Event Coverage
SILVAR General Membership Meeting Held Monday
Approximately 250 members attended the 2010 Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® General Membership Meeting held Monday at the Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club. The general meeting began with remarks from 2010 SILVAR President Jeff Bell, Executive Officer Paul Cardus, PRDS Board Chair Mark Burns, Government Affairs Director Adam Montgomery and Board Director Suzanne Yost. SILVAR President-elect Gene Lentz introduced the meeting's special guest speaker, National Association of REALTORS® Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research Dr. Lawrence Yun.
Upon welcoming members to the meeting, SILVAR President Jeff Bell emphasized that the dream of homeownership, which millions of Americans share, is in danger as a result of the financial crisis, the loss of jobs, and lack of credit for many potential homeowners. He stressed it is the mission of REALTORS® to revive that dream.
"We need to work together to accomplish this dream," said Bell. "We, as REALTORS®, can make a difference."
Bell said SILVAR offers many opportunities for members to get involved. He encouraged members to take advantage of education courses, including free MLSListings and PRDS Online training classes, networking with members at events, attending district tour meetings, and joining their respective district councils.
Executive Officer Paul Cardus delivered the good news that SILVAR remains very solvent and its membership strong. Cardus proudly noted SILVAR has 4,523 REALTORS® and affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, with 4,313 REALTORS® - 4,017 primary and 296 secondary REALTOR® members; and 210 affiliated professionals. This is year-to-year increase of 1.1 percent, from a membership of 4,255 the same time last year.Cardus said in comparison to other Associations of REALTORS® in the Bay Area, SILVAR's membership has held steady, even through tough times. He attributed strong membership to the fact that SILVAR's REALTOR® members live in the communities where they work; hence, they are knowledgeable about their local neighborhoods and have a strong sense of community.
Cardus also attributed SILVAR's strength to the quality of its 12-member staff and prudent judgment on the part of SILVAR's past and present Board of Directors and Budget & Finance Committee, who had foresight to invest in commercial properties. He commended SILVAR Board Director Gerry Lawrence, who has held the position of treasurer for the past six years and will be stepping down at the end of the year.
Cardus then announced there will be no increase in membership dues next year. SILVAR has not increased membership dues since 2002.
PRDS Board President Mark Burns highlighted the many advantages of PRDS Forms, an extensive line of paper and online forms for residential purchase and sales transactions, available online for free as a member benefit to all REALTOR® members of SILVAR and the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®. SILVAR members may now access PRDS Forms via InstanetForms, so users will be able to access their forms anywhere and anytime, from virtually any PC or Mac.
Also, PRDS will soon be coming out with a new advisoryfor use in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties that will be "faster, better, easier for REALTORS®," Burns said. The new PRDS advisory is for the counties of San Mateo and Santa Clara, replaces C.A.R.'s SBSA, and encompasses a wide variety of regional and proprietary advisories and disclosures. Best of all, Burns said the PRDS advisory in draft form, is just 16 pages long.
Government Affairs Director Adam Montgomery briefed members on what local governments within SILVAR's five district have been doing, policies that have or may impact real estate, and state legislation impacting REALTORS® and private property rights. Montgomery encouraged members to take into consideration SILVAR PAC (Political Action Committee) endorsements for the November election.
Suzanne Yost, who is also the 2011 Chair of the Bay Area REALTOR® Leadership Academy, announced the first inaugural leadership academy just graduated a few weeks ago. She stressed the importance of grooming leaders for the Association and invited REALTOR® members to enroll in the 2011 BARLA, which will begin in February and is scheduled to meet every month for seven months. Contact Yost at suzanne@suzanneyost.comfor more information.
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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.