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The Realtors® Association of Citrus County,Inc exists to inform, educate and uphold the high standards set forth in the

REALTOR® Code of Ethics enhancing our members professionalism and image while fostering cooperation among our

members and serving our communities. We provide education and leading-edge technology to better safeguard private

property rights and promote equal housing opportunity.

February 2013 Volume X Issue 2

What is BIG DATA? And what will it mean to you!

BIG DATA is the new buzz word for this year. (Something I called “Big Brother” 10 years

ago when it came to data.) It is described by the 3 V’s – Volume, Variety, and Velocity;

which allows for data to be converted into actionable and operational information allowing

for more flexibility to standard day practice for individual professions. So really what does

that mean to you and your business? While the true definition of “Big Data” is the collection

of data from a variety of sources that will allow for professions/ companies to begin to

analyze customer demographics, customer behavior (what customers click on while on the

internet), their desires, what networks they belong to, what location they are at, where they

go when not online, where they are in their life cycle and so on. Collecting and analyzing

this data provide professions like the Realtor® Profession a better understanding of what

our clients’ needs are for today and for the future. You will begin to see CRM Software

Tools that you may currently use (Top Producer) begin to pull information from “Big Data”.

On January 12, 2013, Trulia issued a press release about their new partnership with a Big

Data Company to begin a new venture of data analytics. Their goal is to provide a better

tool for agents to pick up new customers, and for the customer to find the right agent. In today’s world our buyers are

becoming much more sophisticated with all the information that they have at their fingertips. In a recent article that was

put out by RIS Media and written by John Williamson; Titled “Gen Y is Ready to Buy – Are Agents Ready to Work with

Them?” This article goes on to state that the year 2013 will be the year of first time buyers. The question this article

goes on to say is "are we ready as agents to work with this next generation of buyers?” We must begin to embrace

the information that we will be provided, through education, reports generated by both national and state Levels. This

will allow for us, the Realtor®, to have a better understanding of our customers and what influences their buying

decision.

I am proud to begin this journey with a report that the National Association of Realtors® has just released of this shared

joint study with Google to analyze the Consumer Market Trend in Real Estate. Their objective was to have a better

understanding of how the digital media play a role in the consumer home search. So here are a few stats that I would

like to share with you:

90% of Home Buyers search the internet online during their home buying process

Real Estate related searches on Google.com have grown 253% over the past 4 years

36% of new home shoppers utilize a mobile device while they are watching TV

89% of new home shoppers use mobile search engine at the onset and throughout their research.

With this report it is the begging process of insight to our future customers. Collecting and analyzing of this data will

assist us to be better prepared to meet our clients’ needs. I will make the National Association of Realtors® Study

along with the articles mentioned, available at our next Membership Meeting February 14, 2013 at 9:00am. I will also

be providing an update during the meeting on the Florida Realtors Mid Winter meetings and what we are planning on

accomplishing this year. And finally, come see, as our association will be receiving a special award.

See you at the February 14, 2013 Meeting.

Respectfully,

Cheryl

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Boy, do we know how to have fun! In January, 108 Members, Business Partners and Guests attended the Awards

Banquet and Installation of the 2013 Officers and Directors. Past President Sarah Spencer called the meeting to order for

her final time followed by Director Gary Baxley pausing for a moment of silence, Pledge and Invocation.

Next came dinner…and it sure was delicious!! Food stations were set up around the room offering a salad bar, a pasta

bar and a carving station followed by a make your own ice cream sundae station for dessert.

Dean Asher the Florida Realtors President discussed some of his goals for 2013which included advancing Public Policy,

visiting the top 50 Brokers, the Young Professional Network, Products and Services and International Travel to let others

know Florida is for sale! All this before installing the 2013 Officers and Directors.

Cheryl Lambert, President

Greg Younger, President Elect

Linda Cridland, Treasurer

Rob Tessmer Jr, Secretary

Gary Baxley, Isaac Baylon, John Maisel, Debbie Rector, Debi Beltz, Marvia Korol~ Directors

Past President Sarah also took a moment to recognize the 2012 Committee Chairpersons, Officers and Directors for all

their hard work and dedication before announcing the big award winners:

Karen Baxley~ Education Award

Jerry Brinkman & Jennifer Duca~ Business Partner of the Year

Barbara Mills~ Distinguished Service Award

Linda Cridland~ Broker of the Year

Cheryl Lambert~ Realtor of the Year

Congrats to all of you and thanks for all you do for our Association.

2011 President Dennis Pilon presented Sarah Spencer with the President’s Award before

Sarah said her final remarks followed by the passing of the Gavel and acceptance remarks

from President Cheryl.

The fun didn’t stop there though; we still had dancing, door prizes, costume prizes and more!

More winners included: Kevin Cunningham~ Ugliest Sandals, Karen Cunningham~ Best Cover Up and Most Beachy

Female, Sarah Fitts~ Coolest Beach Hat, Linda Cridland~ Cutest Sandals, Mike Fitts~ Most Beachy Male and Glenn

Parker~ Sexiest Beach Stud. Rob Tessmer Jr was the lucky winner of the share and share worth $173 with the remaining

money benefiting RPAC. Debbie Rector won a Gift Basket, Kevin Cunningham won a gift card to High Octane and

Marvia Korol won a gift card to Abitare which were all donated by the Business Partner of the Month, Insurance

Resources and Risk Management.

Awards Banquet and Installation of the 2013 Officers and Directors

Broker of the Year

Linda Cridland

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F FR President

D e Dean Asher

Realtor® of the Year

Cheryl Lambert

Distinguished

Service

Barbara Mills

Business Partner

Jerry Brinkman &

Regina

Presidents Award-

Sarah Spencer

What a crew ?

Sarah Spencer &

Cheryl Lambert

Enjoying the Event!

Got to love these chicks!! Past President Sarah Spencer

& Kevin Cunningham President Cheryl’s guests

enjoying the evening

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Great looking group How about that bathing suit? Staff

Let’s have fun Karen Cunningham & Amanda Rowthorn Let’s mingle

Yes, I can dance Great food

2012 Chairman

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FLORIDA REALTORS® LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Since 2008, hundreds of REALTORS® and Association Executives

from across the state have applied to be a part of the Florida

REALTORS® Leadership Academy but only 71 members have

been chosen to participate.

Every year, the Leadership Academy Committee reviews all

submitted applications and chooses the top 20-25 members to

interview in person. Out of those interviews, the committee then

chooses 14-15 members to be a part of that year’s class.

Over the next 9 months the members will travel around Florida

participating in different REALTOR® events, attending Leadership

Classes, and completing a Class Project.

RACC would like to congratulate President Cheryl Lambert on

being accepted into the Florida REALTORS® Leadership Academy

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Are you a Property Manager? Do you list your rentals in the MLS?

After a lot of discussion, the MLS Board of Managers and the RACC Board of Directors voted to allow rentals in

the MLS. This is a great benefit for our members who specialize in Property Management and can be a useful

tool for all other members as well.

It is critical that we put good, reliable information into the MLS, so please remember to follow ALL the MLS

Policies and Procedures.

Here are a few of the errors we see most often:

Wrong area

Agent name, Company or contact info in the Public Remarks

And, the most common discrepancy we find is:

The listing shows as active when it is actually leased.

Please be sure to put accurate information in at all times to avoid fines.

REMINDER: LOCKBOX SERIAL NUMBERS ARE MANDATORY IN MLS

The MLS Board of Managers and the Board of Directors decided to make the Lockbox Serial

Number in MLS a mandatory field to help the offices keep track of where there Lockboxes

are. Please be sure to enter the actual serial number into the MLS; please do not enter

BOARD, XXXX, 0000 or anything other than the actual serial number.

Also, office administrators and/or Brokers can then enter the listing

information for that lockbox onto the Risco website. All these steps will

help Offices/Brokers keep track of Lockboxes and avoid being charged

for lost lockboxes. If you have any questions, please contact MLS Ad-

ministrator, Mary at mary@raccfl.com or call (352) 746-7550.

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3 Big Social Media Turn-Offs

A recent survey by SocialToaster in Baltimore reveals how you can alienate connections on your social networks.

To prevent being un-friended, avoid one of these slip ups:

Repetitive: 51.2 percent of respondents say that repetition and recounting the same thing over and over will cause them to unfollow someone.

TMI: 39 percent say that too much information — getting overly personal and oversharing — is grounds for unfollowing someone.

Poor grammar: 34.1 percent of respondents said that poor grammar will prompt them to stop following someone.

Source: “Social Media’s Biggest Turn Offs,” Forbes (January 2013)

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http://www.forms.floridarealtors.org

With Form Simplicity's new HTML platform, you will be able to edit and manage forms on your mobile device.

What has changed? The main improvement in this version is that forms labeled with a "Mobile" icon can now be edited on mobile devices, including iPads and smartphones, via the new HTML editor in Form Simplicity.

Which forms may I edit on my mobile device?

All Florida state forms are currently available in the HTML format! The HTML editable forms are identified in the library by the “Mobile” Icon. Forms marked as "Mobile" may be edited on mobile devices.

Why is there a new appearance? Since the HTML version is now optimized for mobile devices, forms viewed from your desktop or laptop will have a new appearance. For example, there are no longer line numbers and there are visible differences with the font and layout. However, when emailed, eSigned or faxed, the form has the same appearance you are accustomed to in the previous version. Why are there now two tabs?

You have two viewing options. On most devices, you will notice the HTML Editor tab's screen shows the HTML version, which allows you to edit on mobile devices, and the PDF Editor version, which shows the classic PDF view. The PDF Editor tab acts as an editor on desktop/laptop computers, as it always has, and it will act as a preview only on iPads and iPhones by showing you a preview of how a final printed form would look like. If you are an Android us-er, please note, the PDF tab is not currently available on Android devices. Also, the HTML Editor is now the default editor for mobile-ready forms because forms load much faster in the HTML Editor due to loading a single page at a time and not needing to load the Adobe components in your browser. I have an active transaction, what should I do? One important item to note is that form-specific data will not be copied from an old version of the form to the new HTML version, if you use the new forms in an existing transaction. Any data from the “Content” tab of the transaction will appear on the form, but the rest of the fields will have to be re-entered. Unfortunately, this could not be avoided in order to move to a mobile environment. Please note that the previous version of the form is still available to use; however, it's just not editable on a mobile device. May I use my eSign on mobile devices, including the iPad? Yes!! For Ultimate users, you now have the capability to use eSign on your mobile devices, including iPads, iPhones and Android devices. eSign may be used on any pre-programmed form that is templatized for eSign within your Form Simplicity library. All Florida Realtor® forms are templatized for eSign. Go here, to become an Ultimate user and get unlimited eSign. For questions, please call Tech Helpline at 407.587.1450, Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

http://www.forms.floridarealtors.org

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WANT TO WIN A FREE MEMBERSHIP MEETING MEAL?

To the first member to email bonnie@raccfl.com the

answer to question below.

Who won the trophy for “the coolest beach hat”

at the Installation & Awards Banquet?

.

Last Month’s WinnerWas:

Debra Ferguson

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MLS TIDBIT’S

1) Prior to submitting a photo’s from any other party, you must first receive

written authorization of the original party.

2) MLS updates - The newest feature is a change in the listing maintenance screen.It will ask you to select a county and then format the alternate key field so that the entire key fits (ie: Marion, Hernando, Levy), after you enter the alternate key and hit populate it will automatically enter most of your

information please check for accuracy.

MLS WARNINGS AND FINES FOR JANUARY

In January the MLS issued the following to Participants and/or Subscribers: Warnings: Duplicate Listing (2) Wrong Category or Area (7) Pending and Closed (2) No Photo (2) Branded Virtual Tour (1) Fine: (1) No authorization to use Photo’s ($25) Violation of the same offense will be subject to the following:

1st offense: Written Notice

2nd

offense: $50.00 Fine

3rd

offense: $100.00 Fine

Failure to submit contingent, pending and closed information within two (2) business days.

Failure to enter a photo. Note: The seller may request in writing a photograph of the property not be included.

Failure to enter a listing in the correct category.

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FEBRUARY 2013

Feb-ruary 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 ATE HUD Settlement 9:00-11:00am No CE 11:15 ROCC Committee

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3 4 FIRPTA 1:00-4:00pm No CE

5 6 7 Bd Directors 8:30am

8 ICE Class Property Management For the RE practitioner 9:00 -1:00pm 4 Hrs CE

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10 11 12 Orientation 8:00 - 4:00pm Ed Comm 8:30am Leg Committee 1:30pm

13 Ash Wednesday Contract to Close 9 - 10:30 Tech Comm 1:00

14 Membership Meeting 9:00am

15 16

17 18 Presidents Day Ask the Attorney 1:00-2:30pm No CE

19 REBar Camp 1:00-3:00pm

20 21 Core Law 9:00 - Noon 3 Hrs CE 14 Hrs CE 9:00-4:30pm Dennis Pilon

22 14 Hrs CE 9:00-4:30 Dennis Pilon

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24 Flag Day

25 26 27 28 MLS Bd of Mgrs 9:00am

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December and January Residential and Vacant Land MLS Stats

These statistics were taken from the MLS on These statistics were taken from the MLS on

December 31, 2012 January 31, 2013

RESIDENTIAL VACANT LAND RESIDENTIAL VACANT LAND

Active 1628 Active 1629 Active 1668 Active 1643

New 261 New 107 New 429 New 115

Closed 194 Closed 44 Closed 117 Closed 68

Pending 181 Pending 69 Pending 275 Pending 47

BOM 131 BOM 56 BOM 163 BOM 74

0

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40

60

80

100

120

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

Single Family

Condo

Mobile

Vacant

Realtors Association of Citrus County

714 S Scarboro Ave

Lecanto, FL 34461

Phone: 352-746-7550 Fax: 352-746-3223

email: bonnie@raccfl.com

Web: http://www.raccfl.com

Chart displays

Closed listings

Sincere Sympathy

Our condolences and deepest sympathy are extended to REALTOR® Debra Cleary on loss of her son Patrick and to Realtor® Kevin Cunningham and family on the loss of his father Harry.