50 years ago... Inside... - Chattanooga Bar Association

28 Friday, June 13, 2008 HAMILTON COUNTY HERALD
(423) 698-8001
Fax: (423) 698-8004
FOUNDED IN 1912
Upcoming Educational Opportunities for
Realtors
Building Talk
Tuesday, June 17
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
6 CE Credits
Upon completion of this course, Realtors will become familiar
with the important characteristics of existing homes. Attendees
will also learn conditions owners and buyers should be aware of in a
building and the appropriate occasions for using qualified experts to
investigate questionable conditions.
FHA Basics for Real Estate Professionals
Wednesday, June 18
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
3 CE Credits
This beneficial course covers FHA financing, loans, the buying
and selling of HUD homes and other ways to help buyers, sellers
and the community by expanding homeownership opportunities to
more individuals.
Enhancing Customer Service by Utilizing Public Records for
Commercial Realtors
Tuesday, June 24
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Designed exclusively for commercial real estate practitioners,
this course offers the opportunity to learn how to better serve commercial
clients by taking advantage of valuable information in public
records.
Enhancing Customer Service by Utilizing Public Records
Tuesday, June 24
1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
3 CE Credits
Presented by Courthouse Retrieval, this offers Realtors the
opportunity to learn how to better serve residential clients by taking
advantage of valuable information available through public
records.
Servicing the Short Sale
Thursday, July 17
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
3 CE Credits
More and more people are wondering about short sales. This
course begins with reasons for default and goes all the way up to
preparing a proposal for a bank to better help Realtors understand
short sales in real estate.
Learn more at
www.ChattRealtors.com
Northwest Georgia Council of Realtors
Luncheon Meeting
Friday, June 20
11:30 a.m. at the Walker County Civic Center in
Rock Spring
Please join us in welcoming special guest
Van Johnson, 2008 President of the Georgia
Association of Realtors
R.S.V.P. to Latrice@ChattRealtors.com
www.ChattRealtors.com
Each June we, as Realtors
and champions of the word
“home,” take time to remember
this as being National
Homeownership Month. It’s
worthwhile when you consider
the rich history of homeownership
in America. For centuries
we’ve continued to see homeownership
stand as the cornerstone
of the great American
Dream.
T.S. Elliot once wrote:
“Home is where one starts from.”
I, along with my fellow
Realtors, am in the business of
giving people a place to start
from – no matter where they
come from and no matter what
their background.
Helping people realize the
American Dream of homeownership
makes a positive difference
in the personal lives of buyers,
as well as for the country as a
whole. Throughout history,
homeownership has played a
major role in the growth of our
nation’s economy.
America’s homeownership
rate hovered around 46 percent
between 1900 and 1920, before
declining to a low of 44 percent
by 1940. After World War II,
the homeownership rate rose
dramatically – to 55 percent by
1950 – as the postwar economy
boom contributed to American
prosperity.
Real estate and the purchases
of homes were central to
building this prosperity. By
1960, homeownership had
grown to 60 percent, thanks to
favorable tax treatment and
attractive financing related to
homeownership.
America’s homeownership
President’s Message
Homeownership in America
Celebrate
as National
Homeownership
Month!
Pam Duffy
rate approaches 68 percent,
ranging from a low of around 47
percent in the District of
Columbia to a high of more than
76 percent in Delaware and
Michigan, according to the latest
U.S. Census Bureau. Locally,
those figures point to a healthy
71 and 70 percent in Tennessee
and Georgia, respectfully.
Homeownership offers
immediate benefits and longterm
value. Homeowners accumulate
wealth for the future
while enjoying the benefits of a
shelter they can use, improve
and sell. The home is truly a safe
haven for investment in this
country.
According to data from the
Federal Reserve Board, a homeowner’s
net worth is 46 times
that of a renter’s. American
families quickly learn how
homeownership is the best way
to accumulate wealth and build
a nest egg for a sounder future.
Still, despite the fluctuations
experienced in some markets,
the national headlines only
look at the short term, when in
reality we see that over a typical
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CHATTANOOGA,
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six year period of homeownership,
home values usually rise at
a normal, gradual pace.
Exceptions to this general trend
almost always result from prolonged
localized economic
downturns, often driven by job
and population losses. Locally,
economic growth has fared well.
As more people and businesses
discover all that the greater
Chattanooga area has to offer,
we can continue to expect a
healthy real estate market for
current and future homeowners.
Plus, consider that homeowners
also benefit from the
power of leverage. Over 10 years,
a $10,000 investment in the
stock market at a normal 10 percent
market rate of return would
yield $23,600. The same investment
as a down payment on a
$200,000 home at a normal
appreciation rate of five percent
would return nearly five times
the stock market return, at
$110,300.
Housing is not a quick-in,
quick-out investment. When
purchased for the long term,
housing is one of the safest
investments consumers can
make. In addition to the savings
accumulated through a buildup
of equity and tax advantages, a
home provides shelter. No paper
investment provides this benefit.
So in this year’s National
Homeownership Month, let us
remember all that homeownership
means to the fabric of our
nation. Helping bring people
home is something we Realtors
have been proud to do for so
many in the history of our
nation. ❖
Association Officers
Pam Duffy, President; Nickie Schwartzkopf, President-Elect; Jennifer Grayson, Secretary/Treasurer; Jason Farmer, Immediate Past President
Association Directors
Graham Burns, Chris Davis, Russell Elliott, Robert Fisher, Dan Griess, Mark Hite, Brian Kelly, Marie King, Denise Lindsey, Frank McDaniel, Janice Robertson, Joyce Smith, Bobby Teems
MLS Officers
Randy Durham, President; Kathy Tucker, President-Elect; Y.L. Coker, Secretary/Treasurer
MLS Directors
Y.L. Coker, Pam Duffy, Robert Fisher, Dan Griess, Mark Hite, Marie King, Janice Robertson, Nickie Schwartzkopf, Bobby Teems, Kathy Tucker