LIBOR & MLS LEADERSHIP INSTALLED...PAGE 2 - LIRealtor.com

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 


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.


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/ 


LIBOR/MLS ORIENTATION 



Debbie Franco @ LIBOR ext. 364. 


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 


LIBOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 



Staff liaison: Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR ext. 

350. 


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. 


MLS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 



Staff liaison: Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR 

ext. 350. 


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. 


LIBOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS 



Lisa Gonzalez @ LIBOR ext. 350. 


LIBOR/MLS ORIENTATION 



Debbie Franco @ LIBOR ext. 364. 


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 

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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! 


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 

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• FREE! Advertising on Cablevision IO Homes Channel 

#606 ($1,000/month value) 

Over 225 Agents and Counting!! 

Keystone Can Pay Your 

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) 

• FREE! Exclusive advertising on WannaNetwork.com (a $2,400 value) 

• FREE! FSBO leads for Nassau, Suffolk & Queens (a $1,000 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



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. 


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


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. 


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 ®


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.



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 


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



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 


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 



Same 

$6500 

No Provision 



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. 



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. 


“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


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 


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 


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❋ 


ˆ 

RSC, JACKSON HEIGHTS, 9:00AM-5:30PM 

12/14 — Check Up from Neck Up... A Tune-Up For 

Agents✔❋ 




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?✔❋ 


2/8 — The Impact of the Law on the Unsuspecting 

Real Estate Client & Customer✔❋ 


2/12 — Wheel Estate or Real Estate Stop Spinning 

Your Wheels✔❋ 



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 & 



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✔❋ 


Real Estate-Concepts & Terms 


2/11 — Don’t You Wish You Hadn’t Done That✔❋ 

2/16 — Check Up from Neck Up... A Tune-Up For 

Agents❋ 


2/22 — The Truth, the Whole Truth & Nothing but the 

Truth; Legal Checklist To Ensure 



✔ 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. 


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. 


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 


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 


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 



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 


3/5 — Mortgage Knowledge.. How To Save Your Deal 


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 



1/21 — Risk Reduction in a Changing Market❋ (PENDING) 

1/25 — Property Management: Managing 1-4 Family Homes 


2/9 — Listingbook Tools for Premium Customer Service - Hands On 

2/11 — Buyer Brokerage & Ethics: The Right Choices❋ 


2/17 — Millennium Marketing 


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.

LIBOR & MLS LEADERSHIP INSTALLED...PAGE 2 - LIRealtor.com

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