Southern Maryland Association of Realtors

Members Area

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Welcome to the member's section. This part of our web site in designed to provide services and information for the members of the Southern Maryland Association of REALTORS®. If you are not a member, you are still free to browse these pages, however, you may find the Public portion of our site more useful. SMAR Members should check this part of our site often to get the latest news on SMAR events. Members should also be sure to look at our MEMBER SERVICES area.

Member Notices: (See links above for latest Legislative and Weekly Updates!)

2008 NAR C.A.R.E. Award
The C.A.R.E. Award is given annually by the Maryland Association of REALTORS® to Local Boards/Associations to recognize achievements in community service and charitable actions. SMAR has either won this award or placed high in the competition in recent years. Help us recognise your hard work to improve our community. Please click here for a CARE award application.

Wanna be a STAR?

The Southern Maryland Association of REALTORS®

Presents:

The Charles County RPAC Idol/Issue Mobilization Fundraiser!

(coming to Calvert & St Mary's soon!)

SMAR REALTOR FAIR AND TRADE SHOW (See below ) Offers ABR Elective Course
This year's offerings at the SMAR REALTOR Fair and Trade Show includes an ABR elective course: Effective Negotiating for the Real Estate Professional. It is pending approval for 6 clock hour credits under Topic F) Professional enhancement for practicing licensees. To find out more, click here for a registration form.

FBI Alert! House Stealing? YES-- HOUSE STEALING!
The very idea of stealing a house sounds insane, but scam artists have figured out how to do it. Education is your best protection. Read the FBI alert here.

TheBaynet.com Offers a Freebie to SMAR Members
A slower market means you need to make sure you provide value to your clients as well get the biggest bang for your budget. Maximize your exposure for minimum cost. TheBayNet.com is offering you a section of their site to market your listings free! Provide better service to your clients by advertizing your listings on the premier website for Southern Maryland. TheBayNet.com currently receives over 700,000 hits per day. You can go to www.thebaynet.com/realestate and add your listings free right now.

From Paula Martino, SMAR Government Affairs Director:
Please follow the link below to find out what the new county level FHA loan limits are for the rest of the calendar year based on the recently passed stimulus package. Open the page and Click on "NAR chart of new FHA and GSE loan limits" to see an easy to read chart outlining these changes. Click here for details.

New Forms Available!
The SMAR Forms Commitee wants all members to know it's time to update your Auto Contracts software--new forms are now available. SMAR Form 101 is updated and new forms 135A and 135B are available. Click here for more information.

Maryland Real Estate License Renewal Requirements
The Maryland Real Estate Commission web site has updated information for licensed agents whose licenses will expire on or after October 2, 2008. Click here for details.

Considering a Break from Real Estate?
Members who may be terminating their membership are encouraged to deal with their lock boxes prior to requesting termination. Sentrilock does permit the transfer of lock box ownership from one member to another, however, both members should have active and valid Sentrilock Key cards to perform the transfer. Your Sentrilock membership is terminated with your SMAR membership, which renders your card invalid so it's better to deal with lock box ownership transfers first.

Real Estate Commission Changes Rules on Teams
On November 21, 2007, the Maryland Real Estate Commission adopted a policy statement addressing teams that provide real estate brokerage services from within a real estate brokerage. The Commission also adopted a series of practice pointers concerning advertising and dual agency issues as they relate to team practice. Click here for the Commission's new statement on team practice.

NEW LAWS EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2007!
Two laws that went into effect October 1, 2007 have opened REALTORS® to significant liability risk. Click here for information, links to the new laws, and links to the new forms.

New SMAR Address
The opening of the Hughesville bypass has led to a new street address being assigned to the SMAR offices. We are now located at 8440 Old Leonardtown Road, Suite 211, Hughesville, MD 20637. Please address any correspondence to SMAR accordingly.

It's that time of year again! Anyone planning to become an exhibitor at the REALTOR Trade Show may download an information and registration packet here. A hard copy has been mailed to all SMAR affiliate members.

Members! Register for Fair classes here!

Advertise in the Realtor Fair program!

MAR Legal Hotline
Free authoritative legal advice is available to SMAR members by calling the MAR Legal Hotline. Questions on all aspects of real estate law are answered. Sales agents may call the hotline up to four times per year; designated REALTORS® Brokers and Managers), have unlimited calls. A written response to all callers and their brokers is sent within 48 hours. Hours of operation 10:00AM - 12:00 Noon and 2:00PM to 4:00PM Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Call 1-800-888-1272.

NAR CALLS TO ACTION!
Banks in Real Estate. Click here for an issue update.
Do Not Fax Rule. Click here for an issue update.

SMAR WEBSITE ADS AVAILABLE
Let the public know you're here! SMAR web site ads are available to all members at very low rates. A full year costs just $600 and will be seen by over 1,400 new site visitors each month. Your ad will play continuously in the available spaces on the site front page, providing well over 100,000 viewing opportunities. Contact Ronnie Miles at SMAR for details. 301-870-2323, ext 15.

Charles County Excise Tax Increase
A proposed tax increase to fund school construction in Charles County has generated a response from the SMAR Legislative Committee.

MAR Launches League of Maryland Homeowners
MAR President Ilene Kessler recently announced the creation of The League of Maryland Homeowners (LMH). The initiative is an effort to create a grassroots coalition among the general public to act as advocates on affordable housing issues. LMH is non-partisan. For more information, click here or visit the League's web site.

BEWARE OF INTERNET "PHISHING" HOAXES
Please click here for vital information concerning "phishing" and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim.

Member Promotional Web Pages --take a look at who's already on board! SMAR offers our members low-cost web pages. SMAR personal web pages are a great launch pad to send prospects visiting SMAR's site to your own personal web sites or company web pages, or as a great low-cost way to begin your presence on the web. All SMAR members, including Affiliates, are eligible. Buy a Personal page here | Send your information for the page here | Learn more here

Dues Proration--SMAR has not increased its dues!
New members joining SMAR in the middle of a fiscal year pay dues on a prorated basis. The trouble is, SMAR, MAR, and NAR all bill using different fiscal periods and proration methods. New members can click here to see what their dues will be. SMAR's new fiscal year starts in July. Please note that both MAR and NAR have increased their dues amounts recently. The increases will appear in during SMAR's 2007-2008 fiscal year billing in July. Although the amount members will see on their bills will be larger, the portion of the bill relating to SMAR dues has not increased.
Click here for a schedule of REALTOR® membership renewal dues. Click here for a shcedule of Affiliate Membership dues and click here to see Sentrilock Lock Box System fees.

SMAR Membership Forms and AutoContracts
STATE forms found at the MAR web site | NOTICE TO PURCHASER OF PURCHASER’S RIGHTS UNDER MARYLAND’S SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY CONDITION DISCLOSURE LAW. | Membership forms |

Ethics Training--Confused? Here's the Scoop!
Can't find a convenient class? Try NAR's free on-line Code of Ethics training available at http://www.mdrealtor.org.

Maryland Consumer Awareness Insurance Brochures
"The New Reality of Property Insurance" is available as a PDF format document. The MAR Public Policy and Statewide Forms Committee recommends this form be distributed at the time of contract signing. The document is available via fax on demand 800-532-9627 document number 3270.

SMAR Events Revisited
Were you caught on film? 2003 Production Awards | 3-8-04 Legislative Breakfast | 2003 SMAR REALTOR® Fair | 2004 SMAR REALTOR® Fair | 2005 SMAR REALTOR® Fair | 2006 SMAR REALTOR® Fair |2004 President's Tea | 2004-2005 Installation| 2006 Art and Essay Contest | 2004 awards | 2005-6 Installation| 2006-2007 Installation| 2006 Awards | 2007 Art and Essay Contest.

Web Site Features
Association Links area | Sales statistics | The REALTOR® Store is back | Relocating to Southern Maryland? | Production Award winners| Affiliate Profile Pages.