estate Appraisals
Cody Financial Mortgage Services
Commerce Bank
Exit Platinum Plus Realty
For Sale By Owner Plus REALTORS^®
George L. Ebener and Associates
Help-U-Sell Detwiler Realty
High Associates Ltd.
Homestead Group, Inc. REALTOR^®
John Glise, Inc. REALTOR^®
Keller Williams of Central PA
Lawyers Realty, LLC
Mark Heckman Real Estate Appraisers
McNaughton Real Estate Group, Inc.
Mid Penn Bank
Prudential Homesale Services Group - Camp Hill Office
Prudential Homesale Services Group - Hershey Office
Prudential Homesale Services Group - Lebanon Office
Prudential Thompson Wood Real Estate
RE/MAX 1st Advantage
RE/MAX Realty Associates, Inc.
RE/MAX Realty Professionals
Spencer and Spencer, REALTORS^®
Szeles Real Estate Development
Weichert REALTORS^® - First Choice

Contributions may be mailed to the GHAR Foundation, 424 N. Enola Drive, Suite 1, Enola, PA 17025 by May 15. If you have any questions on the Capital Campaign, please contact the Association at (717) 364-3200. Thank you for making our community better!

SAVE THE DATE! GHAR FOUNDATION WALKATHON!
Step by Step, REALTORS^® Sheltering the Community!

Join the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® Foundation, Saturday October 3 at Shank Park in Hershey for a Walk-A-Thon! All proceeds from the Walk-A-Thon will benefit shelter and housing related charities in the Central Pennsylvania area. Walk as a team or as an individual! Registration is $10 per walker, plus a minimum of $25 in pledges. Walk-A-Thon T-Shirts will be given to all walkers registered by the deadline!

Prizes will be awarded to the Top Fundraising Team and Top Individual Fundraiser with additional door prizes given away at the end of the walk!

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Walker Registration/Pledge Forms and Sponsorship Forms are available at http://www.ghar.info/About_Us/Meetings_Events.htm or by calling the Association at (717) 364-3200.

Registration deadline is Monday, September 14, 2009!

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.

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 you pajamas, grab a cup of coffee and learn the Paragon system!!

FREE Webinar Paragon Training presented by the Paragon Training Team at Fidelity!! Click here for more information. Click here for registration page. If you do take any of the Webinar training, please email me at rcrossley@cpml.com and let me know what you thought. Thanks.

UPDATE ON CPML OPEN HOUSE WEB SITE
NEW! Open Houses on the website now appear on an interactive map. The home page of the web site shows all available open houses marked by a balloon. Click on the balloon and see the property information. Zoom-in, Zoom-out or change area of map you wish to view. Consumer can still enter search parameters and the map will show only the properties that belong to the search. The map will then display the 10 properties on each page.

We have added our affiliate members to the Open House site. Our affiliate members have the ability to add a link to their name; this will allow the consumer to learn more about their company. Do you use a particular home inspector, lender or pest control company? Encourage them to add their link to our site.

Are you advertising your open houses on the website? Are you advertising the Open House website on your websites? Consider adding the Open House website to your ads when you advertise the open house.

We are promoting the site with radio 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.

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.

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

PARAGON TRAINING SCHEDULE
Training classes have been scheduled on the following dates for the PARAGON system:
                           July 9, 2009
                           August 13, 2009
                           October 8, 2009

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.

NAR NETWORK MAINTENANCE - June 26
The National Association of REALTORS^® (NAR) will be replacing and upgrading all its firewalls and other network infrastructures on Friday, June 26, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. EST. Please note that during that time, all NAR networks will be unavailable. This includes www.realtor.org and making payments on www.ghar.info through members only.

2010 PAR COMMITTEE REQUESTS
PAR is beginning its annual process of committee appointments. All committee appointments are for one year. Committee descriptions and compositions are on PAR’s Web site at www.parealtor.org. The committee request form may be completed online at their Web site.

The deadline to submit your name for a committee appointment is July 17, 2009. PAR Leadership strives for geographic diversity on all committees. For more information, contact Brenda Florida, Director of Leadership Services, at: bflorida@parealtor.org

PAR MEMBERSHIP SURVEY
PAR will be conducting a membership survey by e-mail and by telephone. If you receive a e-mail or a phone call, it is important that you assist PAR by taking a few minutes to answer the questions. The e-mail will contain a link to the actual survey - it is easy and simple to complete. Please be aware that all of your responses will remain strictly confidential. Service to the members is important to PAR and therefore it is critical to hear from you. PAR looks forward to hearing from you and appreciates your efforts toward helping them strive for excellence.

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!

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.

PHONEATHON RAISES OVER $6,500.00 FOR RPAC!
On June 18, members of the GHAR Government Affairs Committee held a Phoneathon to raise money for the REALTORS^® Political Action Committee (RPAC). Thanks to the generous contributions of over 75 GHAR members, and thanks to the volunteers who made the calls, GHAR raised $6,500.00 for RPAC 2009. With these contributions, GHAR now has raised over $32,000.00 for RPAC this year! Thank you very much to all of you who have supported the REALTORS^® government affairs programs by investing in RPAC. If you are interested in make a contribution, please click here to visit the PAR Web site.

RELRA AMENDMENTS BILL PASSES HOUSE PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE COMMITTEE
On June 23, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Professional Licensure Committee passed Senate Bill 241. This legislation, sponsored by Senator Robert Tomlinson (R-Bucks), makes two important changes to the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA). First, SB 241 would allow real estate licensees to form business entities already recognized by the Commonwealth. Currently, real estate licensees are not permitted to form entities - such as S corporations or LLCs. This bill would modify the RELRA to allow for those formations. Secondly, SB 241 would amend the language of the RELRA to address a broker's duty to hold escrows. Specifically, the legislation would allow for a set process of releasing escrows if a transaction is not completed between a buyer and a seller. The process would be agreed upon by both the buyer and the seller, and it would be included in the Agreement of Sale. The bill is identical to Senate Bill 844 of 2007, the PAR-supported legislation that died in the House Appropriations Committee at the end of last session. The legislation previously passed the Senate on June 10. The bill now will move to the full House for final consideration. For more information, please contact Sherri Pursel.

NEW CONSUMER NOTICE DEADLINE EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER
On June 12, the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission announced is was delaying the deadline for the new consumer notice form to go into effect in Pennsylvania. The new consumer notice has been redesigned to be more clear and readable. Licensees now must begin using the new form by September 15, 2009. The Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS^® has more information on this change. Click here to visit their Web site.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE INTRODUCES HOUSING AND ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION ACT
On June 10, Pennsylvania State Representative John Bear (R-Lancaster) introduced the Housing and Economic Revitalization Act. The legislation will create a $100 million fund for housing tax incentives for new and existing home purchases. The incentives include 1) a reimbursement to eligible purchasers in an amount equal to the lesser of 5 percent of the purchase price OR $10,000 of a new home construction; and 2) $2,500 for a qualified previously owned homestead, or the lesser of 5 percent of the purchase price or $5,000 for a qualified renovation project. The tax incentives will be funded through a tax amnesty program that will collect delinquent taxes in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS^® is supporting the bill. For more information, please contact Sherri Pursel.

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.

CONDOLENCES
Our condolences go out to family, friends and co-workers of Michael L. O'Brien, broker of Jack Gaughen REALTOR^® ERA. Mike passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, June 6, 2009. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mike's honor may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 2080 Linglestown Road, Suite 104 Harrisburg, PA 17110.

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