AUGUST 2017

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE SAN ANTONIO AREA REALTORS®

KEEPING POSTEDWhat You Need to Know About the REALTOR® Trademarks

Who Can Notarize a T-47 Form?The T-47 form, created by the Texas Department of Insurance, is an affidavit verifying the existing survey on a home. When a homeowner goes to sell their home, the current survey can be used to avoid the expense of getting a new survey. The form requires the signature of a notary to corroborate the statements being made in the form are true and that way buyers can rely on the accuracy of the survey.

The issue has been raised if a real estate agent who is also licensed as a notary public should be able to notarize the T-47 form. According to the Texas Secretary of State, who licenses notaries, it is acceptable

Legal & Ethics

It is important to use NAR’s membership marks—including the REALTOR® logo and the terms REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®, REALTORS®—correctly and according to the rules outlined in the Membership Marks Manual which can be found on nar.realtor.

A REALTOR® is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and should never be used as a substitute for the term “real estate agent.” The REALTOR® marks let people know that you are more than just a real estate practitioner: you adhere to a strict Code of Ethics that protects clients, the public, and other real estate agents. The term REALTOR® is not only a trademark owned by NAR and protected by federal law; it’s a valuable membership benefit that distinguishes members from other real estate licensees.

Members may use the REALTOR® marks only in the context of identifying themselves as members of NAR. Members are licensed to use the marks only in connection with their real estate business and in connection with the place of business with which their membership is associated. Non-members are never allowed

to use the REALTOR® trademarks in reference to or in connection with their businesses or themselves.

The preferred form of the REALTOR® marks is in all capital letters and with the federal registration symbol ‘®.’ If using the registration symbol is not possible, then the next preferred form is in all capital letters. Even if the REALTOR® marks are in lower case, you are still using the membership marks as the registered mark is REALTOR® in any and all of its forms.

Most newspapers follow either the Associated Press (AP) Style Book or the United Press International (UPI) Style Book in preparing news items for publications. These style books do not call for use of full capitals or a federal registration symbol “®” for registered marks. Therefore, it is permissible for a member to follow the AP or UPI guidelines when using a mark in a news release.

To learn more about using REALTOR® marks and to download REALTOR® logos, visit nar.realtor/logos-and-trademark-rules.

Test Your KnowledgeTrue or False:

1. Non-members of the REALTOR® association may refer to themselves as REALTORS®.

2. A company that sells real estate related services may use the term REALTOR® in the name of its product or service if the company only wants its business to serve REALTORS®.

3. If I use the term “realtor” in lowercase, I am still using the membership mark.

4. A REALTOR® is anyone who has a real estate license.

1. False 2. False 3. True 4. FalseAnswers:

for an agent to notarize a form for real estate transactions. Additionally, there is no direct rule that prevents an agent from signing a T-47 form in which they represent one of the parties.

However, it should be noted that the National Notary Association as part of their ethics guidelines does recommend, “A notary should decline to notarize in any transaction that would result, directly or indirectly, in any actual or potential gain or advantage for the notary, financial or otherwise.”

If you are an agent who is also a notary, be sure to know the potential issues that might arise if you want to notarize a form for a client.

San Antonio – Growing prices paired with low supply have not deterred local buyers who continue to flood the market seeking their dream homes, pushing up the total home sales for the first six months of 2017 to 14,845, a four percent year-over-year increase according to the Multiple Listing Service Report from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® (SABOR) which reports on all areas contained within the MLS. To date this year, the average and median sales prices have also both increased, by a moderate five percent to $248,923 and $211,700, respectively.

“Our local market consistently outperforms last year’s, putting the San Antonio area on track for another record-breaking year,” said Yvette Allen, SABOR’s 2017 Chairman of the Board. “Though prices have increased, they are still generally lower than those in other major Texas metros. This affordability combined with so many jobs relocating here as well as our booming tech, medical and military industries help San Antonio maintain its popularity among buyers.”

In June, homes priced below $200,000 made up 41.4 percent of homes sold while homes priced between $200,000 and $500,000 accounted for 52.9 percent of the month’s sales. Homes priced over $500,000 made up 5.8 percent of the market.

The median and average prices experienced five percent year-over-year growth during the month, with the median rising to $222,000 and the average increasing to $257,753. Months of inventory remained low with just 3.8 months available. The month ended with 2,512 sales still pending, a two percent increase from June 2016. Price per square foot rose four percent year-over-year to $115 and 97.9 percent of homes sold for list price.

“This continues to be a hot market, and homes can sell quickly. For buyers interested in purchasing a home this summer, they

can prepare by identifying their must-haves in a home, getting pre-approved and working closely with their REALTOR®,” said Angela Shields, SABOR’s President and CEO.

In Texas, home sales in June increased 6.6 percent for a total of 33,345 homes sold. The average price of a home sold in the state was $290,324 and the median was $235,000, both increases from last year.

Local Housing Market Continues to Outpace Previous Years

STAY CONNECTEDTHE VOICE FOR REAL ESTATE IN SAN ANTONIO & SOUTH TEXAS

*June 2017

A COMPLETE LIST OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS, EDUCATION COURSES AND OTHER BOARD EVENTS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT SABOR.COM

UPCOMING BOARD EVENTSAugust 2017

Carrie Ramirez - Castle & Cooke Mortgage, LLCMichael Treuter - Inspector Service GroupEdwin J Bozek - Texas Bred InspectionsLancing W Barnes - ProTex Home InspectionsJennifer Guidry - First United Bank and TrustCurtis Newman - Two Men and A TruckTony R Schlessinger - ECS Home Inspections

Scott Bellamy - Outdoor Lighting PerspectivesJohn Garza - J.A.G. InspectionKelly Maizel - Platinum Top 50 Realtor AwardsPaige Shinn- Paige to Page Photography

WELCOME NEW AFFILIATE MEMBERS

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JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

New Member Orientation16

Friday Night Strikes for TREPAC18Legal Update 1 & 2 - at the Service Center15

24 Affiliate Orientaion

Apartment & Relocation CenterAshton Woods American Home ShieldBarton Co CarpetsBecker PropertiesCalAtlanic HomesChesmar HomesDavid Weekley HomesDirections EquityDroneview LLCFarmer’s Insurance - Carlos CruzFidelity National Home WarrantyGatewaay Mortgage Group, LLC

Gehan HomesGuild MortgageHollaway HomesHomeTrust MortgageiMortgageJaphet HomesMaximum InspectionsMcMillon Texas HomesNAHREPNARPMNew Leaf HomesOn the MoveOpen Mortgage Co.

Pilgrim MortgageRE/MAX UnlimitedScott Felder HomesSmart Choice MortgageSouth Central Surveyors of TexasState Farm - Devin HidalgoSWBC MortgageThe Lookout GroupTrinity TitleWard North AmericanWCR

KB Home The Lookout Group

Monticello HomesSitterle Homes

Capital Title Old Republic Home ProtectionZippy Shell

THANK YOU TO OUR SABOR ADVERTISERSPlatinum

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Richard Alcorta

Tim Brown

Michelle Ellis

Sara Gerrish

Cortney Gill

Ben Henderson

Diane Lauer

Grant Lopez

Cher Miculka

Patsy Oakley

Trudy Pape

Rick Rodriguez

Kim Young

ChairmanYvette M. Allen

Chairman-ElectLorena Peña

Secretary/TreasurerMarty Hutchison

Member-At-LargeKim Bragman

Member-At-LargeDiane Lauer

Immediate Past ChairmanBob Jacobs

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Why Choose the Real Estate School at SABORThe Real Estate School at the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® provides real estate professionals with the education needed to achieve the highest degree of professionalism. SABOR is one of the few Boards in Texas that is certified by the Texas Real Estate Commission to operate a real estate school. All the courses offered are accredited for broker or salesperson licensure.

What sets the school apart is the instructors have all worked in the real estate industry and offer real world insights and expertise, not just the information to pass the test. Agents who take courses here come away with a much better understanding of their chosen career field and are already a step ahead of the competition as a result.

Large Selection of On-Site CoursesThe Real Estate School at SABOR offers a wide selection of courses for every stage of your career including: • Continuing Education classes • Designations • Certifications • Sales Agent Apprentice courses • Qualifying coursesClass schedules are carefully coordinated to accommodate even the busiest agents including daytime, evening and weekend classes. Courses are offered at both SABOR locations: SABOR’s Headquarters at 9110 IH 10 W, San Antonio, Texas 78230 and SABOR’s Service Center at 15069 IH 35 N, Suite 216, Selma, Texas 78154.

Online CoursesThe Real Estate School at SABOR has partnered with The CE Shop to provide online education to offer students the convenience and flexibility they need. These are self-paced courses, meaning students can log in and out as many times as needed and go back to review earlier lessons or move forward with the next. It beats cramming at the last minute.

Visit sabor.theceshop.com to view course descriptions and enroll.

Stay Right Where You Are! We’ll Bring Education Right to Your OfficeReceive CE credit without having to leave the office through our Partners in Education program. Through this program, certified instructors will come to real estate offices, lenders and title companies to hold continuing education courses. Now your agents and colleagues can have the flexibility to receive the credits they need without ever leaving the building. Prices vary by course.

To learn more or request a course, contact SABOR’s Professional Development Department at professionaldevelopment@sabor.com or call 210-593-1200.

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