Thank you to Towne Mortgage

and DFCU Financial for

sponsoring our Meet & Greet

on May 20th.

Thank You to Dale Raines with

Accuspect Home Inspections

for sponsoring our New

Member Orientation on May

28th.

Thank you to Ali Shami with

PNC Bank and Chuck Hage

with Prime Lending for

sponsoring our General

Membership Meeting on June

2nd.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Directors

Al Makled—President Barb Keleman

Sam Baydoun—President Elect Robert P. Marx

Ted Easterly—Treasurer Frederick

Tavolette

Luis Rodriguez—Past President Laura Adamson

Benjamin Welch

REALCOMP

GOVERNOR

USER

COMMITTEE

DABOR

STAFF

Dean

Eveslage

Mahmoud

Sobh

Laura

Green—CEO

Ted

Easterly

Andrea

Fitzgerald

Victoria

Strojny—

Admin. Asst.

Sandra

Kolar-Alt

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 BOD Meet-

ing 9am

21 22

23 24 25 26 27 New

Member

Orientation

9am

28 29

30 31

August 2015

Contact your local

American Home Shield

Representative

Mark Light

Senior Account Executive

800.800.8880 ext. 6116

jmlight@ahslink.com

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view Home

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Become a Preferred Contractor

REALTORS and contractors in all areas of home

services are an integral part of each others

network. From building to cleaning to windows

and doors. From floors to ceilings, painting and

decorating. DABOR is looking for well-established

companies specializing in quality of workmanship

and customer service. Join our network of

PREFERRED CONTRACTORS for $25.00 per

year. Your $25.00 will put your company Infor-

mation on the DABOR website and on our

monthly e-newsletter that is distributed to over

700+ REALTORs each month. Additionally, the

Preferred Contractor list (updated) is distributed to

each REALTOR member four times per

year. Contact us to start advertising today.

CLICK HERE for Preferred Contractor Form

Dearborn Area Board of REALTORS

Pay your DABOR Dues in 3 Easy Payments

DABOR is making it easy to plan ahead for your

2016 Membership Dues.

It's never too early to plan ahead.

Each year your dues are payable in full on January 1st . Enroll now in the 3 payment plan for your 2016 dues and break it down into 3 easy payments. Each payment is $168.00 due on the 15th of August, October and December

2015. Enroll in the plan by returning the following form to vicki@dabor.com no later than August 12, 2015. Only credit/debit payments are available on this program.

2016 3 Payment Plan

Any questions call Vicki or Laura at 313 278 2220

Avoid These 5 Property Management Mistakes DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2014

“It doesn’t matter how good you are in the property management business, there’s always something you’re can get sued

for,” Lori Burger, CPM and the Institute of Real Estate Management’s 2014 president-elect, said at a property manage-

ment forum Thursday during the REALTOR® Party Convention & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C.

Part of it is just the nature of the business: Balancing relationships and contractual agreements with both property own-

ers and renters can leave property managers open to litigation from all sides. To mitigate this, Burger outlined five com-

mon mistakes property managers make and five ways they can protect themselves.

Mistakes

You don’t have a written property management agreement. Burger calls this “your greatest protection.” The agreement should clearly state your responsibilities as the property manager and your client’s responsibilities as the property owner. Do not perform work that is not listed in the agreement as part of your management duties.

You’ve pieced together a makeshift lease agreement. “Don’t take a lease agreement you found somewhere and edit it to meet your needs,” Burger said. Draw up a lease with your attorney, and make sure it complies with laws while still meeting your needs.

You don’t put the security deposit in a proper trust account. If you hold a renter’s security deposit for the own-er yourself, you may be required to pay interest on it.

You don’t make the tenant sign a move-in and move-out form. “You should personally do a move-in and move-out inspection and checklist with the tenant,” Burger said. You need to be able to document the condition of the apart-ment at both move-in and move-out times. Take photos and video, and save them to the tenant’s file. One thing many property managers overlook is documenting the serial numbers of a unit’s appliances. That way, if tenants take appli-ances with them when they move out, you can track them down more easily.

You incorporate a lease-purchase agreement into the lease agreement. Should an issue with a tenant arise that lands you in court, a judge could have a hard time determining whether the property is purchased or leased — thus making it more difficult to determine what your rights are as the property manager. Keep lease-purchase and lease agreements separate.

Successful Strategies

Keep properties close together. You might not have the staff to manage properties that are too far apart from one another. Distance shouldn’t be a factor that makes it difficult for you to keep an eye on your inventory. Generally, prop-erties shouldn’t be more than 25 or 30 miles apart, Burger said.

Select tenants very carefully. “I would love to believe that I am the best judge of character there is, but I’m not,” Burger said. “It’s unfortunate when people you think will prove to be good tenants turn out not to be.” Have strict crite-ria for renters to meet, and do not make exceptions.

Be visible to tenants. Keep in communication with tenants, and be responsive to their needs. Most times that will give you an opportunity to swing by and check on the property.

Stay in touch with the client. “We’re not just collecting rent,” Burger said. “We’re there to preserve, protect, and en-hance the owner’s investment.” She said her company once set up roof inspections for all its clients for $250 apiece, giving the owners a chance to opt in or out. “If the owner knows you can add value like this, you can turn that client into a referral,” Burger said.

Charge what you’re worth. Many will be tempted to lower their fees to land the deal. But that can backfire. “You need to be compensated for the work you do,” Burger said. Don’t sell yourself short, and if you do extra work, charge accordingly for it.

—By Graham Wood, REALTOR® Magazine

On August 1, all MVP Subscribers will receive this:

Follow these few easy steps to earn your FREE reward:

1. Click the “ACT NOW” button to register for the REALTOR® Safety Webinar Summit taking place on September 9.

2. Within 48 hours of registering, you will receive an email from MVP with instructions on how to download a PDF copy of the 2015 NAR Member Profile - Download and automatically be entered in the grand prize drawing.

3. One randomly selected MVP participant who successfully completes the action by August 15, 2015 will win the Guard Llama Personal Protection kit.

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YOUR ACTION: Register for the REALTOR® Safety Webinar Summit

Come on by and check

out our supply store!

Michigan REALTORS® YPN

Contact Info Main Contact: Joe Kras

Address: 720 N. Washington Avenue Lansing, MI 48906

Email: jkras@mirealtors.com

Main Website: Michigan REALTORS®

Alternate Website:

The Young Professionals Network is a dynamic entry point for real estate professionals striving to become more suc-

cessful in their careers and gain leadership experience. By providing this entry point, NAR is building a new, diverse

generation of leaders, strengthening members' affinity for the REALTOR® brand early in their career, and gaining a

valuable perspective on generational shifts. YPN's growth has been driven by REALTORS®. YPN has evolved from a

magazine offshoot to a determined, passionate, savvy group of members who use social media effectively and trans-

parently and who are committed to strengthening the REALTOR® brand.

Is your office ready to take the leap from paper to the cloud? Here’s how to choose a system that your agents and staff can get on board with.

Moving away from physical files and adopting a paperless transaction management system has its perks. It can improve client satisfaction, reduce lia-

bility, and help agents work more efficiently, according to a recent RealTrends report. Going paperless is also an ideal way to instantly access and track

your office’s vital numbers. But we all know that the road to success often has some bumps along the way.

I was an eyewitness to a semi-paperless office (SPO), where agents turned in paper contracts that were then saved to the cloud for review and storage.

This was a trying period that resulted in at least one agent threatening to leave for another firm.

Here are two colossal mistakes that brokers should avoid so that more of their agents accept the transition to the cloud and adopt the paperless revolu-

tion in the industry.

Mistake 1: Adding More Time to Your Agents’ Workload

“Nothing so undermines organizational change as the failure to think through the losses people face.”

— William Bridges

At the SPO, many of the agents were already accustomed to the local MLS’s online forms that automatically populated the agent’s information, synced

additional data added to the forms (like cooperating agent or client information), retrieved MLS data, and transmitted the forms from the MLS with e-

signing options built in. This was fantastic for agents because they spent less time filling out contracts and chasing parties down to get signatures. Thus,

the agents of the SPO wanted a new system to include those same features — because who wants to upgrade to something that requires more work,

right?

With MLS features like that, you might be wondering why a brokerage would seek a different solution. Well, the company did not have a singular dash-

board within the MLS to view all of its transactions at a glance, which is typically found in many paperless management systems. Without a dashboard,

a broker or staff member would have to manually click on numerous online files to see the status of each transaction. That’s not a good use of anyone’s

time, especially when you have a significant number of agents.

The SPO did select a paperless system with the transaction management dashboard it desired, but the system also required more manual input of MLS

and client data from the agents. Some agents simply returned to the previous system when faced with the additional time commitment.

The RealTrends study I mentioned above found that just under a quarter of brokerages surveyed stayed away from adopting paperless systems be-

cause they believed agents would not make the transition. That concern came to fruition at the SPO when the new system did not feature certain func-

tions that the agents already used and found to be helpful.

Solution: Consider Your Agents’ Needs

Agents are the lifeline of your business. If you are evaluating a paperless system that does not include features your agents demand, keep searching for

a better system. Don’t sacrifice the creature comforts your agents have grown accustomed to.

Keep in mind that many people are averse to change. So once you find a system that you believe is a good fit, conduct a beta test or trial run with a

small sample of your agents so that you can get in front of any concerns. Select a good mix, from those who are the most technologically savvy to those

who still need help connecting to the office Wi-Fi. It is much better to roll out a new system to a few who understand it is a trial run. With an untested

full-scale rollout, you risk upsetting everyone and make it harder to adopt the new system.

Mistake 2: Not Considering Staff Feedback

The SPO’s staff had a valid concern: The dashboard in the new paperless system did not offer similar online checklists for monitoring transaction sta-

tus as the previous system. Yikes! Helping staff better manage each transaction was, in essence, the main reason that the SPO wanted a new system.

The makers of the paperless system that the SPO had selected promised customized features and support for staff. But during the system’s inaugural

week, the SPO learned that the company was not as supportive as needed, and the promises of customization never came to fruition. The new system

was a nightmare for staffers, who were unable to effectively manage the transactions of the growing brokerage. As a result, the system was eliminated

in less than a month.

Solution: Broaden Your Think Tank

“Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination.”

– Warren Bennis

The great thing about having staff is that you do not have to make decisions in a vacuum. Value the feedback of your employees as they just may save

you time, money, and client relationships.

Simply offering a trial run of the software doesn’t mean anything if you don’t listen to, and act on, the feedback you get from both agents and staff.

Take their concerns seriously and you’ll get better buy-in when it’s time to implement the new system.

Ultimately, you should be open to feedback, evaluate its merit, and make decisions that advance the path of your busi-

ness.

Learn how one Hawaii-based real estate company is attracting top producers and keeping them happy.

JULY 2015 | BY ERICA CHRISTOFFER

In another example of letting agents reach their goals, Elite Pacific Property recently celebrated the opening of its new Kauai office. Pictured from left: Paul Mayer, managing partner, Elite Pacific Properties; Joel Cavasso of Kailua Beach Realty; Stephen Cipres, partner and principal broker, Elite Pacific Properties; Torey Lam of Luxury Home Magazine.

Take it from Paul Mayer: Big fish need a lot of room to swim. Several top producers have surfaced at his Hawaii-based brokerage, Elite Pacific Proper-

ties, and he gives them the freedom to explore oceans of opportunities to expand their business.

One sales associate in particular, Greg Burns, hosted the Golf Channel’s media crew at one of his listings during the PGA’s Hyundai Tournament of

Champions on the island of Maui this year. In exchange, the Golf Channel gave Burns a segment on a show in which he toured Kapalua-area luxury

homes.

Elite goes after high-producing agents and gives them a long leash to create the type of connections it takes to sell multimillion-dollar listings, says

Mayer, the firm’s managing partner.

Mayer, who owns the largest luxury brokerage in Hawaii, opened up about his management prowess, offering insight on how to retain agents who

want to soar.

How do you recruit, and why would an agent choose your brokerage?

The top producers want to be associated with a firm that’s very selective; they want to know their reputation is safe. We’re highly selective of all the

agents at our firm. Everything at our company is about high standards, from the listings we take to our professional photography and the quality of our

written contracts. It’s in everything we do.

To recruit top producers, you need to build a long-term relationship. Sending e-mail blasts or using traditional marketing doesn’t work. Get to know

agents as people, and gradually introduce them to the benefits of your brokerage. We usually attract top producers through their peers — the agents

who currently work for us. The vast majority are experienced. Not all of our agents are top producers or sell luxury, but we’re not interested in part-

time or inexperienced agents.

We have policies and practices that offer a tremendous amount of free support and free technology to all our agents. Successful agents spend 30 per-

cent of their time on marketing and escrows, but we can probably get that down to 5 percent of their time. We have 20 support staffers for 110 agents.

We have four full-time marketing staffers who help market every listing and do personal marketing for agents as well. We have three full-time staffers

whose sole focus is transaction management. We have admin and tech support. We take away all the busy work, all the drudgery, and let agents do

what they do best, which is selling.

How much room do you give your agents for big ideas like Greg Burns’ Golf Channel relationship?

Greg Burns is a really creative guy who comes up with phenomenal marketing ideas. It’s my job to help agents leverage our resources. We make sure

they comply with the state laws and help with logistical elements, but it’s also my job to help support them and help expand on their ideas. And our

marketing staff is there to help implement plans and make them successful. Teamwork and sharing of ideas is also part of our company culture.

How do you acknowledge your agents?

If we have a big announcement or want to celebrate an accomplishment, we congratulate people publicly at events and in press releases, which helps

them get publicity. I have zero interest in taking credit for anything our agents do.

What types of support systems do top producers find most valuable?

Technology is a requirement. If you want to attract professional agents, you have to give them a full technology platform: a search engine optimized

lead generating platform, a CRM, tools like DocuSign and zipForm, and transaction management software. And all of that is cheap once you have the

infrastructure in place because at that point, it’s only about adding licenses.

Lucrative compensation is probably what most people think you need to attract top producers. The truth is, we compensate on a tiered commission

split that grows with their volume each year and as they move up. All of our agents are on the same plan, and they all get exactly what they earn each

year. It tops out for top producers to be extremely high, and they get credit for everything they’ve closed that year even if they’ve been with another

company.

How do you build company loyalty?

Our top producers give input on things like company policies and office locations. Their ability to provide input is valuable because it helps them feel

like they have a stake in the company. We meet once a quarter to go over business direction and strategic planning and to discuss recruiting, and we’ll

ask for opinions on who would be a good fit.

Looking to the future, how do you plan to grow your business while maintaining those standards that

attract top producers?

We are going to focus on growing our market share in Hawaii over the next 10 years. Our sales last year were up 45 percent over 2013 and triple over

2012. Commercial real estate is a possibility for the future, but that requires a different level of support and knowledge. We do our due diligence;

we’re not a company that wants to do it part-way. We’ll need to get the staff and support systems in place before we make that commitment. If we do

decide to get into commercial, we’ll do it in a bigger way.

5 Ways to Improve Your Vocal Impact

You use your voice every day in business to connect with clients and peers. But are you leveraging your greatest instrument to improve your professional image?

October 2014 | By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

From just the sound of your voice, others are forming impressions about you. Your voice alone can make you seem more knowl-edgeable, credible, or even friendly. In fact, the sound of your voice matters twice as much as the words you say, according to a 2012 study by communications firm Quantified Impressions.

The company asked more than 1,000 listeners and vocal experts to evaluate 120 executives’ voices to learn the extent a person’s voice can influence perceptions. Voices that listeners rated as weak, strained, rough, or breathy tended to prompt negative labels of the speakers — viewing them as weak, passive, or tense. Another big vocal annoyance was “uptalk,” where a person pronounces a statement as if it were a question, allowing his or her voice to rise at the end of the sentence (such as “It’s nice to meet you to-day?”). Another aggravation: “vocal fry,” in which speakers end their words in a raspy growl that can make them sound uncomfort-able or in pain.

On the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to have a so-called “normal” voice, listeners rated you as more successful, sociable, smart, and even sexy, according to the study.

Your voice matters because it’s your signature — part of what identifies you. So how do you know whether it’s helping your profes-sional image or hurting it? No one likes the sound of their own voice, which makes it particularly difficult know how others may be hearing it and perceiving it. And what if you realize you have a breathy or strained voice: Can you really change it?

Voice coaches say you certainly can — with practice. And as with all instruments, practice is what most people need to unlock their very best speaking voice. That is, one that can lift your entire professional image, your credibility, and likability and even make you a better influencer too.

Unlocking Your New and Improved Voice

Darlene Price, author of Well Said! (AMACOM, 2012) and president of Well Said Inc., a training company for presentations and effective communication, says there are six key factors to a quality speaking voice: tone, pitch, pace, volume, inflection, and articu-lation. Practically everyone could use a tune-up in these areas. Here, Price elaborates on some ways professionals can improve their vocal quality.

1. Watch your tone.

The tone of your voice conveys your attitude. Do you sound happy, sad, rushed, or distracted? “You can use words to say one thing, but if the tone is something different, people will believe the tone in your message more than the words,” Price says.

In fact, nearly 40 percent of a person’s first impression of you comes from the tone of your voice alone in face-to-face interactions, according to research conducted by UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian. On the phone, when you don’t have the added support of facial expressions and eye contact, your tone of voice can be even more critical.

Try this: Make a point to speak with more energy and volume. Focus on conveying sincerity, cheerfulness, and confidence with your voice, Price says. That also means eliminating distractions and staying completely focused on the person you’re speaking to; even when on the phone, people can tell if you’re distracted (say, when you’re trying to sneak a check of your e-mail). When you’re talking on the phone, here’s a good way to project a better tone: Stand up. “You have more energy when you’re standing,” Price says. “Your diaphragm is more aligned with your voice.”

Price also suggests talking into a mirror when you’re on the phone so you can see your facial expressions. “The facial expressions come first and the voice often follows what the face does,” Price says. “So if you have a pensive scowl on your face, your voice will follow that with a tense sound. On the contrary, if you’re smiling, you’ll likely have a more positive tone.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE…...

How to Improve Your Presentation Skills DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

Whether hosting a buyer or seller seminar or making a sales pitch at your next listing presentation, your speaking

skills are vital to engage your audience and ignite confidence in you from those listening.

Speaking Power

"Lack of preparation is the biggest cause of failure across the board," says Elisabeth Osmeloski, vice president of audi-

ence development for SearchMarketingExpo.com and MarTechConf.com, about the most common error with presen-

tations. "Not having a clear message and actionable takeaways will leave the audience feeling like their time has been

wasted."

On the other hand, "the perfect presentation has certain attributes, and will be engaging, entertaining, memorable,

inspiring, and actionable – all at once," she says.

A company called AvalaunchMedia.com, a digital marketing and PR company based in the Salt Lake City area, helps

companies craft better presentations and strengthen their skills. Among their tips:

Tell a story. A presentation should be a narrative about something with a beginning, middle, and conclusion. It should not just be a list of facts and statistics.

Edit. A presentation with too many bullet points can overwhelm an audience. Most people recall best in 20-25 mi-nute increments. Keep your presentation brief to have a more lasting impact with the audience.

Add images. Graphics and visually appealing presentations tend to be more engaging. Visuals are 6.5 times more likely to be remembered, says David Mink, co-founder and CEO of AvalaunchMedia.com.

REALTORS and contractors in all areas of home services are an integral part of each

other’s network. From building to cleaning to windows and doors. From floors to ceil-

ings, painting and decorating. DABOR REALTORS have established relationships with

well-established companies specializing in quality of workmanship and customer ser-

vice. Browse our network of PREFERRED CONTRACTORS.

2015 PREFERRED CONTRACTORS LIST

DABOR Preferred Contractors

August 7-9, 2015

Dearborn's Homecoming is a spectacular 35 year-old tradition and a summer destination for residents, people coming back "home" and guests from across southeastern Michi-gan. DABOR members will be participating in a booth during the festival showcasing "Whats Great about Dearborn". We will be meeting old friends and new, talking about the market in our area and networking throughout the weekend. If you would like to vol-unteer a few hours during the festival networking, prospecting and promoting the REAL-TOR image please contact the board office at 313 278 2220 or laura@dabor.com.

All interested members should complete the application form and send it to DABOR, 2350 Monroe Street,

Dearborn, MI 48124 or laura@dabor.com no later than August 1, 2015. Please include a photograph.

Three Director(s) will be elected in September of 2015 to serve a three-year term (2016, 2017, and 2018).

Applicants must be a REALTOR® member of DABOR for at least two years.

The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Dearborn Area Board of REALTORS®. The function of the Board of Directors is to govern board policy, engage members and promote the REALTOR® image. Directors represent the membership as a whole and ensures Board's policies benefit the total membership. Directors maintain close contact with the general membership to determine its needs and desires and secure adequate representation to the Michigan REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.

Call for Board of Director Nominations

Accepting Applications for Board of Directors

The Nominating Committee will meet in August to select candidates for each of the vacancies. A profile of each candidate will be published in the August & September issues of the DABOR Focus Newsletter as well as the DABOR Website www.dabor.com

Sticks & Stones Won't Hurt Worst Beware of sellers who complain about their own neighborhoods. Their words may be the biggest threat to a deal.

JULY 2015 | BY BEVERLY R. MEAUX

We live in a world where it has become too easy to share our opinions publicly. Social media has given us platforms to

vent our frustrations about anything, anytime, anywhere to a wide audience, and now we think we should say out loud

everything that runs through our minds. Without a doubt, there are benefits to a society that is more expressive and open

to the exchange of thoughts and ideas. But we also invite complications, sometimes unknowingly, by failing to

acknowledge those times when it’s prudent to bite our tongues.

Discretion Counts

In real estate, there's one prominent instance—and certainly many others—where it pays in actual dollars for people to

keep their thoughts to themselves: when sellers are anxious to get out of a neighborhood they don't like anymore but

need a buyer who will fall in love with it. If sellers gripe freely about where they live, particularly online, it could get back

to potential buyers and convince them not to buy in the neighborhood or to make a lower offer on the sellers' home.

Home owners outgrow their homes all the time, sometimes for contentious reasons. Some may say their neighborhood

has gone downhill, the schools are poor quality, the commute is too long, or property taxes are too high, and they can't

wait to get out of Dodge. But instead of discussing it at the dinner table, they air their frustrations on social media and in

online forums such as neighborhood Facebook pages and groups or town-focused websites. These platforms are

sources of information for buyers, so loose-lipped sellers are basically telling every prospective buyer what little value

they feel their neighborhood has. And that could hurt the sales price they seek.

Even offline neighborhood gripes can affect the sale of a home. I once worked with a seller who couldn't wait to move.

One day, I ran into someone he knew who told me very loudly in a public place that the seller had been complaining

about how he hated the town, thought no property there could sell for a good price, and considered the schools to be

garbage. A woman overheard our conversation and asked, "What God-awful town are you talking about?"

I don't know whether this woman was in the market to buy, but if so, I'm sure she wouldn’t have considered my seller's

town after learning his feelings about it. And who knows how many times she repeated the story—and how many other

potential buyers she might have turned off?

Deputized Agents

Sellers should think of themselves as deputized real estate agents of sorts, responsible for representing their homes as

positively as we would. An agent would never undermine a sale by bad-mouthing the neighborhood; sellers shouldn't,

either. Every time someone gives an opinion, someone else is making an evaluation based on what that person says.

What sellers say about their home and neighborhood gives buyers a perception of the home’s value—and perceived

value means everything.

The theory of six degrees of separation—which posits that any two people on Earth are linked by way of six or fewer

acquaintances—reminds us that we never know who the person we're talking to knows. What we say can have a dom-

ino effect on future dealings. Once, my husband and business partner, Bob, and I worked with a buyer who was com-

plaining about a seller to her colleagues. Later, she texted Bob, embarrassed, saying the coworker she complained to

not only lived in the same town as the seller but also was a friend of the seller. (Whoops!)

Advise your clients not to take a bite out of their own deals and wallets by talking too much about their own precarious

situations. We've all been bitten by something we said or posted that we wish we could take back. Follow the old adage:

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all

REALTOR® Safety

Safety Resources As a REALTOR®, it’s important you have a personal safety protocol in place that you use every day with every client, like when meeting new clients, showing properties or sharing information online. There are a variety of tools you can adopt in your personal safety protocol, such as the smartphone apps and safety products listed here.

Note: The safety applications and products listed are for informational purposes only. They are not endorsed by nor have they been vetted by the National Association of REALTORS®, and their inclusion on this website does not consti-tute a recommendation by NAR and should not be inferred as suggesting a preference over other applications or prod-ucts currently available in the market. The information provided is a selection of safety resources designed to help you determine what tools may best fit into your personal and professional life.

Safety Products AlertID is a public safety product provides safety information on an easy to use map, and through emergency alerts on mobile devices, email and online. It integrates with the Computer Automated Dispatch (CAD) systems of thousands of local law enforcement agencies to deliver local crime information; sex offender information; weather alerts come from the national weather service; and community and neighborhood information.

Price: Free

AngelGuard is a safety device that plugs in to the diagnostic port of any passenger vehicle built since 1996. It automati-cally contacts 911 with your location, even when you can’t. If you are in a car crash, AngelGuard contacts 911 to report the crash and asks for emergency responders. After the emergency responders arrive, AngelGuard will automatically notify up to five individuals via either text or email that you have been in an accident.

Cost: $799.95 (one-time fee)

Cuff is a line of jewelry with smart technology built in. Items such as bracelets and pendants discreetly hold a “CuffLinc” that operates as a distress beacon if you’re ever in trouble. It works by sending notifications to an emergency contact of your choice via an app on your smartphone. The distress call is active by holding the CuffLinc for three seconds; the jewelry will vibrate lightly to let you know a distress call (which includes your location, live audio and any additional infor-mation you’ve programmed the app to send) was sent successfully.

Price: Varies depending on the piece of jewelry

Prop Lock is a simple and effective way to mitigate the risk posed by closed doors. This safety lock keeps doors propped open and prevents someone from maliciously creating a confined space.

Price: Must contact company

V.ALRT is an ergonomically designed device can be carried discreetly in a pocket or a bag or worn as a bracelet or pendant. When pushed, the V.ALRT button pings your smartphone and sends personalized texts to three emergency contacts. These messages indicate that help is needed and also provide your GPS coordinates.

Price: $59.99

Women on Guard is a personal safety and home protection online store provides a variety of self-defense products, from pepper spray to personal alarms to security for your home.

Price: Varies by product CLICK FOR FULL ARTICLE

Tip #19

Hide personal information

Tell your sellers: DON'T leave personal information like mail or bills out in the open where anyone can see

it. Be sure to lock down your computer and lock up your laptop and any other expensive, easy-to-pocket

electronics, like iPods, before your showing.

Tip #20

Agree on an office distress code

Create a voice distress code, a secret word or phrase that is not commonly used but can be worked into

any conversation for cases where you feel that you are in danger. Use this if the person you are with can

overhear the conversation, but you don’t want to alarm them. Example: “Hi, this is Jennifer. I’m with Mr.

Henderson at the Elm Street listing. Could you email me the RED FILE?”

ALL 18 HRS OF CON ED FOR THIS LICENSE CYCLE MUST BE COMPLETE BY

OCT 31 THIS YEAR.

Join us at DABOR for 6 hours of con ed including the required 2 hour legal up-

date. Lunch is included.

Next class is Sept. 9, 2015.

Thank you Ali Shami of PNC Bank

for the business Planning and Dale

Raines with Accuspect Home

Inspections for our lunch.

Maysa Balbaki

Mohamad Bzeih

Ali Nasri Chami

Sara Ciampa

Abbas Fawaz

Suzanne Godsell

Khalil Harajli

Naime Hassoun

Riad Nehmeh

Nadar Rammal

Jessica White

Samer Jaafar

Legal Hotline

Article 12 REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful in their real estate communications and shall pre-sent 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 advertis-ing, marketing, and other representations, and that the recipients of all real estate commu-nications are, or have been, notified that those communications are from a real estate pro-fessional. (Amended 1/08)

2015 CODE OF ETHICS

QUESTION: My seller received an offer for $200,000 and countered that offer at $210,000. After the counteroffer had been delivered to the buyers’ agent, but before the buyers responded to the counteroffer, the seller decided not to take a chance and withdrew his counteroffer and accepted the buyers’ offer for $200,000. I have been told that the buyers will not honor the contract. Don’t we have a binding contract?

ANSWER: No. The sellers’ counteroffer operated as a re-jection of the buyers’ offer. Once an offer has been reject-ed, it is “terminated” and cannot thereafter be resurrected and accepted. Legally, where you are at now is the seller has offered to sell the property on the terms originally pro-posed by the buyer, which offer can be accepted (or reject-ed) by the buyer.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Planning is already underway for the 2016 DABOR Home and Garden Expo.

The membership committee is looking for volunteers to serve on a task force to help make this event a success. Some of the task force efforts will be reaching out to vendors, marketing, volunteering at the expo etc.

Our first meeting is July 1st 9:00-10:00 am at the DABOR office. Every little bit of help is appreciated.

State Licensing Requirements

During the 3 year licensing cycle each agent must complete a minimum of 2 hours approved legal

coursework each year. In addition, each agent must also complete 12 hours of approved course-

work of their choice. The additional 12 hours of coursework may be completed anytime during the

3 year cycle.

**New licensees

In the first and second year of the license cycle, licenses issued on or after November 1 of the cur-

rent year do not require con ed for the current year. In the third year of the license cycle licenses

issued on or after July 1st no con ed is required.

Cycles-2010-2012 / 2013-2015 / 2016-2018 / 2019-2021 etc.

Click here for the Quadrennial Code of Ethics Training requirements

DABOR Bulletin Board

Continuing Education Requirements

DABOR Presents along with NCI and Associates 6 hours of continuing education

including 2 hours of yearly mandatory legal update. The following dates are

scheduled for 2015. Check-in for all classes is 8:30am. Class time is 9:00am-

3:30pm. Lunch is included. All students must register and pay prior to class.

No walk-ins.

2015 Con-Ed Classes

September 9

October 1

October 21

Accuspect Home Inspection Co. (734) 678-0975

- Dale Raines

Adam's Cleaning Services, Inc. (313) 561-3303-

Adam Seccombe

American Home Shield (800) 800-8880 - John

M. Light

America's Preferred Home Warranty (800) 648-

5006 - Jeff Becker

Assenmacher and Associates P.C. (313) 277-

5800 - Jerome E. Assenmacher

Capital Mortgage Funding (248) 833-5163 - Sam

Mansour

Dearborn Federal Savings Bank (313) 565-3100

- William White

Dearborn Federal Credit Union (313) 322-8239-

Peggy Richard

EHomeScore.com (248) 912-5512 - Frank

Mastroianni

First American Title Insurance (734) 692-9914 -

Frank Lucarelli

Home Inspection by Pros (734) 483-3400 - Robert

Armstrong

Housemaster Inspection Services (888) 848-0202 -

Tom Rusco

Morse Moving & Storage, Inc. (734) 484-1717-John

Green

Parks Title (313) 505-6606 - Mark Jefferson

Pillar To Post, Home Inspections - (734) 427-5577-

Dave Dalfino

PNC Financial Services (734) 281-5219 - Ali Shami

PrimeLending A Plains Capital Company

(313) 274-6500 - Chuck Hage

Title Solutions Agency, LLC (734) 259-7130 - Brad

Nolit

Title One Inc. (734) 427-8006 - Bernie Youngblood

Title One Inc. (313) 561-6631 - Debbie Kudla

Venture Title Agency (313) 486-0100 - Lola Elzein

Zeal Credit Union - (734) 466-6111 - Corrine Dye-Hale

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 General

Membership

Meeting @

Park Place,

9 Con-Ed

Class, 9am

10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 Board of

Directors

18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 Michigan

REALTOR

Convention

September 2015