IRS REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING COOPERATIVE COMMISSIONS - CLARIFICATION
The Internal Revenue Service requires that listing brokers who pay a cooperative commission in excess of $600.00 to an individual who is not their employee must complete a Form 1099-MISC. Please note that this requirement only applies to payments made to individuals and does not apply when the payments are made to corporations. This is NOT a new law. However, NAR has released more information about this requirement after it learned that many brokers were not aware of the requirement. For more information, please visit the NAR Web site. Please note that you are required to log in to view this information. In addition, GHAR advises you to consult with your auditors and tax attorney.

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.

PA STATE REAL ESTATE COMMISSION WEB SITE
The SREC has improved the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) portion of their Web site. When you go to the Department of State's Web site, you will now see a link directly to FAQ section, rather than having to first enter the Licensure Information page. Within the FAQ page is a list of question categories, each of which can be clicked to take you further down the page to the list of questions corresponding to that category. When you click on a question, you will be taken to a .pdf document that contains only that question and its answer. I believe this format will be much more user-friendly and it will be easier to access specific questions. Please note that the content of the questions and answers has not changed, only the way they are accessed and viewed. http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/cwp/view.asp?a=1104&q=449298

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.)
April 21, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
June 10, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. sponsored by A n'S Company, Inc.

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

MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION RECEPTION - APRIL 1 - REGISTER TODAY!
All REALTOR^® and affiliate members of GHAR are invited to attend the Membership Appreciation Reception on Wednesday, April 1 at the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® Office on 424 N. Enola Drive. The reception will be from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a brief program honoring our Association Board of Directors, Foundation Board of Directors and our Association Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs.

Mix, mingle and enjoy free hors d’oeuvres, soda, wine and beer. The reception is a great way to socialize and network with your fellow REALTORS^® and our affiliate members in a relaxed informal setting. Back by popular demand – the Association’s scrapbooks and photo albums will be available for viewing in the Cumberland Board Room.

The cost is free to members who register by March 30. Please register on your office sign-up sheet, online through the Members Only Section of the Web site, www.ghar.info or by calling (717) 364-3200. Please join us!

MANAGEMENT ISSUES BREAKFAST - APRIL 3
All brokers and managers are invited to attend the Management Issues Breakfast on April 3 at the Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center (Keystone Room D). Peter Wilson, Reager & Adler, PC and Linda Melham, Homestead Group, Inc., REALTOR^® will be discussing Short Sales and Foreclosures. Key discussion points include CPML Required Field for Short Sales, PAR Short Sales Standard Forms, How do Short Sales Work, and What Agents can do to make the process go smoother. Registration and breakfast is at 8:15 a.m. with the program starting at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $20 and includes breakfast and program. The event is only open to managers and brokers of the Association. Brokers and managers may register by calling Cindy Cuddeford at 364-3200 or by e-mailing her at cindy@ghar.info. Reservation deadline is Monday, March 30. Reservations made and not cancelled 48 hours in advance will be billed regardless of attendance.

1-2 CLUB FOR NEW AGENTS - MAY 7!
If you have been a member of the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS^® for 0-2 years, we have planned a special FREE education program and social/networking hour just for you! Sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, sessions include: Understanding Credit Scores with Jessica Regan from 3:00-3:45 p.m. and Handling Multiple Offers with Jim Spagnolo from 3:45-4:30 p.m. All attendees will receive a coupon for 10% off their entire purchase from the GHAR REALTOR^® Store!

Registration is at 2:45 p.m. The cost is free, but you must register. Please remember that if you do not attend and do not cancel your reservation by Tuesday, May 5 at 9:00 a.m., you will be charged a $5 fee. To register, call (717) 364-3200, register
on-line in the MEMBERS ONLY section of our website at www.GHAR.info, or e-mail: sara@ghar.info before May 5.

** Please note, that while this event is geared towards agents who have been in the business for just 0-2 years all agents are welcomed to attend!

MANAGEMENT ISSUES COCKTAIL PARTY - JUNE 4
All brokers and managers are invited to attend this networking opportunity. This informal relaxed setting allows both residential and commercial brokers and managers the opportunity to socialize, meet each other and to catch up. The Cocktail Party will be held in the Hearth Room at the West Shore Country Club in Camp Hill from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Hearth Room has access to the Outdoor Courtyard. Cost is $20 and includes hors d'oeuvres and sodas. Cocktails may be purchased. The event is only open to managers and brokers of the Association. Brokers and managers may register by calling Cindy Cuddeford at (717) 364-3200 or by e-mailing her at cindy@ghar.info. Reservation deadline is Tuesday, June 2. Reservations made and not cancelled 48 hours in advance will be billed regardless of attendance.

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.

ICI BREAKFAST - APRIL 2
The April ICI Breakfast is sponsored by HBG Realty, Inc. The breakfast will be held at the Hilton Harrisburg, Juniata Room, 1 N. 2nd Street, Harrisburg. Neal S. West, Esq., Senior Vice President, Real Estate and General Counsel, Harristown Development Corporation, will be speaking on the topic "Revitalization of Downtown 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, April 1. Register online at www.ghar.info or call (717) 364-3200.

SAVE THE DATE! 2009 SPRING ICI SOCIAL - APRIL 23
Please save the date for the 2009 spring ICI Social event. This spring’s event will take place on Thursday, April 23, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Lancaster Brewing Company, 469 Eisenhower Blvd., in Harrisburg. Registration for this event will open soon – please watch for more information. Special thank you to our sponsors: Alliance Commercial Realty, BL Companies, Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, and Reager & Adler, PC! We still are searching for additional sponsors for this event. If you are interested in sponsoring, please submit the sponsor sign-up form or contact Sherri Pursel.

ICI BREAKFAST - MAY 7
The May ICI Breakfast is sponsored by RE/MAX Delta Group, Inc. The breakfast will be held at the Hollywood Casino at Penn Nation Race Track, in the John Henry Room, fourth floor, 777 Hollywood Blvd., Grantville. Garrett Brinton, CFM, co-founder of Facilities Planners + Architects, Inc., will be speaking on the topic "Saving Green by Going Green". 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, May 6. Register online at www.ghar.info or call (717) 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 (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.

MINI GOLF TOURNAMENT - MAY 20, 2009
Join us, Wednesday, May 20 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. for the annual Foundation Miniature Golf Tournament at Water Golf on City Island! Individuals may register for $20 each or teams of 5 persons for $100. Food and Beverages will be provided with prizes for Best Team Score, Best Dressed Team and much more! Space is limited to the first 120 people so register soon!

Interested in being a sponsor or donating prizes? Contact Sara Bloss at the association by calling (717) 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.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
March 30, 2009 – Social Media and Technology Seminar. Take advantage of social media features provided to you for free! Facebook, Web 2.0 and more. Seminar time 10:00 a.m. FREE

Dick Betts is returning! CPML & GHAR will once again offer four CE certified classes.

$45 for one class ~ $80 for two ~ $125 for three ~ $150 for all classes
Early registration discount! SAVE 10% on any PAID registration by March 31, 2009
There is a cancellation fee of $25.00 within 48 hours of class.

April 27, 2009
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.          Today’s Top Technology Trends
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.          e-PRO Designation Information Workshop and FREE Pizza
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.            Taking Prospecting a Step Further (Certification Pending)

April 28, 2009
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Smartphone Fundamentals for Real Estate Professional
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Beyond the Fundamentals ~ Creating a Mobile Office

Smartphone classes will include Blackberry and iPhones! Please call CPML at (717) 761-8440 to register for any of these dates.

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:
April 9, 2009
May 14, 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.

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.

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.

NAR ACCEPTING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2009 COMMITTEES
The National Association of REALTORS^® is now accepting recommendations for committees in 2010. Using an online form on the NAR Web site, members can recommend themselves or other suitable candidates for up to three committees at a time. NAR has a wide variety of Committees - to learn more information, please visit the NAR Web site. After logging in, members can review each Committee's structure, purpose statement, composition (how many members), length of term you would be expected to serve, and specific qualifications for consideration. Please note that if you are appointed to a Committee, you are expected to attend all of its meetings and serve the full length of your term. Click here to visit the Web form on the NAR Web site (please note you will need to login using your NAR user name and password). The deadline for submitting a recommendation for a committee is May 26, 2009. For more information, please contact the Association.

REGISTER TO ATTEND THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BREAKFAST – ARPIL 22
Please sign up to attend GHAR’s inaugural County Commissioners Breakfast! Association members will have the opportunity to interact with our county commissioners and hear about important issues in the tri-county area. The event is being held on Wednesday, April 22, at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. The cost to attend is $15.00. Click here to view the event flyer. If you are interested in attending, please contact Cindy at the Association at 364-3200.

PRESIDENT OBAMA UNVEILS FORECLOSURE RESCUE PLAN
On March 4, President Barak Obama unveiled the Making Home Affordable Program. This plan is designed to help 7 to 9 million families avoid foreclosure by refinancing or modifying their mortgages. The plan also strongly supports Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (government sponsored enterprises, or GSEs). According to the National Association of REALTORS^®, the key components of the plan include:

1. The Home Affordable Refinance Program: Under this program, eligible borrowers may refinance loans that Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac own or guarantee. The program can help homeowner-occupants who are current in making loan payments and have loan-to-value ratios (LTVs) above 80 percent but not more than 105 percent. Cash out refinancings are not permitted. The program ends in June 2010.

2. The Home Affordable Modification Program: This is a $75 billion program with lender, servicer, investor, and borrower incentives to make it work. The program is limited to homeowner-occupants who are at risk of default or already in default and who have loans at or below the maximum GSE conforming loan limit of $729,750 (or higher for 2-, 3-, and 4-unit properties). Loan modifications under the program may be made until December 31, 2012.

3. More Support for the GSEs: President Obama also announced more support for the GSEs, including doubling of potential Treasury investment from $100 billion to $200 billion for each GSE, to maintain their positive net worth. The plan also raises the cap on mortgages that the GSEs may hold in their portfolios by $50 billion to $900 billion.

FANNIE MAE ORDERS SERVICERS NOT TO CUT COMMISSIONS ON SHORT SALES
On February 24, Fannie Mae announced that it was directing its servicers to NOT negotiate list agent’s commissions on short sales as long as the commission does not exceed six percent. Announcement 09-03 took effect on March 1. In the announcement, Fannie Mae indicated that (a) negotiating commissions for short sales is unfair because getting a short sale to closing requires intensive work over many months, often requiring working with numerous buyers, and (b) compensating real estate agents fairly benefits Fannie Mae because agents play a crucial role in short sales. The announcement also reminds servicers that third party approvals (i.e., private mortgage insurers) may be required and can affect commissions. NAR was very supportive of this announcement and it also has urged Freddie Mac to enact a similar policy.

PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNS ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL
On February 17, President Barack Obama signed the Economic Stimulus Bill into law. The $787 billion package includes a number of housing components. In particular, the bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment. Additionally, the bill also reinstates last year's 2008 loan limits for FHA, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae loans, as well as provides funding for neighborhood stabilization, commercial real estate, rural and low-income housing initiatives, and additional housing-related measures. NAR has provided a detailed breakdown of the housing initiatives in the legislation on its Web site. 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.

CAMP HILL BOROUGH TAKE NO ACTION ON POINT OF SALE INSPECTION ORDINANCES
On March 11, the Camp Hill Borough Council once again considered two ordinances that will mandate inspections at the point of sale. These two ordinances will required mandatory inspections of a property’s sewer lateral connection and sidewalks/curbing prior to the transfer of the property. If the results of these inspections showed the property is not in compliance with Borough Codes, the property owner would have been required to make repairs/replacements prior to the sale of the property. Representatives from GHAR attended the Council meeting on March 11 to express our opposition and to encourage Council to delay implementation. After more than an hour of discussion and public comment, the Council members voted to take no action on the ordinances. The Council also instructed its Planning and Zoning Committee to continue working on this issue. GHAR intends to continue dialogue with the Planning and Zoning Committee about these proposals. Thank you to all our members who were able to attend the meeting last night to show your opposition to these ordinances! Please watch for additional updates in future Weekly E-mails. For more information, including copies of the ordinances, 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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