CCARToday - Contra Costa Association of REALTORS

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C.A.R.’s Virtual Legislative Day – March 2

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ca capitol

This year C.A.R. will be hosting two Legislative Days, one virtual and one in-person. Additional information regarding the in-person meetings will be available at a later date. 

Register now for C.A.R.’s fully virtual Legislative Day on Wednesday, March 2nd.

C.A.R.’s Legislative Day provides an opportunity for REALTORS® from across California to participate in meetings with their state legislators to discuss the issues that affect the real estate industry the most.  

Those who have not attended the in-person event will now have the opportunity to participate in a virtual event. Legislative Day is a great investment in your business, as it will provide you the opportunity to hear from the state’s most dynamic political leaders.

On March 2, 2022, you will have the opportunity to not only participate in a virtual meeting with your Legislative Representative but will have access to virtual events throughout the day. 

If you are interested in registering and participating on March 2nd, please register here. Registration is Free!

Legislative Day Activities: 

9:00am – 10:00am:




10:00am – 3:00pm:




11:00am:


11:30am:


1:00pm:


1:30pm:


3 :00pm – 3:45pm:

 Join us for the Main Event – 2022 Issue Briefing!
This is a must-do and the only way to start your day! California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis is tentatively scheduled to join us to discuss the state of housing in California. You’ll also hear from C.A.R.’s 2022 President Otto Catrina, C.A.R.’s new CEO John Sebree and get a legislative briefing from C.A.R.’s Sr. Vice President and Chief Lobbyist Sanjay Wagle.

Virtual Legislator Office Visits
Discussions with your state legislators will be scheduled during this time frame. Please note, you will have to register separately to take part in these meetings.
 | All Legislator Office Meetings >

Senator Bill Dodd
 | Register >

Assemblymember Tim Grayson
| Register >

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
| Register >

Senator Steve Glazer
| Register >

Economic Update

* More information on in-person Legislative Day, scheduled for Wednesday, April 27th will be available at a later date. 

If you have questions regarding Legislative Day, contact Government Affairs Director Heather Schiffman at [email protected]. 

| Read More & Register >

Title Fraud on the Rise: What You Need to Know

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Title fraud, also known as deed theft, is a growing scam where criminals illegally transfer property ownership—often using forged documents or fake identification—without the rightful owner’s knowledge. These schemes typically involve recording fake ownership transfers with county recorders or impersonating owners to list and sell properties fraudulently.

To better understand the scope of the issue, the National Association of REALTORS® conducted the 2025 Deed & Title Fraud Survey, collecting feedback from REALTOR® association advocacy professionals across 43 states, territories, and Washington, D.C.

Key Findings:

63% of respondents reported awareness of such scams in their markets over the past year.

The Northeast showed the highest reported prevalence, at 92%.

Scams are more common in central cities and suburban areas and disproportionately target vacant land (52% of cases) rather than owner-occupied homes (just 12%).

Efforts and Solutions:

76% of areas surveyed have measures in place to combat title fraud—mostly at the state level and through REALTOR® association policies.

Most existing efforts focus on prevention (52%), with 39% addressing both prevention and mitigation.

Educational resources, legislative policies, and fraud alert systems are the most widely used tools.

In areas without current policies, 30% are working on new initiatives in partnership with REALTOR® associations, land and title agents, and county deed recorders.

What Works Best:

A strong consensus (83% of respondents) favors electronic notification systems—services that alert property owners of any title changes—as the most effective method to combat title and deed fraud.

Bottom Line:

As title and deed scams continue to threaten property ownership, particularly in urban and suburban regions, coordinated efforts between REALTOR® associations, state legislators, and local recording offices are critical. Staying informed and advocating for proactive policies will help protect property rights across the country.

Read more from NAR >>
Download Full Report >>

Upcoming Paragon Enhancements – Feb. 22

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upgrade

On February 22nd the following updates will be made to the Paragon 5 MLS system to improve functionality.

Co-Listing Agent Listing Edit Ability
Co-Listings agents will have the ability to maintain listings just like the listing agent of a specific listing. MLS Compliance enforcement remains unchanged and any MLS Compliance issues will be the responsibility of the listing broker and agent.
 
ADU Acknowledgement
Upon saving a listing with ADU “Yes” selected, the Paragon MLS system will prompt the user to acknowledge that the listing meets the legal definition of an ADU. The pop-up prompt will include the legal definition for review by the user at the moment of acknowledgement.
 
If you have any questions please contact Member Services at [email protected].

Wise Agent – New Member Discount Program!

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Wise Agent is a simple, smart, and affordable real estate CRM platform combining contact management, lead automation, transaction management, and real estate marketing software. Wise Agent helps REALTORS® become more efficient, giving them the opportunity to save time and make more money.

What’s Included:

  • Free 20-minute one-on-one Getting Started session
  • Free training that never ends
  • Free 24/7 support with a goal to respond in 10 minutes or less
  • Monthly branded Real Estate Newsletter written in both English and Spanish
  • Quarterly webinars highlighting best practices
  • Newsletter article submission for digital advertising to Contra Costa Realtors & any other marketing content as needed
  • Wise Agent representative will attend at least one in-person event each year (as long as travel is not restricted or prevented by law)
  • Wise Agent will co-brand the CRM
  • 2 Additional free landing pages per account ($10 value)
  • REALTORS® will be able to send 75,000 emails per month
  • Email reporting is included
  • Email Templates written in English and Spanish
  • Unlimited Document Storage
  • Professionally written drip campaigns in English & Spanish

Add-ons:

  • Texting
  • Additional landing pages 
  • Social Enhancement
  • Artificial Intelligence bot 
14-Day Trial

Training:

Other Training:

https://wiseagent.com/blog

How to Access:

https://wiseagent.com

New Paragon Enhancements Effective Jan. 10

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On January 10th the following updates were made to the Paragon 5 MLS system to improve functionality.

Number of Photos :
The amount of photos permitted for upload to a listing is being increased to 60.
 
“Level – 2nd Upper” Feature Category:
A new feature category is being added to listing input and search allowing for description of a “2nd Upper” floor.
 
Feature Field Name Change:
The feature selection of “Fixer-Handyman Special” is being renamed to “Fixer Upper”.
 
If you have any questions please contact Member Services at [email protected] or 925.295.1270.