2008 December Newsletter - Alaska Association of Realtors

KNOWLEDGE 

RESPECT 

COMMITMENT 

“Alyeska Title 

is pleased to introduce our 

RESIDENTIAL ESCROW TEAM. 

Our outstanding team is 

ready and committed to 

making your next 

transaction your 

best one!” 

907-569-2842 

3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 201 • Anchorage 

Pictured from left to right: 

Kristen Martin, Tara VanOrsdal, 

Amy Braden, Esther Cupit, 

Christina Werts & Janice Peterson. 

You Have Our Word On It. 

Experienced • Professional • Reliable 

It all adds up to satisfaction. 

Experienced. 

All of our loan originators have many years 

of experience to help find just the right loan 

program for your client. 

Professional. 

From our office space to the demeanor of 

our staff. We will stand for nothing less 

than absolute professionalism. 

Reliable. 

We are here for you and your clients. There 

is hands on involvement by our experienced 

loan originators from start to finish. We 

have in-house underwriting for fast 

approvals and smooth closings. 

3801 Centerpoint Dr., Ste.100 • 762-5890 

www.HomeStateMtg.com 

newsletter.indd 2 

11/24/2008 12:23:26 PM

President’s Message 

is the monthly publication of the 

Alaska Association of REALTORS® 

4205 Minnesota Drive 

Anchorage, Alaska 99503 

Phone (907) 563-7133 Fax (907) 561-1779 

1-800-478-3763 

www.alaskarealtors.com 

AAR OFFICERS 

PRESIDENT Shawn Paul 

PRESIDENT-ELECT Art Clark, GRI 

VICE PRESIDENT Jean Kay 

SECRETARY Janice Strong 

TREASURER Don McKenzie 

PAST PRESIDENT Judy Cloud, ABR,CRS 

AAR DIRECTORS 

Dale Bagley 

Kathryn Clark, GRI 

Brad Cole, ABR,CRS 

Cody Gibson 

Helen Jarratt, ABR,CRS 

Amy Krier 

Eva Loken, ABR, CRS,GRI 

PeggyAnn McConnochie, GRI 

Michael McLane, ABR 

Sue Nix, ABR, GRI 

Gina Pelaia, GRI 

Joyce Porte, GRI 

Joni Schneider, ABR,GRI 

Grant Shields, CRS 

Dave Somers 

EXECUTIVE OFFICER 

Sandy Eherenman 

By Shawn C. Paul 

2008 AAR President 

RE/MAX of Juneau 

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of 

you for the privilege of serving as your State 

President. 

It’s been a year of challenges and rewards, 

joys and sorrows, work and enjoyment to be sure. 

It is with conviction that I tell you our association 

 

cade. 

As we are so fond of saying lately: many 

hands make small work. And that is certainly true 

in Realtor® business. 

When the phone rings or the email comes 

 

to answer it. This organization is as strong as the 

effort each and every one of you put into it. If you 

want to see a change in anything the leaders do 

“This organization is as 

strong as the effort each and 

every one of you put into it”. 

Cover photo: Hatcher Pass Lodge 

Photo by Cheryl Campbell, Prudential Jack White Vista RE 

Materials reported in this publication are obtained from various 

sources which the Alaska Association of REALTORS® believes to be 

reliable. Reasonable effort has been made to insure the accuracy of 

such material. The Alaska Association of REALTORS® expressly disclaims 

any and all liability or responsibility arising directly or indirectly 

out of any discrepancy, error, mistake or omission in this publication. 

Opinions expressed in articles by individual authors and contributors 

 

REALTORS®. The acceptance of advertising by the Alaska REAL- 

TOR® does not indicate approval or endorsement of the advertiser 

or his product by the Alaska Association of REALTORS®. 

on your behalf, be sure to speak up. If you like 

what they’re doing, be sure to speak up. If you 

have an idea that no one has worked on before, be 

sure to speak up. These are clearly trying times. 

The association will face challenges we 

pared. 

Girded by the strength in our convictions, 

(President’s Message, continue on page 18) 

December 2008 • Alaska REALTOR® 3 


11/24/2008 12:23:27 PM

NAR Director’s Report 

“2008 REALTORS® Conference & Expo” 

By Dave Somers 

AK Real Estate Commissioner 

NAR Director 

Somers & Associates 

Fairbanks 

The National Association of Realtors met in 

Orlando, Florida November 7-11th for it’s 

 

in our industry and all the economic uncertainties, 

we had a strong turnout from all our states and 

 

Conference attendees were invited to a private 

concert with Lionel Richie who gave a great performance. 

We were all inspired by Lance Armstrong 

at the General Session who told the story 

of his battle with cancer and how he overcame it 

to win the Tour de France a record seven times in 

spite 

how tough things are. He stated, “Cancer is 

the best thing that has ever happened to me. The 

disease taught me how to live, taught me how to 

 

remarkable when you consider he was diagnosed 

with advanced testicular cancer at the age of 25, 

was then told it had moved up through his abdomen, 

into his lungs and then into his brain. He 

tends 

to come out of retirement to tackle the Tour 

de France once again. We all wish him well with 

the race, his foundation and his mission to raise 

awareness about cancer survival. 

As usual, the convention facilities were 

 

 

worth attending just for that. There are acres of 

opportunites to learn new techniques, to purchase 

new products, and also network with every possible 

vendor that deals with our industry. For you 

volleyball and Olympic fans, Misty May-Treanor 

and Kerri Walsh were on hand as guests of NAR 

4 Alaska REALTOR® • December 2008 

to meet members and sign autographs. These two 

stars boast one of the most impressive winning 

streaks in professional sports and have won two 

Olympic gold medals in a row without losing a 

set. 

Before we talk about the work part of 

the conference I should also mention the Realtors 

night out at Universal Studios. The park was 

closed for a private party for conference attendees. 

NAR brought in Kool and The Gang for a private 

concert singing their incredible string of hits, 

allowing some of us to relive the good old days. 

Closed to the public meant short lines for rides 

and a great time for all. This event, when added 

to Epcot, Disney World and all the other parks, 

made this conference great fun for our members 

and families alike. 

NEWS FROM REGION 12 

Our region (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon 

and Washington), met in caucus on November 

9 to take care of regional business. Needed 

bylaw changes were approved and nominations 

approved for members of the candidate endorsement 

committee. Regional RPAC Chair, Gary 

Wright, reported that Region 12 set a per capita 

donation record of 123% of the established fair 

share amount. A recent survey undertaken by and 

for Region 12 Realtors will be released soon and 

will give great insight into the thought processes 

and plans of our members. This was an in-depth 

and professional survey that I urge you to take 

advantage of. Due to it’s proprietary nature, it 

will not be generally available. Please contact the 

 

the information. 

RPAC UPDATE 

A goal of $10,000,000 from all sources 

was set for this year, an incredible increase from 

(Director’s Report, continue on page 5) 


11/24/2008 12:23:27 PM

(AREC Report, continued from page 4) 

previous years. As of the end of October, we had 

ry, 

which was 107% of goal, and over $3,400,000 

 

There is no doubt that we will hit our goal by 

the end of the year. These dollars are critical in 

our commitment to being the most effective lobbying 

group in Washington, D.C. Alaska should 

be proud of itself for recognizing the importance 

of RPAC. We were the second highest per capita 

contributor in the nation with a fair share amount 

that equaled 230% of goal! If you have not given 

in the past, please give money to RPAC with the 

knowledge that that donation helps keep this industry 

safe and sound. 

RPIC UPDATE 

The Realtor® Political Involvment Committee 

is the grass roots side of our lobbying 

effort. The RPAC money is very important, but 

the equation is not complete without our members 

speaking out as constituents with a common 

voice. When we send hundreds of thousands of 

e-mails to our Senators and Congessmen, they listen. 

Please do not forget that when you receive a 

call for action, it only takes 2 clicks to send your 

message. It is simple and effective. In the past we 

had a dismal response rate from our members of 

under 2%. We were up to over 9% for most of 

this year, and then dropped back to 4% on one 

call. Please help increase these numbers. If you 

are a broker, please consider signing up for the 

broker online campaign. This enables you to have 

the call for action go directly to your agents addressed 

from you, with or without your edits. This 

has been very successful in raising our response 

rates. 

REALTORS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 

On November 7, 2008, the National Credit 

Union Administration approved the charter for 

our member owned credit union. It is scheduled to 

open in May, 2009 and will be open to all mem- 

(Director’s Report, continue on page 9) 

Hartig Rhodes Hoge & Lekisch, P.C. 

Attorneys at Law 

Proudly Serving Alaska for Over 36 Years 

Commercial and Residential Transactions, 

Leasing, Litigation, Commercial Real Estate Lending, 

And Condominium Law 

Chris Hyatt 

Michael Jungreis 

Todd Timmermans 

Catherine Rogers 

717 K Street 

Anchorage, AK 99501 

(907) 276-1592 fax (907) 277-4352 

www.hartig.com 



11/24/2008 12:23:28 PM

NAR Housing Stimulus Plan 

“Call for Actions” 

By PeggyAnn McConnochie 

NAR Director 

ACH Consulting 

Juneau 

Sometimes it is good to live in a state that is so 

far away from the contiguous 48 that we are 

forgotten. Sometimes. 

Sitting at the Board of Directors meeting in 

Orlando with the rest of the Alaska Delegation, the 

 

better term) was whether or not the Board of Directors 

would support NAR’s Four-Point Housing 

Stimulus Plan. This is the plan that, once approved, 

is then given to our lobbying team so that they know 

what we as an Association want in a stimulus plan 

when lobbying the Congress. 

The guts of the plan as outlined were as follows: 

 

credit available to all buyers and eliminate repayment 

requirements. The credit’s limited availability 

and repayment requirement severely limits the 

credit’s use and effectiveness. 

2. Make the 2008 FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie 

Mae loan limits permanent. New rules for 2009 will 

reduce them. Now isn’t the time to limit mortgage 

affordability. 

3. Get the Treasury relief program back on track 

and target more funds to mortgage relief. Create 

a federal mortgage interest buy-down program 

to lower rates to 4.5% or lower and stabilize 

home prices. The proposal calls for a shortterm 

government buy-down of mortgage rates 

 

rate mortgage (down from current rates of ap- 

 

would apply to the purchase of all new and/or 

 

There are a number of ways in which the government 

ultimately could decide to structure and 

fund this program, which could be addressed as 

part of the stimulus packages currently being 

discussed in Washington. 

4. Permanently bar banks from engaging in 

real estate brokerage and management. The 

banks have proven they have enough to do to 

simply manage the loan process. Do we really 

want them to manage home sales and purchase. 

 

discussion centered on whether or not the four 

Points were the right marching orders for our 

lobbyists. No one argued that the fourth point 

 

NAR still believes that banks should not be in 

the real estate business (and aren’t we glad they 

aren’t in it now)! 

Several wanted to make this bill inclusive 

of commercial real estate; that idea died 

after much discussion. The anticipated price 

tag for including commercial was not investigated 

and therefore the directors did not want 

 

this point. The Leadership Team heard loud and 

clear that we need to also pay close attention to 

the credit crunch in the commercial sector as 

that is closely aligned with the residential sector. 

(Stimulus Plan, continue on page 7) 



11/24/2008 12:23:29 PM

(Stimulus Plan, continued from page 6) 

Speaker after speaker rose to give stories 

as to how bad the markets were in their areas; 

Florida and California were the two states that 

spoke most often. They spoke of housing prices 

plummeting 50% or more and foreclosure rates 

skyrocketing. (Aren’t you glad that you aren’t trying 

to make a living in real estate there?!?) 

During the previous afternoon at our Region 

12 Caucus (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, 

Idaho and Montana) we discussed this plan in 

depth. Even within our Region we could see that 

there are many in our Association who just want 

 

what the consequences; no matter what the long 

term cost to the economy. Several well-spoken 

Alaskans (like Amy Krier of Fairbanks) ques- 

 

several of the plan’s points, such as giving free 

 

buyers. 

Luckily for us in Alaska, our markets 

throughout the state are OK. They may be a little 

slower than the past couple of years in some areas, 

but in other areas of the state they are strong 

and vital. More inventory means more choices 

for residential and commercial buyers and tenants. 

Credit is indeed a bit tighter but there are 

 

is lucky. 

No doubt there are many areas of the 

dential 

as well as commercial markets. Remember 

too, some areas of our country never did see 

 

5 years. 

So what happens now when you receive a 

NAR Call to Action asking you to support all or 

part of the NAR Housing Stimulus Plan? 

Please don’t just delete it. Open it. Read it 

carefully. And vote your conscience. Send it on if 

you agree. If not and you can take the time, write 

a note and send NAR your comments. NAR is 

trying to look at the economy on a national basis, 

but they need to know how you feel and what you 

think about an issue. It will only take a moment 

of your time but it may help to change and shape 

NAR’s policies in the future. 

Thinking about 

buying a home? 

Attend a HomeChoice seminar whether considering 

your first home or your fifth. 

Save up to 

$ 

250 

on AHFC commitment fees! 

A FREE 8-hour home buyer education seminar! 

Learn the process, programs, lenders, Realtors ® , budgets 

and terminology. 

Visit www.ahfc.us for seminar schedules. 

Pre-registration required and can be done online or email: 

register@ahfc.state.ak.us. For more information 

call 907-330-8437 or 800-459-2921 (from outside 

Anchorage). 



11/24/2008 12:23:30 PM

Call or visit the 

Alaska USA Mortgage 

office near you. 

Anchorage/ 

Dimond 

563-3033 

Eagle River 

694-7030 

Fairbanks 

455-4400 

Palmer 

761-2500 

Wasilla 

376-2694 

Elmendorf AFB/ 

Ft. Richardson 

689-3246 

Homer 

226-8805 

Kenai 

395-4501 

Soldotna 

714-4395 

Juneau 

789-2735 

Toll free (800) 737-3033 

www.alaskausamortgage.com 

Local lending and servicing 

just keeps getting better! 

Alaska USA Mortgage Company provides mortgage 

loans for Alaskans that match their needs: 

Low down payment 

Up to 103% loan to value 

First-time homebuyer programs 

Better than market interest rates, loan 

fees, and loan terms 

Streamlined application process 

Rural Alaska financing 

Friendly, professional, and local service 


People you know. A name you can trust. 


11/24/2008 12:23:31 PM

(AREC Report, continued from page 5) 

bers and their families 2 generations up and down, 

 

 

credit union. And yes, the call-in system will be 

100% based in the US. The credit union will be 

set up to cater to the unique needs of its Realtor 

members. 

OTHER ACTIONS BY THE 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

*President Gaylord read a resolution in tribute 

and remembrance of past National Director Dave 

Feeken. It was a touching moment for many of us 

who have worked with and have been friends with 

Dave through the years. The Directors moved to 

adopt the resolution and make it a permanment 

part of our record. 

frowned on by NAR, and with good reason. 

The overall mood of the convention was 

cautiou sly optimistic. There are good reports 

coming from many areas, but it cannot be denied 

that many of our members and clients are hurting. 

After talking to people from all across the 

country, it is evident that our market is holding up 

much better than most. I talked at length with the 

President of the Georgia Association. He knows 

of many of his members that are hanging in there 

by working second and third jobs. He has members 

waiting tables and working in car washes in 

an effort to keep their licenses, or as he said if, “to 

 

all of us and our members in trouble around the 

 

time. We can do it if we stand together, make sac- 

 

*The Directors approved a projected drop of 

10% of our membership and the accompanying 

drop in revenue. 

*After much debate, the Directors approved 

a four point Housing Stimulus 

Plan. The points include eliminating the 

 

credit for a home purchase, a permanent 

increase in loan limits, a mortgage buydown 

to achieve 4.5% interest rates on 30 

year loans,nd a permanent ban on banks in 

real estate. Please look for more information 

on this important topic elsewhere in 

this publication. 

*The directors authorized legal funding 

 

laws mandating house inspections prior to 

transfer of titles, DOJ cases against MLSs, 

ing 

of metal from buildings for sale to 

scrap yards and a case against members for 

falsifying information entered in the MLS 

in an effort to improve their position over 

other members. I have a feeling this is a 

fairly common practice that is obviously 



11/24/2008 12:23:35 PM

Member Survey 

Decutive 

Committee of Region 12 (Alaska, 

Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington) 

comissioned Hebert Research to conduct a survey 

of Region 12 REALTOR® members. Hebert 

Research interviewed 1,200 REALTORS® Association 

members in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, 

Montana, and Idaho. The questionnaire was 

prepared by Hebert Research and was reviewed 

mittee 

prior to the commencement of interviews. 

The Association provided Hebert Research with a 

membership list which was used to conduct telephone 

interviews with brokers and agents who 

were Association members of Region 12. Survey 

ability 

sample, to be representative of each state 

as a whole. The sample size and structure was as 

follows: 

Alaska 200 

Idaho 200 

Montana 200 

Oregon 300 

Washington 300 

Total 1200 

 

of error less than + 7 percent for the individual 

states and less than + 3 percent for the region as 

a whole. 

Respondent Profile 

Respondents were fairly evenly divided among 

men and women, with slightly more women rep- 

 

and selling agents. Nearly one in four respondents 

ment 

of the membership will be retiring soon, or 

at least reducing their real estate activities to parttime 

work. 

Capacity 

Alaska 

Listing Agent 

 

Selling Agent 3.4% 

Listing and Selling Agent 70.3% 

Broker 5.7% 

Broker Manager 2.3% 

Broker Owner 10.3% 

Other 1.1% 

2008 Income Alaska 

Less than $25,000 10.5% 

$25,000 to $49,999 15.8% 

$50,000 to $99,999 32.9% 

$100,000 to $149,999 22.4% 

$150,000 to $199,999 5.9% 

$200,000 to $249,999 7.9% 

$250,000 or more 

Compared to the other states, a smaller percentage 

of Alaskan respondents earned less than $25,000 

last year. Alaska also had the highest percentage 

(18%) of realtors earning over $150,000, followed 

by Oregon (12%) and Washington (11%). Idaho 

had the largest share of realtors (27%) in the lowest 

income bracket, making less than $25,000. 

(Member Survey, continue on page 11) 

10 Alaska REALTOR® •December 2008 


11/24/2008 12:23:37 PM

Length of Career in Real Estate 

The overall responses were widely distributed 

 

More than 20% of respondents have worked in 

real estate for 3 or fewer years, while 35% had 

been in the industry slightly longer term, 4 to 10 

years. About 22% have been working in real estate 

for over 20 years. These results suggest that 

real estate offers many Realtors a career, and not 

simply a temporary job; incomes were sustainable, 

making the personal investment of time and 

 

Years in Industry Alaska 

5 years or fewer 34.9% 

20.1% 

11 to 19 years 20.7% 

20 years or more 24.3% 

The complete survey indicates that broker owners 

and broker managers had been in the industry 

longer than the other groups, or averages of 20 

 

had been working the least amount of time, or just 

7.7 years on average. 

Number of Property Listings 

in the Past Year 

Nearly half of the respondents had 10 or fewer 

properties listed in the past year. Only 22% had 

listed more than 25 properties. Responses were 

again quite widely distributed around a mean of 

24 properties. 

The following are the results for Alaska compared 

dicated 

on the table on the bottom on this page. 

Property Listings Alaska 

Less Than 10 27.7% 

10-20 24.5% 

More Than 20 47.7% 

 

between state and the number of property listings. 

Number of Properties Closed 

in the Past Year 

Responses closely mirrored the previous question 

regarding properties listed. Over half had closed 

 

than 25. The mean was 20.9. 

Properties Closed Alaska 

Less Than 10 29.3% 

10-20 28.0% 

More Than 20 42.7% 

 

between state and the number of properties closed. 

 

or more properties closed compared to the other 

four states. 


Number of Properties Listed in Past Year 

10 or fewer 

47.3% 

11 to 25 

30.4% 

26 to 50 

14.6% 

More than 50 

7.6% 

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% 50.0% 



11/24/2008 12:23:38 PM

Association News 

2009 Leadership Conference 

The Alaska Association of REALTORS® 2009 

Leadership Conference will be held Monday - 

Tuesday, January 12-13, 2009 at the Dimond Center 

Hotel. The conference will begin at 10:00 am 

on Monday, January 12th with a leadership presentation 

by Adorna Carroll. Adorna is a REAL- 

TOR® and instructor with Dynamic Directions. 

She has authored a variety of designation and continuing 

education classes and teaches leadership 

training for REALTOR® Associations. 

Nondeductible Dues 

 

requires that the portion of dues attributable to 

lobbying and political activities at the State and 

Federal levels of government be considered non- 

 

For 2009, with National dues at $80 per member, 

ible. 

On the state level, AAR computes 30 percent 

or $55.50 to be nondeductible for the member’s 

bying 

efforts. This percentage is somewhat higher 

than in past years due to increased lobbying and 

advocacy and grassroots efforts. 

Do All Your 

Continuing Education Online 

The Alaska Association of REALTORS® now has 

online courses approved for continuing education 

credit. All 8 hours of designated credit (DCE) 

along with 28 hours of elective credit (ECE) are 

offered online. Courses include: 

Property Disclosures 

 

Buyer Representation 

 

Ethics in Today’s Real Estate World 

 

Mortgage Fraud 

 

Electronic Transactions 

 

Property Management & Managing Risk 

 

To access courses, go to www.alaskarealtors.com 

and click on RE campus. 

2009 Annual Convention 

Plans are underway for the 2009 Alaska Association 

of REALTORS® annual convention September 

15 – 19 at the Wedgewood Resort in Fairbanks, 

Alaska. 

The theme is Gold Fever in the Golden Heart City, 

Celebrating 50 Golden Years. 

Please wait until we have the conference code and 

contact number before making your reservations. 

Additional information will be available soon. 



11/24/2008 12:23:46 PM

(Member Survey, continued from page 11) 

Most Challenging Aspects of Business 

 

Realtors are currently facing. Out of these diverse 

responses, several common themes emerged. First 

was the current economic situation in the United 

States, particularly the credit and mortgage crises. 

 

at the media’s portrayal of the economic situation. 

Third, there were a number of comments about 

personal struggles with working long hours for 

 

representative sample of the comments. 

Overall Economic Situation 

*“The government, their deception. In the 

 

and stupid loans. I had someone come in and tell 

me that the lender told them the seller would pay 

all the closing costs! Then they had 80/20 loans 

and loaned people that shouldn’t have had loans. 

They told them they qualify for a 120K house and 

then I ask them if they would like to go to a show, 

if their car needed repair, would they be able to 

repair it? By maxing out the lenders, they did 

them a disservice.” 

*“The sellers need to be realistic about 

the price they list their homes for, and also getting 

buyers to understand that even though the prices 

are going down, they can’t steal the property.” 

*“For people being able to afford to buy 

a home at the current time because of the credit 

 

 

Media 

*“Finding buyers, people not scared of the 

market; the national news is making them scared. 

The national media has trickled down over to us. 

It has put a cloud over our area, put a damper on 




11/24/2008 12:23:47 PM

Annual RPAC Report 

By Art Clark 

RPAC Chairman 

Real Estate Brokers of Alaska 

Anchorage 

Congratulations and thank you to all of our 

members on another successful year for 

the Alaska Realtors Political Action Com- 

 

 

target goal on the State level. 

However, we were down from last year’s 

 

in percentage of goal and actual contributions. 

Unfortunately we were also down in member participation. 

This is somewhat understandable with 

the current state of the national economy. Hopefully 

we can all work on the rest of membership 

to help us increase the participation from the remainder 

of our membership. 

At the State Convention this year we had 

another wonderful and lively auction event that 

 

were already in the process of spending. At the 

Convention the ARPAC Trustees met and endorsed 

and sent contributions to candidates for 

many of the State House and Senate races. 

A quick word on how we arrive at the deci- 

 

candidate. We generally take into consideration 

the comments and recommendations of the local 

Board, from their interview process. Occasionally 

the ARPAC Trustees will decide to endorse 

a different candidate, based upon past help in our 

issues and/or the candidates’ viability to win the 

race that he/she is running. 

but who did win their race. This year the candidates 

that we endorsed won between 85 to 90% 

of their races. Of the candidates we endorsed, 

 

were Democrats. All of the candidates we supported 

were the ones that we thought would best 

be in favor of our issues in Juneau. In many of 

these cases we have already had very strong support 

from these people in the past. 

Nationally, NAR has lobbied for maintaining 

the Mortgage Interest Deduction, maintaining 

 

banks out of the real estate industry and we continue 

to press for health care insurance availability 

for our membership. 

On the state level we have been successful 

in enacting legislation to safeguard principal 

residences from eminent domain procurement by 

municipal entities and continue to work toward 

eminent domain protection for second and recreational 

properties. We continue to be vigilant in 

ensuring that the legislature does not take action 

to make purchase price disclosure a requirement 

for buyers and sellers at closing. 

Please remember, we cannot continue to 

have the impact in our state and federal legislative 

branches without your continued support. We 

also need to have more support from more of our 

membership. This is YOUR Real Estate career. 

One of the best ways to maintain and enhance 

YOUR career is to invest in the Realtor Party by 

donating to the Alaska Realtors Political Action 

Committee. 

Looking forward to another great year in 2009. 

We also, at times, give contributions to 

candidates that we did not previously endorse, 



11/24/2008 12:23:48 PM

2008 Alaska RPAC Contributors 

ANCHORAGE 

 

Lisa Conner 

$1,000 

Lisa Conner 

Sandy Eherenman 

Helen Jarratt 

Mark Korting 

Naomi Louiver 

Charlie Sandberg 

Gordon Schadt 

$500 

Jonathan Bryan 

Tari Flannery 

Renate Houser 

Diane Johnson 

Eva Loken 

Don McKenzie 

Rex Tomlinson 

$250 

Art Clark 

Michael Droege 

Lisa Fallon 

Barb Huntley 

Peggy Kelly 

Dan Lee 

Elise McCollough 

Michael McLane 

Janelle Pfleiger 

$99 

Anita Bates 

Charles Blalock 

Dwight Bowden 

Mary Cox 

Ray Dahl 

Bert Dozark 

Jerry Dewhurst 

Julie Erickson 

Tiffany Fales 

Sabrina Fernandez 

Connie Giddings 

Connie Heyworth 

Bonny Hochstein 

Peter Jarratt 

John Lindsey 

JD Mechem 

Mike Messick 

Barbara Michelson 

Sallie Nickerson 

 

Barbara Ramsey 

Anchorage Continued 

Mike Rogers 

Jennifer Shaw 

Chris Swires 

Margaret Tovrea 

Stephanie Tri 

Perry Underwood 

Susan Westlund 

Denny Wood 

FAIRBANKS 

$1,000 

Wes Madden 

Jaquie Rosenthal 

Dave Somers 

Judy Somers 

$500 

Melissa Bidwell 

Scott Rosenthal 

Joni Schneider 

$250 

Amy Krier 

$99 

Sally Atwood 

Jason Ballek 

Melissa Bidwell 

Paul Brodale 

Eileen Cummings 

Ryan Danhauser 

Gerrie Duffy 

Gene DuVal 

Roger Floerchinger 

Audrey Foldoe 

Camen Haman 

Rich Kelley 

MT Killion 

Heather Lambert 

Zeb Mabie 

Kirk Maynard 

Audra McGhee 

Grace Minder 

Kelli Powers 

David Pruhs 

Traci Schachle 

Doug Somers 

Angie Tallant 

Jessica Thomas 

Rodney Wakefield 

KACHEMAK 

$1,000 

Gina Pelaia 

$500 

Rhonda Johnson 

$250 

Debra Leisek 

$99 

Angie Newby 

KENAI 

$1,000 

Judy Cloud 

$99 

Dale Bagley 

Debbie Bagley 

Louise Barnes 

Gail Blazer 

Fred Braun 

Gail Caldwell 

Esther Chambers 

Judy Cloud 

Les Crane 

Dorothy Cunningham 

Dave Feeken 

Glenda Feeken 

Penny Furnish 

Kelly Griebel 

Febra Hensley 

Chris Hough 

Anna Johns 

Dave Keating 

Kim McDonald 

Myla McFarland 

Linda McLane 

Diane Melton 

Deb Milam 

Ed Oberts 

Joe Rogers 

Linda Poindexter 

Mark White 

KODIAK 

$250 

Keri Kaune 

$99 

Bonnie Aulabaugh 

Bob Brodie 

Beth Davis 

Elouise Lenhert 

Phyllis Seaton 

VALLEY 

$1,000 

Kathryn Clark 

Uli Johnson 

Janice Strong 

$500 

Jean Kay 

$250 

Brad Cole 

Gary Gearhart 

DeAnn Gleason 

Russell Joyce 

Mark Lee 

Holly Stinson 

$99 

Shana Ackles 

Roger Aldrich 

Suellen Appellof 

Robert Bickel 

Shane Blattler 

Pat Check 

Paddy Coan 

Patty Coleman 

Anne Curtis 

Larry Ficek 

Steve Gilroy 

Kibe Lucas 

Debbie Murphy 

Sherri Mulhaney 

Jerry Moses 

 

Susan Price 

Krystal Rogers 

Jo Sonerholm 

Shelly Woodke 

SOUTHEAST 

$500 

PeggyAnn McConnochie 

$250 

Roger Porto 

Carole Winton 

$99 

Duane Gates 

Sue Nix 

Cami Seward 

Larry Spencer 

Roger Stone 



11/24/2008 12:23:50 PM

2008 RPAC Score Card 

Board Members 2008 Goals 2008 Percentage #Member Member 

(2/1/2008) ($20 Member) YTD Totals of Goal Contributions Participation 

Members at Large 11 $220 $50 23% 2 20% 

Anchorage 806 $16,120 $18,797 117% 98 12% 

Fairbanks 180 $3,600 $10,642 296% 96 53% 

Kachemak 47 $940 $4,598 489% 47 100% 

Kenai 91 $1,820 $4,710 259% 31 34% 

Kodiak 12 $240 $1,348 562% 9 75% 

Southeast 113 $2,260 $3,916 173% 87 77% 

Valley 279 $5,580 $9,676 173% 77 28% 

Totals 1539 $30,780 $53,737 175% 447 29% 



11/24/2008 12:23:52 PM

News Bites from Around the 

Anchorage 

The annual meeting was held 

on October 8, 2008 at Aladdin 

Restaurant. Congratulations to 

ART CLARK as REALTOR® 

OF THE YEAR, and to KEL- 

LY GRAWUNDER as REAL- 

TOR® AFFILIATE OF THE 

YEAR. The Board wishes to 

 

retiring Board member Mark 

Korting for his years of service 

to the Anchorage Board of RE- 

ALTORS®. 

Welcome to the new Board members: 

Connie Bates, Coldwell 

Banker Best Properties; Kevin 

Cross, Keller Williams Realty; 

Erin Eker, Dynamic Properties 

Girdwood; Laura Halverson, 

Dynamic Properties; Charlie 

Sandberg, Keller Williams 

Realty; and Jennifer Toomer, 

Keller Williams Realty. 

The quarterly Brokers’ Forum 

was held on October 24 with 8 

in attendance. 

ABR will offer the GRI series in 

2009 at the BP Energy Center. 

We are in the process of scheduling 

PLE and CE marathons 

during 2009, and again in January 

2010. 

The Annual Market Forecast 

has been scheduled for January 

7th at the Sheraton Anchorage 

Hotel. AAR’s incoming president, 

Russell Joyce, will install 

ABR’s 2009 Board of Directors 

at this event. Speakers include: 

John Carmen, Homestate Mortgage; 

Neal Fried, Alaska Department 

of Labor; Colleen Harrington, 

Alaska USA Mortgage; 

Niel Thomas, Coldwell Banker 

Best Properties; John Peterson, 

Merrill Lynch; and Jeff Thon, 

Jack White Commercial. 

ABR conducted successful mediations 

on October 3rd, October 

14th and again on Novem- 

 

The Anchorage Board is in the 

process of developing a new 

website. Stay tuned! 

Fairbanks 

In Fairbanks, we have continued 

to run our PR advertising campaign, 

which has been very well 

received. We recently ran an ad 

promoting the MLS featuring 

the business signs from each of- 

 

together for your Real Estate 

 

News Miner partnered with us to 

run this ad, and we really appreciate 

their assistance in promoting 

homeownership throughout 

this year. Additionally, GFBR 

was just recognized by Fairbanks 

Neighborhood Services 

 

Valley 

ing 

and busy time for the Valley 

Board of REALTORS®. It started 

in late-September with VBR 

hosting the State Convention at 

the beautiful and picturesque 

McKinley Princess Lodge. The 

4 day event was a great success 

with national speakers, a record 

number of trade show vendors, 

top notch education, and 

of course, memorable evening 

events. 

In October, we moved into our 

new building! The new “VBR 

na 

Ave. in Wasilla is VBR’s new 

home. We boast a beautiful new 

 

and amazing views. In addition, 

we have two commercial tenant 

 

are currently available for lease. 

We are very pleased with the 

outcome of our new building. 

cess 

watching this concept come 

to fruition. Our 2008 President, 

Brad Cole, was the key player 

in the building project. Not only 

 

and land, he also acted as our 

general contractor. For the tireless 

time and effort Brad contributed 

to the VBR Centre, the 

VBR Board of Directors have 

dedicated the building to Bradford 

Cole. 

In early November, three VBR 

representatives attended the 

(Newsbites, continue on page 18) 



11/24/2008 12:23:52 PM

(Newsbites, continued from page 17) 

NAR Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The 

 

networking. Upon our return from Orlando, we 

rolled right into the VBR Annual Convention. We 

held a 50’s themed party and we “Let the Good 

ing 

the Convention, we elected our 2009 Board of 

Directors with Kathryn Clark, Dynamic Properties 

serving as 2009 President and Duane Mathes, 

Dynamic Properties as President-Elect. 

REALTOR® of the Year was awarded at our Annual 

Awards Banquet. This year’s committee received 

a record number of nominations as well as 

a record number of nominees. This award is based 

on the following criteria: REALTOR® Spirit 

25%, Civic Activity 15%, Board Activity 35%, 

State & National Association Activity 10%, and 

Business Accomplishments 15%. The 2008 RE- 

ALTOR® of the Year was awarded to Pat Check, 

Pat Check Appraisal Services and Janice Strong, 

Strong Appraisals. Both Pat and Janice have been 

active members of VBR for many years. Both are 

appraisers who go one step above and beyond by 

maintaining their Realtor memberships. Both 

have chaired VBR committees, 

served on the Board 

of Directors, have been involved 

in task forces and 

have contributed immeasurable 

time and effort to 

the overall success of our 

organization. Congratulations 

to both of the recipients! 

ate 

of the Year was awarded 

to Clark Saunders, 

Alyeska Title, who has 

given countless hours of 

volunteer time to helping 

VBR achieve success. We 

would like to congratulate 

 

the Year! 

(President’s Message, continued from page 3) 

the passion in our belief in the code of ethics and a 

determination to succeed in delivering the American 

dream to any responsible buyer seeking our 

help. 

Region XII of NAR, which Alaska is 

a part of, recently conducted a major survey of 

the needs of the practitioners in our area. While 

real estate is local, we have found many common 

threads in how the associations can help 

make your practice more successful. I believe this 

will be the measuring stick by which all strategic 

plans are judged. Part of the membership survey 

is highlighted in this newsletter. I urge you to get 

a copy from the Alaska Association of REAL- 

TORS® or your local EO and submit comments 

before the 2009 Leadership convention coming to 

Anchorage in January. This is a perfect opportunity 

to make your voice heard and have a great 

deal of impact on the future of Alaska real estate. 

Thank you for all your support and service 

during my year. Please feel free to contact 

me with any questions although after January 1st 

I will send Art Clark all the tough ones! Happy 

Holidays to you and yours. 

ALASKA ESCROW AND TITLE 

INSURANCE AGENCY, INC. 

COMPLETE TITLE INSURANCE 

AND ESCROW SERVICES FOR 

SOUTHEAST ALASKA 

KETCHIKAN 

2030 SEA LEVEL DRIVE, STE 201 

PO BOX 5040 

KETCHIKAN, ALASKA 99901 

(907) 225-9077 FAX: (907) 225- 

JUNEAU 

8800 GLACIER HWY, STE 102 

JUNEAU, ALASKA 99801 

(907) 789- X: (907) 789-1159 



11/24/2008 12:23:53 PM

(Member Survey, continued from page 13) 

activity here. What locals thought was a recession 

made it become a reality.” 

*“Trying to communicate to potential clients 

that the current market is not as bad a shape 

 

the impression and perception people have from 

the media.” 

*“Dodging the media this year. They have 

done a number - that is, they wrecked the homes 

sales and the mortgage industry. People are so 

scared they don’t know if they should list, sell, or 

go rent a house.” 

*“The economy because of the media. 

They send out negative information that does not 

apply to our local market. Our economy is local, 

not national. They spread the word that it is happening 

nationally. They don’t paint a true picture 

of our local market. It is better than other areas 

and the public sees national news and is being 

given an inaccurate picture of what our market is 

doing.” 

Personal Financial Burden 

*“Turning it off in terms of not working 

twenty-four hours a day.” 

*“Working two jobs.” 

*“Just working everyday! I work everyday!” 

*“Not seeing any income at this time.” 

 

up in new real estate construction. However, the 

real answer would be having enough time to balance 

my family, and job, the most challenging.” 

Note: This article is only a sample of the entire 

survey. Multivariate analysis was conducted in 

 

 

segments, or groupings. The multivariates are 

included in the entire survey. If you would like 

an entire copy of the survey, please contact the 

 

7133. 

 

 

 

- ONLINE CONTINUING EDUCATION - 

Few people can afford to drop everything and go back to school, which is why AAR now has 

courses online that you can take anytime from anywhere. These self-paced classes utilize 

the lastest technology to provide you with the best real estate education options. These 

courses have all been approved for CE credit. All 8 hours of designated credit (DCE) 

along with 28 hours of elective credit (ECE) are offered online at $10 a credit hour. 

Courses include: 

Property Disclosures - 2 Hours Required/4 Hours Elective 

Ethics in Real Estate - 2 hours Required/4 Hours Elective 

Buyer Representation - 2 Hours Required/4 Hours Elective 

Mortgage Fraud2 Hours Required/4 Hours Elective 

Property Management - 6 Hours Elective 

Electronic Transactions in Real Estate - 6 Hours Elective 

Go to www.alaskarealtors.com to access the classes. 



11/24/2008 12:23:54 PM

GRI, Graduate 

REALTORS® Institute 

Congratulations New GRI Designees 

The Alaska Association of REALTORS® would 

like to congratulate the following members who 

have completed all the requirements to obtain the 

GRI, Graduate REALTORS® Institute, designation. 

Anchorage 

Kimberly Bool - RE/MAX Properties 

Becky Brewer - Prudential Jack White Vista RE 

Pam Garcia - Dynamic Properties 

Jamie Harvey - Prudential Jack White Vista RE 

Alison Lane - Prudential Jack White Vista RE 

Rosemary Pagano - Northern Trust Real Estate 

Deena Saffell - Northern Trust Real Estate 

Girdwood 

Sam Daniel - Glacier City Realty 

Seward 

Linda Rae Olsen - Integrity Realty 

Soldotna 

Polly Reasner - Freedom Realty 

Valley 

Terry Boyle - Dynamic Properties 

Michael Buirge - Century 21 North Homes 

Patti Coleman - McKinley View Real Estate 

William Fread - Checkpoint, Inc. 

Stephanie Gamble - Prudential Jack White Vista 

Jonny Knutson - Century 21 North Homes 

Karen McMaster - Prudential Jack White Vista 

Becky Monaghan - Prudential Jack White Vista 

Sherrie Mulhaney - Prudential Jack White Vista 

Deborah Murphy - Prudential Jack White Vista 

Israel Nelson - Double Eagle Real Estate 

How To Earn The Designation 

GRI, Graduate REALTOR® Institute is one of 

the nation’s most widely recognized real estate 

designations for REALTORS®. 

You will earn your GRI only after successfully 

gram 

designed to increase your industry skills. 

The GRI designation is granted through the Alaska 

Association of REALTORS®. All courses 

meet the standards established by the National 

Association of REALTORS®. 

2009 Schedule 

JANUARY/FEBRUARY Kenai 

GRI 100 

 

Contact the Kenai Association of REALTORS® 

 

FEBRUARY 

Anchorage 

GRI 100 

 

Contact the Anchorage Board of REALTORS® 

 

FEBRUARY/MARCH 

Kenai 

GRI 200 

 

Contact the Kenai Association of REALTORS® 

 

MAY/JUNE 

Anchorage 

GRI 200 

 

Contact the Anchorage Board of REALTORS® 

 

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER Anchorage 

GRI 300 

 



11/24/2008 12:23:55 PM

Alaska Chapter Council of Residential Specialists 

1500 West 33rd Avenue #220 • Anchorage, Alaska 99503 

Earn the CRS Designation 

 

offered by the Council of Residential Specialists. The CRS Designation is the highest 

 

than 5 percent of all REALTORS® hold the CRS designation. 

President’s Message 

By Denny Wood, CRS,GRI 

Prudential Jack White Vista 

Real Estate 

As I write this I am still in Florida enjoying 

my grandkids after the NAR Convention 

in Orlando. This year’s convention was 

great. Lots of classes and, of course, the business 

of running the organization. One of the highlights 

from those meetings; is that CRS is international 

and you can send and receive referrals to a CRS 

in many countries like Brazil, South Africa, Spain, 

France and Australia to name a few. While many 

trade magazines are going internet, “The Residen- 

 

A new Short Sale course has been approved 

and you will be seeing it on our schedule 

in the future. The CRS Member Connect website 

has been redesigned with more content on the front 

page and throughout. The Pro Plan has been rein- 

 

can get your CRS Designation with 2 core course 

credits and 150 transactions or $1 Million per year 

average production with at least 40 transactions. 

The CRS 210 Sales course was quite a success. 

Thanks go to First American Title, our course 

sponsor, Denali Federal Credit Union and Homestate 

Mortgage , our lunch sponsors, and Homes 

and Land Magazine, providing refreshments and 

 

west Title and Residential Mortgage. CRS Instructor 

Frank Serio did a great job and we gained some 

new members. 

At our annual membership meeting we 

elected the 2009 slate of board members: Lisa 

Conner as President and she will serve as President 

elect for 2010 also, Connie Heyworth, Vice 

 

ratt, Treasurer; Denny Wood, Past President; and 

 

Jarratt, Vivian Coleman, Cheri Marston, Mike 

Messick, Andrea Gribbin, Jamie Harvey, Honey 

 

rie Duffy, and Angie Newby. Please congratulate 

these folks and if you ever have a question about 

CRS, look one of us up. 

As I end my term serving as your president 

I can only think of what an honor it has been 

to serve you and to work with such a wonderful 

board. Our sponsors have been solid supporters 

and we can never thank them too much. Please 

support them with your business. Lisa Conner 

will be a super president; she has amazing 

energy and is such a can-do person with many 

new ideas. The Alaska CRS Chapter is in very 

capable hands. I want to wish Lisa and the 2009 

board of directors a very successful year. 

If you are working on your CRS designation, 

keep going, it is well worth it. Those who 

have earned their CRS designation, congratulations 

and I encourage you to bring someone with 

you into the fold and continue to enhance our 

professionalism. Get involved in your chapter 

and make it even better than it is. 

Thank you all for your support of the Alaska 

CRS Chapter. 



11/24/2008 12:23:56 PM


11/24/2008 12:24:00 PM

June 2007 • Alaska REALTOR® 23 


11/24/2008 12:24:08 PM

Alaska Association of REALTORS® 

4205 Minnesota Drive 

Anchorage, Alaska 99503 

(907)563-7133 (907)561-1779 

PRSRT STD 

U.S. POSTAGE PAID 

ANCHORAGE, 

PERMIT #262 


11/24/2008 12:24:10 PM

2008 December Newsletter - Alaska Association of Realtors

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?