News and Announcements
 NAR REALTOR Ad Center
Check out the new NAR Ad Center   NAR Ad Center
NAR ensures that campaign materials reach consumers across many media platforms
 Affiliate Updates
Council Bluffs Savings Bank is now Availa Bank Pulaski Home Mortgage is now Busey Home Mortgage and welcomes Deborah Hunter. Please Welcome New Affiliate Members...... Veridian Credit Union - Lori L. Lustgraaf SAC Federal Credit Union - Deborah J. Rorebeck Genuine Pest Control - Dana (Dan) Nielsen Amoura Productions Real Estate Photography & Videos - Jacy Riedmann Stratton home Inspections - Christopher Stratton
The Southwest Iowa Association of REALTORS® is excited to announce that Real Safe Agent was deployed on Wednesday, August 24th, 2016.
Thanks to everyone that has already installed Real Safe Agent. If you have not already done so please locate the "RSA Invitation" email sent to you and follow the directions. Be sure to leave Real Safe Agent in listening mode (running in the background)
Real Safe Agent
Promo Video If you need help learning the system there are on-line live 30 minute training sessions every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am central time; you can access the training through the following link: Please register for the date and time that works best for you:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. For questions or further assistance, please contact Julie Eden at 402-630-8410 or julie@menkeauction.com Get Real, Sell Safe!
REALTORS Giving Back to the Community!
The Southwest IA Assoc. of Realtors annual Golf Bash was able to raise and give over $1000 to the local Phoenix House as well as The Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands.
Supra iBoxBT
Cost for a new iBoxBT ~ $101.75 plus $7.12 tax for a total of $108.87 iBoxBT ~ Used SWIAR will purchase for $55.00 (in good working order) iBoxBT ~ Used SWIAR will sell for $60.00 (if available)  SUPRA 2016-2017 Fee Schedule
#MyIowaHome Photo ContestLove Instagram? You are in luck, we do too! So when you go to post that magnificent photo of your city center, unique setting, Christmas Lights display, beautiful snow scape, or events that make your hometown great, use the hashtag #MyIowaHome and tag @iowarealtors on Instagram. Entries will be judged for possible inclusion in the next IAR Benchmark Magazine, reposted to @iowarealtors Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts and/or featured in a blog post at www.iowarealtors.com. This is a yearlong contest with prizes given each interval to make sure we capture Iowa in all of its seasons! Read through the official rules (attached) for more details and submission deadlines. This contest is open to REALTORS® as well as anyone else that wants to join! Just be sure to follow us on Instagram - @iowarealtors Get your phones out and get ready to win great prizes including possible publication in our quarterly magazine!
Welcome New Members ~Shawn Lake ~ Key Real Estate Michele "Shelli" Hulsing ~ Heartland Properties William "Bill" Wilson ~ NP Dodge, Council Bluffs Katie Adler ~ Nebraska Realty Doug Hartman ~ Better Homes & Garden Integrity Mark Ciochon ~ BHHS Ambassador Chris Rochleau ~ Heartland Properties Loretta McNally ~ Re/Max Platinum Heeran Workman ~ Re/Max Platinum Brittni Edgell ~ NP Dodge, Council Bluffs Juan Garcia ~ NP Dodge Glenwood Natasha Garcia ~ NP Dodge Glenwood John "Huston" Hunter ~ Key Real Estate Brett Larson ~ Heartland Properties New Offices ~New Affiliate OfficeA1 Mold Testing & Remediation Services ~ David Bayne
Thanks to our 2015 REALTOR Ring Day Ringers!Volunteer to get your Ring On
Click Here  Thanks to All ~ The Winter Clothes Drive was a Big Success
Thanks to all who donated their time, money, and of course clothes for the recent winter clothes drive. This wouldn't have happened without You!
Realtor Foundation of Iowa Grant
The Southwest Iowa Association applied for a $5,000 grant to the Realtor Foundation of Iowa and received the honor last week during state convention. This grant money will go to 8 area food banks in Southwest Iowa. Byron Menke was instrumental in initiating and securing the win for this grant. There were several boards in Iowa that applied and our board was the ONLY board to receive the grant money. 
Thanks to these gals for calling members to raise money as a grant match
September was REALTOR Safety Month, but here's to keeping Safe All Year!Safety Videos
Videos fromNAR Below are links to a couple of very good YouTube Safety videos. Beverly Carter's Son Speaks
Be On the Safe Side Man to Man: You're Just as at RiskMale practitioners should be as concerned with safety as females. Safety First
Listen to those alarms going off in your head. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun
 Rental Housing Inspection
Cities within Iowa with a population of 15,000 or more are mandated by the State of Iowa to have a rental housing inspection program. Therefore to comply with this mandate the city has established an ordinance for rental housing inspections "in order to establish minimum quality standards for all residential dwellings, dwelling units, rooming houses and rooming units; to provide for the enforcement of such standards; to establish a program of regular rental inspections; and to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Council Bluffs, Iowa". The rental housing inspector performs random and complaint-based inspections looking for dangerous conditions and violations of compliance with minimum physical standards for residences. There are 8500+ units registered with the city All and the inspector normally will perform 10 inspections per week. All owners of rental property are required to register each rental unit with the City. There will be a $15.00 per unit annual registration fee. The rental registration renewal reminder forms are mailed to the owners at their last known address. The rental registrations are due back by the 1st of January of each year. There is a penalty of $1/day up to a maximum of $35 for every day the registration is returned late to the City after the 1st day of March. All owners of rental property are required to perform a self-inspection of their rental units on an annual basis being due upon annual registration. The self-inspection is composed of a checklist of items, (i.e. plumbing, electrical) that the rental property owner verifies meet city standards. Renters that have a complaint against their Landlord shall send a letter of complaint by certified mail and give their Landlord an amount of time that is reasonable to fix their problem. If the Landlord fails to comply with the letter of complaint within the time requested, then the Renter may contact the Housing Inspector and show their proof of notification and letter of complaint. Call the Housing Inspector at (712) 328-4628 normal office hours are 8:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday. Rental Inspection Ordinance City of Council Bluffs Rental Inspection Ordinance #6224
An Ordinance to amend title 17 entitled "Housing" of the Municipal Code of the City of the city of Council Bluffs, IA by amending Chapter 17 Attached is the rental inspection ordinance #6224 that the city council is working on as a "live" document. The attached document is as of Jan. 12, 2015 and is continually subject to amendments. The city council is asking for feedback from the public. The SWIAR Board of Directors wants to hear from you! Based on YOUR feedback, our legislative committee and board of directors will compile a list of amendments to this document and present this to the council for their consideration. Our Legislative Committee is meeting Friday, Jan. 16th at 9:00 a.m., here at the board office. You are welcome to attend this meeting.
 FHA TO REDUCE ANNUAL INSURANCE PREMIUMS
FAQ Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions HUD Mortgagee Letter
REALTORS Property Resource What is RPR?
A YOU Tube Video RPR Resources for Agents ~ Comprehensive Data, Powerful Analytics, and Dynamic Reports
Information and Creating an Account REALTORS Property Resource
RPR Mobile ~ Empowering REALTORS anytime, anyplace Introduction to RPR MobileOn-the-go access to the property data your clients are asking for! Instantly view any nearby property and get listing, sales, valuation, assessment, deed, foreclosure, school stats and market trends - all on your phone! Then easily create, customize, and sent RPR's full library of reports. ALL this at no cost! RPR is exclusively for REALTORS® and is 100% covered by your NAR member dues.  NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun discusses the modest gain in existing-home sales in February 2015.Home Sales Improve Slightly in FebruaryFact Sheet
Refund Fact Sheet
Legislative Bus-In Day 2015Hill NotesOnline Invoice Payments!Southwest Iowa Association of Realtors Proudly presents........
Online Invoice Payments! Beginning January 1, 2015 member offices can pay their invoice online. Just look for the "Pay Now" link on your customer invoice and input your bank routing and account number - DONE! It's FREE. Payments are processed thru Intuit PaymentNetwork - Secure Network and your Financial Information is NEVER shared. You do not need to create an intuit account. This is a more cost effective way for us to do business. Saving members money IS a member benefit. Supra Web Training NotesSupra Web Training Notes
Call For ActionCall For Action
NAR Call For Action: Don't Tax "Phantom Income" on Short Sales Congress has begun its "Lame Duck" session with a big list of unfinished business items. Number one on that list for REALTORS® is an extension of "The MortgageForgiveness Tax Relief Act." This bipartisan legislation would extend an expired provision that has helped millions of distressed American families by allowing tax relief for homeowners when lenders forgive some portion of themortgage debt they owe. Today's housing market is finally recovering. However, there are still too many homeowners unable to meet their mortgage obligations. Estimates show that about 5.3 million homes are still under water. In addition, there are still more than 1 million homes in the process of foreclosure. If "The Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act" is not enacted, hundreds of thousands of American families who did the right thing by short-selling their home or received a much needed loan reduction from their lender will have to pay income tax on "phantom income." Urge your Member of Congress and Senators to act on "TheMortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act" before the end of 2014 and help provide certainty for struggling homeowners and stability for our nation's housing markets. Congratulations are in order to the following members on their appointment to theIAR 2015 Slate of Officers ~Michael Allmon, Regional Vice President Tammy Stuart, IAR Director Byron Menke, IAR Board of Directors Delegate Free Safety Webinar Claim your .REALTOR domain
.REALTOR Launches Oct.23, 2014 .REALTOR Domain Fact Sheet
.REALTOR Launches Oct. 23, 2014 Are you ready? The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is pleased to announce that members can claim their .REALTOR domain. With .REALTOR, members can instantly communicate to consumers their status as a REALTOR® in their website address, strengthening their connection to the REALTOR® brand, and identifying themselves as a trusted source for real estate information. NAR will provide the first 500,000 members who register with a FREE .REALTOR domain for one year. After the first free domain, pricing for additional domains will start at $39.95, with multiple domains and multiple year discounts available. Domain names will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so mark you calendars to visit www.claim.REALTOR on Oct. 23 to claim your .REALTOR domain. .REALTOR Domain
Registration Video September is REALTOR® Safety Month!While NAR works hard to remind REALTORS® about the importance of safety all year long, what about their clients? Learn more safety strategies, view tools, resources, videos and articles. Join NAR for : Safety Tips to Share with Sellers on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. Bluffs Tomorrow 2030 ~A Blueprint for Development & Growth of Council Bluffs  Updates & Announcements Subscribe to the RSS Feed by clicking the orange button Community Open House - Wednesday, August 20, 6:00 pm! Posted Thursday, August 07, 2014 The City of Council Bluffs invites you to be part of the process that will help guide the future of the community. Please join us at a Community Open House to review and comment on Bluffs Tomorrow: 2030 Plan, a Comprehensive Plan for the Council Bluffs community. Once adopted by City Council, Bluffs Tomorrow: 2030 Plan will be a consensus-based visionary document and a policy guide for decisions about land use, transportation, open space, recreation, economic development and community character. This is an excellent opportunity for citizens of Council Bluffs to provide input into the planning process prior to plan adoption! Months of community dialogue, data gathering and analysis has resulted in the draft version of Bluffs Tomorrow: 2030 Plan. This draft will be presented at a Community Open House on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. at Community Hall, 205 South Main Street, Council Bluffs. From 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, you are invited to come in at your convenience to ask questions of City staff and consultants. At 7:00 PM, a formal presentation will be given, followed by an opportunity for public comment. The Draft Comprehensive Plan document can be downloaded by going to www.bluffstomorrow2030.com and clicking on the "Documents" tab. Print copies are available for review at the Council Bluffs Public Library reference desk, the City Clerk's office located in City Hall, and the Community Development Department office located at 403 Willow Avenue. We need your participation - your comments are important to us. Come to the Community Open House to learn more and provide input regarding the future of Council Bluffs! Community Open House Meeting Information: Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Location: Community Hall, 205 South Main St, Council Bluffs. Bluffs Tomorrow 2030
A Blueprint for Development & Growth of Council Bluffs Southwest Iowa AOR Public Relations Booth at the Farmers Market Southwest Iowa Association of REALTORS Public Relations Committee - Rob Cerveny, Lauren Greve and Tammy Stuart hosted a booth at the Farmers Market in July! They gave away 200 sugar cookies in the shape of an R to raise awareness on the importance of contacting your local REALTOR when looking to buy or sell your property. About 100 brochures were handed out. The brochures featured information for buyers and sellers on why it pays to work with a REALTOR, including online resources such as www.realtor.com and www.houselogic.com. We'll be back! Stop by the booth on August 28th and Sept. 25th! Reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance ActReauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act.
Southwest Iowa Home Sales Increased for June 2014!  In The News!
Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act The United States Senate has passed The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act by a vote of 72 - 22. The Legislation that passed ~ * REPEALS (the original Senate bill only delayed) the property-sales provision in the Biggert Waters law (sec.205) that has triggered the most excessive and inaccurate premium increases over the past year. *REFUNDS (the original Senate bill would not refund) excessive premiums to those who have already seen an increase but were not warned by FEMA prior to purchasing the property. (This would apply to ALL purchases of property including purchases of a second home or commercial property). *RESTORES (the original Senate bill only delayed) the grandfathering of lower rates when new flood maps are issued by repealing Section 207 of the law before any increases can be implemented.
Access Blueprint
Access Blueprint ~ What FHA is Doing to Expand Access to Mortgage Credit for Underserved Borrowers BLUEPRINT FOR ACCESS
Southwest Iowa's Association of Realtors
© Copyright 2017 Southwest Iowa's Association of Realtors, All rights reserved.  Council Bluffs, Iowa © Copyright 2017 Southwest Iowa's Association of Realtors, All rights reserved.
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