Rutland County Board of REALTORS®
Leona Minard, President Karen Heath, Director
Deborah Hermann, Vice-President Laurie Mecier, Director
Lauren Hughes, Treasurer Kristen Hewitt, Director
Jeanie Chamberlain, Secretary Tom Bradder, Director
Rebecca Woodard, Past President Kristin Martelle, Director
Isaac Chavez, AE Wenda Bird, State Director
General Membership Meeting
March 14, 2013 - Grace Church, West Street, Rutland, Vermont
In attendance: Wenda Bird, Betsy Franzoni, Ruxanna Oosman, Sue Deuel, Aleda Dutton, Chris Leister, Dave Anderson, Marilyn Trepanier, Rick Oullette, Victoria Blodgett, Joe Rodolfy, Laurie Mecier, Jen Goeke, Marlene Finger, Kristin Martelle, Tom Bradder, Leona Minard, Jeanie Chamberlain, Pam Stanley, Christina Gilman.
President Leona Minard called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.
Minutes from meeting of February 14th were approved with revision to state that Wenda Bird was at the State Director's meeting that day and unable to attend. A motion to accept the revised minutes was made by Betsy Franzoni, Marilyn Trepanier seconded.
State Directors Director's Report - Wenda Bird.
* The forms committee is addressing the Purchase & Sale Contract, Listing Agreement and SPIR first and sending suggestions to the board for their input. If you have any suggestions contact someone on the forms committee.
* Dot Loop is being upgraded so watch for updates. U Tube Dot Loop has good training for them.
* If you are not getting newsletters, go into NERDS and update your profile.
* GRI course 3/22 on social media will be held in Vermont.
* AVECTRA - on line management Vermont Realtors money if you don't know what it means.
* Some legislative bills to keep an eye on: H216 bill - Thermal efficiency - analysis of homes. H482 - Assisted housing bill where employers will receive up to $2500 in matching funds for downpayment for housing. H? - Shoreline protection bill which involved buffers for all shoreline was apparently defeated. It is being rewritten so we need to watch this closely. H227 - Licensing of building inspectors which will be overseen by fire and safety.
* Monies were moved from savings to cover loses (primarily eduction) from before we hired Isaac Chavez.
* Two symposiums have been put together as educational/informational offerings. The Spring symposium will be held on 4/11 at the Equinox Hotel and Resort. This symposium is approved for 4 credits. There will not be a convention this year but two symposiums instead. There will be a Burlington area symposium in the Fall.
* Note the new logo for Vermont REALTORS. We are no longer Vermont Association of REALTORS. Rutland County Board of REALTORS has 109 members presently.
Education & MLS - Betsy Franzoni (reporting for Betsy Reddy)
Betsy reiterated that the Spring Symposium will be held April 11th from 9 - 5 in Manchester at the Equinox. Cost is $100. Betsy Reddy is working with Dennis Power at INNOVIA to bring training here in May. Joe Rodolfy mentioned there will be a class on title issues; a free course worth 2 credits that he learned about through Katie Winterbottom. Leona will check into this and forward the information to members.
Government Affairs - Laurie Mecier.
There are many fast changes; the committee meets weekly. Licensing of home inspectors will now by overseen by Office of Professional Regulations. Now anyone doing a building inspection must be licensed. The energy bill is moving along and revision to the shoreline bill in process. There are proposed property tax reform/education revisions - legislators trying to figure out how to reduce tax liability. Our State Association (Isaac and Chris especially) is working very hard.
Laurie recently attended the New England RE Conference where they spoke about the importance of involvement in your local and State Associations and are encouraging RPAC donations and involvement. A Skype with Lawrence Young of NAR showed New England coming out of recession a little slower than some areas. MA coming out quickest - their inventory is drying up. VT coming out slowest but we didn't have as many foreclosures. He was very positive about the market and said the next 5 years should be strong and the market will continue to improve. Watch legislation however. The NEREC had a lot of information about social media. Whatever social media you are on, they advised that you watch what is posted on line to monitor what is being said about you and your business. They also talked about your health and mental health - take time to relieve stress, stay healthy. ALCAT test will tell if you have allergies, etc.
Marlene Finger - Reported on Forms Committee who are working on revising the Purchase and Sale Contract and SPIR. They are trying to fix form where you type in the amount of offer to have it formulate the written part. If there is anything any members would like to see changed on forms, please email Marlene at . They are also working on clarifying the common interest ownership act, i.e. should shared roads be included on that?
On the Purchase & Sale Contract form, the closing date will be moved to just past financing date just so dates are close by and easy to see. Under pre-paids, they plan to add other fuels (wood, pellets) and also to update the form to allow for electronic signatures. Marlene will send a complete list so that Leona can send out proposed changes to everyone.
Affiliates Report - Jennifer Goeke. REMN/Joe Rodolfy mixer will be next week, March 21st. Joe reported that in March REMN became a homestyle lender. If you have a beautiful older house that hasn't been renovated, there is now a program that would allow the budget for renovation in addition to mortgage. Jen reported that Shelly Duprey at VSECU cannot make our meeting because of conflicts. Ruxanna Oosman passed around a sign up sheet for her newsletter and a special article on photography tips. Jen encourages using our affiliates who are some of the best in the business. Jen will prepare a list of affiliates to have in our office to pass out to buyers and sellers.
Members warned: Therese Hanscarik of Coldwell Banker Watson RE, Julianne McCarthy of Northland RE and Diana Harvey of Alison McCullough RE.
Spring Symposium is offering exclusive sponsorships. Applications are available on the table or speak to Leona Minard. There will be no meeting in April because of the Spring Symposium. Our next meeting will be held May 9th. Tia Poalino at Neighborworks will host the meeting and provide updates on their programs.
Statewide Affiliate Partner Update. If any affiliates want to be a member of State Board, the fee is only $75. Affiliates can belong to any number of local boards.
Carolyn Whittaker has updated all forms on our web site, our 2013 slate of officers and the new AE.
Chris Leister, Hogg Hill Design Design presented Vermont Waste Water Permitting for Realtors.
Laurie Mecier won the Vermont Homes & Properties ad drawing.
Marilyn Trepanier made a motion to adjourn at 10:15 a.m. Marlene Finger seconded.
Respectfully submitted,
Jean Chamberlain, Secretary
Rutland County Board of REALTORS