October 2020

Newsletter #22

We are within sight of the end of 2020, and we all hear a collective sigh of relief over that fact. However, the next three months can be some of the most stressful of the year as everyone is preparing for the holidays. Traditions will no doubt be changed by what has taken place this year, as perhaps meeting at the grandparents’  house for the holidays may not be the correct actions to take. In the life of a REALTOR thinking days and weeks ahead is a way of life. Planning and organizing life is something REALTORS have to do everyday.  On top of the holidays, the whole 2020 thing, life, work, and stress can pile up to heights that are unbearable. This month is mental health awareness month and in honor of that I have found an article about taking life day by day.  


Here’s a quote from the article:

       “Anxiety tends to be about the future and sadness about the past, so by staying grounded in the here-and-now, we can lower the pull that these emotions can have on us.” —Amelia Aldao, PhD

Check out the article HERE. Hope this helps everyone stay safe.



Speaking of safe, what to do for Halloween? Do you go out or stay home? Do you go to a party with friends? This year we never realized going from house to house and getting candy or going to an event to get candy would potentially be risky due to a virus but here we are in the infamous year 2020. So, what are we going to do with ourselves on Halloween?  I plan on turning all the lights out and watching TV all night. For others, a more distanced event may take place like throwing paper products or small hard round things filled with goo. My suggestion is to be with friends or family at a distance, where you wear your most awesome outfit (masked characters) and have an old fashioned Halloween party at home. Games, fun and interaction with your close friends and family may be just the thing. 

Did you attend the TN REALTORS® Virtual Convention?  Chris Bird did a one-hour CE                               on PPE Loan Forgiveness.  If you didn’t know this, you MUST fill out a version of                                        Form 3508 if you took ANY money from the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) for the                                        money to be forgiven.  This form goes to your lender and is NOT filed with your taxes.                               Your lender has 60 days to act, and final forgiveness comes from the SBA within 90 days.                              See your accountant, of course.  According to Mr. Bird there is NO automatic forgiveness                             of money – you must file a Form 3508.



Let’s talk about TREC.


TREC has changed their verify.tn.gov website, where we can no longer see your education listed. 

In order to manage your license renewals and see your education you will need to go to core.tn.gov

Below are videos set up by TREC as tutorials. One is for starting a new account in the Core system and the other is for license renewals once you have registered. We cannot monitor your education or give you advice on how many hours you need. TREC has told us this is a temporary problem and might be fixed by the time you read this. However, the Core website still needs to be utilized for all your licensing needs.


Registering a new account at Core- https://youtu.be/KBa3Zf1Iz9M

License renewal through Core- https://youtu.be/aXhlOey9zKw



October 21st Only 40% OFF

Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of REALTORS more than the words “Dues Billing.” Truely a cringe worthy subject, more horrifying than the Presidential debates…..well maybe not, but it is a scary subject nonetheless. Confusion and chaos fill the air twice a year as we reap from your wallets during dues billings. In July when picnics and vacations abound and fireworks are dancing around, we send out the dreaded invoices. The NAR and TNREALTORS and GSMAR dues have come to haunt you. The dastardly plan is to collect membership dues for all three associations. However, and this is truly the horrifying part, the amounts can change year to year as each association can change their dues at the drop of a guillotine. Just like that, the amount due can be slashed or they could go up, like everyone’s weight the day after Halloween. We wait every June while the powers to be judge and weigh the prices like a mom of six on coupon day. Then, once we have heard the terrifying news, we pass it along on the first business day in July. It’s like ants and a thunderstorm and a giant flock of seagulls at a seaside picnic wrapped into one. 



       The story doesn’t end there though. As we leave July and all that terror behind, we look ahead to October when things really get scary. On the first business day in October another frightening event takes place, que screaming and a 50’s monster movie, another billing is emailed out. Like a “Renew your car’s warranty,” robo call, you scream in frustration and slam the tenth keyboard this year against the wall. “I just paid this a few months ago,” echoes through your neighborhood, triggering cat hisses and dog barks. “Yes, but this is a different invoice for different fees,” says a creepy voice-over. You look around to see where the voice came from and then back to the invoice crumpled on the floor. The voice from nowhere was right.  In July I paid NAR, TNREALTORS and GSMAR dues and now, in October, I’m paying for MLS access and eKey access. You slap your face with your palm and shake your head, “Thanks disembodied voice guy.” The voice goes deep like James Earl Jones playing Darth Vader, “You’re Welcome.” You sink back into your office chair and stare into the dark world of online shopping again, adjusting your cart so you have money left for your dues. Crisis averted and sleep will come tonight, like a mom of six with the kids at camp for a month.



Education here at GSMAR is a tentative subject matter. It all depends on the instructor, whether they are doing Zoom classes or not and their schedules. We had over 150 hours of education scheduled for this year and unfortunately only a part of that has taken place. 


Looking ahead we have these classes coming up:

Robert Morris October 26th & 27th-  At Home with Diversity 10a-2p both days Sign up Here

Susan Barnette November 10th- Contracts Class Zoom time and sign-up TBA

Susan Barnette November 17th- PSA certification class Zoom- The Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA) certification is specifically designed to enhance your skills in pricing properties, creating CMAs, working with appraisers, and guiding clients through the anxieties and misperceptions they often have about home values. Times and sign-up TBA


If approved we may have Robert Morris coming back in December.

All these classes are not live, they are Zoom only. So, when are we getting back to live classes? It will be contingent on the spread of the virus, local laws and the instructor. So many undetermined factors play into the education here at GSMAR, and we know lots of you want to get back to the classroom style. Our education committee, our board members, and the staff are all working to provide a good education experience. If you have any suggestions for a specific class or instructor, please email Kathy@gsmar.org.


While October 24-30 is the time to vote for GSMAR officers and directors next year, November 3 is our national election day.  If you attended TN REALTORS® Virtual Convention on October 12 you heard Vince Malta, the 2020 NAR President, encourage everyone to vote.  I would like to reiterate that thought – please vote.

 

I remember posting that same message on social media a few years ago and was told I had no right to tell someone to vote.  I was shocked! And to this day, that is a part of the reason I am not on social media very much. But that is another story for another time…

 

While some say that the United is not a democracy and others say it is (just google “Is the United States a democracy?”), we are given the privilege of voting for more than one candidate in the national election.  So, I’m going to try it again at the risk of any and all negativity:   Please vote -  for the candidate of your choice on November 3!



Hi everyone Vickie Stanton here– this is our slate of officers that you will be voting for on October 24 through October 30.

 

Penny Cowell – President Elect

Kitty Freire – Treasurer

Claudia Dybas – Secretary

Sandra Brown – Director (vote for 2)

Scott Cline – Director (vote for 2)

Kim Shinlever – Director (vote for 2)

 

You will also be voting for the Maud Gregory award.  Those nominees will be on the ballot as well.

 

While we have great nominees, we very much hoped to have more applications this year.  Write-ins are now closed as well.  I want to encourage you to become active on committees this upcoming year.  That is where the decision-making process begins.