The monthly magazine of My Florida Regional MLS.May 2011—FIRST ISSUE

Volume 1, Issue 1

Welcome!Welcome to the first issue of My Florida ReSource

We look forward to communicating with you.

2 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

May 2011

Featured

My Florida ReSource MagazineMay 2011

Volume 1, Issue 1

My Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS)5032 Goddard Avenue

Orlando, FL 32804Tel: (407) 218-8607

Toll-Free: (800) 686-7451Fax: (407) 293-6461

About MFRMLSMy Florida Regional MLS is Florida’s larg-est multiple listing service with over 32,000

subscribers. Owned by 15 Shareholder REALTOR® Boards and Associations in

Central and Southwest Florida, MFRMLS offers a comprehensive suite of productiv-ity and marketing tools to professionals in

the real estate industry.

Positioning StatementMy Florida Regional MLS is the only real estate information resource that helps our members deliver quality service to their

customers by providing the tools and op-portunity to succeed in their profession.

2011-2012 MFRMLS OfficersBill Dryburgh, President

Melody Hall, President-ElectSteve Amburgey, Vice-President

Bob Grant, Jr., TreasurerAaron Chandler, Immediate Past President

MFRMLS ExecutivesMerri Jo Cowen, CEO

Jay Markell, CFO, COODeanna Harris, VP of Information Services

Carole Burgess, VP of AdministrationJennifer Thompson-Kersting, Director of

Marketing and Education

Editorial StaffNatashia Ford, Editor

Doug Wise, Editor, Creative Director

Welcome!3 Welcome to the first issue of My Florida ReSourcealso...

3 Welcome Pinellas and West Pasco REALTORS®4 Welcome New Team Members5 Welcome 2011/12 Board Members and Officers

Reoccuring Content in Every Issue:

7, 8 Commentary by MFRMLS Leadership—Locked out with Lockboxes?—Don’t click that link! Stay Subscribed to our emails.

9, 10 Training & Tips—Technology Tip: QR Codes—Recent Tips of the Week—Tips from the Help Desk: PC Setup Guide

12, 14 Resources—Groupon: A Real Estate Marketing Mecca?

16, 17, 18 Spotlights—Team Member: Paul Figuenick, Help Desk Technician

—Product and Services: Short Sale Assistance Desk—Member: Coming Soon!19, 20 Commercial Real Estate News (presented by MFCRE)22 Contacts

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 3

Ever since the Pinellas REALTOR® Organization (PRO) and the West Pasco Board of REALTORS® (WP-BOR) signed agreements to become shareholders in My Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS), the word has been said loud and proud: “expansion!”

Now, the time has finally come, and MFRMLS is excited to have Pinellas and West Pasco Realtors® among its membership and listing area.

“Long before Pinellas and West Pasco thought about coming into MFMLS, they were leaders in the industry,” said MFRMLS President Bill Dryburgh. “Both have highly trained staff and agents who want to get involved. Now that they are members, we see their participation in numerous committees throughout MFRMLS. It is a pleasure to have them as members.”

On May 18 Pinellas and West Pasco counties officially became a part of the MFRMLS listing area, which means that PRO and WPBOR members have begun using MLXchange to enter and modify listings. From May 3 to May 17, PRO and WPBOR members were asked to transfer over searches and other needed information from their current system to MLXchange.

Please visit http://tinyurl.com/mlx-changesmay2011 to download a list of MLXchange field changes, resulting from expansion.

This isn’t the first time MFRMLS has expanded, as it has grown from six associations and boards in 1995 to 17

associations and boards today, includ-ing PRO and WPBOR. MFRMLS now has over 32,000 members, as a result, making it one of the five largest MLS companies in the United States.

Additionally, MFRMLS continues to look for new growth opportunities, whether it’s through the hiring of new employees, the expansion of its listing areas to new associations and boards or the addition of new products and services for its members.

“Our goal is to balance expansion opportunities in tandem with serving our members,” said MFRMLS Chief Executive Officer Merri Jo Cowen. “No matter how large MFR may grow,

(please see “PRO-WPBOR” page 4)

MFRMLS welcomes Pinellas and West Pasco Realtors®Pinellas and West Pasco Realtors® officially become a part of the MFRMLS listing area.By MFRMLS Staff

Welcome to the first issue of My Florida ReSource!We look forward to communicating with you.

Dear Members,We truly believe the key to any suc-cessful relationship is communication. With that said, we highly value our re-lationship with you, and are dedicated to providing you with the products and services you need to succeed.

Perhaps that’s why we’re so excited about this, our first, issue of My Florida ReSource!

We believe this magazine will be a wonderful source of information for you in the future, and we hope that you find it ... well, resourceful.

So, what can you expect? We’re glad you asked.

In each issue you will find any or all of the following:

—Featured articles from the world of MFRMLS and the world of real estate.

—Occasional editorials from MFRMLS leadership.

(please see “MyFLReSource” page 4)

The monthly magazine of My Florida Regional MLS.May 2011—FIRST ISSUE

Volume 1, Issue 1

Welcome! 3 Welcome to the first issue of My Florida ReSource

We look forward to communicating with you.

4 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

PRO-WPBOR(continued from page 3)

providing our members with premium products and top notch customer ser-vice will always be our focus.”

Questions?If you have any questions about expansion, in general, the MFRMLS Adminis-tration Department is available to answer any questions you have. The Administration Department can be reached at 1-800-686-7451 (option #3).

Additionally, the MFRMLS Help Desk is available to provide technical support and answer any questions you have about MFRMLS products and services, including MLXchange.

The Help Desk can be reached at 1-800-686-7451 (option #1), or you can visit www.mfrmls.com/member-support/help-desk for links to email and chat support.

Also, if you’re a non-PRO or WPBOR member, and you are looking for up-dated expansion information, please visit www.mfrmls.com/member-support/expansion-update for more information.

Or, if you are a PRO or WPBOR member please visitwww.mfrmls.com/member-support/help-desk/mfr-intro-and-qa

All of the staff at MFRMLS are excited to have PRO and WPBOR as part of the MFRMLS family of REALTORS®!

About the Pinellas REALTOR® Organization (www.tampabayrealtor.com)

The Pinellas REALTOR® Organization was established in 2002 as the result of a merger between the St. Petersburg and Clearwater Board of REALTORS®.

Representing over 5,500 members, the Pinellas REALTOR® Organization is one of the Tampa Bay area’s largest professional trade associations. The organization advances and promotes the real estate profession through professional development programs, government affairs, and political ad-vocacy and maintains a high standard of conduct by real estate professionals through professional standards train-ing and administration.

About the West Pasco Board of REALTORS® (www.wpbor.com)

Located in New Port Richey, FL, the West Pasco Board of REALTORS® serves approximately 850 members and affiliates. Established in 1958, WPBOR has proudly serves its members and the community along the Gulf Coast.

MFRMLS welcomes 11 new team members!Since March 1, 2011, MFRMLS has added 11 new team members.

“I am beyond thrilled with the 11 new, dynamite team members we have,” said MFRMLS Chief Executive Officer, Merri Jo Cowen.

The 11 new team members are …—Roderick Dela Cerna, Help Desk Technician— Michael Esposito, Compliance Specialist—Natashia Ford, Communications Specialist—Sheldon Kagel, Software Architect/Developer—Melissa King, Office Administrator—Katie McCoy, Senior Trainer—Theresa Phillips, Compliance Manager—Michael Spiegler, Systems Engineer—Wendell Thomas, Network Engineer—Nancy Wilkins, Compliance Specialist—Doug Wise, Communications SpecialistOn behalf of MFRMLS, welcome to the team!

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 5

April 15, 2011, marked a “changing of the guards” at My Florida Region-al MLS (MFRMLS), as MFRMLS in-stalled its 2011/12 board of directors and officers.

So, without further ado, let us intro-duce you to the

2011/12 MFRMLS officers:

Bill Dryburgh – President (Punta Gorda)

Bill Dryburgh was born in Pittsburgh, PA and moved to Florida in 1960. He was the fire chief in Orlando, as well as in Punta Gorda. He is the past President of the Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte-North Port (PGPCNP) Associa-tion of REALTORS® and was selected as REALTOR® of the Year in 2007.

In addition to serving as the new President of MFRMLS, Bill is the PGPCNP Association’s Legislative Chairman and the Chairman of Charlotte County’s Parks and Recreation Board.

Along with his partner Lindsay Harrington, Bill is a commercial REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Punta Gorda. He is the past President of the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association, the Punta Gorda Rotary Club, the South East Fire Chiefs’ Association, and the Punta Gorda Business Alliance.

Bill lives in Punta Gorda with his wife Cathi, and has two children, Pam and Chad.

Check out Bill’s Q&As on page 6!

Melody Hall – President Elect (West Volusia)

Melody holds a B.S. degree in Education from Florida State University and an M Ed., degree in College Ad-ministration from The University of Georgia. Prior to entering the real estate profession she served as the As-sistant Director of University Housing at Stetson Uni-versity.

(please see “Leadership” page 6)

MyFLReSource(continued from page 3)

—A “Training & Tips” section, of-fering “Tips of the Week” from the prior month, a monthly Help Desk tip and tips on new technologies.

—A “Resources” section, provid-ing you with various resources for your professional development, your success and … well, for your information.

—A “Spotlight” section, giving you an inside look at MFRMLS employees, products, services and … yourself!

(That’s right, with each issue we will feature one member from one of our association or boards. For more information, take a look at page 18 of this issue.)

—A “Commercial Real-Estate” section, presented by MFCRE.

—Upcoming events and anything else you may find interesting in the future.

—Contact information, of course!

—Much more!

Once again, we’re excited to offer this magazine as an additional opportuni-ty to communicate with you. Afterall, we believe a part of our service to you is our commitment to communicate with you, so thank you for reading and thank you for allowing us to serve you.

Sincerely,

My Florida ReSource Editors

Welcome 2011/12 MFR Leaders!MFR installs 2011/12 board of directors and officersBy MFRMLS Staff

6 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Leadership(continued from page 5)

Melody has been a Florida Broker Associate for 24 years and also holds the Graduate, Realtor Insti-tute (GRI) and Certified Residen-tial Specialist (CRS) designations. Recognized by the West Volusia Association of REALTORS® as “RE-ALTOR® of the Year” in 2009, she strives to offer a high standard of professionalism to the industry. She believes in giving back to the com-munity through volunteerism as a Past President of the Junior Service League of Deland, Inc and Main-street Deland Association. She is an avid runner and currently serves on the Board of Directors of “Girls on the Run” of Volusia County, which is a self esteem building, af-ter school program for young girls which culminates in the comple-tion of a 5K race for participants.

Q&As with Bill Dryburgh, MFRMLS President

Q: What are you most looking-forward to as the new MFRMLS President?

I am looking forward to working with our fine, dedicated people that make up the staff of MFRMLS. In addition, we have outgrown our present location and I am looking forward to working with staff to find temporary quarters until a permanent site can be built. I want to work toward creating a fund that would be used to purchase land for future expansion and building.

Q: What are some MFRMLS things you’d like to see accomplished or im-proved upon in the next year?

To make our public website more responsive to our agents. I want to find a way to notify an agent when someone is looking or has looked at one of their listings so they can contact them and possibly produce a sale.

Q: What do you enjoy most about the real estate industry?

I like meeting new people and agents. But most of all, I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing someone’s dream come true—and that is to own a home in our great state.

Q: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of work?

Community service, golf, cooking and spending time with my family.

Steve Amburgey – Vice Pres-ident (Orlando)

Steve is a Cer-tified Residen-tial Specialist and is current-ly a Broker at Realty Execu-tives Central Fl. His indus-try passion and knowledge have earned him nu-merous awards and honors, some of which include: 2003 ORRA Chairman of the Year, 2003 Mas-ter Custom Builder and Council REALTOR® of the Year. Steve is highly involved in his local associa-tion and has participated in various committees, such as Speakers Bu-reau Subcommittee, Awards Task Force, Qualifications Committee, Short Sales Task Force and ORRA Board of Directors.

Bob Grant, Jr. – Treasurer

Bob is current-ly the Broker of Record for All Brokers Realty. He is graduate of the REALTORS® Institute (GRI) and a certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and a Certified Residential Brokerage Manager (CRB).

As a result of his contributions to his local association, both as president and through commit-tee service, Bob has been awarded a number of honors, including “REALTOR® of the Year,” “Distin-guished Service,” and “Premier Circle” for a number of years. His interest and expertise in the ever-changing world of technology has been an added value to MFRMLS.

Many thanks go out to our Immedi-ate Past President Aaron Chandler, for his hard work and dedication to MFRMLS. Thank you Aaron!

In addition to the new officers, MFRMLS has installed its 2011/12 board of directors. Please visit http://www.mfrmls.com/about-us/board-of-directors to view the 2011/12 MFRMLS board of directors.Congratulations to all of our 2011/12 leadership, and thank you for serving.

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 7

Many questions have been raised recently about the requirements for showing active listings to members who do not have a lockbox key. I’d like to take this opportunity to address those questions, and provide answers based on MLS Rules and Regulations.

MFRMLS Rules and Regulations contain no requirements on the use of lock-boxes on properties, and we do not have any specific rules about showing re-quirements, other than the requirement to complete the “showing instruction” fields accurately. However, it is important to recognize that an MLS is a plat-form for not only compensation among brokers, but also cooperation as well.

MFR does have a rule (Article 4/Section 12), clarifying that a new listing must be available for showings immediately upon entry into the system. A caution here: If the property cannot be entered due to showing issues, be sure your documentation properly reflects that situation—to avoid possible late entry fees later. Also included is a section that addresses properties that are temporarily unavailable for any member to show (ex: roof repair, privacy needed, etc.). That section reads:

Section 12: Listings Not Available For Showing: Because MFRMLS exists to facilitate cooperation by Participants in the showing and sale of each other’s listings:

a. Listings may not be entered as Active prior to being available for actual showings by all Participants/Users. For example: MFRMLS will not accept listings with “No showings until MM-DD”.

b. Active Listings that become temporarily unavailable for showing by other Participants for any reason whatsoever must be changed to “Tempo-rary Off-Market” status within two business days and will expire automati-cally on the Expiration Date unless reactivated in the interim.

Important note: Section 12.b is not intended to imply that if a cooperating broker or his/her agent do not have a lockbox key, then the property is “un-available for showing” and therefore must be changed to “TOM”.

While MLS Rules may not address refusal to show a property to a member without a lockbox key, remember that the Code of Ethics could be brought into

(please see “Lockboxes” page 8)

CommentaryLocked-out with Lockboxes?By Merri Jo Cowen, MFRMLS CEO

AreYOUa CommercialRealtor®?

For more information about becom-ing an MFCRE member, a Commer-

cial Information Exchange (CIE), please contact Connie Kazakowitz at 1-800-686-7451 (ext. 8668) or email

ConnieK@mfrmls.com

www.MFCRE.com

8 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Lockboxes(continued from page 7)

play with a challenge based on the requirement to act in the best interests of the property owner attempting to sell the property. MFR has no juris-diction over the Code of Ethics—a complaint would need to be filed with the appropriate REALTOR® Associa-tion/Board.

Likewise, for those members who do not have a lockbox key, it is reasonable to ask the listing office/agent to sched-ule an appointment for a property showing that your buyer may be inter-ested in. It is, however, unreasonable to expect that a “showing on demand” request be honored. If you are not sat-isfied with the results of your request, your recourse is to consider an Ethics complaint—MFR cannot require that a showing be arranged.

In a market such as ours, we hope that the spirit of cooperation will prevail and help sell those properties! If you have questions about the Code of Ethics, please contact your local Association/Board. A full copy of the MLS Rules and Regulations is posted on our website, www.mfrmls.com and our Admin staff are ready to answer your questions, by calling 1-800-686-7451 (option #3).

Don’t click that link! Stay SUBSCRIBED to our emails.

Every once-in-awhile we receive an unsubscribe notice from our email marketing vendor, saying that we had a member unsusbscribe. Quite hon-estly, it makes us sad.

Why does it make us sad? Well here are a couple of primary reasons:

1. That member just said good-bye to direct, timely information on new member benefits, system updates, rules and regulation changes ... these are just a few of the communications they will miss!

2. That member won’t get an e-bill, as we have moved to a paperless billing system and invoices are no longer mailed. Without an e-bill, they will not receive the deadline reminders, running the risk of having to pay a late fee or having their account suspended.

Essentially, if you choose to unsubscribe from our emailing list, you may not receive the important information you need or are looking for.

Don’t let this be you! Please think before you click that link to unsubscribe. You might just unplug yourself from a valuable part of your membership with MFRMLS.

Also, if you unsubscribed (accidentally, of course) from the MFRMLS emailing list, there are only two ways to re-join the list.

1. If you have a previous email from us, you can click the “Manage your Subscription” link and re-subscribe.

2. If you no longer have a previous email from us, you will need to pro-vide the MFRMLS Communications Team with an alternate email ad-dress. Since your “Unsubscribed” status is only associated with your email address and not your name, we can set you up to receive emails with this alternate email address.

So once again, don’t click that link! Stay subscribed!

This has been a public service announcement from the MFRMLS Commu-nications Team.

Commentary

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 9

QR codes. They’re popping up every-where, from clothing to cereal boxes to gum packages to business cards—well, to everywhere! Here’s a brief overview on what QR codes are, how to scan them, and, most of all, how to use them in your marketing.

What are QR codes?QR codes are square patterned, two-dimensional grids that are coded with information. Currently, QR codes are being used for a variety of marketing opportunities. For example, as a real estate application, consumers can scan a QR code from a listing sign with their smartphone and immediately receive information on the property.

Scanning & reading QR codes

Let’s say you happen to see a QR code placed in a magazine advertisement. What do you do? Well, if you have a smartphone (such as an iPhone) you would first want to make sure you have a scanner downloaded to your phone.

There are quite a few free QR code scanners available for download from your smartphone. For most smart-phones, all you have to do is access your “app” store, search “QR Scan-ner”—and voila!

Pick a scanner app, download it and then scan the QR code and see where

Technology TipQR CRAZY! (QRazy)

Training& Tips

Don’t just look. Scan.

it takes you—or what it reveals. It’s as simple as that.

Do you have your scanner down-loaded? To practice, scan the QR code on the left side of this page.

Advice for using QR codes in your marketingNow that you know a bit about QR codes, here are a few links to articles that offer advice on how to incorpo-rate QR codes into your marketing efforts.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classi-fied/realestate/buy/ct-mre-0501-pod-molik-homefront-20110429,0,5350805.story

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-qr-codes-can-grow-your-business/

Creating a QR codeNow that you have an idea of how to use QR codes, how do you create them?

QRstuff.com is a great website where you can generate FREE QR codes for your marketing materials.

Check out recent Tips of the Week on page 10!

10 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Training& TipsRecent Tips of the Week Help Desk

from thetips

Did you know that you can zoom in and/or pan your photo to change the view, before you upload or save an agent, listing or office photo?

—In the Edit Mode of your listing, click on Images, then click on Add New Image.

—Click the browse button, locate the photo, highlight the photo and click the open button.

—Click on the plus sign until you have zoomed into your desired view.

—Hold the left mouse down inside the photo and drag the mouse up, down, left or right and click the save button.

—To upload an agent or office photo, click on Tools in the upper right hand corner of MLXchange. Click on Images, then, click on agent or of-fice photo, repeating the steps above. Please note only the broker or office manager will be able to upload the office photo or office logo.

Did you know that you have access to your own “consum-er report”-style resource for real estate agents?

As a matter of fact, all you have to do is scroll down to the bottom of the Mes-sage of the Day in MLXchange to get started. (RETechnology is available at the bottom of the Message of the Day, every day. To access the Message of the Day, go to right side of the MLXchange Home Page, under Resources, and click on “Message of the Day” link).

If you’ve never registered:

—Scroll down to the RET section of the Message of the Day

—Click on “Register Free”

—Enter your contact information, complete the form, agree to their terms of service and then click the “Join Now” button.

Then you can simply browse around for different products or services directly targeting the needs of our industry that you might be interested in, get summa-ries of the product, opinions about the product, etc.

Note: RETechnology will even make you aware of a service you already have ac-cess to as a member benefit if you weren’t already aware or were simply shopping around.

PC Setup Guide: helping you and your PC get along.Our Help Desk team answers tons of calls each day and we can safely say that 85% of reported issues to the help desk are related to incorrect PC setup. Needless to say, PC setup is a HOT topic around here.

If you have trouble printing, email-ing, loading photos or viewing maps, your PC needs to be setup to run MLXchange and its full suite of benefits.” accessing iMapp, then most likely your PC needs to be setup to run MLXchange and its full suite of benefits.

Not to worry, you can resolve these issues and many more by using our handy PC Setup Guide which walks you through things like setting up your trusted sites and installing active x controls.

To download the PC Setup Guide visit http://tinyurl.com/mlxpcsetup

And if all else fails, give us a call—we are more than happy to help!

Help Desk Hours:

Mon–Fri: 7:30 AM–8:00 PMSat–Sun: 8:00 AM–6:00 PM

Toll Free: (800) 686-7451Local: (407) 218-8607

A monthly tip from the MFRMLS Help Desk.

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 11

Class is Now in Session!

Have you been to MFRMLS University? This training portal will connect you to the many courses available to you as an MFR Member. Online, or in person, we’ve got a class for you.

Looking to learn in your pajamas? With easy registration and no waiting, you can bring our trainers into your home through live and recorded webinars. Available online, you can save gas and you can save time. Best of all, the courses are free.

Need face time? No problem. MFRMLS University also con-nects you to live courses taught at your association/board by MFRMLS instructors. With interactive sessions in a classroom setting, you’ll be an expert in no time.

In-person or online, MFRMLS University can help you boost your business with the many tools and products off ered with your membership. Log on today to learn more!

www.MFRMLSUniversity.com

Go Big "U"

12 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Social Media and the Real Estate Industry

Sample image.

We ran across this info-graphic produced by Postling.com for

Mashable’s website, and thought it was a “good share.”

Where do you fall within this social media graphic?

Please visithttp://mashable.com/2011/04/06/real-estate-social-media-infographic/ to see the stats and full image.

Part of my job as a real estate speaker/trainer is to keep up to date on the latest news, fads, tools and technologies that come out so that I can deter-mine if I think they are here to stay and worth covering with REAL-TORS®, or if they are here today and gone tomorrow and not worth our time (see talking signs as a case in point). Well, I just got off of a webi-nar I was doing for real estate profes-sionals on creating new leads using both the old school and new school methods to create the maximum number of opportunities in today’s marketplace, and one of the newest methods that I think is worth pay-ing attention to was demonstrated by Dream Town Realty in Chicago who actually decided to leverage the popular coupon site Groupon.com.

They created a Groupon cou-pon for buyers and sellers in their area, which cost the po-tential clients $25 up front and required them to used Dream Town Realty to buy or sell, then at closing the Groupon clients would get back $1,000 in cash (as long as their purchase or sale was greater than $150,000 and they closed within the next 12 months).

Amazingly enough, they had 219 people sign up for this attractive offer in only one month. I think we all would

agree that we would be OK with being connected with 219 potential clients that are serious enough about buying or selling a house in the short term that they are willing to pay $25 up front for a coupon.

Now Groupon is only available in major cities, but if you are consider-ing using such a tactic as Dream Town Realty you may want to check out Livingsocial.com or the newest site that actually focuses on second-ary markets and was created by the popular ActiveRain.com founder, Jon Washburn, called www.dailyticket.com There is even a coupon site created specifically for real estate deals called housetipper.com.

Either way, I believe there is a greater point to be made here. Sometimes it is not the best REALTORS® who are always the most successful. Just like in any business that depends on the overall market to support them. Your ultimate success as a real estate pro-fessional comes down to one thing… Your ability to market yourself!! Do you think that you can’t get a better burger than the one that McDonald’s wants to sell you or a better sub than the one that Subway will make you? Of course you can, but they are both international franchises based on the success they have had in marketing themselves to the world and therefore making themselves an option for just about everybody. Pop’s Subs might make a better sandwich, but you have

(see “Groupon” page 14)

Resources

Groupon Could Be a Real Estate Marketing MeccaBy Jared JamesSource: YPN Lounge, Realtor® Magazine, http://ypnlounge.blogs.realtor.org/2011/04/22/groupon-could-be-a-real-estate-marketing-mecca/

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 13

http://shortsale.mfrmls.com

5032 Goddard AvenueOrlando, FL 32804

shortsale.mfrmls.comsupport@mfrmls.com

Eligibility Criteria

Submission Guidelines

Where additional documentation is requested, servicer response time will be

issue by working through the servicer. Real estate professional may submit the case in the event the servicer has not provided:

an initial response within 20 days,

or, if the real estate professional has received an approval from the servicer for your transaction, but either the mortgage insurer or second lien holder has imposed a closing condition that is not possible for the borrower to meet.Real estate professional must address all “actionable” requests from the servicer before submitting the issue.

http://loanlookup.fanniemae.com/loanlookup/

Real estate professional must be a member of a participating MLS.Real estate professional must be the listing agent for the property.Real estate professional must obtain a signed Borrower Authorization Form (BAF) from the homeowner(s) and submit it to the MLS; http://mfrmls.com/shortsale/docs/SSAD-BAF.pdf

a request Tuesday and had TWO calls from

houses but she called the second time because I

I call responsive! And she couldn’t have been

-M. HuntAltamonte Springs, FL

1-800-686-7451 support@mfrmls.com

14 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

DID YOU KNOW?MFRMLS has a resources page on its website, providing you with links to MLS rules and regs, upcoming classes and much more! Check it out! http://www.mfrmls.com/resources

Resources

Groupon(continued from page 12)

never even heard of them, so it really doesn’t matter how tasty it may be.

My point is simple. I think it is impor-tant to provide the best service and be the most incredible REALTOR® and best option in your marketplace for anyone looking to buy or sell. But you are not the best option to anyone if you are not first an option—meaning that customers know who you are and what you offer. How are you going to do this better in 2011?

Jared James is the CEO and founder of Jared James Enterprises (JJE) and travels around North America speaking to and coaching REAL-TORS®. Connect with Jared at

www.jaredjamestoday.com, on facebook.com/jaredjamestoday or follow him on Twitter @jaredjamestoday.

Sample Groupon Ad

Using RETechnology? Con-tained within the MLXchange Mes-sage of the Day, RETechnology pro-vides you with real estate tech and trade news—and in a format that’s easy to read and navigate!http://www.mfrmls.com/member-benefits/retechnology

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 15

Real Estate News

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – May 4, 2011 – With two days remaining in the legis-lative session, Florida Realtors added two of its key legislative initiatives to the “win” column.

Yesterday, the Florida Legislature passed SB 912 by Sen. Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton), which removes the $243 million cap imposed on the af-fordable housing trust funds created in 2005.

And today, the Senate passed HJR 381 by Rep. Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary), a measure that would, among other things, provide property tax relief to non-homestead owners and first-time buyers. Debate on the bill was contentious at times, with op-ponents saying the measure would perpetuate inequities inherent in Save Our Homes and negatively impact lo-cal coffers. The measure passed 25-12 – one more vote than needed to put the proposed constitutional amend-

ment onto the ballot.

“Realtors have worked so hard for so many years on both of these issues, and we did a lot of heavy lifting on both of these bills, particularly HJR 381,” says John Sebree, vice president of public policy for Florida Realtors. “Legislation that provides a tax break is a tough sell in a tight budget year. But at the end of the day, lawmakers agreed that tax incentives for first-time buyers, investors and businesses/employers could speed Florida’s eco-nomic recovery. We hope the voters agree.”

If approved by voters in November 2012, the proposal would reduce the yearly assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10 percent to 5 percent. It also gives anyone who hasn’t owned a home in Florida for three years a discount of 50 percent of the home’s assessed value, not to exceed the median home price in that

Legislature ‘scraps the cap,’ OKs property tax cut amendment

county. The ‘super exemption’ ends after five years.

The measure also allows the Florida legislature to prohibit assessment increases when property values fall. Currently, the Legislature does not have that power.

‘Scrapping the cap’ on the Sadowski Housing Trust Funds was five years in the making, and it appeared several times that the trust funds would be eliminated completely. There was also talk of permanently diverting all mon-ies from the Sadowski Fund to general revenue. Intense lobbying by Florida Realtors and housing advocates to preserve these dedicated trust funds and remove the cap paid off.

“Ensuring that doc stamps will still be directed to affordable housing, their intended purpose, is a huge win for Florida families and for the Florida Realtors organization, which played a big part in the creation of the Sad-owski Affordable Trust Fund in 1992,” Sebree adds. “We owe a tremendous amount of credit to Rep. Gary Aubu-chon (R-Cape Coral) and to Sen. Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton) for sponsoring these bills and restoring trust in the housing trust funds.”

Reprinted with permission. Florida Realtors®. All rights reserved.

MFR Member reaches out to help in Alabama; You can help tooBob Caldwell of Orlando Regional Realtor® Association (ORRA) is working with fellow Florida REALTORS® to bring assistance to Alabama, through donations and a work-party, which headed to “ground zero” in Decatur on May 21.

Financial donations can be made by visiting www.alabamarealtors.com

The Alabama Association of REALTORS® has also shared the need for school supplies and backpacks, Home Depot or Lowe’s gift cards for sup-plies, water, food that does not have to be cooked, blankets, bedding, toys, crayons/color books for small children and pre-paid phone cards (no land lines working at this time). For more information on donations or join-ing the work party heading to Decatur, AwL, please contact Bob Caldwell, BCaldw1030@aol.com or by cell phone at 321-228-4564.

16 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

As part of this reoccurring “spotlight” section, every month we will spotlight one MFR team member, in order to help distinguish some of the dedicated, hard-working, friendly faces we have on our MFR staff.

We truly believe we have an outstanding team of individuals. And, of course, this is no coincidence, as we look to provide our members with outstanding service.

So, without further ado, we are pleased to spotlight (drum roll please) … Paul Figuenick, Help Desk Technician and World of Warcraft enthusiast.

How long have you been working at MFR?

3 years 2 months.

What aspect of your job do you enjoy the most?

One of things I enjoy the most is being able to help people in some form, as Help Desk Technician.

Any hobbies outside of work?

As of the past several years … World of Warcraft.

What is World of Warcracft?

I would call it a large online gaming community where players can engage in player versus environment combat or player versus player combat.

Where were you born and where were you raised?

Born in New Bedford, MA. Lived there until 15, then moved to Florida. This year is actually my 20-year anniversary of being here.

If there’s one place in the world, all expenses-paid, you could visit tomorrow, where would that place be and why?

So many places I want to go … I guess Tokyo would be first. Reason why? Sheer size and amount of people packed into such a space …

Thank you Paul, for your answers and for being such an important team member!

Spotlight

MFRMLS Team Member

Paul Figuenick, Help Desk Technician

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 17

Spotlight

Product and Service

Did you know that MFRMLS has a service aimed at speeding up the process of short sales? It’s called the Short Sale Assistance Desk (https://shortsale.mfrmls.com).

In 2009, Fannie Mae began using data provided by MLS vendors to explore some of the challenges subscribers were facing in their short sale transac-tions. Based on the lessons learned from this analysis, the new “desk” fo-cuses on assisting in cases of non-responsiveness from servicers, or where the mortgage insurer or second lien holder has imposed a closing condition that is not possible for the bor-rower to meet.

The Assistance Desk in-cludes:

—An efficient web-based intake form

—A comprehensive list of criteria to qualify short sales issue eligi-bility

—Easy-to-follow guidelines to fa-cilitate processing of submissions

—A Borrower Authorization Form (BAF) to be signed by the homeowner, giving you permis-sion to share information related to the short sale with MFRMLS, Fannie Mae, and the servicer.

Only post-offer issues related to short sales on loans owned by Fannie Mae are eligible for the Assistance Desk.

Please note: The Assistance Desk is not intended to replace the normal approval channels, and escalation through this channel does not guaran-

tee a positive resolution on your short sale transaction.

We continue to collect and analyze data from short sale transactions. By working together, we hope our combined efforts and renewed com-mitment to further improve business practices will help expedite short sale transactions.

To learn more about the Short Sale

Assistance Desk, including the criteria and process by which you can submit a case, please download the following documents by visiting the following links:

Short Sale Assistance Desk Fact Sheet (http://mfrmls.com/documents/ssadfacts.pdf)

Short Sale Assistance Desk FAQs (http://mfrmls.com/documents/ssad-faqs.pdf)

Short Sale Assistance Desk

Member

Spotlight

Spotlight section continues on page 18!

Next up:

Spotlights

18 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Spotlight

Member

Our members mean the world to us and we’d love to get to know you better.

With that said, we’ve dedicated this “spotlight” to YOU!

Here you can tell us more about your-self, your business and how you use your MFRMLS subscription.

Check out the below sample spot-light to get a feel of what this Member Spotlight will look like.

Sample Member SpotlightName: Jane Sample

Business: Jane Sample Realty

Association/Board: West Pasco Board of Realtors

How long in the indus-try: 15 years.

What you love about real estate: Helping clients find the perfect home for their current and long term needs.

Favorite product or service through MFRMLS: Kurio because I am always on the go and my mobile device is my lifeline.

How has MFRMLS helped your busi-ness: I love having all the different products and services, and have used

Transaction Desk to help me organize my documents, thus giving me more time to spend with clients—and family.

Must have gadget or tool: My iPhone.

Greatest accomplishment to date: Completing the Boston Marathon.

When not working you can be found: Heading to the beach and enjoying the Florida weather.

your photo here

Get Featured!Want to be the next Member Spotlight?

Send an email to Communications@mfrmls.com with the subject line “Spotlight Me” and you could be the next Member Spotlight.

Please note: Member spotlights are selected at random, and on a first-to-email first-to-feature basis.

We look forward to hearing from and about you!

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 19

Are you a CCIM Member? A My Florida Commercial Real Estate (MF-CRE) Member?

Then you’ve found yourself a match, as CCIM Institute (CCIM) just an-nounced this month that MFCRE Members who are also CCIM Mem-bers can now link their MFCRE list-ings to CCIMREDEX.

According to CCIM’s website, CCIMREDEX offers “more exposure for your property in less time” by allowing “you to enter property data once and automatically submit that data to a variety of listing services, providing local, regional and national exposure.”

“We’re always excited by new opportu-nities to help ensure the success of our commercial (MFCRE) members,” said Carole Burgess, Vice President of Ad-ministration for MFRMLS. “CCIMRE-DEX is a comprehensive and effective way to market your properties.”

If you’re an MFCRE and CCIM Member, here’s how to enable the CCIMREDEX feed, which will allow you to push listings from MFCRE to CCIMREDEX:

1) Log into MFCRE

2) Verify that you’re known as a CCIM member:

—Click “My Account” in the top navigation bar

—Click “Edit Profile” on the right-hand side

MFCRE and CCIM Members: CCIMREDEX is here!By MFRMLS Staff

—Select the “Credentials & Edu-cation” section on the right-hand side

—Select “CCIM” in either the “Designations & Certifications” or “Professional Organizations” section—or enter your CCIM Member number where specified

3) Pull up your property listings by clicking on “My Listings” in the top navigation bar

4) Select a property listing, then click the “Promote” link to view the list of online distribution options

5) Under CCIMREDEX, click “En-able”

6) Enter your CCIMREDEX user-name and submit

7) Select preferences, as appropriate (i.e. send or stop sending this par-ticular listing or all listings)

Alternately, in order to pull listings from CCIMREDEX to MFCRE, all you need to do is log into CCIMRE-DEX and enable the feed to Catylist (MFCRE).

MFCRE, which premiered in January 2010, is excited to offer this opportu-nity, as it continues to look for new opportunities to provide MFCRE Members with more success.

For MFCRE membership informa-tion, please contact Connie Kaza-kowitz in our Administration and Membership Department at 1-800-686-7451 (ext. 8668) or by email at ConnieK@mfrmls.com.

Commercial Real Estatepresented by

About CCIM

The CCIM Institute was established in 1954 to give commercial real estate practitioners a previously unrealized opportunity to further their business practices through focused education and networking opportunities.

Today, with the addition of advanced technology tools, CCIM is the global leader in commercial and investment real estate education and services. And the coveted CCIM designation, recognized as a hallmark of profes-sional competency, affords members an undisputed competitive advantage.

Belonging to CCIM means being part of an ethical and knowledgeable net-work that fosters lasting relationships based on mutual respect. Our mem-bership represents diversity in culture, gender, and age from all disciplines in the commercial real estate industry.

We’re always excited by new opportunities to help ensure the success of our commercial (MFCRE) members.

—Carole Burgess, MFRMLS Vice President of

Administration

“ “

MFCRE for your mobile phone

20 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Commercial Real Estatepresented by

High vacancies and lower cash flows are putting the squeeze on marketing dollars.

Beau Beery, CCIM, CPM, Vice Presi-dent of Commercial Real Estate at AMJ Inc. in Gainesville, Fla., shares his winning strategies.

Change the name. If you have a build-ing or office park that’s been languish-ing, a new name can buy a fresh start. For example, Beery just changed Tower Medical Center to Tower Office Center to attract nonmedical tenants. (Cost: $500 for new signage.)

Remove space square footage from all on-site marketing signs. That way

Market Your SpaceSource: http://www.realtor.org/rmocommercial/articles/2011/1104_commercial_marketing

more prospects will call to find out the size. Once you’ve made contact, you can direct them to appropriately sized space elsewhere in your inven-tory. (No cost.)

Move your signage around the prop-erty every three or four months. Signs become invisible after a while. A new placement or color attracts attention. (Cost: $150.)

Create video tours of vacant space and amenities and post them on YouTube to attract out-of-state tenants. Send a link as a reminder for prospects. (Cost: $100 for digital video camera.)

Contact current tenants every six

months and ask for referrals. (No cost, although you might want to give a gift card if a referral signs a lease.)

Start a local group on LinkedIn. As manager of the group, you can easily post property updates and announce-ments. (No cost)

On the lighter side

Taking good photos of a home not only can attract buyers, but apparently also Hollywood film directors. Real estate professional Alison Sternberg’s property listing photos recently nabbed the attention of a film director for a TV pilot.

Film director Jonathan Bucari was looking for a house to use in filming the TV pilot, “The Sacrificial Lamb,” that could represent a home of a U.S. sena-tor whose family had been kidnapped. That’s when he stumbled on listing photos at the Halstead Property Web site, the company that Sternberg works for, and noticed her photos of a home in Easton, Conn.

Sternberg arranged for the home to be used in the filming. The director also filmed additional scenes for the TV pilot at a home in Westport, Conn., which is also being represented by Sternberg.

“There have been a lot more inquiries about the house since the film crews were here,” Sternberg says.

Property Photos Get Film Director’s AttentionSource: Realtor.org, Daily Real Estate News, May 2, 2011

A couple of the listing photos that caught the director’s eye.

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 21

Are You Getting the Most out of YOUR Consumer Website?MyFloridaHomesMLS.com is YOUR Consumer Website. Similar to a Trulia or a Zillow, MyFloridaHomesMLS.com keeps YOU at the center

Keeping YOU at the Center of the Transaction.

custom link will be displayed on the landing page.

mfrmls.com

Try It Out Today!

Got Buyers?

Got Stats?

22 | My Florida ReSource | May 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Upcoming Event:FL REALTORS® 2011 Convention & Trade ExpoMeeting Dates: Aug 24—Aug 28Trade Expo: Aug 25—26Location: Rose Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL

Looking for a calendar of upcoming training classes?Visit http://www.mfrmls.com/resources/training-and-events for a complete

calendar of upcoming courses.

Did you know we also offer live webinars?http://www.mfrmls.com/resources/training-and-events/webinars/cat.liste-vents/2011/05/20/-

Help Desk Hours:

Monday–Friday: 7:30 AM–8:00 PMSaturday–Sunday: 8:00 AM–6:00 PM

Toll Free: (800) 686-7451Local: (407) 218-8607

http://www.mfrmls.com/member-sup-port/help-desk

Address:

My Florida Regional MLS5032 Goddard Avenue

Orlando, FL 32804

Telephone:

Tel: (407) 218-8607Toll-Free: (800) 686-7451

Fax: (407) 293-6461

June Issue Feature: Disaster Readiness

Administration and Membership Question?

The Administration Department at My Florida Regional MLS has two main re-

sponsibilities—ensuring an accurate MLS database and maintaining your member-

subscriber information.

Whether you have questions about our MLS Rules and Regulations, listing viola-

tions, subscriber fees or simply need to update your contact information, our

Administration Specialists are ready to assist you.

Department hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

1-800-686-7451 (option #3)http://www.mfrmls.com/member-sup-port/administration-and-membership

www.MFRMLS.com May 2011 | My Florida ReSource | 23

MFRMLS Associations and BoardsShareholder Associations and BoardsBartow Board of REALTORS®— http://www.bartowboardofrealtors.com/index.html

East Polk County Association of REALTORS®— http://epcar.com/

Englewood Area Board of REALTORS®— http://www.englewoodareaboardofrealtors.com/

Greater Tampa Association of REALTORS®— http://www.gtar.org/

Lakeland Association of REALTORS®— http://www.lakelandrealtors.org/

Manatee Association of REALTORS®— http://www.manateerealtors.org/

Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association— http://www.orlrealtor.com/Main/Main.asp

Osceola County Association of REALTORS®— http://osceolarealtors.org/

Pinellas REALTOR® Organization— http://tampabayrealtor.com/

Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte-North Port Association of REALTORS®— http://pgpcnprealtors.com/

REALTORS® Association of Lake & Sumter Counties— http://www.ralsc.org/

Sarasota Association of REALTORS®— http://www.sarasotarealtors.com/

Venice Area Board of REALTORS®— http://www.vabr.org/

West Pasco Board of REALTORS®— http://www.wpbor.com/

West Volusia Association of REALTORS®— http://www.westvolusiarealtor.org/

Member-Subscriber Associations and BoardsDesoto County Board of REALTORS®— N/A

Lake Wales Association of REALTORS®— http://www.lwar.net/

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