Arriving at the NAR Convention in San Diego

Bart Stevens reports: I am anything but an early morning riser, but this morning found me out the door at 4:30 am for the long ride to the Portland Jetport and onward to San Diego - for the National Association of REALTORS Convention and CRS meetings. Incredible how warm it was in Maine at 4:30 am - my car showed 52 degrees!

The trip took went through Atlanta which was experiencing heavy rains courtesy of a November tropical storm. Looked like we could be stranded but ended up in San Diego only 15 minutes late. Sunny and mid-70's here but predicting low 60's later in the week with rain -- what's with that? Isn't it always sunny and 80 in Southern CA?!

My internal clock is winding down. Ordered dinner in and frantically figuring out a way to stay awake to see who gets the boot on Dancin'? Might just have to read about it!

Tomorrow will be filled with CRS meetings, reconnecting with CRS friends from around the country, and hopefully time to beat the crowds and get registered. Some additional Maniac's will begin arriving tomorrow, but I understand we have a light attendance this year.

Stay tuned as the schedule is jam-packed the next 5 days!

Bart Stevens (CENTURY 21 Nason Realty, Winslow) is the 2009 President of the Maine Chapter of CRS

NAR: 17 depts/programs on Twitter, 14 on Facebook

National Association of REALTORS social media links ...

NAR departments and programs on Twitter:

• NAR’s call center, answering members’ questions (@askNAR)
• Center for REALTOR Technology (@crttweet)
• NAR’s Info Central call center & library (@infocentralnar)
• Observations/news from Midyear meeting (@nar_midyear)
• NAR’s Research Department (@NAR_Research)
• Info about the 2009 NAR Annual Conference (@nar2009)
• NAR’s Public Affairs news releases (@NARmedia)
• Weekly safety tips (@narsafety)
• Commercial Division/Realtors Commercial Alliance (@RCAtweet)
• REALTOR Action Center (@RealtorAction)
• REALTOR Magazine (@realtormag)
• NAR headlines and other relevant info (@realtors)
• The REALTORS Federal Credit Union (@RealtorsFCU)
• Real Estate Today radio show (@RETradio)
• Updates about Right Tools, Right Now offerings (@righttools)
• Seniors Real Estate Council (@SREScouncil)
• REALTOR Magazine’s Young Professionals Network (@ypn)

NAR departments and programs on Facebook:

• NAR
• NAR's Appraisal Program
• NAR Research
• NAR's Auction Program
• NAR GREEN
• SRES
• NAR Leadership Academy
• REALTOR Action Center
• NAR Resort
• Center for REALTOR Technology (CRT)
• CIPS
• Real Estate Today Radio
• Young Professionals Network (YPN)
• NAR Info Central

Are we missing any?

And of course, you can follow MAR on Twitter (@mainerealtors); or be a Fan of MAR on Facebook too ...

NAR Leadership Summit '09: Report from Tuesday

Bart Stevens reports: A few final thoughts as we sit in the airport waiting to return to Maine.

Today we were all back in our seats at 8 AM. The day started with an introduction of NAR's new Real Estate Today radio program - which can even be added to company/agent web sites. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun gave an economic update including that housing affordability is the best in 10 years. The NAR Chief Lobbyist highlighted largest areas of NAR legislative and regulatory focus including expanding the tax credit, appraisal issues, jumbo loans and health care. NAR's Chief Technology Officer took the stage dressed as Dr. Spock, and NAR CEO Dale Stinton announced NAR contest to identify "game changing" ideas - and asked for us all to submit ideas (by Oct. 1) - the best of which NAR will fully fund and implement nationwide.

The conference ended as it began - on a high note. The last speaker was Christopher Gardner - his amazing story out of homelessness was the inspiration for the movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness". Did anyone see it? Chris was played by Will Smith. An amazing story of misfortune and the overwhelming desire to succeed.

I believe the 1800 in attendance left believing the conference is well worth the time to attend, and we're looking forward to the year ahead as leaders of their Boards and Associations -I know our group from Maine is excited!

Also had the opportunity to pop into the NAR building to visit my CRS friends, Rachel Tristano in particular, and got the personalized tour. CRS chapter leadership are off to Phoenix this weekend for training. I'm really going to miss the trip this year. It's networking to the extreme with pretty much every Chapter President in attendance.

Marc, Linda and I found some time before our flight for seeing the sights and left with a little more than we came with - they don't call it the Magnificent Mile for nothing! Association Execs Cindy Butts and Kelly Craig moved onto AE classes for the balance of the day and the others had various flight times.

It was great having this opportunity and I firmly believe our Boards will benefit greatly from it next year! And NAR is funding it again next year for state/board incoming presidents and AEs!

Bart Stevens is the 2010 president of the Kennebec Valley Board. Pictures of NAR building by Monika McGillicuddy, the 2010 president of the NH Association of REALTORS

NAR Leadership Summit '09: Report from Monday

Bart Stevens reports: Awoke to an absolutely spectacular day here in the Windy City – sunny skies, warm temps, no humidity and no wind. We were in our seats before 8 AM prepared for a full day of enlightenment.

We weren’t disappointed – the day was packed with insightful sessions. I was particularly struck by how different this conference is from other leadership sessions I’ve attended. The emphasis is much more subtle – none of that “do it this way, do it that way.” This conference is geared towards “real life” skills – it’s not the obvious which distinguishes a great leader from an okay leader, but rather the way we choose to tackle our daily lives and challenges – how routine and day-to-day issues impact our ability to lead in the face of so many changes and challenges bombarding us daily.

Sessions ranged from meeting NAR’s 2010 Leadership team - led by President Vicki Cox Golder (AZ) and President Elect Ron Phipps (RI - a New Englander!) - to an incredible keynote ending. Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe helped introduce the 2010 Leadership Team with a twist.

2003 NAR President Cathy Whatley and St. Paul (MN) AE Keith Holm lead us through an entertaining session focused around the "marriage" between the President and AE. We were given “pre-nups” to fill out and sign detailing how this important relationship will evolve over the next year. Successful marriages require a lot of work and understanding – very similar to the AE/President relationship!

Our very own Cindy Butts has been appointed NAR's 2010 Liaison to Technology by President Vicki. We know Cindy’s love of technology and wish her the best of luck.

The day’s session ended with the highlight of the day – keynote speaker Alison Levine’s talk entitled, “Oxygen not Included.” A truly dynamic young woman, she overcame much diversity to climb high peaks on every continent, served as the team captain of the First American Women’s Everest Expedition – and skied across the Arctic Circle. Her presentation offered a unique perspective on types of leadership, teamwork, innovation and dealing with a changing environment. Taking risks, knowing when to turn back, understanding the importance of having a strong team apply to both mountain climbing and leading associations – truly moving.

Our group of 8 ended with a group dinner at The Cheesecake Factory – oh those desserts! It was just one of those wonderful summer evenings that make you want to wander the streets, taking in the sites and sounds of this wonderful city.

Just remember, as one of the speakers said, “It’s never crowded along the extra mile.”

Bart Stevens is the 2010 president of the Kennebec Valley Board (and currently president of Maine Chapter of CRS & Treasurer of MREIS)

NAR Leadership Summit - Sunday (pre-conference reception)

Bart Stevens reports: Arrived in Chicago Sunday afternoon to sunny skies, warm temperatures and LOW humidity. Reason for Chicago? NAR's Leadership Summit! Together with 7 others from Maine, we join 1800 state/local president-elects and association executives from around the country for a day and a half of skills training and top industry presenters.

Merrymeeting Board President Elect Linda Dupuis and I shared an uneventful flight from Portland, and with some free time on our hands set out to explore the city. We stood in line with hundreds of others to get to the top of the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower) but the wait was well worth it - the views were spectacular! Crystal clear skies with views of 4 states. They have a new feature on the 103rd floor - 4 glass modules which extend out from the building. You step out into them and you have a completely unobstructed view - even 103 stories straight down beneath your feet. Not for the height challenged!

Later we caught up with our other Maine attendees: 2010 MAR President Marc Chadbourne, MAR CEO Cindy Butts, Greater Portland Board President Elect Wayne Syphers, Greater Portland CEO Kelly Craig, Bangor Board President Elect Rosanne Bates and husband Keith, at Chicago's Navy Pier for NAR's welcoming reception at the Crystal Garden. Great networking had by all. From the reception we headed down to Bubba Gumps for dinner and relaxation - and to celebrate Rosanne's birthday!

With the one hour time difference added on to a full day's activity it was time for bed. Stay tuned for more later - lots of great speakers scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

Bart Stevens is the president elect of the Kennebec Valley Board. Pictured: Linda Dupuis; Marc Chadbourne; group - Wayne Syphers, Linda Dupuis, Rosanne Bates, Kelley Craig, Bart Stevens, Cindy Butts

NAR Midyear Meetings - Days 5 & 6

Bart Stevens reports: Friday and Saturday found the few remaining Mainers busy with NAR governance meetings. Rita, Marc, Patti, Mike, Sharon, Cindy and Gail were all busy with New England Regional discussions, and the NAR Board of Directors meeting.

From MAR: Among other things, the NAR Board of Directors voted several changes to the composition of NAR committees, approved a monument commemorating the Federal Fair Housing Act to be placed in a very small National Park adjacent to the NAR building, approved $72K in legal action funds for 3 court cases, approved reimbursing 33 organizations for 1/3 of attorney fees spent on NAR's DOJ subpoenas (including MREIS), continued to support enforceability of pre-dispute agreements to resolve contract conflicts, adopted a new Standard of Practice (to Article 15) to include duty to publish clarification or removed statements by others on electronic media the REALTOR controls when learn its false or misleading, clarified Standard of Practice 3-2 for marking time when an offer of compensation is considered accepted, made MLS short sale language option for local discretion instead of must, and referred back to committee language related to indexing of IDX sites by search engines.

MAR's National Directors headed home in a variety of different directions - National, Dulles and Baltimore. Flying is so much fun these days!

Saturday found me [Bart] at CRS Budget & Finance. Like everyone these days, CRS is looking for ways to economize while maintaining the benefits of CRS membership. Afternoon was devoted to CRS Leadership updates and brainstorming regarding course changes for next year. Thanks to my MA counterpart, we got tickets to a great play; then had a late night dinner. Must admit 11 PM dining is not my bag.

Pictured: 2010 New England RVP Barbara Schmerzler (CT); 2009 RVP Bonnie Guevin (NH); State Presidents from NH, CT, RI, ME and VT.

NAR Midyear Meetings - The View

The view from the top of the NAR Building in DC ...

Pictured: REALTORS Carroll Fernald (The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty, Northeast Harbor) and Joe Wright (L.S. Robinson Company, Southwest Harbor)

Why the Code of Ethics Class Matters ...

Bangor Board PRESIDENT'S LETTER by Board President Mary Kuykendall:

I've been surprised by a couple of occurrences recently. The first one was when I checked on our website and discovered that there are [still] members of the Bangor Board of REALTORS® who are within two months of having their membership privileges suspended in the National Association of REALTORS® because they haven't been able to fit in a 3-hour Ethics class at sometime during the last four years.

The second incident involved a conversation I had with a client during which I expressed concern about whether some information should be disclosed or not, and, that if it were not disclosed, it would, in my opinion, be a breach of ethics. My client was quite amazed, but impressed to discover that REALTORS® not only have adopted, but abide by, a Code of Ethics.

He actually asked me questions about the Code of Ethics and listened thoughtfully to my answers. "Wow!" he said. "I had no idea."

Now, suddenly, I began to see how sad a situation both of these discoveries were. Most of us would certainly consider ourselves to be ethical people. And, for the most part, I've no doubt that we are. But in your daily routine in which you are looking out for the best interests of your clients, is it possible that there might be some instance where you may not be totally sure of your actions?Are you willing to risk your reputation and pay a fine, or worse, for taking that chance? You could commit a breach of ethics without even being aware of it.

These classes remind you of those nuances which can so easily trip you up. They also help you brush up on the hazards of short cuts and of assuming things. And they'll help you be a bit less casual about thinking, "Oh, it'll be okay to do that." Or not do that.

I take the Ethics class once a year. It isn't that the Code doesn't stick with me, but, rather that I like to be reminded, and am reminded, quite often, that I am not infallible, that I can't remember every twist and turn, and that I must be on top of things in order to serve my clients, my company, my boss, and, above all, myself, to the best of my ability. I don't know about you, but I like to sleep at night and having taken the class as frequently as I can makes that a little more likely. Don't wait until you have to be bullied into taking it. And don't be afraid to tell people about our Code of Ethics. It would be very nice if future clients were not surprised to know that we have one. Take the class!

Pics from NAR Leadership Summit

NAR's RPAC Contributes to Maine Economy

The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) REALTORS Political Action Committee (RPAC) Trustees met in Maine to make a few million dollars worth of political and candidate contribution decisions. They stayed at the Portland Regency and Portland Harbor Hotels; and quite a few Trustees extended their meeting stay to take a Maine vacation. Special thanks to NAR President Dick Gaylord for his support in selecting Maine as a location for a NAR committee meeting. Here's his blog post about the event.

NAR Past President Sharon Millett (Coldwell Banker Millett Realty, Auburn) hosted the RPAC Trustees, NAR staff, NAR officers, and several other NAR Past Presidents, and guests at a lobsterbake at her lakeside home.

Pictured: NAR President Dick Gaylord; group (left to right) - Jerry Millett, NAR Treasurer Jim Helsel (PA), NAR President Dick Gaylord (CA), NAR Past President Sharon Millett, and NAR President Elect Charles McMillan (TX); and entire group outside at Sharon's.

MAR's Meeting with Senator Snowe

Pictured: front row - Cindy Butts, Matt Cardente, E Pat Foster, Mike LePage, Barbara Berry, Linda Gifford, Patti Lawton; second row - Carroll Fernald, Mikie Perry, Jenny Chop, JoAnn Higgins, Mary Kuykendall, Michelle Flaherty, Rita Yarnold, Ann Parker, Helen Fox, Georgia Chomas, Gail Rizzo, Senator Snowe; last row - Shawn Roy, Marie Flaherty, Joe Wright, Bart Stevens, Jeremy Payne, Pete Clark, Sherry Gregory, Ed Getty, Drew Sigfridson, Kyle Rogers

A great way to spend 25 minutes ....

Want to be inspired about real estate? Take 25 minutes to watch the NAR videos at this link showing NAR President Dick Gaylord's interview with REALTOR Ebby Halliday of Texas during the NAR Mid-Year Meetings in DC. Ebby owns one of the largest firms in the country, and still working at age 97. Truly inspirational ....

Or start with this 6 minute segment, and you'll be hooked ....

5 Presidents at the White House

Pictured: Merrymeeting Board President Kyle Rogers; MAR President Patti Lawton; Greater Portland Board President Mike LePage, Androscoggin Valley Board President Georgia Chomas; and Bangor Board President Mary Kuykendall

Returning from a week in DC ...

Mary Kuykendall reports: I have just returned from a week in our magnificent nation’s capital, that gorgeous city of white marble and 92% of the country’s dark grey and black suits.

The event which took more than two dozen of us there from the Maine Association of REALTORS was what the National Association of REALTORS calls the “Mid-Year”, or that week in May when REALTOR organizations from all over the USA send representatives to speak with congresspeople and/or their staff on issues pertinent to the real estate industry.

There are also forums during the week addressing many aspects of our business from dealing with short sales to new laws affecting our buyers and sellers to maintaining REALTOR morale in the current economy.

Like everyone else in this bustling city, the number #1 tourist destination in America, we had an agenda. Luckier than most, we actually got to sit down (well, in the case of Rep. Tom Allen we did have to stand, but in the beautifully-appointed Rayburn Room in the Capitol) with both of our senators and representatives for exchanges of ideas and information which lasted anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour and ten minutes.

All were incredibly gracious, patient, understanding, and, seemingly, eager to help. They asked us many questions. Our talking points were well thought out, organized, and presented in a logical, conversational manner. We felt quite good about our Hill visits.

Washington is a walking city, and we surely did our share. Shuttle buses and the Metro, the amazingly clean, reasonably priced, and most of the time efficient, subway system helped us cover some of the major distances and kept us together, but walking is a big part of any trip to Washington, both indoors and out.

I know I walked sixteen miles inside the Capitol Building alone, and that doesn’t include the 400 steps up to the Gallery, down to the tram, up to the Rotunda, down to the…You undoubtedly get the idea.

We learned a number of things.

We learned that the NAR national headquarters is a very green building—both in color and in Earth-friendly construction.

We learned that the Red Sox don’t have to be in Fenway to lose a game.

We learned that, while the Department of Homeland Security may slip up occasionally and let a nail file into a federal building, our country is absolutely safe from attack by hard-boiled eggs.

We saw many things.

We saw hundreds of law enforcement officers from all over the country gathering in full dress uniforms to honor their fallen comrades with flowers, photos, plaques, music, solemn processions and testimonials over the course of the week. We saw them all over town and in great masses gathered in Judiciary Square at the Law Enforcement Memorial.

We saw pandas at the zoo and sleepy river otters suddenly come alive and almost dance for joy at the prospect of a mid-afternoon treat of smelt. We saw the new elephant habitat being built for those large, sad, but wise-eyed giants who tolerate our stares with such resignation.

We saw several billion of the several trillion school children on their annual pilgrimages to see the wonders of awakening springtime in our nation’s capital and the wonders of awakening hormones in each other.

We saw tourists of all ages and nationalities demonstrating, once again, that the inspiration and beauty that is Washington is universal and that Nikon, Canon and Olympus are probably in less financial stress than most other sectors of the economy.

The Mid-Year is a terrific experience. I learned, saw, ate, walked and experienced so much in this week. Ask me about it when you see me, and I’ll tell you what I saw in the West Wing. You’ll have to forgive me if I talk to you while I’m soaking my feet.

Mary Kuykendall, President, Bangor Board of REALTORS

Pictured: REALTORS Joe Wright, Helen Fox, and Carroll Fernald at Red Sox game in Baltimore; and Mary Kuykendall with U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe

Coming up Roses ...

Among the floats in the next Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena (CA) will be a REALTOR float. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of NAR, and the role the organization has played for real estate - making it a "Great American Institution", the parade organizers approved the inclusion of a float. Announced by NAR President Dick Gaylord at today's NAR Association Executives Institute in Boston.

President Gaylord also thanked association executives for their dedication, hard work, being the glue that can hold the organization together, and commitment that ensures volunteers can make a difference. He also showed a preview of an 8-minute online video on "top 10 tips for boosting business" that will be emailed to the entire NAR membership in mid-April.