, Author at CCARToday - Contra Costa Association of REALTORS

Join us next Thu., July 20 from 8:45-10:00am at Mechanics Bank, 3190 Klose Way in Richmond and hear from Maile Collmer who teaches entrepreneurs how to develop relationships that will provide the support, services, and clients, that enable them to build an ideal business for their ideal life. The West County Marketing Meeting is free to attend and includes a light breakfast.

YPN Real Estate Trivia Night – July 19

$5 Advanced DISCOUNT ENDS soon!

Join us next Wed., July 19 for CCAR YPN’s Real Estate Trivia Night at the Factory Bar in Richmond. Emceed by Anthony Young, Appraiser and Market Analyst, it is sure to be a fun and educational event. Register by next Tue., July 18 and receive a $5 discount! Tickets include one drink, chance to win prizes, and a ticket to the next YPN event… over a $50 value!
REGISTER NOW! >>

BOWLING FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM – Aug. 16

Get a team together (teams of 4 encouraged) and… BOWL for the AMERICAN DREAM! Help CCAR beat every participating AOR in California AND—most important—support C.A.R.´s Housing Affordability Fund on Aug. 16 from 1-4pm at Paddock Bowl in Martinez. It will be a great time for a great cause! If a CCAR Team scores the most points (it’s possible, we have really good bowlers!) that winning team will split a $1,000 prize!
READ MORE & REGISTER >>

Make Your Home Fire-Safe:
Assembly Bill 38 and Local Requirements

Since January 1, 2021, sellers have been required to complete the Fire Hardening Defensible Space Advisory (FHDS) should their property call within a high to very high fire hazard zone. Per AB 38 this includes properties that fall within a high to very high fire hazard zone; built before 2010; residential one to four properties; condominiums, or other common interest development units; or manufactured home. If the seller is not sure, there is a state website where the property address can be inputted to determine if the proper does fall in high or very high fire zones.

To identify fire zones, visit: Fire Hazard Severity Zones Maps.

In addition to the FHDS requirements, as of July 1, 2021, homeowners are required to also maintain a defensible space between a structure on the property and any flammable grass, trees, shrubs, or wildland area that surrounds it. Sellers of these properties will need to provide documentation that their property follows the defensible space laws, or the buyers will be required to agree to obtain such documentation of compliance in the future. For the buyer to take on the responsibility, they will need to contact their local Fire District to request an extension to complete the work.

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Paperwork document, claim form with business applicant

Call for Applications: CCAR Affiliate Liaison to BOD

CCAR is calling for applications from qualified Affiliate members who are interested in serving a two-year term as a non-voting Affiliate Liaison to the 2024 Board of Directors.

This person will act as liaison between the Board of Directors and the Affiliate membership, conveying their concerns to the Board and communicating back to the Affiliate membership. The non-voting liaison must have been a CCAR Affiliate Member for two years immediately preceding appointment.

Click here for the Affiliate Liaison Application, due by Aug. 14th at 5pm.

In Memoriam

Richard “Dick” Clancy, CCAR Honorary Member for Life, passed away on June 28 at his home in Lafayette. Visitation will be held on Friday, July 14 from 4:00-7:00pm at Queen of Heaven Cemetery Chapel; funeral services will be held on Sat., July 15 at 10:00am at St. Perpetua Catholic Church, both in Lafayette…
CONTINUED >>

Geoff Disch (Green Escrow), 2018 CCAR Affiliate Member of the Year, passed away on July 10. Funeral/memorial service plans have not yet been announced. Beloved member since 2009, Geoff was a constant presence at the Thursday RMA meetings and Association events. Geoff generously sponsored countless CCAR programs throughout the years…
CONTINUED >>

INSURANCE BRIEFING FOR REALTORS^® – JULY 26

READ MORE & REGISTER >>

New In-Stock Laptops For Sale

MLS Area Field Repurposing

On October 16th, the following change will be made to the Paragon MLS. The “Area” field lookups are being updated to just a single lookup of “Listing” rendering the field useless. We recommend the use of the “City” field, “Zip Code” field, or Map Search as a replacement for use of the “Area” field.

Saved Search Issue:
Updating the “Area” to a single lookup will trigger notifications on any “Saved Searches” that utilize the “Area” field. To ensure you do not bombard your clients with emails containing listings that do not match their search criteria, we recommend that you update your saved searches now.

Alternatives:
The following are options to utilize as an alternative to the “Area” field.
1. City
2. Zip Code
3. Map Search

Unique Areas (see above photo):
For those unique “Areas” such as Blackhawk, Rossmoor, Hayward Hills, etc.., you can leverage the “Zip Code” field for all but Rossmoor. For those agents who specialize in Rossmoor, we have created a “Map Layer” solution for your searching needs. To utilize the “Map Layer”, open the map and click on “Open Map Layer Panel” icon and check the box for “ROSSMOOR – WALNUT CREEK” then run search or add to criteria.

CCAR ANNUAL SPONSORS

Weekly Jolt – 070523

CONTRA COSTA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | JULY 5, 2023

Laptop Support, Sales & Upgrades!

Is your laptop giving you fits? Is Paragon MLS dragging? Want it to run faster, quickly view photos and videos, make life easier and more efficient?

Why not upgrade to an SSD? – A new CCAR Member Service from the Laptop Doc! If your old laptop is slowing you down and a new one just isn’t in the budget yet, this may be the service for you! Some computers may benefit from a low cost upgrade to a solid state drive ”SSD” which can boost your computers performance up to 10x with boot times up to 61% faster!

Contact [email protected]
for more information.

Text Code of Ethics typed on retro typewriter

Code of Ethics Violators

In an effort to make ethics violations and the disciplinary process more transparent, C.A.R. is publishing the names of members who are found in violation of the Code of Ethics as well as summaries of the members’ unethical behavior.

Member publication is triggered only if the discipline imposed is a reprimand, fine, suspension or expulsion – anything other than a letter of warning or stand-alone education. The information will be published on the members-only section of car.org.

Past decisions of ethics…

MLS UPDATE:

The CE Shop Discounts

New In-Stock Laptops For Sale

RPR’s 6 Tools to Better Serve Your Clients – July 13

Join us next Thursday, July 13 for an exclusive members-only dive into the RPR tools you need to better serve buyers and sellers.

The webinar will cover:
1. RPR’s exclusive Realtor Valuation Model® (RVM®).
2. Using your market expertise to refine a property’s value.
3. Creating an appealing and persuasive CMA.
4. Generating one of a dozen RPR reports.
5. Learning how to create and share RPR’s new market data.
6. Creating content with the new AI writer.

REGISTER TODAY!
10:00am Session >>
1:00pm Session >>

CCAR ANNUAL SPONSORS

New Fire Insurance Resources To Keep Your Clients Informed

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and United Policyholders, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of consumers, recently presented an insurance townhall briefing for REALTORS® to learn about California’s property and casualty insurance market and how the new Safer From Wildfires regulations can help homeowners and businesses qualify for insurance discounts.

Watch a replay of the briefing at your convenience (right).

C.A.R. and CCAR will continue to provide new information and resources as they become available. Click on the flyers below to learn more.

NEW RESOURCES

Top 10 Tips For Finding
Residential Insurance

Top 10 Tips For Finding
Residential Insurance – Spanish

Being Safer From Wildfires
Can Help with Insurance

How to Find (or Keep) Fire Insurance

How To Protect Yourself

How to Fire Harden-Your Home

There is no fire insurance contingency in the Residential Purchase Agreement
Investigating the availability and cost of fire insurance is the responsibility of a buyer. A buyer who is not satisfied with either would ordinarily have the right to cancel a contract but only during the buyer’s investigation contingency. If an offer is made without an investigation contingency, or if that contingency is removed, a buyer who backs out of a contract because of the anticipated cost or availability of fire insurance could be in breach of contract. Even if a loan contingency is still in effect, and the lender refuses to make the loan because the buyer has not acquired a fire insurance policy either because of its costs or coverage, the lender’s failure to loan would be due to the buyer’s affirmative decision and would not justify exercise of the loan contingency.

The impact of California wildfires has impacted the cost and availability of fire insurance.
Buyers are advised to investigate the cost and availability of fire insurance before making an offer, just like many buyers investigate loan rates and terms, and obtain a prequalification or preapproval from a lender or loan broker in advance of making an offer. Buyers should discuss fire insurance possibilities with an insurance agent. Factors to consider are the location of property in a state or local fire zone, fire hardening of potential property, proof of compliance with defensible space laws (See Quick Guide and Q&A on Defensible Space Laws), whether an insurer is admitted in California, and the scope of coverage available, including policies from the California Fair Plan.

A buyer who acquires fire insurance to complete a property purchase cannot let that policy lapse without exposing the buyer to financial risk.
If the buyer has obtained a loan secured by the property, the lender will typically have a forced-payment clause in the loan documents which allows the lender to acquire fire insurance on the owner’s behalf, at the owner’s expense, if the owner’s fire insurance policy is no longer effective because the owner stops making payments, or the fire insurance company terminates coverage for any other reason. Policies obtained through a forced-payment clause are usually designed to primarily protect the lender’s secured interest, and not the owner’s ability to fully recoup losses in the event of a fire. Such policies can be expensive and have limited coverage. Even if a property is not secured by a loan, the buyer is exposed to all of the losses and costs to rebuild in the event of a fire if there is no fire insurance policy in effect at the time of fire.

There are restrictions on an insurance company’s right to terminate coverage or “non-renew” an existing policy as well minimum rights applicable to temporary relocation and time to rebuild.
In an effort to assist homeowners, the California Legislature has enacted laws that require fire insurers (i) to continue and/or renew coverage for at least one year from the date of a declaration of emergency (Insurance Code § 675.1), (ii) to pay for necessary additional living expenses for up to 24 months (Insurance Code § 2060), (iii) to allow owners 36 months to rebuild because of the difficulty in finding coverage and contractors after a widespread wildfire (Insurance Code § 2051.5). If the fire insurance carrier is not admitted in California, these Department requirements may not apply. Fire insurance companies can terminate a policy for non-payment of the premium.

Weekly Jolt – 062723

CONTRA COSTA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | JUNE 27, 2023

CCAR WILL BE CLOSED MON. & TUE.
JULY 3 & 4 FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY

Next week’s Jolt will be published on Wednesday, July 5th.
Happy Holiday to all!

New Fire Insurance Resources To Keep Your Clients Informed

This year, insurance companies have responded to California’s recent wildﬁres by forgoing the issuance of new policies, imposing premium increases on existing customers, and leaving many property owners worried about losing their coverage.

C.A.R. has done research so you can easily keep your clients informed on how to protect their homes, keep their insurance coverage, or ﬁnd new coverage when necessary.

Read more to learn how to find (or keep) fire insurance, how to protect yourself from scam artists following wildfire damage, and how to fire-harden your home.

New NAR Fair Housing Training Requirement

National Association of REALTORS® new-member applicants must now complete two hours of fair housing training and existing members must complete two hours of fair housing training every three years as a condition of REALTOR® membership, including one training option that is of no cost to members.

The new requirement was approved by the association’s Board of Directors at its May 11 meeting. The three-year cycle coincides with NAR’s existing Code of Ethics training requirement and begins in…

MLS UPDATE:

The CE Shop Discounts

Rare 50% off promo code for Wednesday, June 28 only! Enroll at ccartoday.theceshop.com and enter promo code HALFOFF at checkout.

New In-Stock Laptops For Sale

RPR’s 6 Tools to Better Serve Your Clients – July 13

Please join us on July 13 for an exclusive members-only dive into the RPR tools you need to better serve buyers and sellers.

REGISTER TODAY!
10:00am Session >>
1:00pm Session >>

CCAR ANNUAL SPONSORS

New NAR Fair Housing Training Requirement

The new requirement was approved by the association’s Board of Directors at its May 11 meeting. The three-year cycle coincides with NAR’s existing Code of Ethics training requirement and begins in 2025.

Courses satisfying the new NAR requirement are:

At Home With Diversity, a course to help real estate professionals work successfully in an increasingly diverse marketplace
Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing, a course to help real estate professionals identify and interrupt stereotypical thinking to avoid fair housing pitfalls
Qualified equivalent courses provided by state and local associations, institutes, societies and councils, and their partnered providers
Qualified equivalent fair housing courses approved by state licensing authorities for an existing state fair housing requirement
A to-be-created non-residential practitioner course focused on bias and anti-discrimination training

Fairhaven, NAR’s online fair housing simulation, will also be updated to meet the stated learning objectives and two-hour minimum time frame so that it can be included in the list of qualifying courses and serve as the no-cost option.

The recommendation came out of a workgroup appointed by NAR’s Member Policy and Board Jurisdiction Committee, which advanced the recommendation to the board. NAR’s Association Executives, Professional Development, Diversity and Fair Housing Policy committees also voted in support of the new fair housing training requirement.

NAR’s Fair Housing Action Plan: ACT! aims to ensure REALTORS® are doing everything possible to protect housing rights in America, with an emphasis on accountability, culture change, and training

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