Eastern Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS®

The most valuable coffee break you'll ever take.

Come hear factual information about what's right with the economy.

Tuesday, November 25th 9:00 - 10:00
Cumberland University, Baird Chapel

This event is free & open to the business community.
Seating is limited.

The 1,000 Member Drive for Plates

You can now pre-order your Realtor^® license plate! However, in order for members to receive their license plate, 1,000 Members must order in advance before manufacturing and distribution of plates can occur. Earlier this year over 2,200 Realtors^® petitioned for TAR to extend this product through the state. Realtor plates are priced at $35 and $70 for additional personalization.

All proceeds collected from the Realtor^® license plate program goes directly to the Tennessee Real Estate Educational Foundation (TREEF).

PRE-ORDER & RESERVE YOUR PLATE NOW

(If the link does not open, go to www.tarnet.com : click on Newsroom tab to order.)

Important Notice from EMTAR...

Dues for NAR media fee will go up $5.00 and TAR dues will go up $15.00 for Issues Mobilization.... so your total dues for 2009 will be $20.00 more than in 2008.

Total dues will be $451.00 and there will be an additional line item for RPAC of $15.00, which is voluntary contribution....the grand total will be $466.00

NAR and TAR have strict guidelines that every Association must abide by and all dues are due on 12/01/08 for your 2009 dues.

Important Notice from TREC

The State contracted E & O Insurance expired 12/31/08. If a licensee is covered by this policy and wishes to continue with TREC contracted policy coverage....they need to renew the policy prior to 12/31/08. The carrier is again Rice Insurance Companies, LLC and the cost for the next two year policy is $230.00 (down from 256.00 for the last two years)

NAR Code of Ethics Renewal Due by 12/31/08

FYI, everyone must complete the NAR Code of Ethic class by 12/31/08! This course is required every four years for every member to keep their membership in NAR.

If you have taken Orientation in the past four years , you met this education requirement from NAR. If you have taken certain GRI classes they count also as well as Professional Standards Training. You can call our office and Cher or Debbie can tell you if you already have credit for taking this course this renewal period.

Any agent can go on line to www.realtor.org and at the bottom or the home page under ”Do It Online” you can click of “Take Code of Ethic Training” then click on Quadrennial REALTOR® Ethics Training and it is FREE

(The November 13th NAR Code of Ethics will be the last class this Association will offer for the deadline. There will not be a NAR Code of Ethics class in December.)

Good Neighbor Awards The Good Neighbor Awards recognize REALTORS® who've made an extraordinary commitment to improving the quality of life in their communities through volunteer work. Five winners will receive $10,000 grants for their cause. Application deadline is May 22, 2009.

Meet the 2008 Winners...


Lei Barry	Scott and Robin Gwaltney	Reita Hutson	Caroline McCartney	Sheila Stevens
Inter-Faith Housing Alliance Full Story	Rochester Better Chance Full Story	Gabriel's Dream, Inc. Full Story	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Full Story	The Sport of Giving, inc. Full Story

Honorable Mentions: 2008 Good Neighbor Awards

Good Neighbor honorable mentions contribute enormously to their communities.

By Wilma Gonzalez | November 2008

Five REALTORS® were recognized by the Good Neighbor judges for honorable mention in 2008.

Mary E. Bacon CRS®, e-PRO®, Bob Parks Realty LLC, Mt. Juliet, Tenn.
The Mt. Juliet Help Center provides food and emergency assistance to those in dire need. In 2006, after serving the community for decades, the center lost its lease and was forced to shut down. Unwilling to accept the closure, Bacon found new office space and manned the center herself for six months in a 10-by-12-foot room. Today, with Bacon as president, the center serves 400 families a month, offering food and financial aid for utility bills, gas, and prescription medicine.

H. Burton Foster Century 21 Gold Standard, East Aurora, New York
After losing his 17-year-old son to cancer, Foster transformed his grief into a mission to help other families of children with the disease. In 1999 he created a foundation that relieves some of the financial burden families face when a parent must stop working to care for a child undergoing cancer treatment. The foundation has helped 250 families with grants of up to $2,500 each. When the worst happens, the foundation steps in to help with funeral costs.

Victor Kee ABR®, CRB, Pete Anderson Realty, Inc., Astoria, Ore.
For 16 years, Kee has run the Sunday Supper and Meals on Wheels program at Our Lady of Victory Church. He coordinates 120 volunteers from five local churches to cook, serve, and deliver food to 175 needy individuals each week, including the elderly and the homeless. Kee personally plans the menus, orders and picks up food, cooks, and recruits volunteers for the weekly church meal.

John Neibarger GRI, Key Properties, REALTORS®, Johnstown, Ohio
In 1996, Neibarger gathered a group of residents who shared his vision of building a public library for their small town of 3,500 residents. Neibarger raised $1.8 million for the project, served as volunteer general contractor, and often pounded a hammer himself to complete construction. The opening of the 6,800-square-foot library in 2006 meant that local children have a safe and intellectually stimulating gathering place offering educational programs, book clubs, and computer workstations.

David Pap Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Cambridge, Mass.
Pap is cofounder and chair of the Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund, which helps homeless and near-homeless families by providing one-time grants and matching funds for security deposits and first and last months' rent—amounts that are difficult for many working-poor families to save. Since 1999, the organization has raised more than $1.2 million and helped more than 1,300 families remain in their homes.

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we have entered into a subscription with Bev Spickard's our Register of Deeds for Wilson County. This will allow our Realtor members to have access to www.WilsonDeeds.com website with the association covering the cost of the service. (details)