Senate to Vote on Tax Credit Amendment

Early next week the U.S. Senate will be voting on two amendments that would extend the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Of the amendments that will be proposed, NAR is only supporting the bi-partisan Dodd-Lieberman-Isakson Amendment. This amendment allows an $8,000 credit to ALL homebuyers with income limits of $150k/$300k and would expire on June 30, 2010.

Contact your Texas Senator today and urge them to vote in favor of the Dodd-Lieberman-Isakson Amendment, and help extend the dream of homeownership to millions of Americans across the nation.

Contact Senator John Cornyn

Contact Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

Educate for the Future

We’re well into the fourth quarter and like many businesses, we’re already thinking of 2010. It’s been a rough year for some in the real estate industry, while many others are reporting one of their best years yet! Many will say it’s all in the preparation. RE/MAX is preparing for the New Year with more educational opportunities for agents.

In the third quarter, RE/MAX unveiled its partnership with the CE Shop. Now RE/MAX agents can now get MCE course credit online through RE/MAX University’s partnership with the CE Shop, Inc. RE/MAX agents receive a 20% course discount, (and, as a little bonus, are automatically entered into a drawing to win FREE MCE for life!)

This strategic partnership with The CE Shop is vital in providing RE/MAX Associates with a better way to do business and serve their clients. RE/MAX is fortunate to have associates with more advanced professional designations than agents from any other national real estate network and this partnership will allow us to give our agents even more opportunities to be successful The CE Shop uses EASYTrack to help professional real estate agents manage their online education, which includes courses on real estate appraisals, the basics of real estate taxation, the mortgage process, foreclosures, the environmental movement in real estate and more.



To all this we’ve added an alliance with REALTOR® University, the National Association of REALTORS’ (NAR) Online Education Destination, to give members of the global real estate network, access to an additional 400 hours of online designation, certification and professional continuing education.
Combined with RE/MAX International’s industry-leading education platform, RE/MAX University (RU), RE/MAX Affiliates are positioned to remain the most trained and educated real estate agents today.

Through REALTOR® University, NAR offers a variety of professional designations and certifications which uniquely position real estate agents to be experts in certain niches of the market. RE/MAX Associates can sign up for several of these designation courses like e-Buyer, ABRM, Real Estate Professional Assistant (REPA) and more, and receive 5% off the total cost of the designation. RE/MAX University also delivers educational programs to its Associates through classroom training, online streaming video, downloads, conferences and via RE/MAX Satellite Network (RSN), the company’s exclusive satellite TV network.

Of course, we’ll be packing the schedule with more great speakers, seminars, Free Power Start and Technology Tour classes throughout the New Year (and it’s not to late to catch some of them in 2009). Just check www.remaxtexas.com/education for everything you need in Realtor education, and be sure to leverage the resources available through RE/MAX Satellite Network and Agent Training on Demand via RE/MAX University on RE/MAX Mainstreet. When 2010 hits, RE/MAX agents will be ready!

Texas Sentinels Luncheon at The Club at Sonterra

The Texas Sentinels Foundation reached a milestone this year in Houston with the introduction of our first Texas Sentinel, Donny Daughenbaugh. Now we want to take that that momentum to San Antonio! Happily, we’ve found another wounded veteran in whose life the Texas Sentinels Foundation can make a profound difference.

In 2004, Army Sergeant Jorge De Leon lost his leg and suffered loss of hearing and Traumatic Brain Injury in Afghanistan. While maneuvering his Humvee to avoid an insurgent attack, he drove over an anti-tank mine. Wheelchair-bound and despairing of how he would take care of his family after being discharged, Jorge dedicated himself to recovery. Today he walks with the use of a computer controlled prosthetic leg and has joined the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes full-time as a national spokesman. He lives with his family in San Antonio where he also helps identify other wounded veterans who need financial and emotional assistance as a Brooke Army Medical Liaison for CSAH.



With his sacrifice, commitment to recovery and dedication to his fellow soldiers, Jorge is a perfect candidate to receive the Texas Sentinels Foundation Life Scholarship. The Life Scholarship consists of a new home for his family along with four years of financial support through mortgage and tax amnesty as well as healthcare and funds for his continued education.

Please come meet this American Hero and help him and his family achieve the American Dream for which they have sacrificed so much.

We’ll be introducing Jorge to the San Antonio Real Estate Community on October 27, 2009 at The Club at Sonterra. There will be an Introduction Luncheon at 11:30am followed by an informational and organizational meeting afterward.

Tickets are $30 each, with all proceeds benefiting the Texas Sentinels Foundation and wounded veterans like Donny and Jorge.

Register at www.TexasSentinels.org

Extension on the $8K Tax Credit?

There's no doubt that this year's $8K tax credit has given a much-needed boost to our industry and to those seeking the dream of Homeownership. But as the Nov. 30th deadline that marks the end of the Tax Credit looms ahead, is there anything we can do to keep the boost going? RE/MAX President Vinnie Tracey thinks there is! Recently, he sent out a networkwide letter urging associates to contact their representatives and request an extension to the tax credit. This is an issue that doesn't just affect RE/MAX associates, but all real estate professionals in the U.S., and everyone's voice is equal as long as it is heard.

"A timely issue that is critical to the real estate industry, the expiration of the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit is on November 30. As most of you know, the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit has had a positive impact on our market this year. Over a third of all sales have been to First-Time Homebuyers, and research shows that each home sold puts about $60,000 into the local economy. A great return on the government's investment.

Although there are many competitors in our industry, we all agree on one thing: The Tax Credit has been beneficial and it needs to be extended. It would also be helpful to expand the credit to include all homebuyers. In normal times, we would not favor such government involvement, but these are not normal times. At RE/MAX International, we feel strongly that such Tax Credits will not only help stabilize housing prices, but will help us from falling back into recession.

Many independent analysts favor such a Tax Credit. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist with Moody's, says market conditions "remain extraordinarily fragile" and that "the risks of not doing something like this are too great." Zandi also says that the benefit multiplier of a Tax Credit for all homebuyers is greater than most other credits for individuals and businesses.

For those of you who would like to have some influence on the process, I would encourage you to write to your Senator or Representative in Washington. Now is the time to take action, before the Tax Credit expires. If you're not sure how to do this, you may want to use the automated email tools on the NAR web site, which makes the process quick and easy.

If you would like information on specific legislation to extend the Tax Credit, you may like to visit Senator Benjamin Cardin's web site (SB 1678). To learn about legislation that would expand the Tax Credit to all homebuyers, I would encourage you to visit Senator Johnny Isakson's web site, or Representative Howard Coble's web site.

The recovery is NOT certain yet. Our market is still fragile. Foreclosures remain at record levels, unemployment is still rising and home prices are not rebounding. An extended and expanded Tax Credit would provide continued momentum and keep us on the road to a full recovery.

You can make a difference. Contact your legislators, and please talk to your colleagues, clients and friends and do what you can to promote a Homebuyer Tax Credit."

Time to Get Passionately Pink

It’s October!

Everyone else may be thinking in fall colors of orange red and yellow. But at RE/MAX, we’re all about pink! It’s breast cancer awareness month and time again for our annual Passionately Pink Day. Celebrated every October 19th, Passionately Pink Day raises awareness of breast cancer and shows RE/MAX support of breast cancer research through the Komen for the Cure Foundation.

So get your pink shirts, hats and Komen pins ready! Have a pink party and take donations to support Komen. Get your family and affiliates involved and celebrate the community spirit that endlessly battles this devastating disease.


Last year, RE/MAX Bryan-College Station won the RE/MAX Mainstreet Passionately Pink photo contest with their creative and fun pink photo! Let’s win it again for Texas! Send your photos to RE/MAX International and your office may be featured on RE/MAX Mainstreet and also win a special gift package.


Remember that there are lots of Komen Races for the Cure on the horizon. We’ll be at the Houston Komen Race for the Cure tomorrow and we know our friends at RE/MAX Lubbock have something great planned for tomorrow’s Lubbock Race. Dallas and Texarkana are busy organizing their Races for the Cure on October 17th, and look for the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon in Texarkana. Austin will finish us off for the year in style with their race on November 1st. RE/MAX will be supporting these events as always, and we hope to see many of our friends in the real estate community, supporter or survivor, out there as well!