CCARToday - Contra Costa Association of REALTORS

Moves You Forward.

Make August Your Back-to-School Month

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REAL ESTATE TRIVIA NIGHT
- SEP 3
OKTOBERFEST AFFILIATE FAIRE
- OCT 7
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WATCH MORE PARAGON
ON-DEMAND TRAINING VIDEOS

AI / DATA / SOCIAL MEDIA

Virtual | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | $30/$60 | Learn practical AI workflows designed by an active real estate professional to help you work faster and smarter. This webinar covers using AI to create authentic listing copy, market reports, client communications, and compelling listing presentations, while also showing you how to evaluate which AI tools are truly worth your time. You’ll leave with real-world, immediately applicable strategies—not just theory. | MORE + REGISTER >

Virtual | 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | FREE | Learn how to optimize your online presence for AI-powered search tools through Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This webinar explores how buyers and sellers are using AI instead of traditional search engines and teaches practical strategies to help AI platforms recognize and recommend you as the local real estate expert, increasing your visibility and attracting more clients. | MORE + REGISTER >

BROKERS & OFFICE MANAGERS

Virtual | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | FREE | The California Association of REALTORS® hosts Industry Leader Town Halls twice a month to provide brokers and key brokerage staff to meet virtually with C.A.R. Leadership, C.A.R. staff and brokers throughout the state to discuss the latest information impacting real estate brokerages and transactions. Rotating list of guest speakers provides updates on the latest issues including transactional, legal, market and legislative issues. | MORE + REGISTER >

Virtual | 10:00 – 11:00 am | FREE | Learn how to protect clients and transactions from increasingly sophisticated real estate fraud. This session covers emerging fraud threats, best practices for reducing risk, tools to help agents prevent scams, and ways your brokerage can support disaster recovery through the REALTORS® Relief Foundation. | MORE + REGISTER >

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Virtual | 9:00 am – 1:00 pm | $5 | Strengthen your commercial leasing skills by learning how to negotiate lease terms that satisfy both landlords and tenants. This course reviews more than 35 key lease provisions, explores each party’s perspective, and provides practical strategies for successful negotiations, including how to avoid common lease renewal mistakes. | MORE + REGISTER >

CMAs

Virtual | 2:00 – 4:00 pm | FREE | Learn how to create professional CMA reports, property flyers, and buyer tour packets with Cloud CMA. This class also covers lead generation tools, virtual listing presentations, and strategies to help you demonstrate your value and win more listings. | MORE + REGISTER >

FORMS / REPORTS

Virtual | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | FREE | Learn how to create professional, customized RPR Reports that showcase your expertise and deliver valuable insights to clients. This class covers using prebuilt and custom report templates, personalizing reports with custom pages, sharing them across multiple channels, and leveraging dynamic links to keep information current while enhancing your prospecting and client presentations. | MORE + REGISTER >

MLS

Virtual | 200 – 4:00 pm | FREE |  Learn how to use Paragon’s Collaboration Center to enhance client communication and automate listing alerts. This course covers setting up client portals, managing buyer searches, tracking client feedback, receiving real-time notifications, and collaborating with buyers online from any device to deliver a more responsive, personalized experience. | MORE + REGISTER >

Education AT Your Fingertips

Post and Present like a Pro: Video calls. Phone calls. Or no calls at all. No matter how you stay connected with your clients, these tools make it simple and fun to communicate when you’re not in-person. Visit Share University >

CONTACT

Chris Dickson
Education Coordinator
(925) 295-9210
[email protected]

weekly MARKETING MEETINGS

CCRIM Marketing Group Ad + link to site
Rossmoor Marketing Meeting ad + link to email contact
West County Marketing Group ad + link to contact email
RMA Marketing Group Ad + link to website

CCAR ANNUAL SPONSORS

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Why Should Your Listing Generate Someone Else’s Lead?

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included with your ccar membership

The Official Local
Home Search Experience
 for Contra Costa County

Give clients a better way to search for homes while keeping your business front and center. The Contra Costa Property Search Portal includes a complimentary branded IDX website, a professional agent profile, and access to current listings across 27 Northern California counties.

SEARCH PORTAL FAQs
Your Listings.
Your Leads.
Inquiries go directly to you. 
27 Counties.
One Powerful Search.
NorCal MLS Alliance coverage.
Your Brand.
Your Website.
Professionally branded. Built for you.

What's Included

Everything You Need to Grow Your Business
The core service is included with your CCAR membership at no additional monthly cost. No upgrade is required
to access your branded website, professional profile, listing inquiry delivery, and included member tools.
Direct Listing Inquiries
Inquiries submitted through your listings go directly to you.
Your Branded IDX Websites
Share a professional property-search website connected to your name, contact information, and business
27 County Property Search
Search current listings across 27 Northern California counties.

Included with Your CCAR Membership

The Contra Costa Property Search Portal is a new home-search website designed to connect buyers and sellers with local CCAR REALTORS®. It gives consumers access to current property listings while helping members promote their listings, strengthen their online presence, and receive inquiries directly.

Every CCAR member receives:
  • A complimentary branded IDX website
  • A searchable professional profile
  • Exposure through the Contra Costa Property Search Portal
  • Direct delivery of inquiries submitted through their listings
  • A SaleCore account for managing profile information and inquiries
  • Consumer tools including saved properties, saved searches, and listing alerts
The core service is included with membership at no additional monthly cost, and no upgrade is required. Optional upgrades are available for members who want additional website, CRM, or marketing features.

Keep Listing Inquiries Connected to You
When a consumer submits an inquiry through one of your listings on the CCAR portal, the inquiry is routed directly to you as the listing agent and delivered through your designated email and SaleCore account.

Unlike some national property websites, the portal does not redirect your listing inquiry to an advertising agent, and CCAR does not resell those inquiries.

Important to Know
Participation is optional, and the service does not guarantee a specific number of inquiries, clients, or transactions. Results will depend on consumer traffic, listing activity, response time, profile quality, and how consistently you promote your website.

Members should review the included website and account features before replacing or canceling an existing website, CRM, domain, or marketing service.

Build a Stronger Online Presence

Your professional profile can include your:

  • Photo and biography
  • Contact and brokerage information
  • Service areas and specialties
  • Languages spoken
  • Designations and certifications
  • Website and social media links
  • Active listings
A complete profile helps consumers understand who you are, the communities you serve, and how you can help them.

Getting Started

  1. Access your SaleCore account.

  2. Review your contact information.

  3. Complete your professional profile.

  4. Open and review your branded website.

  5. Confirm where your listing inquiries will be delivered.
For the best results, keep your profile current, share your website regularly, encourage buyers to create alerts, and respond promptly to inquiries.

Launch and Training

Coming Tuesday, August 11, 2026
The Contra Costa Property Search Portal and complimentary member websites will be available beginning August 11

Live Member Training: Wednesday, August 19
Learn how to access your account, complete your profile, review your website, manage inquiries, and share your new property-search tools with clients.

REGISTER AUG 19 TRAINING

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Breaking News with picture of glass breaking monitor

Three Skills to Coach This Month

Information is everywhere. Expertise isn’t. Help agents turn market headlines into local insight, ask better questions, and explain the “why” behind their advice. That’s how brokerages earn trust and stand apart.

Information Is Everywhere. Judgment Is Not.

Consumers have unlimited access to market reports, mortgage calculators, AI chatbots, and housing headlines. Before they ever contact an agent, they’ve already formed opinions about pricing, interest rates, and whether now is the “right” time to buy or sell. That’s changing the role of today’s REALTOR®.

Don’t ask agents to memorize scripts. Teach them how to interpret information and apply it to a client’s unique situation.

NAR research shows today’s buyers continue to prioritize lifestyle factors such as walkable neighborhoods, proximity to amenities, and housing options—not just price. At the same time, younger buyers are entering the market in growing numbers, often arriving well-researched but needing help turning information into decisions.

That’s where professional guidance becomes indispensable.

Replace Opinions with Questions

Ask agents to bring one national housing headline to your meeting. Then have them answer:

  • Does this apply in Contra Costa County?
  • Which cities does it affect?
  • Which price ranges behave differently?
  • What local data would you use to explain the difference?

The goal isn’t to criticize the headline—it’s to teach agents to provide context.

Practice Explaining the Why

Sensational news articles do not create confidence. Explanations do. Challenge each agent to explain, in under 60 seconds:

  • Why a home received multiple offers.
  • Why another sat on the market.
  • Why two similar homes sold for different prices.
  • Why buyers continue choosing Contra Costa over neighboring markets.

If they can explain why, they’re demonstrating expertise—not simply repeating data.

CCAR ANNUAL SPONSORS

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Beyond the Numbers

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spreadsheets and charts

Beyond the Numbers: Teach Agents to Turn Market Data Into Client Confidence

Data tells clients what happened. Your agents’ expertise explains why it happened and what to do next. That’s the difference between providing information and delivering professional value.

Always Think Hyper-Local

Citywide numbers are only the starting point. Every market is made up of dozens of micro-markets that behave differently. Challenge agents to answer questions such as:
  • What’s happening in this neighborhood—not just this city?
  • Are homes in this price range receiving multiple offers?
  • How do school boundaries, commute patterns, or nearby amenities affect demand?
  • Which competing listings are attracting buyers—and why?
The goal is to replace generic market commentary with neighborhood-specific insights clients can’t find online.

Make the CMA an Analysis, Not a Printout

A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) isn’t simply a collection of comparable sales. It’s a pricing recommendation supported by professional judgment. Encourage agents to evaluate:
  • Recent sold properties
  • Current competition
  • Pending sales
  • Price reductions
  • Property condition and upgrades
  • Market momentum
Then ask the most important question: “Based on all of this, what would you recommend—and why?” That’s where expertise begins.

Teach Strategic Pricing, Not Maximum Pricing

One of the biggest misconceptions among new agents is that pricing higher always benefits the seller. Instead, explain that strategic pricing considers:
  • Current buyer demand
  • Available inventory
  • Competing listings
  • Seller priorities
  • Buyer psychology
Sometimes pricing at market value generates multiple offers that drive the final sales price above list. Other times, pricing at the upper end of the market may be appropriate for a unique property. The objective isn’t simply to list high—it’s to create the best opportunity to achieve the seller’s goals.

Help Agents Tell the Story Behind the Numbers

Clients don’t need a spreadsheet—they need context. Instead of saying: “Inventory is 2.5 months,” Teach agents to explain: “Inventory is still relatively low, so well-priced homes continue to attract strong interest. Buyers have a few more choices than they did earlier this year, but sellers still have an advantage.”

Instead of: “Homes sold for 102.2% of asking price,” Teach: “Many buyers are still competing for desirable homes, so pricing accurately from day one is more important than ever.”

This is the difference between reporting data and providing expertise.

Encourage Ongoing Market Analysis

Market conditions evolve every week. Successful agents continually monitor:
  • New listings
  • Price reductions
  • Pending sales
  • Showing activity
  • Buyer feedback
  • Competing inventory
Encourage agents to discuss what they’re seeing at weekly office meetings. Those conversations sharpen market awareness and prepare agents to advise clients with confidence.

Build Confidence Through Conversation

The best way to develop market expertise is to practice explaining it. During office meetings, role-play common client questions:
  • “Why isn’t my home selling?”
  • “Should we lower the price?”
  • “Is now a good time to buy?”
  • “How did you determine my home’s value?”
The more often agents practice these conversations, the more naturally they’ll communicate confidence and credibility.

CCAR ANNUAL SPONSORS

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MLS 2026 – Draft

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Builders Update
New Home
Source
CubiCasa
Floor Plan
Reports
dotloop
Transaction
Management
Glide
Showing
Management
HomesPro
Property
Search
InfoSparks
Market
Analysis
ListTrac
Listing
Management
RealReports
Property
Analysis
Realtor.com+
Property
Search
RentSpree
Rental
Screening
RPR
Property
Reports
Supra One
Showing
Management

CCAR MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE

Your MLS tools
and resources.
All in one place.

Access forms, market data, transaction tools,
training, product updates, and MLS support
all from your CCAR MLS subscriber hub.

Mon – Fri   9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
925.295.1270
[email protected]
MLS Support
Get help with Paragon, product support, training resources, and account access.
Get Support    ➔
Rules, Forms & Compliance
Find MLS Rules and Regulations, Clear Cooperation Information, forms, disclosures, and other compliance resources
View Rules & Forms    ➔
Market Data & Insights
Access local and state market reports, dashboards, calculators, and the latest housing statistics.
Explore Market Data    ➔
Important MLS Alerts
POLICY UPDATE

Changes to Listing Photograph Display in Paragon

Updates to how listing photos are displayed in Paragon MLS.

Effective June 10. 2026    |    Read More ➔
POLICY UPDATE

CDOM Relocation for Crawl and Coming Soon Listings

Important changes to the calculation of CDOM for certain listing statuses.

Effective June 10. 2026    |    Read More ➔
Market Data & Insights
Access local and state market reports, dashboards, calculators, and the latest housing statistics.
Explore Market Data    ➔

Before You Apply

Applications must be for a specific need that provides a direct benefit to the eligible CCAR member, family member, or community member.

  • A CCAR REALTOR® Member or Affiliate Member in good standing.

  • A family member of a qualified CCAR REALTOR® Member or Affiliate Member, including a spouse, domestic partner, or child under age 21.

  • A community member presented by a qualified CCAR REALTOR® Member or Affiliate Member.

Please note:
  • All requests are reviewed carefully, but assistance is not guaranteed.

  • Funds are not available for association dues, MLS fees, key fees, or other membership-related fees.

Questions?

Jennifer Newton
Chairperson
Keller Williams
925.366.6092
Lisa Lilley
Vice Chair
Robert Lilley Brokerage
925.787.5105

Confidential assistance. Community support.

Submit a confidential application or make a donation to support CCAR members and
community members facing hardship.

Start Application
Make a Donation