REALTORS® can get assistance from EasyStreet Insurance Services, a licensed insurance agency that was created especially for professionals who work in the real estate industry.

“We understand the challenges of the real estate professional and provide them the solutions for their insurance needs,” said Dan Reed, PAR’s director of insurance services.

EasyStreet Insurance Services is a service of the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® and its for-profit subsidiary BSRE (Business Services for Real Estate).

Duration: 2:26

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Chandra Hall

Hall will present “The Good, the Bad, the Taxable and the Investor” during a three-and-a-half hour session each morning. The session will explain how REALTORS® who understand the numbers can provide buyers and sellers excellent service and opportunities in the profitable investment market. This course has been approved for 3.5 hours of PA real estate continuing education credit.

In the afternoons, her topic is “Systems Keep You Sane.” The program shows how taking advantage of the best systems can make a REALTOR’S® work day easier.

REALTORS® will also have an opportunity to visit with area vendors who will be exhibiting at each of the district conferences.

The conference is $59 for attendees. Register online or via fax at pref.biz.

Sponsored by PA REALTORS® Education Foundation (PREF), the conferences are scheduled for:

District 1: Tuesday, April 27
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Wilkes-Barre

District 5: Wednesday, April 28
Hoag’s Celebration Hall, State College

Districts 6 and 8: Thursday, April 29
Holiday Inn Washington-Meadow Lands, Washington

District 7: Friday, April 30
The Riverside Inn, Cambridge Springs

As a result, PAR and its for-profit subsidiary, Business Services for Real Estate (BSRE), formed EasyStreet Insurance Services. EasyStreet is a licensed insurance brokerage that works with leading providers such as Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Geisinger Health Plan, Capital BlueCross and United HealthCare. 

As independent contractors, REALTORS® often have a difficult time finding a trusted source for their insurance needs. 

EasyStreet’s licensed insurance professionals are experienced, knowledgeable and qualified to guide you through many insurance matters. The staff at EasyStreet is interested and committed to understanding your personal or business needs.

“We’d like the chance to talk to you about your insurance needs,” said Dan Reed, PAR’s director of insurance services. “At EasyStreet, we’re not just interested in placing you with an insurance product.  We want to guide you in the right direction.”

Become a fan of EasyStreet Insurances Services on Facebook

A housing trust fund provides a dedicated source of revenue for the housing market, according to Liz Hersh, executive director of the Housing Alliance of PA. “Investing in housing helps the local economy as well as those individuals who can get a home that they can afford and sustain,” Hersh added. Pennsylvania stands to receive nearly $40 million in funding from the federal stimulus program. The PA Association of REALTORS® supports the Housing Alliance’s efforts to create a statewide housing trust fund. Currently, HB 60 is up for consideration in the state legislature. If enacted, Pennsylvania will join 38 other states that have created housing trust funds.

Duration: 2:50

REALTORS® and brokers are being encouraged to join the campaign to increase consumer awareness of the benefits of buying a home, to give sellers’ properties increased exposure and to spread the word about the expanded first-time homebuyers tax credit which ends April 30.

How is this weekend different than any other weekend in April? This is an opportunity for consumers to shop for a new home while:

• Affordability is good

• Mortgage interest rates are low (but expected to rise)

• Good supply of homes on the market

• The Expanded First-time Homebuyer’s Federal Tax Credit is still available. The contract has to be in place by April 30, 2010.

Additional information is available at parealtor.org.

“We’ve had some last-minute changes and we want to ensure the form is legally compliant and meets the needs of our members,” said Mike Barth, PAR’s standard forms specialist.

Electronic vendors have started to post the e-forms and all vendors are expected to have the new form online by March 1. The previous ASR is still acceptable to use for transactions.

A sample of the new form and the Guidelines for Preparation and Use (PAR login required) are available on PAR’s web site.

The revised Agreement of Sale incorporates some major changes: an expanded broker box; updated mortgage contingency paragraph and a new format for handling inspections. It also has a reduced default time for inspections of 10 days. In response to the new Real Estate Licensing Registration Act (RELRA) changes, the form incorporates a change in language to dictate what will happen to escrow monies in the event of a dispute.

The Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Form (PAR Form LPD) is being released with the Agreement of Sale and replaces the previous Lead Paint Addendum. The Oil, Gas and Mineral Rights Addendum (PAR Form OGM), which was developed to explain what surface and subsurface rights are included in the sale, is available now.

John Cognetti

BSRE was formed by PAR in 1999 primarily for the purpose of selling PAR Standard Forms. Over the past several years, BSRE has expanded to include additional product and service offerings designed to produce non-dues revenue for PAR. Recently, BSRE has expanded its business to include EasyStreet Insurance Services, a licensed brokerage offering professionals insurance coverage from well-respected companies.

The BSRE Board of Directors recently met to discuss how the board may be internally restructured and to address ways to better serve PAR members. The board also heard a report that EasyStreet Insurance Services is already managing more than $400,000 in annualized premiums, including PAR’s employee insurance plan.

“BSRE continues to explore services to provide resources REALTORS® need to do business,” said Henry Lerner, Esq., BSRE’s chief operating officer.

Other directors for 2010 include: Jules Falcone, Media; Bob Hay, Stroudsburg; Sally Heimbrook, Beaver; Frank Jacovini, Philadelphia; Ted Laskowski, Quakertown; Guy Matteo, Newtown Square; Michael McGee, West Chester; Patrice Merzanis, Lemoyne; Teresa Wygle, Meadville and Gary Yost, Wyomissing.

Austin Jaffe, Ph.D.

PAR’s consulting economist Dr. Austin Jaffe says the economy and the unemployment rate need to rebound in order for the real estate market to get stronger.  Jaffe says when prices stop declining it will be a bright spot for the industry. “That will be a signal to the rest of the market that buying homes and investing in housing as a consumer good will be less risky,” he added.

Duration: 2:23

There are several versions of the GI Bill but the most recent allows active military personnel to pass some GI Bill benefits to eligible spouses and/or children. The expanded benefits were approved in August and most eligible service members should have been notified about the changes, according to Susan Wright, PAR’s education specialist.

The Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI), Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) and GREEN designations classroom courses offered through PRI are all eligible for GI Bill benefits and these benefits are retroactive to October 16, 2008. Those who qualify for the benefits may be eligible for reimbursement of courses previously taken.

“This is a great opportunity for eligible REALTORS® to take advantage of the GI Bill benefits. The benefits are generous and can sometimes include travel as well as coursework,” Wright explained. “The two-day designation courses can also count toward broker education credits.”

Those interested in learning more about these benefits can contact Susan Wright.

Gov. Ed Rendell

“It (the budget) reflects the rising cost of our mandated obligations, yet it is still $2 billion less than the budget approved by this Legislature two years ago,” he said.

Rendell proposed creating the Stimulus Transition Reserve Fund, a strategy to help the state save money now to help protect and preserve the fiscal stability of the Commonwealth.  “A fiscal tsunami is coming at us and I believe we must act now to mitigate its impact,” he said.

The strategy calls for these changes to the state tax system:

• Reduce the state sales tax from six percent to four percent
• Eliminate 74 non-essential exemptions to state sales tax
• Tax cigars and smokeless tobacco
• Tax Marcellus Shale extractions
• Stop bonuses given to businesses for paying taxes on time
• Close the tax loophole for companies located outside the state that have a significant presence within Pennsylvania but pay no state tax.

Rendell said by reducing the state sales tax and broadening the base, the “proposal will cut the sales tax statewide for every Pennsylvanian by one third.”

The governor also called on the Legislature to cap campaign expenditures and to put stricter controls on reports from political action committees.

PAR will continue to monitor the budget process.