FEBRUARY 2005

Welcome to NSBAR's REALTOR eNews! NSBAR has some exciting events coming up in February. Check out the Brown Bag University on Feb 16 with Kevin Kete, as he takes us through a free session on 1031 Tax Exchanges. Also in this issue, see how the MLSNI Strategic planning meeting on Dec 7th and 8th may affect the direction of the database...

NSBAR member Ben Abels missing in the Tsunami
Ben Abels, a REALTOR® from Prairie Shore Properties in Evanston and son of Hope Abels from the same office, was lost in the Asian Tsunami. In Ben's honor, NSBAR is donating $2,000 to the NAR REALTOR® Tsunami Relief Project. NSBAR invites members to make donations to the same project. This project will build REALTOR® villages in several devastated areas.

All of the administrative costs of conducting the REALTOR® Tsunami Relief Project are being absorbed by NAR; 100 percent of all donations will go directly to Habitat for construction of the REALTOR® Villages. Contributions are tax deductible. In addition, Congress passed and President Bush recently signed Public Law 109-1 that allows tax relief in 2004 taxes for contributions made by Jan. 31, 2005, to victims of the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami.

To contribute by mail, checks should be made payable to the REALTOR® Tsunami Relief Project and sent to: NSBAR, 450 Skokie Blvd, Bld 1200, Northbrook, IL 60602. We will then send them on to NAR with the instructions that the money is in memory of Ben Abels. Click here to read more, or go to www.benabels.com.

February's Guest Column By J. Lennox Scott Being a REALTOR® is magical. It touches on so many areas of life from family and friends to communities, education, finances, politics, employment, and of course, home ownership. Home ownership is truly the foundation of everything. Home ownership contributes to a region’s well-being. It enhances civic, economic, business and employment stability. It also adds value in ways that are sometimes difficult to quantify. It brings families together in a shared desire to make their neighborhoods safe. It brings neighbors together as advocates for good schools. It fosters new friendships. And as REALTORS, we are the force behind making all of this happen. Read more...

Also in this month's newsletter:

Procuring Cause and Commission
Learn the steps that an arbitration panel must consider when rendering a decision on commission awards. Read about it in It's the Rule...