1. real estate

Vol.XXXIII, No.1
www.realestatenewsline.com.
January 1, 2015
What’s Your Excuse?
By Pat Farrell
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
San Antonio, Texas
Paid Permit #1957
2015 is here and, after reviewing
the successes and/or failures that
occurred in the past year, many will
decide that some serious changes may
be in order for the year to come.
Common changes considered usually
relate to weight, organization, money,
self-improvement or education. Enter
the New Year Resolutions, a practice
that dates back to the Babylonians!
It has been estimated that about
45% of our country’s population will
make at least one resolution for the
coming year. As it has been in the past,
losing weight will be number one on
the resolution list, especially since
more than 35% of adults think they are
too heavy (fat). As dieting and exercise
are considered solutions to this problem, the resolutions might read like: “I
will, on the day after January 1st, start
on the (name your choice) diet and
remain on it until I lose (name your
choice) pounds,” or “I will, on January
2nd begin daily, early morning visits to
the local exercise facility so I can lose
fat, build muscle and trim down to
(name your choice) pounds.”
It is no secret that resolutions
made for the coming year usually do
not last very long so perhaps it is more
entertaining to look at why the
resolvers think they were not successful:
“My best friend is always bringing special treats to the office for me to
sample and I can’t just tell her no.” “I
was embarrassed to show up at the
gym because of the shape I was in.”
“The diet I was on was making me
very cranky and I was afraid I’d lose
all my friends.” “The exercise place
was always so crowded and I could
never find a parking place close
enough.” And then there is Jay Leno’s
take on the weight resolution: “Now
there are more overweight people in
America than average-weight people.
So overweight people are now average… which means, you have met
your New Year’s resolution.”
The second most popular New
Year Resolution has to do with getting
more organized in dealing with time
or space in either the workplace or
home (perhaps both). It has been noted
that the average office worker spends
about an hour and a half each day
looking for things so people may
resolve to never lose anything again.
Organization related resolutions might
read like: “I will arrange my calendar
and schedules so I only commit to
appointment times between 9:30 am
and 11:30 am and between 1:30 pm
and 4:30 pm so I will have time to
myself when I first arrive at work at
9:00 am, during lunch time and before
I get ready to call it a day, so I can
leave on time at 5:00 pm.” or “I will
keep my office and especially my desk
(or home) in pristine condition and
clutter free so I can easily and immediately find anything I need and I will
never lose a file or any correspondence
again.”
Unfortunately those best laid
plans do not happen because: “The
computer or phone program crashed
and I lost the calendar of meetings I
had set up for the whole year so I had
return to plan ‘B’ and leave things the
way they were last year.” “On January
2nd my 11:00 am appointment ran
thru lunch time, which pushed the
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm and pushed the
3:30 to 5:00 pm and I didn’t get home
until 7:30 pm so I guess I’ll just try
again next year.” “I was all set to
straighten up both the office and my
desk but my assistant (or if the home
my spouse or roommate) got sick so
without any help it never did get
done.” “I got my desk all tidied up but
then found I couldn’t locate anything
as readily as when it was cluttered
because then I knew where everything
was.”
And, everyone wants to improve
their financial position which is why
many are concerned with spending
less, saving more and getting and staying out of debt. These things lead
some to make New Year Resolutions
like: “I will stop spending so much
money this year and will start by making and taking my own lunch, to eat at
my desk rather than going out.” “I will
no longer charge on my credit card but
will use just cash and only for essentials.” “I am going to make a budget,
to include paying off my current credit
card debt and will follow the budget
to the letter.” “I will put at least (name
your choice) dollars into savings each
and every week during 2015.”
We know that ‘all’s well that
ends well’ but you can be sure these
resolutions most likely will not fall
into that category because of things
like: “I did make a budget but it didn’t
let me meet with the group for drinks
at each of the networking mixers (and
networking is important – right?)” “I
took my lunch the first week but got
the business from my friends for staying in to eat and was afraid they
would be mad at me if I didn’t join
them.” “The first time I went to lunch
with my friends I didn’t bring enough
cash so I had to use my credit card.” “I
planned to save $100 a week but that
really cut into my routine expenses,
not to mention trying to pay off my
credit cards, but I will be sure to revisit
this plan next year.”
If it is so difficult to accomplish
the New Year Resolutions considered
to be among the top three it is easy to
see what would be the fate of those for
self-improvement (ex. stop smoking or
get a hobby) and education (ex. read
or travel more). It has been determined
that 64% of those who make a resolution are still focusing on it after one
month - but that means that 36% have
given up. One final excuse will probably sum up the reason for the failure
rate: “I was just kidding – I didn’t really plan to do that anyway!”
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Steven Tyson, Bertha
Luna, Steve Tyson and
Matthew Tyson celebrate at Builders
Guide.
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Real Estate Newsline is published semimonthly by
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publication for the more than 7,500 members of
the San Antonio Board of REALTORS (SABOR).
Publisher/President .............Jeff Carver
Managing Editor..........Candace Carver
Assistant Editor ...........Courtney Smith
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Cell - 557-8722
Contributing Writers: ......Cathey Meyer
..................................................Pat Farrell
Columnists.....................Susie Sheffield
......................................Mary Ann Jeffers
(210) 308-9334
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January 1, 2015
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
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By Mary Ann Jeffers
Chairman, San Antonio Board of REALTORS®
Welcome 2015
I am so honored to be your 2015
Chairman of the Board for the San
Antonio Board of REALTORS®. Missy
Stagers was exemplary and left big
shoes to fill but I am excited to build on
her year of leadership and continue to
develop SABOR as the number one
source for real estate in San Antonio.
I have been a REALTOR® for
over 40 years. In this time I have earned
several designations including the
Certified Residential Specialist designation, Graduate REALTORS® Institute
designation,
Accredited
Buyer’s
Representative designation and the
Senior Real Estate Specialist designation.
I have been an active member
with SABOR for 17 years and have
served on a number of different committees including Governmental Affairs,
Professional
Standards,
Housing
Forecast and the Forms Task Force. I
have also served with the Texas
Association of REALTORS® including
committees for the Housing Initiative
and Professional Standards as well as
with the National Association of REALTORS® on the committee for
Conventional Lending and Finance. I
graduated from the Texas REALTORS®
Leadership Program in 2006 and am an
instructor at the Real Estate School at
SABOR.
When not working, I love to spend
time with my husband Joe, our four kids,
two grandkids and our newest addition a great grandchild! I also love to dance!
Thank you for allowing me the
opportunity to lead SABOR in 2015. I
am so grateful to each member of the
Executive Committee, Angela Shields
and the Board of Directors for preparing
me to lead in the coming year.
There is so much to accomplish in
2015 and I hope each of you will provide
your ideas and creative suggestions to
keep the Board successful, relevant and
prosperous. You, the membership, are
the reason we do what we do! So let’s
get started and make 2015 a year we will
never forget.
It was a Gingerbread Building Contest at RE/MAX Associates! We have no
idea who won but they sure made some beautiful houses.
Way to go Guys!
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
NARPM Installation at The Norris Center
Kerrick
Hutchison,
incoming 2015
President thanks
James Aldersom,
2014 President for
his service. Both
are with Atlas
Residential
Realty.
Jose Valencia
and wife Melissa
Lofton, Birdy
Properties.
James Alderson and Kerrick Hutichon both with Atlas Residential
Realty present check for $380 to CAM.
SAMAC/NARPM 2015 Board members being installed.
Connie Henline
and Ronnah
Stabenow, both
with MHN
Properties.
Adona Lowery, Landlord Property Management with husband
Mark Lowery.
Marty Hutchison,
Boardwalk Real
Property
Management with
Nephew and incoming NARPM President
Kerrick Hutichon,
Atlas Residential
Realty
Stephen Foster,
Stephen D. Foster &
Associates and
NARPM National
President presents
plaque to outgoing
local NARPM
President James
Alderson, Atlas
Residential Realty.
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
GRI Installation at The Petroleum Club
GRI Installation of Sherrell Russell, Keller Williams Heritage, Sue Trautner, BHHS PenFed, Bonnie Wilson
Amy Karns, Northeast Real Estate, Maudel Hardie, Treasurer, RE/MAX Associates and Johnnie Childs, Icon
Realty.
Cindy Wilks, Secretary and Diane Lauer, President.
Amy Karns, Northwest Real Estate, Diane Lauer, Keller
Williams City View and Sherrell Russell, Keller Williams
Heritage.
Cindy Cox, RE/MAX Access, Corie Boldt-Hutt,
CORIE Properties and Pat Farrell, Slater
Realtors.
Craig Owen, Keller Williams and Amy
Karns, Northwest Real Estate.
Cindy and Patrick Wilks, both Keller Williams
City View and Maudel Hardie, Hardie &
Associates.
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
By Cathey Meyer
Reverse Resolutions
For years I have fretted,
freaked, fractured and frenzied about
my New Year’s resolutions. The bigger question is why I allow peer
and/or media pressure to guilt me
into a resolve to change my bad
habits into good life choices. As I
witness the demise of all the traditions I love: polite responses to kind
acts; gentlemen holding open doors;
respecting the needs of those less
young, and not texting while driving,
I am morphing into the changing etiquette of the new age. The new
mantra for 2015, I just don’t give a
@%*)&^*$ or as the young say,
#Ijustdon’t.
For all the years I just wanted
to lose 5, 10 or 20 pounds, this year,
#Ijustdon’t. Over the decades, hundreds of pounds have been lost,
gained, relocated, shared, squeezed,
camouflaged, and flaunted. This year
let them settle where they may. I will
still commit to my weekly weigh in at
my local watching-your-weight
expand meetings. This will be more
an experiment on how long they will
allow my lack of success in achieving
their ultimate goal weight to disrupt
their meetings more than a motivational sit in on how good carrots can
taste. My new ultimate goal is to promote how much weight one can gain
while slamming points plus until
they ask me to leave. #Ijustdon’t.
My goal of completing the great
American novel, which shrunk to the
mediocre collection of shorter than
short stories, which got corrupted in
a viral flash drive, which got wet in
the bottom of my purse when my
designer water bottle leaked from the
seam is now #Ijustdon’t. I will still
write, but this year it will only be for
my greater entertainment and not the
whims of some editor telling me
when to adverb my adjectives. The
ultimate combination of words creating entertainment is still a fascinating
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
pass time to me, but suddenly there is
too much information out in the universe and I prefer to retract my word
pollution rather than contribute to the
exhaust of more. Tag me #Ijustdon’t.
I am now committed to dismiss
the www of Google or in old people
speak, the communist take -over of a
single search engine which now controls all email, docs, webcams and
other daily routines we never used
in the good ol’ days. Not since the
grandfather of communication
(AT&T) has one service dominated
our every move and yet no one seems
concerned that they track our every
location, read our innocuous emails,
file all our work ‘paper’ and keep our
personal information confidential—at
least until some Chinese hacker
decides to use our credit card. AT&T
ruled until they were lower cased to
at&t. They attempted other undercover ops such as Southwestern Bell,
SBC, Atlantic Bell, Pacific Bell and
then the sprint on the verison divided
and conquered until AOL and Yahoo
got Googled. I am too ancient to
worry about this invasion because
#Ijustdon’t.
The heat of global warming
replaced our decade concern watching the ozone layer decay from excessive hair spray. Now we just mousse,
volumnize, curl, straighten, poof and
puff with a variety of chemical products that save the planet but cause a
variety of cancers in our ever graying
and thinning head follicles. As we
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recycle everything within an inch of
our trash (hence the leaking ‘reusable’
h2o bottle in my purse), we think
nothing of loading up our landfills
with 12 times the hair products that
have replaced the single can of hair
spray. The disposable diaper discussion has long past as the need for
convenience far out-weighs the concern of how we are weighing down
our plant. A few more trash collections and we may just lower the
earth’s center of gravity. #Ijustdon’t.
The news is abuzz about the
sorry state of baby boomer retirement
planning. I have spent decades
attempting to be a good steward of
my finances. Of all my peers, I have
the vehicle with the most miles, electronics that are so ancient they can no
longer be repaired and the least number of cable channels. I declare 2015
the year to spend the money I do not
have because the Chinese eventually
will. At the rate my luck is running, I
will be the first in my posse to pass
anyway and why should my distant
relatives benefit from my frugal
efforts to retire in comfort? My coffin
tee shirt should read, “Died with
$5.00 in the bank. A life well spent.”
#Ijustdon’t.
With permission to spend free
and prosper later, looks like 2015 may
just well be the year of the Meyer. If
you are still reading this, #Ijustdon’t.
But #HappyNewYear and
#BestWishes for you and your nonresolutions.
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
Art Burdick and
Raven Kirkpatrick,
Burdick Custom
Homes Elves.
January 1, 2015
Emily Hunt and
award winner
Ann Marie
Lederman, both
with Schrader
Group at the
GASABA Gala.
Ann Marie Lederman, Schrader Group
and George McNair, McNair Custom
homes.
At the celebration of their 1st Anniversary is the VAREP Board.
At the GASABA Gala we find Ryan Ramon with wife Erika Ramon of
Sitterle Homes, Emily Hunt, Ann Marie Lederman, and Grant Lopez, all
with Schrader Group.
The Century 21
Scott Myers Ugly
Sweater Contest.
And the winner is
Brenda Scott (3rd
from left) and
cutest was
“Fletcher”, Rob
Hall’s dog in
Scott Myer’s lap
(2nd from left)
next to Rob.
Jason McKibbon and Melinda Hipp, both with VanDyk Mortgage
visit with Mike Meyer, Stewart Title.
Nikki Kutsch,
Trinity Title reads
Newsline over
Santa’s shoulder.
Cecilia Sosa, North American Title, Annette Slater,
Landlord Property Management and Wayne Slater,
Slater Realtors at the Slater Christmas Party.
Congratulations to Trinity Title’s
Gwen Derry for being named
Member of the Year for NAPMW.
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Lauren Dowlen, Terry Todd, Zena Todd (guest), Tammara Alarcon and
Chuck Coats with Full Spectrum Realty volunteer at San Antonio Food
Bank.
Art Ramirez, Starkey Mortgage, Stephanie Brown, Oasis
Company Realtors and Carlos Pacheco, Icon Realty celebrate
the VAREP 1st year Anniversary.
Robert Montalbo, Tim Dier, Laura Dier, Maria Osio, Ginger Cornright,
Jasmine Belt and Ben Goodwin, all of Premier Nationwide Lending at the
JB Goodwin Chili Cook-off.
Holly Smith, JB Goodwin and Greg Crain,
Chicago Title visit at the JB Goodwin Chili
Cook-off.
Rhonda Rowell, Icon Realty with Paula
Grigsby, President, TAPFCU at the VAREP
Anniversary Celebration.
Happy New Year!
(210) 493-1688 • (800) 598-1688 • FAX (210) 493-1695
11818 WURZBACH • SAN ANTONIO, TX 78230
Apartment rental assistance for long and short term needs. Corporate apartments.
www.aptreloctr.com
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January 1, 2015
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Esther Lemieux,
Lifetime Realty
Partners and Jan
Hicinbothom,
Coldwell Banker
D’Ann Harper
Realtors attend a
recent First Voice
luncheon to hear
Sheriff Pamerleau
speak.
Missy Stagers, 2014 SABOR Chairman, Joe Ortega, Texas Hill Country
Realty, Sarah Nelson, Wells Fargo and Renee Campbell, Texas Hill Country
Realty at the EOY meet up at Fair Oaks Country Club.
Bridgette Perkins
and Judy
Goncalves, both
with JB Goodwin
at the their Chili
Cook-off.
Teddy McLeod, JB Goodwin, Lexi Bartolomei, Phyllis Browning
Company and Barbara Schoenfeld, Kuper Sotheby’s
International Realty at “Heros Welcome Home”
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
Regina Sanders, Houses in San Antonio, Laci Padilla, KB Home and Bonnie
Marlow, RE/MAX Preferred at the KB Home – Fox Grove.
Brian Birdy, Birdy
Properties and Justin
Landon, SABOR
attend the NARPM
Installation.
Scott Thomas,
Cornerstone
Mortgage and Pat
Farrell, Slater Realtors
at the WCR
Installation.
Teri Lucas, Aterj Realty says, “Real Estate will work for you if you will work
it and it’s still working.” (Love that new car!)
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
SABOR Installation at The Omni
Yolanda Pearson,
Alamo Area
Realtors and
Marty Hutchison,
Boardwalk Real
Property
Management.
2015 SABOR Directors.
Mary Ann Jeffers,
Reliance
Residential
Realty, Katie
Griffin-Ross,
SABOR Good
Neighbor Award
Winner
Joyce Orts, Newsline and Joe Jeffers, Reliance
Residential Realty.
Cleo Garza,
SWBC La
Cantera, Irene
Morgan, SWBC
and Jim
McKissick, SWBC
La Cantera.
Jackie Arnette,
Keller Williams
Legacy, Marietta
Alba, and
Laurette
Calderon, both
with Apartment
& Relocation
Center.
Jack Jones, SABOR Farm & Land Specialist of the
Year
Candy Carver, Newsline and Johnnie Childs,
Icon Realty.
Caroline Daly, SABOR
Affiliate of the Year
and Missy Stagers,
Coldwell Banker D’Ann
Harper Realtors.
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
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SABOR Installation at The Omni
Marty Hutchison, Boardwalk Real Property Management, Attracta Schraer,
Lark Realtors, Steven Gragg, Keller Williams Legacy, Yvette Allen, Real Estate
210 and Rick Rodriguez, Home Team of America.
Rae Saldana and Jesse Ramirez, both with imortgage and Rachael Clutter, Stewart Title.
Alex Diaz, SABOR, Caroline Kessler and Kari Utz, both with Apartment
& Relocation Center and Pat Farrell, Broker.
Doris Harrell, Slater Realtors, Annette Slater, Landlord
Property Management and Karen Cavaness, BHHS
PenFed Realty..
Lisa Reyes and Craig Owen, both with
Keller Williams Heritage.
Clark Niblock,
Niblock
Company, Travis
Kessler, TAR and
Doc Martin
Niblock
Company.
Mary Esther Carrasco, RE/MAX North, Leianni De Leon, Stewart Title
and Esther Lemieux, Lifetime Realty Partners.
Mary Ann Jeffers, Reliance Residential Realty, Stephen
Sandy Miller, JB Goodwin and Jackie Foster, SABOR Property Manager of the Year and Missy
Arnette, Keller Williams Legacy.
Stagers, Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper Realtors.
Paula Grigsby, TAPFCU and Patricia Botello,
SABOR.
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
SABOR Installation at The Omni
Mike Meyer, Eddie
Gammill, Debbie
Keeland, Leianni De
Leon, Tracie McKee
and Rachael Clutter,
all with Stewart Title.
Scott Caballero, SABOR Lifetime Distinguished Service Award
Angela Shields, SABOR and Travis Kessler, Winner, Mary Ann Jeffers, Reliance Residential Realty and Missy
Texas Association of Realtors
Stagers, Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper Realtors.
Tim Brown,
SABOR Realtor
Broker of The
Year, Mary Ann
Jeffers, Reliance
Residential
Realtors
Al Kiris, Reliance Residential Realty, Jim Miller, JB Goodwin and John
Kuntz III, Reliance Residential Realty. (Here’s some experience in real
estate!)
Cheryl Range
and husband,
Jim Range, North
Town & Country.
D’Ann Harper, Coldwell
D’Ann Harper Realtors.
Banker
Polly Keene,
Chicago Title, Katie
Griffin-Ross, RE/MAX
Associates and
Jason McKibber,
VanDyk Mortgage.
Araceli Guzman,
Reliance
Residential Realty,
Rick Rodriguez,
Home Team of
America and
Norma Arriaga,
Reliance
Residential Realty
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
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SABOR Installation at The Omni
Patty Jones, Erika Ramon, Cheri Bass and Rodney Jordan all with Sitterle.
Linda Zimmer Hanzel, SABOR REALTOR
Rookie of the Year and Missy Stagers,
Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper Realtors.
2015 Executive Directors.
Mary Ann Jeffers with husband Joe at her side, being
sworn in by Travis Kessler, TAR as SABOR 2015 Chairman.
Amy DuBose and Frank Hamilton both
from Four Rivers Association of
Realtors.
Sandy Mushinski,
Keller Williams
Heritage, Irene
Morgan, SWBC
and Andy
Mushinski, Keller
Williams Heritage.
Marcus Jones, Roy and Fran Daniels, all with RE/MAX Corridor.
Good friends, Marietta Alba, Apartment & Angela Shields, SABOR, Mary Ann Jeffers, Reliance
Relocation Center and Florence Terrell, Residential Realty and Bob Jacobs, RE/MAX
Keller Williams Legacy.
Associates.
Karen Whittenberg, Linda Drever and Suzanne
Westrum, all with SABOR.
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REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
TAP FCU Christmas Party At Oak Hills
Diane
Wiedenfield and
Linda Heisler with
TAP FCU.
Diego Bastillo, Diana Lopez and Daniel Chruhm all with TAPFCU.
TAPFCU
Chairman Bob
Gardner with
wife Elaine.
Gabriel Herrera, Paula Grigsby, TAPFCU President and Liza
Herrera who was recognized for obtaining her Bachelor of
Science degree.
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
By Pat Farrell
Will You Help?
The San Antonio Chapter of the
Veteran’s Association of Real Estate
Professionals (VAREP) celebrated its One
Year Anniversary last month and is getting ready to set in motion its 2015
Veteran’s assistance schedule. VAREP, a
non-profit 501 (c)(3) community service
organization, and its 5,000-plus members
represent and work within all sectors of
the real estate, housing, and financial-services industries. Its goal is to preserve the
American Dream of homeownership for
US service members and veterans of all
eras.
VAREP believes that the VA loan
program, a viable, competitive mortgage
finance product, must be modernized
and supported in the marketplace by top
government organizations, industry
stakeholders, and real estate practitioners
and suggests this can be achieved in the
following ways:
(A) Encourage policymakers and
the Obama administration to (1) adopt
policies that require financial institutions
to identify veterans on the 1003 loan
application (Fannie/Freddie) and provide them a Good-Faith Estimate with
which the VA loan can be compared to
other loan products for more informed
decision-making and (2) reform the
Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to
include military and veterans as a recognized group like low-to-moderate
income consumers, or to adopt policies
to ensure that financial institutions
afford the same
lending opportunities to the military
and veteran communities.
(B) Encourage
the VA to (1) provide
unbiased VA loan
and homeownership
education to the entire veteran community, and incorporate formal financial literacy training into its homeless programs, (2) through joint effort with DOD
to deliver VA home loan and homebuyer
education, through nonprofit partners, to
service members early in their careers
and prior to separation, (3) through joint
effort with HUD to develop a Housing
Counseling program tailor-made for vet-
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
erans by veterans and (4) through joint
effort with financial institutions to (a)
standardize the VA loan program to
eliminate the confusion among veteran
borrowers that is created by lender overlays and (b) track VA loan usage statistics, including detailed reasons for why a
veteran is not using a VA loan which is
then published annually.
(C) Encourage financial institutions and real estate companies to train
their staff on the VA loan program using
the VA Lender Handbook. No service
member or veteran should ever be discouraged from using his or her VA loan
benefit.
The VAREP organization operates
under a Five Point Plan which includes
HOMEOWNERSHIP ADVOCACY:
which assists in the
development of
programs that
reduce barriers to
homeownership in
the military and veteran communities;
COMMUNITY
OUTREACH:
which fosters responsible homeownership in military and veteran communities by providing housing education and
counseling services; PROFESSIONAL
MEMBERSHIP: where the local chapter
provides a place where real estate and
financial service professionals can share
ideas, receive education and become
empowered to better serve the real estate
needs of service members, veterans and
THE
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their families; VETERAN JOB CREATION: where employment opportunities are provided through postings on
the Military and Veteran Job Board and
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: where
affordable home buying opportunities
are provided to veterans and service
members who have gone through
VAREP’s homeownership education
counseling services.
During 2015 the San Antonio
Chapter will facilitate two events at a
local Mall that will afford REALTORS®
and Lenders the opportunity to meet
with veterans, help assess their housing
needs and offer their assistance.
Additionally, this year a new program
has been instituted whereby some of the
major banks will be donating a few of
their REOs to the VAREP chapters
throughout the country. The San Antonio
Chapter, which meets on the third
Wednesday of each month from 10:00
AM to Noon at VFW Post 76 on 10th
Street, is in line to receive one of the local
REOs. Upon receipt they will be responsible for accomplishing all the renovations necessary to make the home serviceable for a veteran and his/her family.
This effort will no doubt require many
hands and sizable donations for necessary equipment and materials. So the
question is, “Will You Help?” For more
information about these projects or about
membership in the association you may
contact Julio Rivera, Chapter President
by email at [email protected] or
by phone at Office: 210- 805-8737 or Cell:
210- 452-1650.
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20
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Hill Country WCR Installation
M’lissa Steel,
Reliance
Residential Realty
accepts the
Member of the
Year Plaque for
recipient Michele
Haag, who was
unable to attend,
from President
Isaac Mahone,
Keller Williams New
Braunfels.
Incoming WCR Chapter Officers Yvonne Hoffmann, Treasurer, Candy Williams,
Secretary, M’Lissa Steel, President Elect and Marie Gabriel President.
Marie Gabriel,
Limestone
Country
Properties and
Frank Hamilton,
Dawson &
Associates.
Julie Fenton,
Capital Title
accepts Affiliate
of the Year award
from Eliesha Davis
Cavanaugh,
Liberty Mutual
and Isaac
Mahone, Keller
Williams New
Braunfels.
2015 Is Going To
Be A Great Year
Ellen Schuler, NMLSR# 409880
210.860.0031
40 N.E. Loop 410
San Antonio, TX 78216
January 1, 2015
www.realestatenewsline.com
In New Braunfels
Cindy Pena, Insurance Professional, Yvonne Hoffmann, Reliance
Residential Realty, Fran Valdez, Capital Title and Mickey Ferrell, Keller
Williams New Braunfels.
Isaac Mahone,
2014 president
passes the gavel
to 2015 President
Marie Gabriel.
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
21
22
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Tina Elsea and
Amber Cooke,
both with
Independence
Title enjoy the JB
Goodwin Chili
Cook-off.
Melissa Cavazos and Leslie Work, both with Frontier Title, Sandy Hancock,
JB Goodwin and Sonia Longoria, Frontier Title at the JB Goodwin Chili
Cook-off.
D’angelo Williams
and Cindy
Kolmeier, both
with New Penn
Financial at KB
Home in Fox
Grove.
Abel Contreras, Full Spectrum Realty and Cris Balderas,
Highland Homes visit during the Highland Homes Brunch at
Stillwater Ranch.
“Realtor LLC vs. Sole Proprietor A Major Difference in Taxes”
We Look Forward To
Serving You In 2015!
Melinda Hipp, Branch Manager, NMLS# 219085
Office: 210-493-7332 • Fax 210-247-9413
17721 Rogers Ranch Pkwy., Ste. 215, San Antonio, TX. 78258
Branch NMLS# 866803
New Event:
Tax Strategies for Realtors
KB Home meeting room
4800 Fredericksburg - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Other Event:
508 W. Rhapsody
San Antonio, Texas 78216
January 1, 2015
www.realestatenewsline.com
By Cheri Bass
Hello, New Year!
So who feels like 2014 just started? Whether we are ready for it or not,
however, 2015 is here and with it a new
slate of smart, energetic leaders of the
Greater
San
Antonio
Builders
Association (GSABA). These dedicated
real estate professionals will guide members through another fantastic year of
engaging events, educational outreach
and networking opportunities:
President, Frank Sitterle, Jr.
Vice President, Steve Louis
Vice President Treasurer, Wayne
Moravits Vice President Secretary,
Bryan Smith Associate Vice President,
Dominick Alongi
George McNair is the Immediate
Past President. Directors include builders
Jeff Buell, Matt Hollaway, Dale Sauer
and Adam Wilson, and Associates Casey
Friesenhahn and Gilbert Sanchez. Albert
Hernandez will replace Dominick Alongi
on the board to finish out Dominick’s
three-year term, since he will be serving
as Associate Vice President.
The new officers were inducted at
the annual gala earlier this month. Also
announced during the gala were the
Spike of the Year and Spirit awards.
Congratulations to McNair Homes for
winning the Spirit Award and Gilbert
Sanchez on being named the Spike of the
Year Award winner. Also that evening,
Sitterle Homes was named Builder of the
Year by the San Antonio Board of
Realtors.
And although the year has just
started, GSABA already has one of its
most important events planned — the
2015 San Antonio Housing Forecast.
Jack Inselmann of Metrostudy will give
us important details on new home construction and his 2015 housing forecast.
The event is 7:30-10 a.m. Jan. 9 at the
Omni Colonnade. Cost is $65 a person or
$700 for a table. For details or reservations, phone the association at 210-6963800.
Wishing everyone a happy and
prosperous new year!
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
23
24
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Vicki Collier,
Keller Williams
City View ready
for the Heroes
Welcome Home
Program to
begin.
Danielle Hester, Tracy Stockton and Beverly Vorphal, all of David Weekley
Homes and Diana Ridgway and Betty Herring, both with JB Goodwin visit
during the JB Goodwin Chili Cook-off.
Lynn Bradshaw,
Frontier Title and
Jenny
Nagelmueller,
Legacy Mutual
Mortgage at the
Zars & Rogers
Coat Drive.
Carmen Ramirez, Weichert Realtors, Laci Padilla, KB Home and
Andrea Nauschutz, Keller Williams Alamo Heights enjoy their visit
to KB Home at Fox Grove.
Happy New Year From imortgage
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
25
Denise Smith,
Providence Title,
speaks at PT50
Semi Finalist at
Cresta Bella.
Alma Lopez, Keller Williams Legacy visits with Stephan Hunter and
Saundra Davis, both with Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper Realtors at KB
Home at Fox Grove.
Tracie McKee and Leianni De Leon, both with Stewart Title visit with MJ
Cunningham of JB Goodwin during their Chili Cook-off.
2 15
Happy New Year!
We contribute through our Community Connections
Program. Starkey Mortgage gave over $100,000 to charitable
organizations on behalf of our borrowers and business
partners in 2014. Each employee also donated 5 hours of
volunteer time each month to meet our goals for the year.
We truly give back to our communities!
210-545-9300
WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP NMLSR #2146
12500 San Pedro #100
San Antonio, Texas 78216
www.starkeymortgage.com
Branch NMLSR #291670
1
SABOR Keeping Posted
January 1, 2015
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
SABOR Keeping Posted
2
3
SABOR Keeping Posted
January 1, 2015
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
SABOR Keeping Posted
4
30
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Homeland Group of Texas Welcomes Nolin
NOLIN
Homeland Group
of Texas is pleased to
announce that Teri Nolin
has joined our team! A
native of San Antonio,
Teri knows the city and
surrounding
areas.
Licensed since 2004,
Teri has a wide range of
experience with real
estate and her resume includes customer service, human resources, working for the airlines, a homebuilder, the Air Force base and a
technology company. She provides services to
both buyers and sellers and assures a smooth
process and good experience for her clients.
She’s tech savvy and you’ll find her connected on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Give
Teri a call at 210-602-7020 or visit her office
at 19315 FM 2252 in Garden Ridge.
Davila Earns Broker’s License
Brenda Davila,
Keller Williams CityView, has earned her
Broker’s
License.
Brenda has over 13 years
of experience in the
industry and specializes
in property management
and rentals. Her past
DAVILA
experience has included
working for the San Antonio Housing
Authority and the first property management
firm in San Antonio to earn the Certified
Residential
Management
Company
(CRMC®) designation.
Brenda presently serves as 2014
Director at large of the National Association of
Residential Property Managers (NARPM®)
San Antonio Chapter and will continue to serve
in 2015. She has previously served as both
2010 National Committee Chair and 2010 San
Antonio Chair of Next Generation
Professionals (NARPM®). She holds the
nationally recognized Residential Management
Professional (RMP®) and Graduate REALTORS® Institute (GRI®) designations.
Her plans are to open a property management company and serve the community by
offering affordable housing and exceptional
customer service.
She may be reached at 210 725-7651 or
email: [email protected]
HBM2 Welcomes New Agents
SALAZAR
REYNA
Home Buyers Marketing II, Inc,. the
largest online real estate company in the
US, has recently added two new agents to
its San Antonio branch office. Robert
Salazar brings a wealth of successful experience in both residential and commercial
sales and new home construction to the
office. Robert is well known to the San
Antonio real estate community.
Mary Reyna has recently transferred
to us and brings extensive foreign travel and
living experience to HBM2, having resided
in Mexico City for several years. Mary has
an extensive and successful executive sales
background and speaks fluent Castilian
Spanish. She has exceptional people skills
and is a consummate negotiator. Both
agents can be reached at (210) 705-3912.
HSA Welcomes New Agent Dukes
Douglas Dukes
is a cyber guy.
Growing up as a military brat, took him
from Spain to Alaska
and
places
in
between. He is a
DUKES
Veteran of the US
Army and US Air Force with service in
Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He has
called San Antonio home since 1992 with
his wife Heidi, sons Nathan and Jacob
and a shepherd mix Olympia. Since
Doug realizes he isn't going to be a cyber
guy forever his interest turned to real
estate, and its opportunities to make a living and also serve the communities he
would specialize in as a Realtor. Doug
can be reached at 210-394-1376 or
Douglas
Dukes,
Jr.
[email protected].
Cher Miculka, Broker and the team
at HSA are so happy Doug has joined us.
We welcome him! 210-394-1376
Get Out Your Party Hats.
2015 Will Be A Great Year!
210.812.5500
1354 N. Loop 1604 E. #103
San Antonio, TX 78232
Corp NMLS# 24055
www.realestatenewsline.com
January 1, 2015
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
31
Sitterle Homes Plans Grand Opening for The Bluffs at The Dominion, Begins Presales in Willis Ranch
The public soon will have a
chance to go behind the gates of The
Dominion for a January grand opening
of The Bluffs at the Dominion, an
enclave of luxury garden homes by
Sitterle Homes.
Sitterle Homes’ designs in the
ESPARZA
neighborhood, which offers
homesites with Hill Country
vistas, start in the $490,000s.
Front and backyard lawn maintenance are included. Ten
designs are available, ranging
from 2,157 to 3,350 square feet.
Buyers can select from twoand three-bedroom designs, and
choose plans with three-car
garages, private guest suites,
multiple outdoor living areas
and more.
Those wanting to tour the
Sitterle Homes model during the
grand opening need to set an appointment with sales representative Nicole
Pietramale to be allowed entry
through The Dominion’s manned
gates. The Dominion, which surrounds The Dominion Country Club,
is known for stringent security measures as well as resort-quality amenities such as on-site restaurants, an
aquatic center and lighted and terraced tennis courts. Phone Pietramale
at 210-714-1706 to set an appointment.
Sitterle Homes has introduced
another line of garden home designs
in Willis Ranch, a gated community in
north San Antonio near Highway 281.
The five available designs, ranging in
size from 2,067 to 2,493 square feet,
first debuted in Houston and are new
to the San Antonio market. The plans
have two and three bedrooms, covered
patios, open living areas and numer-
ous architectural embellishments and
options.
Willis Ranch boasts a unique
master plan, with homesites positioned within the community to capture Hill Country views and preserve
the natural landscape. Trails and
greenbelts meander through the community and a recreation center is
planned. Young residents attend
schools in the Comal Independent
School District, including Kinder
Ranch Elementary, a LEEDS-certified
green school that is located across the
street from Willis Ranch.
For more information on Sitterle
Homes, which is celebrating 50 years
of homebuilding in San Antonio, visit
www.sitterlehomes.com.
EM Ellis Realty Welcomes Esparza
RE/MAX Corridor Celebrates New Sales Associate
EM Ellis Realty welcomes
the addition of Annie G. Esparza.
Annie is a native San Antonian and
comes from a banking background. Her inspiration to become
a Realtor came from her husband
who is in the home building indus-
RE/MAX Corridor welcomes
Cindy Manak to the office. She brings
over 35 years of combined experience
in real estate and the financial industry.
She and her husband relocated to the
area when her husband retired from the
Air Force with over 26 years of ser-
try. She has been licensed for 8
years. She has a son, a daughter, and
3 grandchildren. In her spare time,
she enjoys gardening, fishing and
traveling. She can be reached at
(210)
251-8871
and
[email protected]
Please Welcome...
Bob Smith
Michael Litwin
Loan Officer
NMLS# 618347
Loan Officer
NMLS# 2465582
• Few INVESTOR OVERLAYS on our serviced FHA & VA products
• In house underwriting and loan servicing
• Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae direct lender
210-348-8100
14100 San Pedro #210 • San Antonio, Texas 78232
For use by Real Estate Professionals only.
Not intended for public use or distribution.
Company NMLS# 3274
vice. Cindy enjoys working with buyers and sellers and has an immense
understanding of the relocation process
of military personnel and their families.
Cindy can be reached at 210659-6700.
32
REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE
January 1, 2015
Letty and Victor
Yong, Home Team
of America,
Enrigue Chavez,
guest and Marcy
Franco, BH&GRE
Bradfield
Properties at the
Legacy Mutual
Mortgage Open
House.
Rick Acosta,
RE/MAX
Associates
Boerne, Debbie
Acosta, RE/MAX
Preferred and Bill
Lester, Chicago
Title at the
RE/MAX
Northeast 30 Year
Celebration.
Jennifer Duaine, American Home Shield, Yolanda Holmes,
RE/MAX Northeast and Melissa Waller, Trinity Title enjoy the
RE/MAX Northeast 30 Year Celebration.
Larry Palmer, SSFCU and Lewis Derrick,
Iberia Mortgage at TMBA in December.
Linda Quante, Keller Williams Heritage visits
with Sharon Walker, David Weekley Homes
at Paesanos.
Deanna Spencer,
Joey Martinez
and C J Johnson,
all with David
Weekley Homes
at the Paesanos
event.
Norma Ponce, TAPFCU, Gwen Derry, Trinity Title and
Mauricia Cacase, Iberia Mortgage at the December
TMBA meeting.
Dorothy Cofield, RE/MAX Northeast welcomes Lynn Knapik, Lynn Knapik Real
Estate to the Company’s 30 Year
Celebration.
William Garcia, Imagine Homes welcomes
Chris Schenk, Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper
Realtors to the Open House at Old
Fredericksburg.