LIBOR & MLS LEADERSHIP INSTALLED...PAGE 2 - LIRealtor.com
LIBOR & MLS LEADERSHIP INSTALLED...PAGE 2 - LIRealtor.com
LIBOR & MLS LEADERSHIP INSTALLED...PAGE 2 - LIRealtor.com
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
PRESENTATION OF
ANNUAL REALTOR®
AWARDS
See Page 10 for Details...
PRESORTED
STANDARD U.S.
POSTAGE
PAID
LIC NY 11101
PERMIT NO. 808
CIRCULATION 21,000
The Voice for Real Estate OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE LONG ISLAND BOARD OF REALTORS, INC. www.LIRealtor.com
PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNS
EXTENDED/EXPANDED HOME
BUYER TAX CREDIT INTO LAW
As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the
economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed new legislation
that:
• Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to firsttime
home buyers until April 30, 2010.
• Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners
purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and
April 30, 2010.
Who Qualifies for the Extended Credit?
• First-time home buyers who purchase homes between November 7,
2009 and April 30, 2010.
• Current home owners purchasing a home between November 7, 2009
and April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a
principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight.
To qualify as a first-time home buyer‰ the purchaser or his/her spouse
may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.
LIBOR & MLS LEADERSHIP
INSTALLED...PAGE 2
Which Properties Are Eligible?
The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences,
including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops.
How Much Is Available?
The maximum allowable credit for first-time home buyers is $8,000.
The maximum allowable credit for current homeowners is $6,500.
How is a Buyer's Credit Amount Determined?
Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by two additional factors:
1. The price of the home.
2. The buyer's income.
Price
Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, credit may only be awarded
on homes purchased for $800,000 or less.
Buyer Income
Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, which is effective on
(Continued on page 13)
STEVE LEVY SIGNS BILL
INTO LAW...PAGE 2
SEE ALL PHOTO CAPTIONS ON PAGE 2
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 2
www.LIRealtor.com
IN THE NEWS
2010 LEADERSHIP GETS
INSTALLED
Oh What A Night! Newly elected
LIBOR and MLS Leadership gets
installed and Realtor® Recognition
Awards are presented at the Annual
Gala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P2&7
COUNTY EXECUTIVE STEVE
LEVY SIGNS CO-OP FAIR
HOUSING BILL INTO LAW
The new Suffolk law, the first in New
York State, requires cooperative
boards to provide a written explanation
for denial within 45 days, and
provides enforcement powers to the
Human Rights Commission . . . P2
REALTORS GOT SPIRIT
The 4th Annual Realtor®
Spirit Award was presented
to three Realtors®
who have been recognized
for outstanding
community service work. . . . . . . P6
President’s Message . . . . . . . P3
From Where I Sit. . . . . . . . . . . P4
We’re More Than REALTORS®
Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P6
Chapter & Division Event
Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P7
MLS News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P8
MLSLI Advertising Campaign
Goes International . . . . . . . . . . P9
LIBOR Free Educational
Sessions with Steve Harney . . P9
Scenes from November Appreciation
and Recognition Events. . . . . P10
This & That. . . . . . . . . . . . . . P12
RPAC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P13
Legal FAQ’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . P14
Education Opportunities. . P16&17
Professional Services
Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P19
LIBOR is Now on
Facebook
Sign up as a fan!
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Top Left Cover Photo:
Kathy Engel, 2010 LIBOR President was sworn in by
Nassau County Legislator, John Ciotti. Also
pictured is Kathy’s husband Ron. (r)
Bottom Left Cover Photo:
Frank Dell’Accio, 2010 MLS President was sworn
in by his brother, Vincent Dell’Accio. (far left) Also
pictured is Frank and Vincent’s mother, Frances,
and Frank’s wife Debbie.
Bottom Right Cover Photo:
Gail Bishop, LIBOR Fair Housing and Cultural
Diversity Committee Chair; Marian Fraker-Gutin,
LIBOR Legislative Committee Chair; Joseph E.
Mottola, LIBOR/MLS Chief Executive Officer; Buddy
Hoosein, LIBOR President; County Executive Steve
Levy; Peter Caruso, LIBOR Housing Opportunities
Committee Chair; Barbara Ford, LIBOR Common
Interest Ownership Committee Chair; Seibert
Robinson, LIBOR Housing Opportunities Vice Chair
and Kathy Engel, LIBOR President-Elect.
County Executive Steve Levy
Signs Co-Op Fair Housing Bill
into Law at LIBOR’s Fair Housing
and Cultural Diversity Conference
By Randy L. Kaplan and Phil Weiden
LIBOR is proud to announce that Suffolk
County Executive Steve Levy has signed
ground breaking fair housing legislation for
Co-ops into law at our recent Fair Housing
and Cultural Diversity Conference at the
Huntington Hilton.
The new law, IR 1545-2009 and its
amendment IR 1763, which clarifies the
amendment provisions, are now in effect.
These bills require that a Co-op Board
accept or reject a potential buyer within 45
days; and if they are denied — a written
reason must be disclosed.
LIBOR President Buddy Hoosein stated,
“Co-op discrimination is one of the biggest
challenges facing owners and REAL-
TORS® when selling Co-ops. Co-op boards
have virtually unlimited power to do as they
please. Co-op discrimination is known to be
very blatant and out in the open. In this day
By Tricia Chirco
Marketing &Communication Director
and age that cannot be tolerated.”
Hoosein continues, “This law will certainly
prevent discrimination which can
occur because of many factors. The protected
classes are: race, color, religion,
national origin, sex, disability, familial status,
creed, ancestry, marital status, sexual
orientation, age, military status, presence of
children, pregnancy and gender identity.
LIBOR spearheaded this legislation
because for far too long Co-op boards have
been able to discriminate against people at
will.
REALTORS® have been pursuing similar
legislation for many years at the state
level. LIBOR’s Common Interest
Ownership, Legislative, Fair Housing and
Cultural Diversity Committees have been
intimately involved in the process.
According to LIBOR’s Fair Housing and
Cultural Diversity Committee Chair Gail
Bishop, “The conference was the perfect
On Tuesday, November 24th, the Crest
Hollow Country Club hosted the annual
LIBOR/MLS Installation Gala and Dinner
Dance. This event serves as the forum for
installing newly elected LIBOR and MLS
leadership, as well as announcing several of
the Realtor® Recognition Awards. Joseph
Mottola, Chief Executive Officer for
LIBOR and MLS, assumed the role as
Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
This year’s program went slightly different
than those in the past. In 2010, the Long
Island Board of REALTORS, Inc. (LIBOR)
will mark its 100th Anniversary. In honor
of that accomplishment, several distinguishable
guests were invited to attend this
year’s gala to witness the installation of the
leadership that will be serving both organizations
during this very special year.
With us that evening, and tasked with saying
a few thoughtful words to get the program
started, was Ron Phipps, 2010 NAR
President-elect, who is the Broker of Phipps
Realty in Providence, Rhode Island. Mr.
Phipps said he was glad to make the trip to
Long Island to help celebrate the occasion,
and attendees welcomed him. Ron gave a few
opening remarks on the accomplishments of
the real estate industry over the past century.
He spoke about the importance of what
Realtors® do, and he extended his congratulations
to both incoming Presidents, Kathy
Engel and Frank Dell’Accio. Other notable
guests in attendance included 2010 NYSAR
President, Hank Fries, and NYSAR CEO,
Duncan McKenzie. Both who were generous
with their time and made the effort to join us.
Next on the program was the installation of
2010 MLS President, Frank Dell’Accio,
Century 21 AA Realty, who was sworn in by
his brother, Vincent Dell’Accio. At the podium,
Frank and Vincent were joined by their
mother, Frances Dell’Accio and Frank’s wife,
forum for County Executive Levy to sign
this critical legislation into law. The REAL-
TOR® community is proud to associate
ourselves with this long overdue legislation
that will protect and promote fair housing
throughout Suffolk County.”
LIBOR began their quest for a local law in
Suffolk County because Suffolk has led the
way with other reform efforts in the past such
as the cell phone law which prevented drivers
from using cell phones while operating motor
vehicles. When Suffolk passed this law — it
eventually went on to become state law.
LIBOR plans to pursue a similar Co-op
bill in the Nassau County Legislature and
then in New York City. REALTORS® are
optimistic that the passage of this bill in
Suffolk County will create momentum for
this bill to possibly become law statewide.
The conference also featured representatives
from the Community Development
Corporation of Long Island (CDCLI). The
representatives from CDCLI covered many
topics including: section 8 rental assistance,
home buyer education, loan modifications,
foreclosure prevention, and rehabbing and
reselling homes. REALTORS® came
away feeling that they had a fresh perspective
on the market and how to get a leg up
in a challenging economic environment.
2010 Leadership Gets Installed and Recognition Awards Presented
During Annual Gala Held at the Crest Hollow Country Club
By Tricia Chirco
Marketing & Communication Director
Realtors® from the Long Island Board of
Realtors®, Inc. and the Multiple Listing
Service of Long Island, Inc., joined 20,000
Realtors® in San Diego during the 2009
REALTORS® Conference & Expo, “Chart
a Winning Course,” held November 13-16.
Attendees assembled at the National
Association of Realtors® annual conference
to address industry issues affecting
Realtors® nationwide and to invest in
education and networking for their local
businesses.
Days before the conference, Congress
voted to extend the home buyer tax credit
through April 30, 2010, and expand it to
include current homeowners. Realtors®
welcomed the news and are hopeful about
the impact of the expanded tax credit to help
stabilize home prices. According to an NAR
survey, first-time home buyers made up 47
percent of all transactions in the past year,
the highest on record dating back to 1981.
The tax credit has already spurred national
and local home sales and with the extension,
more home buyers are expected to take
advantage of it over the next few months.
One of the highlights of the conference
was that Realtors® got their first look at
NAR’s new consumer website,
www.HouseLogic.com. The site is currently
in beta and is accessible on the
web, but NAR says that the official
launch of the new site is slated for
February of 2010. All Realtors® are being
encouraged by the NAR development
team to visit the site and see all it offers
both, Realtors® and consumers.
The Communication Committee
approved a proposal from NAR to extend
the national public relations campaign that
was scheduled to end on November 30,
2009. Money taken from NAR’s reserves,
and originally earmarked for the public
Debbie. Frank began his real estate career in
1976 working for his father, Frank Sr., who he
thanked for his guidance, and today, he and
his brother Vincent, are managing partners of
Century21 AA Realty with offices in
Lindenhurst and Seaford. Frank has received
numerous awards, holds several Realtor®
designations, and has served on and chaired
many MLS and LIBOR committees over the
past 25 years.
Realtor® Kathy Engel, 2009 LIBOR
President-elect, was sworn in by Nassau
County Legislator, and close friend, John
Ciotti. Kathy, with her husband Ron at her
side, took the oath to serve as 2010 LIBOR
President. Legislator Ciotti presented Kathy
with a citation from Nassau County. Engel
said she looks forward to serving the membership
in 2010 and gave a heartfelt thanks to
all the individuals that helped her get to this
pinnacle point of her career.
Kathy began her real estate career in
(Continued on page 7)
Recap of the 2009 REALTORS® Conference & Expo Held in San Diego
relations campaign, will now be used to
create revised radio and TV ads that promote
and educate home buyers about the
extended and expanded tax credit. The new
ad campaign is scheduled to begin airing
around the third week in December.
The one topic talked about most by
Realtors® was the introduction of the
REALTOR® Property Resource (RPR).
Conference attendees got a guided tour of
this new site, which ultimately aims to cover
pretty much every property in the United
States. RPR will be a database that will
allow NAR members (and only NAR members)
to search properties across numerous
criteria, from school districts to tax info.
In addition to business meetings and
presentations, the Exhibit Hall was filled
with more than 400 exhibitors who displayed
the latest in professional development
services, “green” products and services,
Internet advertising and other stateof-the-art
industry tools at the conference’s
Expo. It was a long way to travel
across the country to attend the convention,
but NAR did an outstanding job this
year, making it totally worth the trip.
LONG ISLAND BOARD OF
REALTORS®, INC.
2009 OFFICERS
PRESIDENT Buddy Hoosein
PRESIDENT-ELECT Kathy Engel
VICE PRESIDENT-NASSAU Donald Scanlon
VICE PRESIDENT-SUFFOLK Mary Alice Ruppert
VICE PRESIDENT-QUEENS Moses Seuram
TREASURER Liz English
SECRETARY Bettie Meinel
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Joseph E. Mottola
PUBLISHER Joseph E. Mottola
EDITOR Patricia Chirco
EDITOR’S ASSISTANT Christina DeFalco
PRODUCTION & PRINTING
DSI Design Group
252 Sea Cliff Avenue, Sea Cliff, NY 11579
516-676-6089 • Fax 516-676-4769
Christopher Meadows, President
ADVERTISING SALES
Donna Lee Wimmers • 631-661-4800 Ext. 348
CONTRIBUTORS
Buddy Hoosein, President, LIBOR
Howard Goldson, Esq., Goldson, Nolan, Connolly,
Nasis & Dornfeld, P.C.
Frank Urso, President, MLS
Randy L. Kaplan, Director Government Affairs
Pat Levitt, RPAC Co-Chairperson
Charlotte Van der Waag, WCR President
Linda Bonarelli, Professional Standards Committee
Dana Nowick, Product & Services
Official Publication Of The
LONG ISLAND BOARD OF
REALTORS®, INC.
The Long Island Board of
REALTORS® is a non-profit
organization formed for
REALTORS® for the betterment
of their communities, their
profession, and their livelihood.
The REALTOR® is published by the Long
Island Board of REALTORS®, located at 300
Sunrise Highway, West Babylon, NY 11704,
and is published bi-monthly, January/February,
March/April, May/June, July/August,
September/October and November/December.
Application to mail at periodicals postage rate
is pending at Babylon, New York.
POSTMASTER:
Please send address changes to:
The REALTOR®
300 Sunrise Highway • West Babylon, NY 11704
The REALTOR® and its publisher, The Long
Island Board of REALTORS®, in accepting
advertisement in this publication, make no
independent investigation concerning the services
or products advertised, and they neither
endorse nor recommend the same nor do they
assume any liability thereof.
REALTOR® is a federally
registered collective membership
mark which identifies a real
estate professional who is a
Member of the NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
and subscribes to its strict code of ethics.
LONG ISLAND BOARD OF REALTORS®, INC.
300 Sunrise Highway • West Babylon, NY 11704
(631) 661-4800 • (718) 739-8700
Website: www.mlsli.com
Email: pr@mlsli.com
LIBOR’s governing documents, conflict of interest
policy and financial statements (including IRS
Form 990) are available for inspection during regular
business hours upon request by appointment.
INSURANCEPlus
H EALTH I NSURANCE
for Small Business & the Self-Employed
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Buddy Hoosein, LIBOR President
Our Members Make
The Difference
It was a pleasure and distinct honor to
serve as your 2009 President.
Indeed 2009 has been a challenge for
all of us. In 2007 our membership was
approximately 28,000 of which 5,000
contributed to RPAC. In 2009 our membership
dropped to 21,000. Despite the
loss, 8,000 Realtors® contributed to
RPAC. This genuinely reflects the desire
of our members to make a significant difference
in their involvement.
The brokers involvement program recommended
by the National Association
of REALTORS® requests that brokers
encourage their agents to participate in
the Call to Action urging legislators to
address issues affecting the consumers
and the real estate industry. When brokers
speak, agents listen. Let me remind each
and every one of you that the real estate
industry is our profession and politics is
our business. I urge you to answer the
Call to Action whenever requested.
We were successful in extending the
tax credit until June of 2010. There are
initiatives and steps are being taken to
simplify the short sale. We are lobbying to
keep the interest rates low and loan limits
high. The co-op disclosure bill was
signed into law by Suffolk executive
Steve Levy.
Our “We’re More than REALTORS®
campaign reflects our passion and concerns
not just for our fellow REAL-
TORS® but the entire community we
serve. We have raised thousands of dollars
for various charitable organizations
across Nassau, Suffolk and Queens. Our
REALTORS® Against Hunger (RAH)
campaign received great participation
from members to help feed the people
going hungry in our area. These are our
future leaders and the REALTOR® family
intends to eradicate and exterminate
this cancer that is plaguing our society.
Also this year we have successfully
reached out to embrace the National
Hispanic Association of REALTORS®
and Asian American Real Estate
Association to join forces with us.
Pooling our resources together will move
mountains.
I must tell you this is a bitter- sweet
moment as I look back at the last five
years as an officer, I’ve realized LIBOR
has always been a membership driven
organization. The volunteers for this great
organization leave their homes, their families,
and their businesses to address
issues that affect our industry and the
community. I would personally like to
thank all the volunteers who unselfishly
gave up their time for the benefit of the
entire association.
Two things I’d like to point out:
1. First of all, there was not one member
I called upon for help who said No.
You all stepped up and made me proud.
2. LIBOR’s success in recent years is a
direct result of talent, the hard work of
officers, the Board of directors and staff.
There could be no better CEO than Joe
Mottola. Always ready to roll up his
sleeves with creative ideas and thoughts
and no idea was discarded without thoroughly
thinking it through. Joe has built a
staff that is second to none. Our Board is
well represented legally by our staff
Attorney Doreen Spagnuolo and General
Counsel Cathy Nolan.
I have enjoyed every moment as the
President of this association and I wish
the new leadership of 2010 all the best. I
hope their tomorrow will be better than
today as success does not come with an
elevator, but with a stairway, one step at a
time. So let us all light a candle instead of
cursing the dark. I thank you for the privilege
you have given me to serve especially
in these challenging times.
Wishing all the happiness to you, I
must now beg and adios.
3 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
Gala Draws Dignitaries from National
and State Association
Rose Gagliardi is an insurance broker with over 20 years experience,
servicing the tri-state area. Rose specializes in Health, Dental, Life,
Long Term Care, Medicare Supplements & Disability Insurance.
Rose and her staff are committed to providing the utmost personal
attention and maximum client service to the MEMBERS of the
LONG ISLAND BOARD OF REALTORS
Exclusive Insurance Agency For
REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK
THE SPECIAL DISTRICT ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE
GREATER NY HOME FURNISHING ASSOCIATION
Servicing Members With Endorsed Insurance Programs
ROSE GAGLIARDI Broker
15 West Main Street • Oyster Bay, NY 11771
516.922.1200 • 212.268.4473 • Fax 516.922.5900
rose@insuranceplusny.com • www.insuranceplusny.com
The 2009 Installation and Awards Gala also served as the “kick-off” to LIBOR’S 2010
100th Anniversary Celebration. Notable guests who were in attendance for the
recognition celebration were 2010 NYSAR President, Hank Fries, NYSAR CEO,
Duncan McKenzie and 2010 NAR President-elect, Ron Phipps, who as guest speaker
started the program of the evening with a few thoughtful remarks. Pictured are
(standing l-r) LIBOR/MLS CEO Joseph Mottola, NYSAR, LIBOR and MLS Past
President Joe Canfora, Phipps, McKenzie, Fries, 2010 NYSAR/President-Elect Nick
Gigante, Realtor Otto Lugo, (seated l-r) LIBOR and NYSAR Director Gail Bishop,
NYSAR Director, Joanne Canfora and 2010 MLS Treasurer Linda Bonarelli-Lugo.
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 4
LIBOR NEWS
FROM WHERE I SIT
By Joseph E. Mottola, Chief Executive Officer
We know that the three most important
things in real estate are Location, Location
and Location! Well the three most important
things in Board services. membership
and economics are the Market, the Market
and the Market. Here’s a review of 2009
and a peek at 2010.
FINANCE
Last year, in anticipation of the difficult
market we were in, the Board took 1.5 million
dollars from Reserves and subsidized
the 2009 dues bill last December even
though it was for nine months. The concept
was and is that you hold onto your Reserves
for a “Rainy Day” and we had certainly
entered a “Rainy Day” market! The most
recent dues bill which you have paid, was
also subsidized in excess of one half million
dollars. That’s $20.00 per member! And
bear in mind that LIBOR dues and MLS
fees are among the lowest in the country.
The challenge is to continue to provide
a full range of quality services at the same
time you’re reducing expenses to meet
lower revenue projections. In weaker markets,
what you need are more services not
less in order to assist Realtors® in dealing
with the challenges of this kind of market.
MEMBERSHIP
So what happened to membership? Well
we’re down 9% from where we were a
year ago. BUT and it’s a significant BUT,
under the old billing cycle October and
November showed very high member
counts. With this new cycle, we need a
year’s experience to see what the monthly
membership trends will be. We currently
have approx 21,000 members which is
where we were in May-June of 2004.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
In reviewing Board services, I’ll begin
with Professional Standards. Thru
November 107 complaints were filed which
is down from this time last year. This resulted
in 17 Commission Hearings and 13
Ethics Hearings. Realtor Mediators were
able to settle 13 other commission disputes
as well. Curiously, there were a minimal
number of complaints during late Spring
and early Summer but then a large number
came in and we are in the process of processing
them and scheduling Hearings.
COMMUNICATION
In the External Communications area, we
continue to work closely with the media to
insure that we are the “Informed Source” of
housing information. As the market has
been improving , it’s essential that we insure
that the media gives a balanced view of
what that information means. We continue
to look for Communication opportunities to
illustrate this.
Internal Communication with our
membership continues to be in the forefront
of our efforts. The inevitable movement
from paper to online will continue.
We are providing increasing amounts of
information to you on our website
LIRealtor.com and continue to upgrade
its content and archives so you can more
easily find important “old stuff” like
Legal articles as well as timely information
on “Now” subjects. You should also
check out the new on line Realtor Store.
FACILITIES
We’re currently engaged in a major
project to repair and upgrade our
Headquarters building. It’s the first exterior
renovation at the 35 year old facility
and includes stucco repair; upgrading
windows and frames, insulation, roofing
and heating and cooling systems. We also
signed a lease extension for our Queens
Service Centers and despite budget constraints
were able to maintain the Service
Centers in Woodbury and Riverhead.
POLITICAL ADVOCACY
Our Government Affairs Department
monitors what’s happening legislatively
through close coordination with NYSAR
on state issues and NAR on the national
scene. Our ongoing personal contact program
by our staff insures a dialog and
familiarity with our local legislators which
paid dividends in our successful efforts to
get a Co-Op bill passed in Suffolk County.
We will continue our efforts to get similar
legislation approved in Nassau and ultimately
through NYSAR efforts, statewide.
EDUCATION
We’re projecting that by year end almost
17,000 individuals will have taken LIBOR
sponsored programs in Licensing,
Technology and General Education. A
growing segment of that number is taking
them on line and we see that continuing to
grow in the future. Another growth area
will be Webinars. It is a very positive media
for learning at no cost to members and
enables us to respond quickly to topics and
issues as they become relevant in the field.
MULTIPLE LISTING
We currently have 2420 offices in the system.
Last year at this time we had 2620
offices. The MLS continues to focus on
expanding the products and services that
assists Realtors in their efforts to grow their
businesses. 2010 will see the initial staged
phase in of a new version of Stratus beginning
with SEARCH. It will enable Users at
their choice to use other browsers and MAC
lovers will now be able to access the system.
LOOKING AHEAD
The 2010 housing market will continue to
remain positive spurred by the Tax Credit
extension. Recent surveys have shown that
the key motivators in the buying decision
were lower prices and favorable interest
rates as well as the Tax Credit. We should be
seeing lower inventory levels; pricing
which is slowly stabilizing and interest rates
that will continue to be extremely attractive
resulting in a continual strengthening of the
market. NAR is forecasting a continued
growth in sales and modest pricing increases
in the latter part of 2010 and Long Island
may well see the same pattern.
THE LONG ISLAND BOARD OF REALTORS, INC.
EXECUTIVE PLANNER
DECEMBER 2009
12/16 — Wednesday
MLS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
9:30am — REALTOR SERVICE CENTER,
West Babylon — Classroom B. Staff liaison:
Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR ext. 350.
12/17 — Thursday
JAMAICA CENTRAL QUEENS CHAPTER
9:00am — Jam-Packed Education Program
& Networking Breakfast! — Fame Diner,
176-19 Union Tpke., Flushing. Guest
speakers: *Don Scanlon, LIBOR VP-
Nassau/LIBOR Instructor: “Avoid Dept. of
State Fines!‰ Agency Options & Obligations
and more!” *Dana Nowick, MLS Product
Marketing Specialist: “Tech Savvy
Consumers Want A Tech-Savvy Realtor.”
How To Use MLS Tools To Boost Your
Business‰ Cost: $5.00 prepaid, $10.00 at
the door. RSVP: Janay Malloy @ 718-221-
8822. Visit our website: http://jamaicacentralqueens.lirealtor.com/
12/17 — Thursday
LIBOR/MLS ORIENTATION
8:30am — REALTOR SERVICE CENTER,
West Babylon — Classroom B. Staff liaison:
Debbie Franco @ LIBOR ext. 364.
12/23 — Wednesday
LIBOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
9:00am — REALTOR BUILDING, West
Babylon — 2nd floor Conference Room.
Staff liaison: Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR ext.
350.
12/24-25 — Thursday & Friday
CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS DAY
— ALL BOARD OFFICES CLOSED
12/31-1/1/10 — Thursday & Friday
NEW YEAR’S EVE & NEW YEAR’S DAY
— ALL BOARD OFFICES CLOSED
JANUARY 2010
1/6 — Wednesday
LIBOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
9:00am — REALTOR BUILDING, West
Babylon — 2nd floor Conference Room.
Staff liaison: Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR ext.
350.
1/7 — Thursday
NASSAU COUNTY DIVISION BREAKFAST
9:00am (8:30am Check-In) — Milleridge
Cottage, 585 N. Broadway, Jericho. Host:
DON SCANLON, 2010 LIBOR VP-Nassau
— Installing Officer: KATHY ENGEL, 2010
LIBOR President. Guest Speaker: to be
announced. Agenda: Installation of 2010
Nassau Chapter Officers & Directors,
Presentation of Chapter Distinguished
Service Awards & Acknowledgment of 2009
Nassau Chapter Officers & Directors.
Tickets: $25.00 per person, PREPAID
RESERVATIONS ONLY! Reserve online-go
to: www.mlslirealtor.com/event.asp -OR-
FAX Reservation Form to: 631-661-2103.
Make checks payable to LIBOR & mail to:
LIBOR, 300 Sunrise Hwy., West Babylon,
11704 — Attention: 2010 Nassau County
Division Breakfast/Connie Aiello.
Questions? Call Connie Aiello @ LIBOR ext.
361 or email: caiello@lirealtor.com.
1/13 — Wednesday
MLS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
9:00am — REALTOR BUILDING, West
Babylon — 2nd floor Conference Room.
Staff liaison: Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR
ext. 350.
1/14 — Thursday
SUFFOLK COUNTY DIVISION
LUNCHEON
12:00pm (11:30am Check-In) — Villa
Lombardi’s, 877 Main Street, Holbrook.
Host: MARY ALICE RUPPERT, 2009
LIBOR VP-Suffolk — Installing Officer:
KATHY ENGEL, 2010 LIBOR President.
Guest Speaker: The Honorable William J.
Lindsay, Suffolk County Legislature
Presiding Officer. Agenda: Installation of
2010 Suffolk Chapter Officers & Directors,
Presentation of Chapter Distinguished
Service Awards & Acknowledgment of 2009
Suffolk Chapter Officers & Directors.
Tickets: $30.00 per person, PREPAID
RESERVATIONS ONLY! Reserve online-go
to: www.mlslirealtor.com/event.asp -OR-
FAX Reservation Form to: 631-661-2103.
Make checks payable to LIBOR & mail to:
LIBOR, 300 Sunrise Hwy., West Babylon,
11704 — Attention: 2010 Suffolk County
Division Luncheon/Connie Aiello.
Questions? Call Connie Aiello @ LIBOR ext.
361 or email: caiello@lirealtor.com.
1/20 — Wednesday
LIBOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
9:30am — REALTOR SERVICE CENTER,
West Babylon — Classroom B. Staff liaison:
Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR ext. 350.
1/21 — Thursday
LIBOR/MLS ORIENTATION
8:30am — REALTOR SERVICE CENTER,
West Babylon — Classroom B. Staff liaison:
Debbie Franco @ LIBOR ext. 364.
1/21 — Thursday
QUEENS COUNTY DIVISION LUNCHEON
12:00pm (11:30am Check-In) — Antun’s
Caterers, 96-43 Springfield Blvd., Queens
Village. Host: MOSES SEURAM, 2009
LIBOR VP-Queens — Installing Officer:
KATHY ENGEL, 2010 LIBOR President.
Guest Speaker: to be announced. Agenda:
Installation of 2010 Queens Chapter
Officers & Directors, Presentation of
Chapter Distinguished Service Awards &
Acknowledgment of 2009 Queens Chapter
Officers & Directors. Tickets: $30.00 per
person, PREPAID RESERVATIONS ONLY!
Reserve online-go to:
www.mlslirealtor.com/event.asp -OR- FAX
Reservation Form to: 631-661-2103. Make
checks payable to LIBOR & mail to: LIBOR,
300 Sunrise Hwy., West Babylon, 11704 —
Attention: 2010 Queens County Division
Luncheon/Connie Aiello. Questions? Call
Connie Aiello @ LIBOR ext. 361 or email:
caiello@lirealtor.com.
MEETINGS & EVENTS: For all Special Events & Chapter information, call CONNIE AIELLO, LIBOR
CHAPTER LIAISON @ 631-661-4800 ext. 361. All Chapter Meetings & Events are posted online on each
chapter website. Go to www.libor.com/chaptermeetings.cfm. Chapter/Division meetings available on STRA-
TUS — click on MLS/LIBOR EVENTS CALENDAR on the INFO CENTER PAGE.
LIBOR MEMBERS ONLY MAY REGISTER & PREPAY ON-LINE LIBOR members only may register &
prepay ON-LINE for chapter/division meetings & events! Go to: www.mlsli.com/chapterreg/meetings.asp.
VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX & DISCOVER accepted.
NOTE: On-line registration CLOSED at 4:00PM on the previous business day before this event.
In celebration of LIBOR’s upcoming 100th
Anniversary, Audrey Livingstone, the
LIBOR 100th Anniversary Celebration
Committee Chairperson, welcomed Ron
Phipps, NAR 2010 President-elect, at this
year’s Installation Gala. Phipps, representing
the National Association of
Realtors, congratulated the incoming
leadership that will be serving LIBOR and
MLSLI in such a significant year.
NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ®
DISCOVER THE REAL VALUE
OF YOUR NYSAR MEMBERSHIP
NYSAR gives you the services, support and skills
you need to remain successful in today’s market.
Your NYSAR membership is more than just a sound
investment – it’s the smartest $70 you’ll spend all year.
Exclusive member-only services include:
• NYSAR Legal Hotline
• Lobbying and advocacy
• Educational and networking
opportunities
• NYSAR.com
• Access to affordable
health insurance
• Risk management resources
• Information resources
• Professional discounts and
special offers
For more details, visit NYSAR.com today!
5 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
Watch www.lirealtor.com for celebration details.
Access. Advocacy. Education.
QUEENS BRANCH
OFFICE NOW OPEN!!
100% Payout Only $ 35 Monthly Fee
NEW! FREE! Membership to www.eshowings.com
Virtual Secretary, All Showings appointments &
feedback done for You ($800/month value)
NEW! FREE! Advertising discount membership -
up to 30% discount on Newsday and other print ads.
• FREE! Buyer and Seller Leads
• FREE! Foreclosure Membership (a $600 value)
• FREE! Virtual tours on photowalk.com (a $300 value)
• FREE! Elite top placement on Google, Yahoo, for search
“Long Island Real Estate” (approx. value priceless)
• FREE! Use of Beautiful A-Rated Offices. Queens Branch
Office Now Open.
• FREE! Advertising on Cablevision IO Homes Channel
#606 ($1,000/month value)
Over 225 Agents and Counting!!
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LIBOR Dues
Ask Us How
NEW! FREE! Enhanced Listing marketing system -
sell your listing in 1/2 the time! (Ask us about it!)
NEW! FREE! Training, including monthly teleconference
calls, All day Real Estate workshop and step by step
online traning system (approx. value priceless)
• FREE! Internet advertising to dozens of web portals that
include, Yahoo, Excite, Ask Jeeves, etc (approx a $300/month value)
• FREE! Exclusive advertising and marketing on Long Island
Exchange.com ($400/month value)
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Call for information
Direct: (516) 639-6257
(800) 390-8083
E-mail: keystonerealty1@aol.com
Check us out on the World Wide Web at:
www.joinkeystone.com
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 6
LIBOR NEWS
We’re More Than REALTORS®...
LIBOR Sponsors Nassau and
Suffolk County Habitat for
Humanity Houses
For the past four years the Long Island
Board of Realtors®, Inc. has sponsored
the building of Habitat for Humanity
homes across Long Island. The latest
were homes built in Elmont in Nassau
County and in Bay Shore in Suffolk
County. LIBOR Realtor® Peter Caruso
was on hand for the recent Nassau Habitat
“Wall Raising Ceremony,” in Elmont,
which was one of the largest kick-off ceremony’s
HFHNC has ever had. The property,
which was donated by the Town of
Hempstead, will provide a new and
affordable home for a deserving family.
Habitat for Humanity Suffolk County held
the “Dedication Ceremony” for the
deserving Barnes family in Bay Shore on
November 7th. Unbeknownst to the
Barnes family, in an effort to give back to
the community, the Central Long Island
and the Metro New York Chapters of the
American Society of Home Stagers and
Redesigners (ASHSR) donated their services
to fully furnishing this home, the
results were beautiful. Pictured (top) in
Elmont, Town of Hempstead Supervisor
Kate Murray, Peter Caruso and HFHNC
President Charlotte Lee, (bottom) in Bay
Shore, Patti McIntyre and Lynne
Kleinman of Accent Home Staging and
Organizing, Inc. This sponsorship was
In 2008 the Long Island
Board of Realtors mobilized
a campaign to fight hunger in
our local communities. For
the second year Realtors
Against Hunger (RAH) collected donations
of non perishable food items at
various real estate offices throughout
Nassau, Suffolk and Queens to support
efforts to provide food to hundreds
of local food pantries, soup
kitchens, shelters and other programs
that feed the hungry, hundreds of
pounds of food was collected. “With
more than 300,000 children and adults
facing hunger or potential malnutrition
in the region the Long Island Board of
Realtors (LIBOR) must respond to
the needs of our communities, especially
in these difficult times for so
many families,”‰ said Buddy Hoosein,
LIBOR President.
Through RAH, LIBOR sponsored
“Hockey with a Heart — Realtors
Against Hunger Night”‰ to benefit
Island Harvest on Wednesday,
November 25, 2009 as the Islanders
took on the Philadelphia Flyers at
Nassau Coliseum. LIBOR and the
New York Islanders teamed up to present
an exciting night of hockey and a
chance to get food to the growing
number of Long Islanders at risk of
hunger. Island Harvest has become
Long Island’s largest hunger relief
made through the Long Island Board of
REALTORS® “We’re More Than REAL-
TORS®…” initiative, which supports
numerous programs and charitable community
organizations. The “We’re More
Than Realtors® campaign was created by
the LIBOR Public Relations Committee.
The campaign raises the public’s awareness
about Realtors® and their philanthropic
efforts within their communities.
A Time of Giving
for REALTORS
organization. Their volunteers and
staff deliver millions of pounds of
good, surplus food to a network of
570+ Long Island-based food pantries,
soup kitchens, and other non-profit
organization that offer feeding services
for those in need.
Realtors Against Hunger (RAH) is
part of the Long Island Board of
Realtor’s “We’re More Than
Realtors...”‰ initiative that supports
numerous programs and charitable
community organizations.
THE LONG ISLAND BOARD OF REALTORS, INC.
OUTREACH
Long Island Board of Realtors Honors Three
with Realtor Spirit Awards
The Long Island Board of REALTORS (LIBOR) honored three outstanding
members for their philanthropic community service during the recent LIBOR/MLS
Recognition and Awards Ceremony. The Spirit Awards recognize Realtors, one
from each County, who have made a difference in their community through volunteer
work, charitable efforts, youth related or other activities that demonstrate outstanding
commitment to community service. The LIBOR Public Relations
Committee is proud to announce its 2009 REALTOR Spirit Award recipients:
NASSAU COUNTY — Belinda Wiseman
for her dedication to the Woodbury
community, school system and the
Oyster Bay Chabad. Since 2001,
Belinda has been involved with the
Walt Whitman PTA, whether as class
parent, committee chairperson, or
President. Aside from these committees,
she was involved with chairing
the largest Fun Fair Carnival, which
raised the most money and had the
most attendees in the carnival history.
She increased fundraising by over
100%, involved more newcomers and
noninvolved members into the PTA,
and encouraged more participation
than ever before. Belinda strives to
better every facet of anything she is
involved in by giving 200% dedication
to it. She believes it shows her children
that we have a responsibility not only to
ourselves, but to the community in
which we live in.
SUFFOLK COUNTY — Debbie Metz
for her endless dedication and creation
of the Kyle Sports For Special Needs
Program with the Mastic Sports Club,
which was created to allow all our special
needs children the opportunity to
participate in sports program on their
own individual levels. This mission was
Vincent Arrigo
Kings Realty Professional
Eddison Bramble
Eddison Bramble, REALTOR
Stephen Carvelli
Movoto Inc.
Michael Ceravolo
Flocee Realty Inc.
Benny A. Diasparra
Exit Realty Search
started on behalf of one small boy
named Kyle, Debbie’s twin grandson.
A boy born with multiple disabilities
who has the character of a giant and
the heart and soul that is so overwhelming,
you have to meet him in person
to truly understand the impact he
has on everyone he meets. The program
that Debbie has developed is a
huge success, it was recently awarded
$150,000 grant, and it continues to
grow as more people hear about what
is being accomplished by letting the
children play together.
QUEENS COUNTY — Elizabeth Gittens
for her work with the American Cancer
Society and the Food Bank of New York
City, whose mission is to end hunger
by organizing food, information and
support for community survival and
dignity. Working to end food poverty
and increase access to affordable,
nutritious food for low-income New
Yorkers throughout the five boroughs.
Elizabeth has been actively involved in
the betterment of the Queens community
by providing food and clothing to
local shelters, hosting free job fairs and
health fairs just to name a few.
Each of these extraordinary recipients
was awarded $1,000 for the charity
of their choice.
The “We’re More Than Realtors” PR
campaign was created by the LIBOR
Public Relations Committee. “The campaign
raises the public’s awareness
about Realtors and their philanthropic
efforts within their communities,”‰ said
Buddy Hoosein, LIBOR President.
“Spirit Awards are an important component
of our campaign,”‰ Hoosein added.
WELCOME
NEW MEMBERS AND PARTICIPANTS
Anna Maria Economou
Economou Fine Homes & Estates
Brendan W. Hall
Icon Homes Inc.
Lenny Y. Lin
For Excellence Realty Inc.
Jeffrey Rincon
New York Home Resource Agency
Shahid Satti
American Properties & Business
LIBOR NEWS
CHAPTER & DIVISION
EVENT COVERAGE
By Christina DeFalco
Public Relations & Communications Specialist
The JAMAICA CENTRAL QUEENS CHAPTER is having a jam-packed education
program and networking breakfast on Thursday, December 17th at 9:00am at the
Fame Diner in Flushing. Guest speakers: Don Scanlon, LIBOR VP-Nassau/LIBOR
Instructor: “Avoid Dept. of State Fines, Agency Options and Obligations and more!”
Dana Nowick, MLS Product Marketing Specialist: “Tech Savvy Consumers Want ATech-
Savvy Realtor®. How to Use MLS Tools to Boost Your Business.” The cost is $5.00 prepaid,
$10.00 at the door. Please RSVP to Janay Malloy at 718-221-8822.
The NASSAU COUNTY DIVI-
SION BREAKFAST will be held
on Thursday, January 7th at 9:00am
(Check-In @ 8:30am) at the
Milleridge Carriage House in Jericho.
Special guest speaker to be
announced. Host Don Scanlon, 2009
LIBOR VP-Nassau. The cost is
$25.00 per person, prepaid reservations
only.
The SUFFOLK COUNTY DIVI-
SION LUNCHEON will be held on
Thursday, January 14th at 9:00am (Checkin
at 8:30am) at Villa Lombardi’s in
Holbrook. Special guest speaker: The
Honorable William J. Lindsay Suffolk
County Presiding Officer. Host: Mary
Alice Ruppert, 2009 LIBOR LIBOR VP-
Suffolk. The cost: $30.00 per person, prepaid
reservations only.
The QUEENS COUNTY DIVI-
SION LUNCHEON will be held on
Thursday, January 21st at 12:00pm
(Check-in at 11:30am) at Antun’s
Caterers in Queens Village. Special
guest speaker to be announced. Host:
Moses Seuram, 2009 LIBOR LIBOR
VP-Queens. The cost: $30.00 per person,
prepaid reservations only.
These meetings will also serve as the
installation of dignitary Kathy Engel,
2010 LIBOR President and 2010 Nassau,
Suffolk and Queens Chapter Officers and
Directors, presentation of Chapter
Distinguished Service Awards and
acknowledgment of 2009 Chapter
Officers and Directors. Register online at:
www.mlsli.com/event.asp. Questions,
call Connie Aiello at LIBOR ext. 361 or
email: caiello@lirealtor.com.
FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON ALL MEETINGS, VISIT THE
EXECUTIVE PLANNER ON PAGE 4 OR VISIT LIREALTOR.COM.
THE LONG ISLAND BOARD OF REALTORS, INC.
2010 Leadership Gets Installed (Continued from page 2)
1986 and currently works for RE/MAX
Shores in Oceanside. Over the years, Kathy
has been very involved in the real estate
community and has served on a number of
committees for both LIBOR and MLSLI.
Kathy has served as President of the local
and state Women’s Council of Realtors®.
The prestigious 2009 Realtor-Broker of the
Year Award was presented to Linda
Bonarelli-Lugo, who owns Realty
Executives North Shore with two locations in
Huntington. Last year's recipient, Don
Scanlon, was honored to present Linda with
this award. Linda began her involvement at
LIBOR in 1988 and since that time has
served on and chaired many LIBOR and
MLS committees as well. Linda believes that
education and knowledge are the keys to success
and holds the following NAR real estate
designations: CRB, CRS, CIPS & GRI
Dianne Scalza, of Netter Real Estate in
West Islip, was honored with being named
2009 Realtor-Salesperson of the Year. Last
year’s recipient of the award, Peter
Demidovich, did the honors and read off a
long list of Dianne’s achievements.
Dianne joined LIBOR in 1988 and has been
a licensed real estate professional for 23
years and is a NYS Certified Instructor for
LIBOR. Scalza holds the prestigious CBR,
CCDS & ITI real estate designations. She
has been very involved in the Suffolk South
Shore Chapter where she served as
President in 1998 and 1999. She currently
serves on the LIBOR Board of Directors.
Joe Sinnona was this year’s recipient of the
2009 Community Service Award. Pat Levitt,
last year’s recipient did the honor of presenting
Joe with the award. Joe joined LIBOR in
1989 and is an associate broker of Verdeschi
Realty Inc., the Joe Sinnona Group in Long
Beach. He has been a real estate professional
for over 20 years and is also an Eco-Broker.
Joe received this award because of his extensive
community service in the Long Beach
area, and in the entire Realtor® community.
Lloyd Gutin of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? was
named 2009 Realtor®-Affiliate of the Year. The
award was presented to him by last year’s winner,
Charles Pannellino. Lloyd decided to be an
independent entrepreneur by buying a franchise
that was new to the Northeast region. Lloyd
consistenly sponsors many LIBOR events,
including the Annual Education Conference,
Installation Dinner, County Division Meetings,
and many chapter meetings.
The last recognition award of the evening
was the notable Lifetime Achievement
award, which was presented to Edward
Smith, Jr. of Coldwell Banker Commercial
NRT in Ronkonkoma. Ed received the award
from Marian-Fraker Gutin who stepped up to
the podium to read a lengthy list of Ed’s
accomplishments. It was clear that Ed Smith
had been a major factor in the growth and
professionalism of the Long Island commercial
real estate industry over the last 35 years.
The program concluded with the installation
of 2010 LIBOR and MLS elected Officers,
which was performed by Hank Fries, incoming
NYSAR President. Joe Canfora, former
LIBOR and MLS President, and 2004
NYSAR President, did the honors of installing
incoming LIBOR and MLS Directors, Past
Presidents, Chapter Appointees, and Chapter
and Division Presidents.
The evening ended with dancing to the
sounds of the band “The Projekt.”
7 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 8
MLS NEWS
MLS INFO LINE
By Frank Urso, MLS President
Reinventing The Way
We Do Business
As I started the 2009 year as MLS
President I was constantly asked the questions:
What is happening with the real
estate market? What is my home worth?
Will I remain in business as a real estate
broker or even as an agent? What do I
need to do?
I’m glad to say after going through
what is believed to have been the least
“best” year in real estate in the past 20
years that every one of us learned how to
adapt to changing economic times. We
learned ways to reinvent ourselves; we
became more of a statistician and we
became leaner and smarter in managing
large or small sized offices. We experienced
office consolidations and unfortunately
we had offices that decided after
much deliberation that it was in their best
interest to close or merge.
We began with hardly a dent in contract
sales but with the stimulus plan for first
time home buyers the inventory was
absorbed in what became the shot in the
arm everyone was looking for and contract
sales began to rise. The next important
factor was the aggressively priced
approach brokers and agents became
more familiar with. Buyers became
active, multiple offers were occurring and
the market began to change as each
month we showed increases over previous
month’s homes going into contract.
We became the re-inventors of doing
business much differently than what we
did in the past. We learned how to use text
messaging and the social media sites like
Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and
Twitter in our business. We embraced all
these new ways of communicating with
our consumers.
The average new buyer is 34 years old
while our sellers average 48 years in age.
These buyers use the internet 95% of the
time for all their needs and Generation X
sends an average of 750 text messages a
month.
We started to experience brokers and
managers who were saying they were having
one of their most profitable years versus
what the media was quoting. We
learned that REO’s and short sales became
an everyday occurrence and brokers and
agents were either very successful or had
major obstacles that at times became very
THE MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE OF LONG ISLAND, INC.
confrontational. We are still working to
make that situation smoother for everyone.
Our Tech Fair was a raving success and
nearly 500 brokers, agents and vendors
showed their support. Our zone meetings
were informative and our zone chair people
were extremely thankful that myself,
and the staff offered our expertise and
knowledge.
Eventually the year as MLS President
must come to a close. As we do, I welcome
your new President for 2010 Frank
Dell’Accio. Frank brings his many years
of MLS and LIBOR experience to our
organization and we will continue to move
ahead with Frank as your new President.
I want to thank the executive committee,
especially Chris Armstrong, who
steps down this year, for all of his experience
and management skills he brought to
the committee. Thank You, Chris.
And to the following executive committee
members, who without their help,
knowledge and involvement we wouldn’t
experience the sound decisions that were
brought to the directors, Barbara Ford,
Mary Adams, Kevin Leatherman, Floyd
Earl, Dorothy Ashkar, Joe Mottola our
CEO, Jim Speer, VP of Operations, Cathy
Nolan, Board Attorney, Doreen
Spagnuolo, Staff Attorney and of course,
Angela Dell’Italia, VP of Administration.
I welcome our new executive committee
members Linda Bonarelli Lugo as
Treasurer and Anthony Atkinson Vice
President of Nassau County. They will
bring their varied experiences to our committee
and to our directors.
I guess I can say that it’s been a great
ride. I want to thank all of our directors
for their co-operation and involvement
throughout the year to help make your
MLS stronger and better.
I would like to thank my wife Marilyn
and my children Susan, Frank, and Jamie
for their support and encouragement to
allow me to lead this outstanding organization
— MLS.
May everyone have a fabulous holiday
season and may you prosper better than
ever in 2010.
Yours truly,
Multi-Lingual Home Search Promoted
in Strategic Area of Queens
Pictured above is a 40 foot billboard
that promotes the Multi Lingual
Home Search on MLSLI.com. The
sign has been strategically placed
on Northern Blvd. in Flushing,
Queens, at the entrance to the
Flushing Bridge, and includes the
phrase FIND A HOME IN 13 LAN-
GUAGES translated at the bottom
in both Korean and Traditional
Chinese, which represents a large
percentage of that areas non-
English speaking population.
TECH TIP
By Dana Nowick
MLS Product Marketing Specialist
631-661-4800 ext. 367 • dnowick@mlsli.com
MLSLI Advertising
Campaign Goes International
MLSLI is breaking down the language
barrier on Long Island. We are proud to
announce the placement of the latest
advertising Billboard in Flushing, Queens
that reaches out to English, Chinese and
Korean speaking consumers. This media
buy is part of our push to introduce
MLSLI.com to an International audience.
The new MLSLI 40 foot billboard is
located on Northern Blvd. at the entrance
to the Flushing Bridge. This area of
Queens has a heavy demographic population
of Asian and Korean consumers.
With that in mind, MLSLI specifically
created the message that MLSLI.com
now offers the Find a Home feature in 13
Languages, including both Chinese and
Korean. The multi-lingual feature will
provide a greater opportunity to drive
new visitors to our site!
MLSLI offers Realtor® members the
opportunity to take their OWN website
International — and it’s easier than you
Surge in Home Sales
Continues in October
The Multiple Listing Service of Long
Island, Inc. (MLSLI) released the October
2009 housing statistics for Long Island that
reported a $360,200 closed median home
price for Nassau, Suffolk and Queens
County. This represents a decrease of 6.4%
from last October’s closed median price of
$385,000. This compares favorably to the
national level where the National
Association of Realtors reported home
prices are off by 8.5% from a year prior.
During the month of October this year,
the number of contracted sales, which typically
represents transactions over the past
30 days, was 3,061, up 46.6% over October
2008’s figure of 2,061. Since 1996, MLSLI
MLS Q&A
I have gotten a new listing agreement
signed with a revised price
Q.
for a listing which hasn’t expired yet.
Can I put the listing on Stratus with the
listing date for which the new listing was
signed?
No. You must enter the same listing
date as the original listing.
A.
Rule 605.3 states: If listing information
is changed or if the property is relisted by
the same listing broker before the original
expiration or extended expiration
date of the original listing, the listing
must retain the original listing date.**
**See Board of Director’s Official Interpretations in
the back of the Rules Book.
Board of Directors hereby officially
interprets rule as follows:
think. By adding the Multi-Lingual IDX
Search to your own website, Realtors® can
allow buyers to search for a home in one of
the same 13 languages available on
mlsli.com. It’s smart to provide consumers
with the option to search for a home in their
own native language and they will appreciate
the extra effort you put forth to make
searching for a home that much easier.
The 13 languages available to add to
your website are:
Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French,
German, Polish, Russian, Chinese
Traditional, Chinese Simplified,
Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese.
For more info, pricing and to
order Multi-Lingual IDX visit:
www.mlstechs.com/multi-lingualIDX.asp
or call me at 631-661-4800 Ext 367 for
more information.
MLSLI is here to help your business
move forward! The International community
is a great place to start.
has only reported over 3,000
monthly contracted sales
nineteen times, 4 of which
have been reported over the
past six months.
The recent surge in home sales, combined
with a decline in available inventory,
is reflected in the supply, which is reported
monthly by MLSLI. The October 2009
month’s supply for Long Island is 10.2
months, which is 40% less than the 16.9
months reported in October 2008. The
month’s supply is determined by dividing
the number of monthly sales into the available
inventory. While inventory levels are
still at higher than historical levels, contracted
sales activity over the past few
months has trimmed the available inventory,
reducing the month’s supply figure considerably.
Examples:
1) If a listing is input with a listing date
of February 1 and an expiration date of
August 1, if the listing is superseded
prior to August 1, the new listing must be
input with a listing date of February 1.
2) If a listing is input with a listing date
of February 1 and an expiration date of
August 1, anytime the listing is relisted
before August 1 by the same office it
must be input with a listing date of
February 1. This is the case even if the
expiration date has been changed to an
earlier date.
3) If a listing is withdrawn or released
prior to the expiration date and relisted
within 30 days of withdrawal or release
date by the same office before that expiration
date, the listing must be input with
the original listing date.
9 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 10
Congratulations
to the following
Realtors® that
were recently
recognized for
their outstanding
individual
achievements…
Joe Sinnona
Linda Bonarelli Lugo
Awards were
presented to the
following
Realtors®:
Leonard Primack (left)
Patricia Levitt
2009 Special Realtor®
Awards
LICN Member of the Year
Leonard Primack
The Tasso Award
Peter Caruso
WCR Member of the Year
Lois Hanson
RPAC Achievement
Patricia Levitt
REALTOR®-Broker of the Year
Linda Bonarelli Lugo
REALTOR®-Salesperson of the Year
Dianne Scalza
Community Service Award
Joe Sinnona
REALTOR®-Affiliate of the Year
Lloyd Gutin
Lifetime Achievement Award
Ed Smith
Ed Smith
Lloyd Gutin
Lois Hanson
Dianne Scalza
Peter Caruso
11 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 12
This
& That
COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL
BROKERAGE CARES PRESENTS
$3,000 TO LONG ISLAND CARES
Donation generated through the
company’s Build-A-Basket Fundraiser
Coldwell Banker Residential
Brokerage on Long Island and
Queens’ President Joe Mamone presented
a $3,000 check to Long Island
Cares on behalf of the company’s charitable
foundation, Coldwell Banker
Residential Brokerage Cares. The donation
was generated by associate and
employee donations through the Build-A-
Basket fundraiser, held at the company’s
3rd Annual Summer Fling in September. A
consistently successful annual fundraiser,
Build-A-Basket featured unique baskets
created by each Branch Office that were
raffled at the event. It was again an overwhelming
success due to the generosity of
the company’s sales associates and
employees. “I was honored to present this
gift on behalf of our incredibly giving associates
and employees,” explains Mamone.
“As we enter the holiday season, Long
Island Cares’ important work becomes
even more significant. We are so happy
that this gift will aid in keeping food on families’
tables across Long Island.”
Photo caption: Coldwell Banker
Residential Brokerage on Long Island and
Queens President Joe Mamone and Long
Island Cares' Robin Amato.
Daniel Gale Sotheby's James
Phelps Retz Guest Panelist on
Award-Winning Broadcast Series
Exploring Critical Issues
James P. Retz, Senior Vice President,
Marketing and Technology for Daniel
Gale Sotheby's International Realty, one
of the nation's leading realtors, was a panelist
this month on the award winning television
program Exploring Critical Issues. "The Real
State of Long Island Real Estate" was the topic
of the program hosted by Adelphi University
President Dr. Robert A. Scott. In its sixth year
of production, the hour-long program features
a roundtable of distinguished guests that
explore a topic of significance to metro-area
viewers. "The Real State of Real Estate" provides
viewpoints on the current real estate
market as influenced by factors in construction,
architecture, commercial and residential
real estate. "There have been so many
changes to both the commercial and residential
real estate markets, it is important to be
able to look at the big picture," said Retz. In
addition to Jim Retz, panelists include Ted
Sasso, President, Renaissance Realty
Services, LLC; Mitchell Rechler, Rechler
Equity Partners and President of ABLI
(Association for a Better Long Island) and
John Tsunis, Chairman, Gold Coast Bank,
Chairman and CEO, Long Island Hotels, LLC,
and land use attorney at Tsunis, Gasparis,
and Lustig, LLC. Photo Caption: Adelphi
University President Dr. Robert A. Scott
(center) hosts the Exploring Critical Issues
broadcast on "The State of Real Estate" with
guests (l to r) Ted Sasso, President,
Renaissance Realty Services, LLC;
Mitchell Rechler, Rechler Equity
Partners and President of ABLI; John
Tsunis, Chairman, Gold Coast Bank,
Chairman and CEO, Long Island Hotels,
LLC, Land Use Attorney, Tsunis,
Gasparis, and Lustig, LLC; and James
Retz, Senior Vice President, Daniel Gale
Sotheby's International Realty.
REALTOR Mel Farkas Named
2009 State REALTOR of the Year
The New York State Association of REAL-
TORS (NYSAR) recently honored REAL-
TOR Mel Farkas, of Century 21 AA
Realty in Seaford, as the 2009 REALTOR
of the Year during the association’s Fall
Business Meetings in Saratoga Springs,
New York. Mel is the 52nd recipient of the
award, which recognizes outstanding service
to the REALTOR organization at the
local, state and national levels, a strict adherence
to the high principles of the National
Association of REALTORS (NAR) Code of
Ethics, a commitment to civic activity and
business accomplishment. LIBOR is proud
to have one of their REALTORS chosen for
this honorable award, congratulations Mel!
62 Sales Associates from Coach
Realtors Complete CHMS Course
On October 16th, 62 sales associates from
Coach Realtors completed the Certified
Home Marketing Specialist course. The
class was held at the Huntington Crescent
Club and taught by Martha Webb, one of
the county’s foremost authorities on home
staging. Addressing in-depth market analysis,
strategic pricing and effective home
staging, the CHMS course provides agents
with the expertise to excel in today’s competitive
environment.
OBITUARIES
We regret to inform you of the passing of
Susana Toro of Nationwide Homes Realty
in Bay Shore. Service was held on
November 5th at Maloney Funeral Home in
Central Islip.
We regret to inform you of the passing of
Brittany, daughter of Ann Bartonik of
Re/Max One in Lake Ronkonkoma.
Services were held on December 1st and
2nd at Robertaccio Funeral Home in
Patchogue.
Coach Realtors has served Nassau & Suffolk for over 50 years and is Long Island’s largest privately-owned
Real Estate Company with 18 offices and 600+ Associates.
www.coachrealtors.com
RPAC
2009 RPAC HONOR ROLL
IT’S YOUR BEST
INVESTMENT IN BUSINESS!
LIBOR’S 2009 RPAC GOAL IS $375,810
BASED ON RPAC’S FAIR SHARE OF
$15 PER MEMBER.
For more information, please contact
Randy L. Kaplan, Director of
Governmental Affairs, Ext. 380.
GOLDEN R
($5,000 AND UP)
Joseph L. Canfora
Dorothy Herman
Patricia Levitt
Audrey Livingstone
CRYSTAL R
($2,500 TO $4,999)
STERLING R
($1,000 TO $2,499)
Laura Copersino
Lisbeth N. English
Melvyn S. Farkas
Gigi Fernandez
Barbara F. Frechter
Carol Gallo
Turschmann
Steven M. Harney
Susan G.
Helsinger
Walauddin
Hoosein
Mac Levitt
Patricia M. Masone
Mary F.
McLaughlin
Michael Mendicino
Walter D. Messina
Joseph E. Mottola
Donna Reardon
Donald C. Scanlon
Moses Seuram
PRESIDENT’S
CLUB
($500 TO $999)
Gabriele Bishop
Suzanne DeNoyior
Floyd G. Earl
Nicholas Gigante
Nicholas Gomez
Nabih Halaka
Bettie M. Meinel
Richard M. Shane
Tony Smith
Charlotte
Vanderwaag
Mohsen Zandieh
CAPITOL CLUB
($250 TO $499)
Nancy A.
Achstatter
Katy Anastasio
Dorothy A. Aschkar
Rozanna
Beaumont
Gina M.
Bettenhauser
Joanne Canfora
Hector Castillo
Elizabeth M.
Curran
Kathleen L. Engel
Patricia Erker
Debra Fiscaletti
Barbara Ford
Marian Fraker
Gutin
Melissa Gomez
Martin P. Hepworth
Randy Kaplan
Kelly Lagoudis
Patrick H. Mackay
Jack Gajraj
Mangra
Barbara
McDonough
James A. Netter
James F. O Kane
Charles Panellino
Salvatore Polito
Stephen J. Prevete
Nigel A. Rose
Mary Alice Ruppert
Daniel Ryan
Judith Santiago
Joseph T. Sinnona
Edward S. Smith
Neil E. Sterrer
Louise Tudisco
$99 CLUB
($99 TO $249)
Nordeen Accardi
Kenneth L. Adamo
Mark S. Adler
Bridget D. Allim
Jacques Ambron
Christopher
Andron
Joseph Ardito
Richard B. Arnold
Kathleen Bardekoff
Helen Baroumis
Joanne C.
Bechhoff
Michael Bello
Belinda G. Bender
Rachel Benedetti
Lucille Bonanno
Linda Bonarelli
Lugo
Lisa R. Bornschein
Ralph Bove
Margaret M. Brady
Stephen A. Bruno
Barbara A.
Bucovetsky
Denise C. Buser
James A. Cafarelli
Allegra Capra
Ellen T. Caprino
Gloria Catsimalis
Fanny R. Chang
Ocelia Claro
Peter J. Cohen
Michael C.
Comuniello
Salvatore Crifasi
Janice M. Dalessio
Scott D. Daniels
Gloria Datlow
Solomon Davydov
Ralph J. DeBrosse
Vincent DellAccio
Peter S.
Demidovich
Carlos A. Diaz
Sabita D.
Doodnauth
Kenneth J. Dunn
Sooroojnee Edoo
Allan R. Eldridge
James H. Elstroth
Katherine K. Ernst
Janice L. Fagan
Rocco J.
Famiglietti
Alejandra J.
Fermin
Gerald R. Fink
Wesley Ford
Thomas G.
Gallagher
Massimo
Gammella
Neil B. Garfinkel
Arben Gerdovci
Kenneth M. Gerus
Steven H.
Glassberg
Paul A. Gomez
Jay S. Gootenberg
Brigitte E. Greene
Frederic R. Greene
Jennifer R.
Gromus
Cheryl J.
Grossman
Louis Gutin
Ronald P. Guzas
Philip A. Hamid
Matthew Hart
Lisa Healy
Michael Z. Herbert
Linda Hickey
Kelly A. Hicks
Joann T. Hubbard
Georgia Ioannou
Janet Iveson
Ramesh D.
Kalicharran
Morton Kaplan
Amy Kernaghan
James F. Kiernan
Sharon Kollore
Vincent Koo
Tony Koskinas
Ken Kraska
Joann Lee
Sandi Lefkowitz
Gang Liang
Lisa M. Lilly
Michael P. Litzner
Kevin N. Loiacono
Brian P. Lomot
Charles Lovell
Rita J. Lowry
Anthony Lubrano
Johnstone S. Ma
Louis J. Macari
Hattie Mack
Rose A. Manalang
Francesco S.
Marino
Patricia G. Maude
Thomas J.
McCarthy
Boris Mikhailov
Lionel A. Mohabir
Michael J. Morris
Bryan K. Murphy
Paul P. Napolitano
Gerard L. O
Connell
Xiao Feng Pan
Vincent C. Papa
Daniel J. Park
Sabrina Parrino
Louis Pescatore
Patricia J. Petersen
Patricia K.
Petersen
Linda J. Petralia
James A. Phillips
Eytan A. Pick
Leonard Primack
*THESE LIBOR MEMBERS HAVE PLEDGED RPAC CONTRIBUTIONS.
REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
GOAL
$375,810
TO DATE...$284,000
Rose Marie Princi
James Radosta
Carl W. Riese
Seibert L.
Robinson
John A. Rodriguez
Diana M. Romano
Willard L. Rose
Tina Rossetti
Harriet M. Rowan
David P. Sanders
Geraldine S.
Sapanaro
John J. Sarno
Dianne C. Scalza
Marlena C. Schein
Lucy Schut
Anita Simon
James A. Smith
Carol A. Sparaco
Florin J. Spariosu
Kendra Stryska
Isa D. Stykes
Amalia Molly
Symington
Thomas F. Tabone
Leo S. Testa
Mildred Thomas
Sandra Torres
Todd A. Triolo
Margaret Tsoukaris
Karlene D. Tyson
Vincent Vaiano
Valerie Van Cleef
Nancy Vargas
Johnson
Anthony R.
Vecchio
Jerry N. Vlachos
Barbara J.
Wanamaker
Robert P. Weir
Kathy J. Werler
Paul K.
Wernersbach
Elinore West
Georgia Westcott
Lenore G. Wieman
John R. Williams
Richard M. Witt
Phyllis J. Wolkoff
Doris V. Wooten
Wonshik Yoon
PLEASE NOTE – DUE TO SPACE CONSIDERATIONS, A COMPLETE LIST OF RPAC
CONTRIBUTORS WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT LIREALTOR.COM.
Home Buyer Tax Credit
(Continued from page 1)
November 7, 2009, single buyers with
incomes up to $125,000 and married couples
with incomes up to $225,000 may
receive the maximum tax credit.
These income limits have changed
from the 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax
Credit limits.
If the Buyer(s)’ Income Exceeds These
Limits, Can He/She Still Get a Credit?
Yes, some buyers may still be eligible
for the credit.
The credit decreases for buyers who
earn between $125,000 and $145,000 for
single buyers and between $225,000 and
$245,000 for home buyers filing jointly.
The amount of the tax credit decreases as
his/her income approaches the maximum
limit. Home buyers earning more than the
maximum qualifying income over
$145,000 for singles and over $245,000
for couples are not eligible for the credit.
Can a Buyer Still Qualify If He/She
Closes After April 30, 2010?
Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax
Credit, as long as a written binding contract
to purchase is in effect on April 30,
2010, the purchaser will have until July 1,
2010 to close.
Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid?
No. The buyer does not need to repay
the tax credit, if he/she occupies the
home for three years or more. However, if
the property is sold during this three-year
period, the full amount credit will be
recouped on the sale.
If you have specific questions or need
additional information, please contact a
tax professional or the Internal Revenue
Service at 800-829-1040.
RPAC UPDATE
By Pat Levitt,
RPAC Chairperson
It’s a WRAP for RPAC!
As Chair of the 2009 Realtors® Political
Action Committee this will be my last article
but my chance to acknowledge all of
RPAC's accomplishments and to say
"thanks" to all that participated in making
this year a success. We all know that 2009
was truly a challenging year but, as always,
the LIBOR team stuck together and performed
as champions!
First I'd like to announce the tremendous
increase in members who invested this year
in our fundraising towards our goal. In 2008
a total of 4,850 participated. In 2009 the
number of participants jumped to
8,450...WOW! LIBOR's financial goal was
$375,800 and with all the support and teamwork
we fell short by ONLY $91,000. This
number was amazing considering LIBOR
changed their fiscal year and NAR changed
their deadline for funds to October 16th.
Our goal for 2010 will be $312,225 and we
are being challenged to raise our participation
number to 9,300. Will we reach these
goals in 2010? Since I was asked to be your
Chair again I want to say that I'm very optimistic
that, with the continued support of the
LIBOR team, we can do it.
National Association of REALTORS ® Government Affairs Division
500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington DC, 20001
FEATURE
First-time Buyer
Amount of Credit
First-time Buyer
Definition for Eligibility
Current Homeowner
Amount of Credit
Effective Date
Current Owner
Current Homeowner
Definition for Eligibility
Termination of Credit
Binding Contract Rule
Income Limits
(Note: Increased income
limits are effective as of
date of enactment of bill)
Limitation on Cost of
Purchased Home
Purchase by a Dependent
Anti-fraud Rule
Secondly, I'd like to acknowledge the
continuous Chapter support. We also had
successful RPAC Events such as "Day at
the Races", "Realtors® Got Talent" and an
evening at the Mets at Citifield in the
Modell's Clubhouse. Do you have any
ideas for 2010? If so, please contact me.
And now, a special thanks to my RPAC
Vice-Chairs...Susan Helsinger, Nassau;
Nabih Halaka, Queens; Matt Arnold,
Suffolk and Joe Sinnona, Affiliates.
Fundraising is dependent on teamwork and
this team has truly excelled.
Last, but certainly not least, my sincere
and very special thanks to our LIBOR
staff...Randy Kaplan, Maryann Horan and
Phil Weiden for their constant help with
planning and assisting with all our RPAC
functions. They are the greatest! Fundraising
is never a one man job. It takes teamwork
and support and fortunately I'm grateful as
the RPAC Chair to have had both.
Looking forward to working together
again in 2010.
NAR Issue Brief
Homebuyer Tax Credit
Jan 1 – November 30, 2009
Rules as enacted
February 2009
$8000
($4000 married
filing separate)
May not have had an interest in
a principal residence for 3 years
prior to purchase
November 7 – April 30, 2010
Rules as enacted
November 2009
$8000
($4000 married
filing separate)
Same
$6500
No Provision
($3250 married
filing separate)
No Provision November 7, 2009
No Provision
Purchases after November 30,
2009.
(Becomes April 30, 2010 on
Date of Enactment.)
None
$75,000 – single
$150,000 – married
Additional $20,000 phase out
None
No Provision
None
Must have used the home sold
or being sold as a principal
residence consecutively for 5
of the previous 8 years
Purchases after
April 30, 2010
So long as a written binding
contract to purchase is in
effect on April 30, 2010, the
purchaser will have until
July 1, 2010 to close.
$125,000 – single
$225,000 – married
Additional $20,000 phase out
$800,000
November 7, 2009
Ineligible
November 7, 2009
Purchaser must attach
documentation of purchase to
tax return
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF NAR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ON THE HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT CHANGES VISIT
www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/2009_first_time_home_buyer_tax_credit.
13 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 14
LEGAL/GOVERNMENTAL
1. If I am the selling agent, but not the
listing agent, can I put a sign on the
house?
Not without the listing agent's permission,
until the house closes. Then, if the
Purchaser gives you permission, you may
place a sold sign on the property.
2. If another agent has a listing and the
Seller wants me to list it, what do I do?
Do not counsel him to get an unconditional
release. Tell him you cannot take a
listing while he is listed with someone else,
but that if it has not sold by the time the listing
expires, you would be glad to help him.
If he insists on having you write the listing
immediately, you may do so as long as you
date it for after the present listing will expire.
3. A Seller needs a short sale but now
he is telling me he will only take an offer
News Highlights
Fed: Economy Improving,
Commercial Still Weak
The U.S. economy has “improved
modestly‰ since early October, the
Federal Reserve said Wednesday in
releasing its monthly “beige book‰ survey
of regional economic conditions.
The Fed said residential real estate
sales increased everywhere but the
Northeast. Also, fewer homes overall
were being built.
The report also said commercial real
estate was worse than the residential market,
with conditions reported to have
weakened in virtually all districts, with “rising
vacancy rates, downward pressure on
rents, and little, if any, new development."
Overall, the Fed reported that the
labor market remained weak in most
areas, but it noted improvement in some
areas and an uptick in retail sales.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Short Sales Program Guidelines
Issued by Treasury Department
The Treasury Department recently
released guidelines and forms for its
new Home Affordable Foreclosure
Alternatives Program (HAFA). HAFA is
part of the Home Affordable Modification
Program (HAMP). HAFA 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. HAFA applies to loans not
owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or
Freddie Mac, which will issue their own
versions of HAFA in coming weeks.
HAFA is a complex program, with 43
pages of guidelines and forms, designed
to simplify and streamline use of short
sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure.
A copy of the Issue Brief is available at
www.realtor.org/shortsales and contains
a summary of the provisions and links to
additional information. Realtors are
encouraged to review the brief.
COUNSELOR’S COMMENTS
By Cathy Nolan
Goldson, Nolan & Connolly, P.C.
General Counsel
Legal Helpline Questions
if the Purchaser will give him money
"under the table." What do I do?
Run, do not walk, away from that
Seller. He has already been living rent free
for some time and now he wants yo to help
him defraud the bank! Do not do it!
4. If a Buyer customer of mine is looking
for a short sale and then wants me
to find a second buyer before he goes
to contract so that he can "flip" the
deal, can I work with him?
No, because you would have a duty to
bring the Seller client the higher offer
until the house closes. If, however, the
Buyer is your client and the listing does
not belong to your office, you may do it,
but only if the bank has agreed to the sale.
Until and unless the bank agrees, the
Buyer is not a Buyer Vendee, but merely
a potential Purchaser with an offer!
Loan Modification Success
Said to be Overlooked
A report from the voluntary, mortgage
industry-driven Hope Now program
says the mortgage industry has assisted
2.7 million homeowners in 2009 with
mortgage modifications or repayment
plans outside of the federal programs.
The statement released recently lacked
many details about what kind of help servicers
were offering. "What are the circumstances?"
asks economist Joel Naroff, with
Naroff Economic Advisors. "It's a large
number, but they're probably not helping a
lot of people who we'd think of as getting a
modification. They might just be rewriting a
mortgage to more of a fixed rate."
The Executive Director of Hope Now
Faith Schwartz says industry efforts to
solve the foreclosure problem are significant.
"We've got to talk about what
else is going on in the market. That's the
bigger picture," she says.
Source: USA Today
NAR Survey Shows First-Time Home
Buyers Set Record in Past Year
First-time home buyers reached the
highest market share on record during the
past year, according to the latest consumer
survey of home buyers and sellers.
Paul Bishop, NAR vice president of
research, said several factors have been
at play. “Tax incentives, record high
affordability conditions and a pent-up
demand brought a record share of firsttime
home buyers into the market,” he
said. “These buyers are critical to housing
and a general economic recovery
because the market always heals from the
bottom up – they absorb inventory, free
existing owners to make a trade and stimulate
related goods and services.”
The number of first-time home buyers
rose to 47 percent of all home sales from
41 percent of transactions in last year’s
study, and was the highest on record dating
back to 1981.
Social Media: The Code of Ethics
and Department of State Implications
By Doreen J. Spagnuolo, Esq.
LIBOR/MLS Staff Council
U.S. Housing and Urban Development
Secretary Shaun Donovan on
Wednesday asked Congress for authority
to raise borrower premiums and down
payments in order to bring the Federal
Housing Administration’s reserves
above the mandated 2 percent minimum.
The agency plans to reduce the maximum
permissible seller concessions
from 6 percent to 3 percent. The minimum
borrower FICO score will be raised
above the current 500, although the final
With the popularity
and growing use of
social media (such
as Facebook,
Twitter, blogs, websites,
etc.), brokers
and agents should
be careful that the content they post on such
sites are not in violation of The National
Association Code of Ethics (Code) or New
York State Department of State (DOS) regulations.
This article will discuss some of
the Articles of the Code and DOS
Guidelines that can apply when using electronic
media.
When hosting a website and blog, or
when posting information on them, it is
important that you are in compliance with
the National Association Code of Ethics.
Violations of the Code of Ethics could subject
you to a Professional Standards
Hearing at the Board where you may be
sanctioned for violations. You should be
aware of the following Code of Ethics
Articles that apply to a broker’s and agent’s
use of social media. Article 1 of the Code,
specifically Standard of Practice 1-2, clearly
indicates that the Code of Ethics applies
to social media. Therefore, whatever you
post on social media sites is subject to the
rules of the Code.
Article 2 of the Code states, in part:
“REALTORS® shall avoid exaggeration,
misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent
facts relating to the property or the
transaction.” Article 15 states: “REAL-
TORS® shall not knowingly or recklessly
make false or misleading statements about
competitors, their businesses, or their business
practices.” Therefore, internet postings
should not be used to disparage, criticize,
or make negative comments about
other individuals or businesses. If the post
contains information about a property, the
facts should be accurate.
Article 12 of the Code states in part:
“REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful
in their real estate communications and
shall present a true picture in their advertising,
marketing, and other representations.
REALTORS® shall ensure that their status
as real estate professionals is readily apparent
in their advertising ...” As will be discussed
below, anything posted to an
Internet site may be classified as an advertisement.
Whether posting to a blog or
hosting your own website, you should consider
whether or not the information you
display could be viewed as an advertisement.
If so, you will be subject to the Code
and DOS guidelines for advertising.
Standard of Practice 12-8 states in part:
“... REALTORS® shall use reasonable
efforts to ensure that information on their
websites is current. When it becomes apparent
that information on a REALTOR®’s
website is no longer current or accurate,
REALTORS® shall promptly take corrective
action.” Realtors have the responsibility
to inspect their website to make sure that
its content and postings are accurate and current.
If not, the Realtor has an obligation,
according to the Code, to remove the incorrect
or outdated information.
Also, any website or blog that permits
REALTORS® to post messages, comment
on subject matter, and interact with each
other and the public are subject to the
scrutiny of the New York State Department
of State (DOS). Anything posted to an
Internet site may be classified as advertisement
by the DOS. The DOS has the authority
to take disciplinary action against any
licensee placing an advertisement of any
kind that is in violation of DOS advertising
guidelines.
Therefore, when either hosting or posting
to a blog or website you must be in compliance
with the DOS advertising guidelines.
For example, the website content must be
clear that the website is that from a licensee
of a broker and must include the broker’s
name. If the licensee is going to use his or
her name, the broker’s name must appear at
least 25 percent larger. Likewise, if the
licensee is going to supply a phone number
other than that of the broker, the licensee
must indicate the type of phone number
supplied (cell, home, etc.).
It seems that social media is here to stay.
Therefore, familiarize yourself with the Code
of Ethics and DOS advertising guidelines
(both located on LIBOR’s website, www.lirealtor.com)
so that you can enjoy social media
interaction without worrying about violating
any Code or DOS regulations.
HUD Considers Tightening FHA Requirements
LIBOR Legal Help Line —
number has not yet been determined. It
also will likely increase the down payment
to 5 percent, but that number hasn’t
been decided either.
Donovan also wants lenders to take
responsibility for losses associated with
loans not underwritten to FHA standards
and to be accountable for origination
quality and compliance.
Critics said tightening up FHA could
slow the housing recovery.
Source: Reuters News
The LIBOR Legal Help Line is available from 9:00 a.m. –
1:00 p.m. – Monday through Friday.
Call the LIBOR Legal Helpline at 631-236-4105.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
ETHICS...THIS MONTH’S TOPICS
The Ethics case published in this issue have been chosen by the 2009 Chairperson of the Professional Standards Committee, Linda Bonarelli.
Case #7-1: Acceptance of
Compensation from Buyer and
Seller
Buyer A engaged REALTOR® B to
locate a small commercial property. Buyer
A explained his exact specifications indicating
that he did not wish to compromise.
They agreed that if REALTOR® B could
locate such a property within Buyer A’s
price range, he — the buyer — would pay
a finder’s fee to REALTOR® B.
Two weeks later, REALTOR® B called
Buyer A to advise that Seller C had just
listed a property with him that met all of
Buyer A’s specifications except that the
listed price was a bit higher than Buyer A
wanted to pay. Buyer A inspected the
property and liked it, but said he would
adhere to his original price range. REAL-
TOR® B called Buyer A three days later to
say that Seller C had agreed to sell at
Buyer A’s price. The sale was made and
REALTOR® B collected a commission
from Seller C and a finder’s fee from
Buyer A which was not disclosed to Seller
C, REALTOR® B’s client.
Several weeks later, Seller C learned
about the finder’s fee that REALTOR®B
had collected from Buyer A and filed a complaint
with the Board of REALTORS®
charging REALTOR® B with duplicity and
unprofessional conduct. The complaint
specified that when REALTOR® B had presented
Buyer A’s offer at less than the listed
price, he, the seller, was reluctant to accept
it, but REALTOR® B had convinced him
that the offer was a fair one and not likely to
be improved upon in the current market; and
that REALTOR® B had dwelt at length on
certain disadvantageous features of the
property in an attempt to promote acceptance
of the offer. The complaint charged
that REALTOR® B had actually been the
agent of the seller. Further, Seller C asserted
that REALTOR® B had never mentioned
that he was representing the buyer or intended
to be compensated by the buyer.
At the hearing, REALTOR® B’s defense
was that he had served both buyer and seller
faithfully; that he had not accepted Seller
C’s listing until after he agreed to assist
Buyer A in locating a property; and that in
his judgment the listed price was excessive
and the price actually paid was a fair price.
A Hearing Panel of the Board’s
Professional Standards Committee, which
heard the complaint, concluded that REAL-
TOR® B had acted in violation of Article 7
of the Code of Ethics. His efforts to represent
the buyer and seller at the same time,
and the fact that he intended to be compensated
by both parties, should have been
fully disclosed to all parties in advance.
Case #10-3: Equal Professional
Services by the REALTOR
REALTOR® A was contacted by
Prospect C, a female head of household,
concerning a home for sale which was
advertised during the previous week in the
newspaper’s classified real estate section.
When informed by REALTOR® A that the
home in question had already been sold,
Prospect C asked to be shown homes in the
$80,000 to $90,000 price range with three
bedrooms and located near schools and
playgrounds. REALTOR® A proceeded to
show Prospect C a number of homes
which met her stated criteria for price
range, size and location, but Prospect C
was interested in none of them.
Shortly thereafter, Prospect C filed a
complaint with the Board of REAL-
TORS® against REALTOR® A, complaining
that he had violated Article 10 of
the Code of Ethics by failing to offer equal
professional service to her because she
was a woman. Prospect C contended that
she did not receive the same professional
service from REALTOR® A that would
have been afforded to a male head of a
household and home seeker with the same
criteria for price range, size and location.
The complaint was referred to the
Grievance Committee and after its preliminary
review and evaluation; the Grievance
Committee referred it to the Secretary and
directed that a hearing be arranged before
a Hearing Panel of the Professional
Standards Committee. The Secretary
made the necessary arrangements and provided
the proper notices and opportunity
for response by REALTOR® A.
At the hearing, Prospect C expressed her
complaint and concluded by saying, “It
was obvious to me that REALTOR® A
discriminated against me because I am a
woman. In my opinion, he showed little
interest in helping me find a home.”
REALTOR® A responded that he was
sorry that Prospect C had that opinion, but
that certainly he held no such attitude as
charged. REALTOR® A advised the
Hearing Panel that he routinely utilized a
contact report for each prospect which
included identification information on the
clients, provides data on the price range,
type of house and location preferred by the
prospect, and records the homes shown to
the prospect with information on the price,
type, and location of each home shown.
REALTOR® A presented several such
reports from his files including the report
pertaining to Prospect C. Prospect C’s
report showed that several homes shown to
her met the data as supplied by her.
The Hearing Panel concluded that
REALTOR®’s documented evidence did,
in fact, establish a clear position in which
equal professional service had been
offered and that no violation of Article 10
had occurred.
15 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
“I just sold a home at the Seasons at
Massapequa. It was a smooth and seamless
transaction and my buyer is delighted.
I loved making a 3% commission.
Bring your buyers and see the beautiful
homes by Timber Ridge Homes
and earn a great commission.”
– Anne Sheridan
Charles Rutenberg Real Estate
Timber Ridge Homes make selling homes easy.
Simply register your customer with us on their
first visit and we do the rest. Your customers
will receive high quality service and you will
enjoy working with our professional sales team
while earning 3% commission*. Receive the
rewards and recognition you deserve and
join those who have already become part of
Timber Ridge’s Circle of Excellence today!
*Commissions are paid on the final sales price of the home.
Agent must accompany and register buyer on buyer’s first
visit to the community. Commission paid at the time
of closing. Additional restrictions may apply.
See sales representatives for complete details.
TRHomesLI.com
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 16
COMPUTER EDUCATION
NEW! NEW! NEW! NEW!
NEW — STRATUS CERTIFICATION PLUS
FAIR HOUSING COMBO CLASS — 22.5 HRS
Satisfy ALL of your New York State requirement for 22.5 hours
of CE including 3 hours of Fair Housing over this three day
class. Day 1 will cover Stratus customization, searching, viewing
and printing reports, mapping, update, open houses, statistics,
saving searches. Day 2 will cover Public Records and
mailing labels in the morning. In the afternoon of Day 2, students
will registers and complete a 3 hour online FAIR HOUS-
ING course with the instructors help. On Day 3, students will
cover CMA, Add/Edit, photo upload, and prospect match.
Important note: Total cost: $255. Students will pay $225 to
register for the Stratus class, then an ADDITIONAL $30 for
the online course on day 2. Credit card or checks accepted.
LIBOR will process 19.5 hours Stratus CE and 3 hours Fair
Housing CE separately. Students attending must have basic
computer and Internet skills.
3 DAYS • 9:00 A.M. – 5:30 P.M.
EVENING HOURS ARE 5 DAYS FROM 5:00PM – 9:30PM
West Babylon . . . Jan 19, 21 and 25
Woodbury . . . . . Feb 8, 10 and 11
Jackson Heights . Feb 23, 25 and 26
West Babylon . . . Mar 1, 3 and 5
Riverhead . . . . . Mar 9, 11 and 12
Woodbury . . . . . Mar 25, 26 and 29
REGISTER ON LINE AT MLSLI.COM OR CALL TO
REGISTER 631-661-4800 EXT. 21 • SEATS ARE LIMITED!
NEW PROGRAM FOR ALL AGENTS
ONLINE FORMS & REAL ESTATE
DOCUMENTS WITH INSTANET
$49 LIBOR MEMBERS • INCLUDES 3 HOURS NYS CE CREDIT
Use the INSTANET ONLINE FORMS product to save $$$,
work more efficiently and begin the transition to a PAPER-
LESS and GREEN business!
• Complete ALL your MLS, LIBOR and NY required forms online
and save to your pc
• E-Mail and Fax (Unlimited) important documents to clients
• Upload listing to Stratus as a worksheet – No need to retype
• Secure record keeping – Reduce Risk
CONSIDER TAKING ONE OF THE INSTANET CLASSES OR WEBINARS TO
LEARN MANY MORE POWERFUL FEATURES OF THIS PROGRAM!
West Bablyon. . . Jan 13. . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 12:00pm
Jackson Heights . Feb 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 12:00pm
Riverhead . . . . . Feb 22 . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 12:00pm
Woodbury . . . . . Mar 27 . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 12:00pm
To access the forms:
1. Go to Stratus ADD/EDIT
2. On the left side menu, click the link for Instanet Online Forms
3. Click on the CLICK HERE next to the Instanet logo
4. If it's your first time opening Instanet, you will be required to accept the
terms and conditions and run a "pre-flight" system check to make sure
your computer has all that's needed for Instanet. Follow their recommendations.
5. At the Instanet main page, click on Work With Individual Forms
6. Click on the "+" sign next to MLS Long Island to see the list of forms.
7. Select the form you would like to use, then on the right side, click on
CREATE NEW FORM
8. The form will open and fields can be completed by clicking with your
mouse and typing in the box.
9. Use the icons at the top to PRINT, FAX or E-MAIL forms for signature
E-PRO COURSE
WEB 2.0 AND SOCIAL NETWORKING –
FULLY UPDATED E-PRO COURSE NOW
OFFERS WEB 2.0 PLATFORM AND NEW
SOCIAL MEDIA MODULE
Power up your technology and Internet know-how with NAR’s
newly updated and enhanced e-PRO Technology Certification
Program! e-PRO is the only technology certification program
offered by the National Association of REALTORS. Attend
one of the upcoming FREE e-PRO Workshops to learn invaluable
tech tips and how e-PRO will benefit you, PLUS receive a
$25 Discount for your e-PRO course enrollment!
Jackson Heights . Jan 20 . . . . . . . . . 1:30pm – 3:00pm
To Register, simply visit: http://ePROWorkshop.InternetCrusade.com
or call toll free: 1-866-ePRONAR (1-866-377-6627)
TO REGISTER FOR GENERAL AND
COMPUTER EDUCATION PROGRAMS:
REGISTER BY TELEPHONE:
631-661-4800 x 21
TO REGISTER ON-LINE OR
FOR DIRECTIONS, VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT MLSLI.COM
FREE STRATUS DEMO
MLS STRATUS DEMONSTRATION
Three hour lecture demonstration (NOT hands-on). Instructor
will show the Stratus system on an overhead projector. All
functions of Stratus will be covered: Searching, CMA, Update,
Info Center, Public Records, Add/Edit, Prospect Match,
Contacts. All members welcome – reservations are a MUST!
No Pre-requisite. 3 Hours (1 meeting)
LIBOR MEMBERS WITHOUT CE: FREE
LIBOR MEMBERS WITH CE: $25
3 HOURS CE NOW AVAILABLE!!!
West Babylon . . Jan 27 . . . . . . . . . . . 9:30am – 12:30pm
STRATUS HANDS-ON
ALL NEW!
7.5 HOUR STRATUS HANDS-ON CLASSES
EARN CE CREDITS
$75 Each Class — Take 3 Modules and $ave!
GET ORGANIZED WITH STRATUS
Become a MARKET EXPERT! Print property lists by street
and by price range. Use all the different reports to make it
easier to MEMORIZE listings. Design a basic report and print
your daily update. Create your HOUSE FARM by isolating
300 public records by street in the area you will target and
print simple LABELS to send a marketing piece. Finally, you
will get started on your PEOPLE FARM using the Stratus
contacts function to track key info on everyone you know!
Woodbury . . . . . Jan 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
West Babylon. . . Jan 23 (Saturday) . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
STRATUS TOOLS TO MOTIVATE SELLERS
Today’s sellers need information, data and guidance.
Develop your skills in preparing a comprehensive CMA
using detailed comps(including private sales) and a professional
presentation including market plan and market statistics.
You will create simple mailing labels to send a listing
announcement. You will learn to use the INSTANET online
forms and complete the MLS listing form and upload to
Stratus. You will upload photos, attach important documents
and prepare for showings and the open house.
Woodbury . . . . . Jan 14. . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
West Babylon. . . Feb 27 (Saturday) . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
STRATUS TOOLS TO MOVE BUYERS
You can’t have buyers knowing more than you do! WOW
them with detailed searches, automatic e-mails with prospect
match, use the Stratus MAP searches to show the area with
schools, shopping etc. You will search public records for possible
foreclosures. Learn to print mailing labels from Stratus
public records for your prospecting, use the financial calculators
to pre-qualify and design custom reports that make sense
to your buyers and help move them to sign that contract!
Woodbury . . . . . Jan 14. . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
West Babylon. . . Feb 27 (Saturday) . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
NEW!!! ADVANCED STRATUS AND
MICROSOFT OFFICE
Use Stratus export tools to move listing, stats, public records
and contact data to learn EXCEL and OUTLOOK and see how
both multiply your productivity. Learn WORD for flyers, mail
merge & letters.
West Babylon. . . Jan 11, Mar 20 . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
Woodbury . . . . . Feb 16. . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
LISTINGBOOK TOOLS
LISTINGBOOK TOOLS FOR PREMIUM
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Listingbook is a FREE tool that empowers agents to offer an
enhanced real estate experience to consumers by giving them
an account into a secure website for communications, searching,
identifying favorite listings and allows sellers to see how
often their property has been viewed. This hands on course
will get you started using this revolutionary product and covers
the following functions: creating buyer/ seller accounts, picking
specific listings for consumers, daily Morning Report, setting
property watches and notes for your consumers and
more. Must have active Stratus login to use the product.
Approved for 7.5 Hours CE Credit
$75 LIBOR Members/$95 Non Members
Can Be Combined With Other 3 Class Packages —
Ask About These $avings!
Jackson Heights. . Jan 13. . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
Woodbury . . . . . . Feb 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
West Babylon . . . Mar 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
Riverhead. . . . . . Mar 22 . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
GREATTECHNOLOGY LECTURES
BLOGS, WEBSITES & FACEBOOK: GIVE CON-
SUMERS THE INFO THEY REALLY WANT
Today's consumers demand easy access to listings, Realtors
and information about the buying and selling processes – all
using the latest technology. Give them what they want using
technologies such as IDX on your website, Listingbook for
online communications, buyer/seller guides, school and communities
information, financial calculators, easy access to all
MLS/LIBOR forms via Instanet, nationwide exposure for listings
on sites such as AOL, Realtor.com, Trulia, Craigslist, E-Bay, etc;
great photos, photo tours and video tours. We'll look at some
great avenues to get the information out there including a FREE
website on Google and A FREE blog using Wordpress.
$75 LIBOR Members/$95 NON Members • 7.5 Hours CE Credit
Can Be Combined With Other 3 Class Packages —
Ask About The $pecial Pricing!
West Babylon . . . Jan 26. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
TECHNOLOGY CAN PROTECT YOU FROM
FINES AND PENALTIES
The internet information and technology tools available today
can assist agents and brokers greatly in managing their risk.
Well look at issues such as DOS, CE, Licensing, MLS Rules
and automatic fines, all required real estate forms and how to
access, fax and save through Instanet, online property research
using public records and tax databases, e-mail risks and how to
minimize with tools such as RPost to certify your e-mails, the
transaction management program in Instanet, saving a document
as PDF, computer backup, scanners, Outlook and the
wealth of information online to keep you informed and up to date
on Fair Housing, Do Not Call, CAN SPAM through websites
such as NAR, NYSAR, HUD, DOJ, FCC, FTC, and RISMedia.
$75 LIBOR Members/$95 NON Members • 7.5 Hours CE Credit
Can Be Combined With Other 3 Class Packages —
Ask About The $pecial Pricing!
Woodbury . . . . . . Mar 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
MILLENNIUM MARKETING: REAL
ESTATE SERVICE STRATEGIES IN THE
INFORMATION AGE
Want a one-day course that covers all the keyelements of today's
technology used by the most successful agents? Taught by
national real estate trainer Amy Chorew, this lecture class will
cover today's online buyers, social networking including
Facebook, LinkedIn, Active Rain, Twitter and You Tube, blogging,
real estate websites & search engines, on line marketing, videos,
photos, virtual tours, writing effective property descriptions for
your online listings, e-mail, Skype and more. Whether you are
already a tech-savvy agent or just jumping in now, you'll have an
action plan after this full day course that will make it easy for you
to boost your technology presence and your business
Woodbury . . . . . . Feb 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00am – 5:30pm
GENERAL COMPUTER TRAINING
SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR REALTORS
$39 LIBOR Members • $49 Non Members
Don’t let the social networking train leave the station without
you! This hands-on class will get you started with your
accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Active Rain and Twitter.
You will set up your profile, look at connections and friends,
find groups and customize your privacy settings for maximum
benefit. Basic knowledge of the internet is recommended.
3 Hrs. Hands-on Training – No CE Credit Available
Jackson Heights . Jan 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:00am – 2:00pm
West Babylon . . . Feb 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:30am – 1:30pm
Woodbury . . . . . Mar 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:00am – 2:00pm
Riverhead . . . . . Mar 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:00am – 2:00pm
GREATNEW CLASS
BLACKBERRY BASICS WORKSHOP
$49 LIBOR Members • $69 Non Members
Beginners start here! Bring your Blackberry and discover the
great tools, tricks and tips to make it fit your mobile needs including
sending email, text messaging, vibrate & sound profiles, saving
& finding contacts, calendar events & reminders, ring tones,
power savers, accessing the Internet and Stratus. Youll see
how to customize your phones font size, trackball, ringers and
home screen settings. All recent Blackberry devices with trackball
will be covered including the Curve, Tour, Storm, Pearl, Bold
and 8800 series. If you have an older side trackwheel device,
email boconnor@mlsli.com to see if your device will be covered.
4 Hrs. Hands-on Training – No CE Credit Available
West Babylon . . . Jan 15, Mar 16. . . . . . . 9:30am – 1:30pm
Woodbury . . . . . Feb 1, Mar 31 . . . . . . . . 10:00am – 2:00pm
REAL ESTATE EDUCATION
CONTINUING EDUCATION
ˆ
RSC, WEST BABYLON, 9:00AM-5:30PM
12/14+15 — Stratus Tools to Motivate Sellers - Hands On
(2 EVENINGS: 5:30PM-9:30PM)
12/22 — Counseling Your Buyer Client and/or
Customer... How To Spend Less Time with
Buyers & Make More Money❋
1/7 — Wheel Estate or Real Estate Stop Spinning
Your Wheels✔❋
1/11 — Advanced Stratus - Hands On
1/22 — Working with Seniors... The Oldies But
Goodies
1/23 — Get Organized with Stratus - Hands On
1/25 — Bridging the Gap: Multi-Generational Selling❋
1/26 — Facebook, Blogs, Websites: Give Consumers
the Info They REALLY Want
2/16 — Risk Management Solutions! What Every
Realtor Should Know✔❋
2/19 — Residential Rental Opportunities, Pitfalls &
Safeguards❋
2/23 — Mortgage Knowledge.. How To Save Your
Deal
2/27 — Stratus Tools to Move Buyers - Hands On
3/1 — Buying, Listing & Selling Foreclosures✔❋
3/4 — Listingbook Tools for Premium Customer
Service - Hands On
3/8 — Property Management: Managing 1-4 Family
Homes
3/13 — Stratus Tools to Motivate Sellers - Hands On
3/19 — Selling Commercial & Investment Properties:
Issues, Money & Laws❋
3/20 — Advanced Stratus - Hands On
ˆ
RSC, JACKSON HEIGHTS, 9:00AM-5:30PM
12/14 — Check Up from Neck Up... A Tune-Up For
Agents✔❋
12/14 — Get Organized with Stratus - Hands On
12/17 — Stratus Tools to Move Buyers - Hands On
12/21 — Stratus Tools to Motivate Sellers - Hands On
12/21 — Building A Better CMA; Applying the
Principles of Residential Appraising
12/22 — Introduction to Commercial & Investment
Real Estate: Concepts & Terms
1/6 — Environmental Construction Concerns in
Residential Real Estate
1/12 — Don’t You Wish You Hadn’t Done That✔❋
1/13 — Listingbook Tools for Premium Customer
Service - Hands On
1/29 — Our Business Is Changing; Are You Up To
Date?✔❋
2/2 — Get Organized with Stratus - Hands On
2/8 — The Impact of the Law on the Unsuspecting
Real Estate Client & Customer✔❋
2/10 — Stratus Tools to Move Buyers - Hands On
2/12 — Wheel Estate or Real Estate Stop Spinning
Your Wheels✔❋
2/19 — Stratus Tools to Motivate Sellers - Hands On
2/22 — Introduction to Commercial & Investment
Real Estate: Tools of the Trade
3/15 — Disclosure-Insulation from Litigation-
Safeguards & Precautions❋
3/17 — Counseling Your Buyer Client and/or
Customer... How To Spend Less Time with
Buyers &
3/17 — Advanced Stratus - Hands On
3/30 — Bridging the Gap: Multi-Generational Selling❋
RSC, RIVERHEAD, 9:00AM-5:30PM
12/16 — Basic Green: How To Green Your Real Estate
Practice
12/21 — Environmental Construction Concerns in
Residential Real Estate
1/11 — Basic Green: How To Green Your Real Estate
Practice
1/21 — Short Sales in Today’s Real Estate Market✔❋
1/26 — Introduction to Commercial & Investment
Real Estate-Concepts & Terms
2/9 — Get Organized with Stratus - Hands On
2/11 — Don’t You Wish You Hadn’t Done That✔❋
2/16 — Check Up from Neck Up... A Tune-Up For
Agents❋
2/18 — Stratus Tools to Move Buyers - Hands On
2/22 — The Truth, the Whole Truth & Nothing but the
Truth; Legal Checklist To Ensure
2/24 — Stratus Tools to Motivate Sellers - Hands On
(Continued on page 18)
✔ APPROVED FOR 3 HOURS OF FAIR HOUSING TRAINING AS
REQUIRED BY DEPT. OF STATE FOR THOSE RENEWING THEIR
LICENSE AFTER 7/1/08.
❋ ALSO APPROVED FOR AND SATISFIES NAR MANDATED ETHICS
COURSE REQUIREMENT FOR REALTORS NEEDED BY 12/31/12.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
ROOKIE NEW AGENT TRAINING COURSE
Approved for 7.5 hours NYS CE credit. This course
assists new agents in launching their career in the real estate
profession. You will learn how to start listing & selling effectively,
work with customers & clients, prospect, market &
overcome objections, negotiate effectively to close the sale,
work within the guidelines of the law & REALTOR® Code of
Ethics & MLS Rules, control your success!
Mar 29, 30, 31 . . . West Babylon . . . . . . . 9:00AM – 1:00PM
TUITION: w/o CE with CE
LIBOR Licensing Students/Members . . .$25 . . . . . .$65
Non-members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$150 . . . . .$215
30-HOUR REMEDIAL GAP COURSE
Approved for 22.5 hours NYS CE credit. If you completed
the 45-Hour Salesperson Qualifying Course prior to July 1, 2008
and did NOT apply for your RE license on or before June 30,
2008, you will need to take this course. If you currently hold a
RE license and want to obtain a broker license, you will need
this course in addition to the 45-Hour Broker Qualifying Course.
The 30-Hour Remedial Course is available online by going to:
http://www.lirealtor.com/30HourRemedialCourse
TUITION: $155
REALTOR SHORT SALE
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Approved for 15 hours NYS CE credit. All you need to
know to effectively execute a short sale transaction.
Jan 28+29 . . . . . . West Babylon . . . . . . . 9:00AM – 5:30PM
Feb 22+23 . . . . . . Woodbury . . . . . . . . . 9:00AM – 5:30PM
Mar 16+19 . . . . . . Jackson Heights . . . . . 9:00AM – 5:30PM
TUITION: $175 LIBOR Members, $225 Non-members
INSTRUCTORS: Cathy Nolan Esq. & Philip Tesoriero
Satisfies 3 hours of Fair Housing training as required by Dept. of
State (on second day of class). Satisfies 2.5 hours of Mandatory
Ethics training as required by NAR (on second day of class)
MAKING MORE MONEY WITH MORTGAGES
Approved for 22 1/2 hours NYS CE credit. This course is
for real estate agents & brokers who are seeking the ability to
legally participate in the mortgage industry, mortgage companies
wanting to train new loan officers and real estate agents
wanting to learn more about the mortgage process.
Offerings to be announced.
TUITION: $245 LIBOR Members, $345 Non-members
INSTRUCTOR: Dominick Sutera
FAIR HOUSING AWARENESS IN SALES
& RENTALS
Approved for 3 hours of Fair Housing Training as required by
Dept. of State for those renewing their license after July 1, 2008.
This course satisfies that 3-hour requirement. This fair housing
program is guaranteed to provide you with insight for applying
the law to “real world” real estate.
Jan 27. . . . Jackson Heights . . . . Instructor: Nick Gigante, GRI
TIME: 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Feb 22. . . . West Babylon. . . . . . Instructor: Nick Gigante, GRI
Mar 26 . . . Woodbury . . . . . . . . Instructor: Cathy Nolan, Esq.
TIME: 9:30AM – 12:30PM
TUITION: $25 LIBOR Members, $40 Non-members
THE RULES OF THE REAL ESTATE GAME
— MLS PROCEDURES & RULES:
SITUATIONS AND SOLUTIONS
Approved for 3 hours NYS CE credit. Effective participation
in the MLS directly impacts your earning ability and helps you
avoid penalties and violations. Topics covered include how to
properly fill out agreements, getting offers presented, handling
multiple offers, registering binders, follow-up to protect yourself
and much more. This course is important for new agents!
Jan 26 . . . . . . . . Woodbury . . . . . . . . . 9:30AM – 12:30PM
Mar 15 . . . . . . . . West Babylon. . . . . . . 9:30AM – 12:30PM
TUITION: $20 LIBOR Members, $45 Non-members
FLORIDA LICENSING COURSE COMING
SOON ONLINE!!
Visit our website: www.lirealtor.com/education
DESIGNATION & PROF DEVELOPMENT
NEW YORK STATE REALTOR
INSTITUTE
2010 GRI, SRES & ABR & GREEN Designation
Course Offerings (All NYSAR Classes)
Each module approved for NYS CE credit.
To register for GRI courses, call NYSAR @ 518-463-0300.
JACKSON HEIGHTS • 8:30AM-5:30PM
RI 402 . . . . . . . Apr 22-23 RI 408 . . . . . . . Sept 28
RI 405 . . . . . . . Oct 5 RI 409 . . . . . . . May 24-25
RI 406 . . . . . . . Oct 6
WEST BABYLON • 8:30AM-5:30PM
RI 403 . . . . . . . Feb 25 GREEN-Core . . . Jun 1
RI 404 . . . . . . . Feb 26 SRES. . . . . . . . Oct 20-21
GREEN-Core . . . Mar 25-26
WOODBURY • 8:30AM-5:30PM
RI 401 . . . . . . . Mar 18-19
RI 407 . . . . . . . May 20
RI 408 . . . . . . . Jun 4
RI 409 . . . . . . . Nov 1-2
TUITION: $320 LIBOR Members • $345 Non-Members
*Register 10 days early: SAVE $25
CBR — CERTIFIED BUYER
REPRESENTATIVE DESIGNATION COURSE
Approved for 22.5 hours NYS Continuing Education Credit.
Jan 12, 13, 14 . . . . West Babylon. . . . . . . . Before/After 12/22
Mar 23, 24, 25 . . . Dante Caterers, . . . . . . Before/After 3/2
Jackson Heights
May 11, 12, 13. . . . Woodbury . . . . . . . . . . Before/After 4/20
July 13, 14, 15. . . . Best Western East End, . Before/After 6/22
Riverhead
INSTRUCTOR:
James V. Pugliese, ABR, CRB, GRI, CBR, CSP, ITI, SRES
TIME: 9:00am – 5:30pm
TUITION:
Before: $345 LIBOR Members • $375 Non-Members
After: $375 LIBOR Members • $405 Non Members
ABR — ACCREDITED BUYER
REPRESENTATIVE DESIGNATION COURSE
Approved for 22.5 hours NYS Continuing Education Credit.
ABR-R . . . . Apr 22-23. . . . . Woodbury . . . 8:30am-5:30pm
ABR-E . . . . Sept 30 . . . . . . Woodbury . . . 9:00am-4:30pm
CIPS— CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL PROP-
ERTY SPECIALIST DESIGNATION COURSE
Presented by LIBOR in conjunction with NYS Assocation of
Realtos. Approved for 7 hours NYS CE credit. To register for
CIPS courses, call NYSAR @ 518-463-0300.
May 6-7 . . . . . . . . . . . West Babylon . . . . . 8:30am-5:00pm
NOTARY PUBLIC TRAINING SEMINAR
Want to become a notary but concerned about the exam?
This program prepares by getting you acquainted with the
format of the state exam, receive study booklets, application
form and instructions, be familiar with types of questions
asked and learn what is expected in order for you to
be confident and prepared to pass the notary exam.
Jan 26 . . . . Woodbury
Mar 15 . . . . West Babylon
NOTARY PUBLIC
May 26. . . . Jackson Heights
TIME: 1:30PM – 4:30PM
INSTRUCTOR: Sal D’Agate, REALTOR
TUITION: $35 LIBOR Members • $55 Non-members
LICENSING
Sept 20. . . . Woodbury
Nov 12 . . . . West Babylon
75-HOUR SALESPERSON
QUALIFYING COURSES
Woodbury . . . . . 9AM – 5:30PM . . . . Jan 4-8, 11-14, 15*
West Babylon. . . 9AM – 5:30PM . . . . Feb 1-5, 8-11, 12*
Jackson Heights . 9AM – 5:30PM . . . . Mar 1-5, 8-11, 12*
Riverhead . . . . . 9AM – 5:30PM . . . . Mar 15-19, 22-25, 26*
*Exam date till 6:30PM
TUITION:
SALESPERSON: $295 – register 5 business days before
course; $325 – thereafter.
BROKER: $175 – LIBOR Members; $195 – Non-members.
45-HOUR BROKER QUALIFYING COURSES
West Babylon. . . 9AM – 5:00PM . . . . Mar 22-26-29, 30*
*Exam date till 7:00PM
17 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®
THE REALTOR ® ● November/December 2009 ● 18
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORY
BUSINESS CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
CASA LATINO REAL ESTATE
Kevin McClarnon
718.360.9342 • www.casalatino.com
COACH REALTORS
631.360.1900 x 201 •
www.coachrealtors.com
DANIEL GALE SOTHEBY’S
516.627.4440 x 222 •
www.danielgale.com
ERA TOP SERVICE REALTY
718.441.5800 •
www.ERATopService.com
KEYSTONE REALTY
800.390.8083 • www.joinkeystone.com
RE/MAX OF NEW YORK, INC.
516.832.6601 • www.remax.com
CHARLES RUTENBERG REALTY
516.575.7500 • www.crrli.com
TIMBER RIDGE HOMES
631.363.3000 • www.trhomesli.com
ENGINEERS
TAUSCHER, CRONACHER
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, P.C.
866.697.7348 •
www.NewYorkPE.com
Home Inspections by Licensed
Professional Engineers Since 1957
FINANCIAL SERVICES
LONG ISLAND REALTORS
FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
631.661.4800 ext 371 • www.LIRFCU.com
INSURANCE/LEGAL
JAY S. GOOTENBERG
Office: 631.325.9107 •
Cell 516.322.7143
RESSI Listingbook Errors & Omissions,
Commercial & Personal
INSURANCE PLUS
516.922.1200 •
www.insuranceplusny.com
MEDIA
MLS/LIBOR WEBSITE MLSLI.COM
MLSSTRATUS.COM
Donna Lee Wimmers
631.661.4800 ext 348
THE REALTOR ADVERTISING
Donna Lee Wimmers
631.661.4800 ext 348
MEMBER BENEFITS
NYSAR
518.463.0300 x 229 • www.nysar.com
TECHNOLOGY
MLS PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Dana Nowick • 631.661.4800 ext 367
THE SERVICES DIRECTORY IS PROVIDED AS AN ADDITIONAL
SERVICE. THE PUBLISHER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY
LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS.
Call Donnalee at 631-661-4800 Ext. 348 to advertise your company in
“The REALTOR” paper PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORY.
REAL ESTATE EDUCATION
CONTINUING EDUCATION
3/5 — Mortgage Knowledge.. How To Save Your Deal
3/8 — Advanced Stratus - Hands On
3/12 — Environmental Construction Concerns in Residential Real Estate
3/22 — Listingbook Tools for Premium Customer Service - Hands On
ˆ
RSC, WOODBURY, 9:00AM-5:30PM
12/7 — Counseling Your Buyer Client and/or Customer; How To Spend Less Time
with Buyers & Make More Money❋
12/15 — Residential Rental Opportunities, Pitfalls & Safeguards❋
12/22 — Mortgage Knowledge.. How To Save Your Deal
1/7 — Get Organized with Stratus - Hands On
1/14 — Stratus Tools to Move Buyers - Hands On
1/21 — Risk Reduction in a Changing Market❋ (PENDING)
1/25 — Property Management: Managing 1-4 Family Homes
1/26 — Stratus Tools to Motivate Sellers - Hands On
2/9 — Listingbook Tools for Premium Customer Service - Hands On
2/11 — Buyer Brokerage & Ethics: The Right Choices❋
2/16 — Advanced Stratus - Hands On
2/17 — Millennium Marketing
2/19 — Bridging the Gap: Multi-Generational Selling❋
2/25 — Commission Entitlement, Protection & The License Law❋
3/2 — Wheel Estate or Real Estate Stop Spinning Your Wheels✔❋
3/22 — Technology Can Protect You from Fines & Penalties
BEST WESTERN MILL RIVER MANOR, ROCKVILLE CENTRE, 8:30AM-5:00PM
12/16 — Risk Reduction in a Changing Market
1/8 — Buying, Listing & Selling Foreclosures✔❋
1/29 — Risk Management Solutions! What Every Realtor Should Know✔❋
2/4 — Counseling Your Buyer Client and/or Customer... How To Spend Less Time
with Buyers &
2/22 — Check Up from Neck Up... A Tune-Up For Agents❋
3/5 — Our Business Is Changing; Are You Up To Date?✔❋
3/30 — Short Sales in Today’s Real Estate Market✔❋
✔ APPROVED FOR 3 HOURS OF FAIR HOUSING TRAINING AS REQUIRED BY DEPT. OF STATE FOR
THOSE RENEWING THEIR LICENSE AFTER 7/1/08.
❋ ALSO APPROVED FOR AND SATISFIES NAR MANDATED ETHICS COURSE REQUIREMENT FOR REAL-
TORS NEEDED BY 12/31/12.
19 ● November/December 2009 ● THE REALTOR ®