Association Of Realtors

Georgiana Simmel Tyler has been named vice president, general brokerage division manager by Columbia-based American Properties Inc.Tyler has more than 13 years experience in real estate and recently hasserved as president of the Maryland Association of Realtors and a nominee for vice president, region 3, of the National Association of Realtors.

As the leading advocate for homeownership and housing issues, the Harford County Association of Realtors joined the National Association of Realtors in honoring Fair Housing Month this April and received a proclamation from the Harford County Council declaring April Fair Housing Month. Carole Milan, chairperson of the Equal Opportunity Committee, led the association Fair Housing Poster Contest among the local students in kindergarten through eighth grade. From the many submitted entries, three students' posters are recognized and submitted to the Maryland Association of Realtors as entries in the state Fair Housing Calendar contest.

WESTMINSTER - Hank Johnson, a Realtor with Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., has been awarded the "Graduate, Realtors Institute" designation by the Realtors Institute of Maryland.To earn his GRI, Johnson successfully completed 90 hours of specific education outlined by the National Association of Realtors.The Realtors Institute of Maryland, conducted by the Maryland Association of Realtors, was developed to satisfy the need for a more comprehensive and effective learning experience in various phases of real estate.

Emily K. Inskeep, former executive vice president of the Harford County Association of Realtors, died March 13 from complications of heart disease at her Bel Air home. She was 79. Emily Kyle, the youngest of 13 brothers and sisters, was born and raised in Barton, Allegany County, where she graduated from Barton High School in 1950. "We were high school sweethearts," said her husband of 60 years, William B. Inskeep Sr., a retired medical technician. While attending Emerson Institute in Washington, where she studied business, she worked as a secretary at the Department of Agriculture.

Klunk is newest member of zoning, planning panel Jaimee Klunk of Manchester has been sworn in by Mayor Christopher B. D'Amario as a member of Manchester Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission is responsible for the review and approval or disapproval of residential and commercial zoning and planning for Manchester. Klunk is a sales associate with the Hampstead OPF/ERA realty office and is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Maryland Association of Realtors and Carroll County Association of Realtors.

June Medford, a Gambrills Realtor, has been awarded the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation by the Residential Sales Council of the Realtors National Marketing Institute, affiliated with the National Association of Realtors.The award was announced during a series of meetings conducted by the Residential Sales Council in New Orleans.CRS designees are required to have completed a number of residential sales courses and demonstrate expertise in the field of applied residential sales.

Kathy Will elected board chairwoman of housing group Kathy Will, vice president for construction lending at Chevy Chase Bank, was elected chairwoman of the board of Columbia Housing Corp. at the group's business meeting in October. She replaced Edward Plitt III, controller with Security Development Corp. She will serve a one-year term. Columbia Housing Corp. develops affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families, including the elderly and those with special needs. Kaukonen named head of Realtors association Nicki Kaukonen, branch vice president at the Ellicott City/Chatham office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, was inducted as the 2004 president of the Anne Arundel County Association of Realtors at a ceremony Dec. 3 at Phillips Seafood Restaurant in Annapolis.

Mosberg joins Columbia office of Coldwell Banker Sue Pakulla, office manager of the Columbia sales office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, has announced that Sandy R. Mosberg is now affiliated with the office as a sales associate. Mosberg, a western Howard County resident, holds the accredited buyer representation professional designation and is a member of the National Association of Realtors and the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council. Bartholomew completes Internet real estate course Biff Bartholomew, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Ellicott City, recently completed the new online e-PRO, a comprehensive Internet course that is the official technology program of the National Association of Realtors.

Rick LaRocca of Re/Max Columbia, was installed as 41st president of the Howard County Association of Realtors for 2002-2003 at a breakfast meeting Oct. 25 at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville. Patty Smallwood of Century 21 HT Brown is president-elect. Melvina Brown of Re/Max Columbia is treasurer. Anne Cooke of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is immediate past president. Directors are Michael Ball of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; Oliver Henderson of Re/Max Advantage; Elaine Kogan of Re/Max Columbia; and Fran McColgan, Suzi Padgett and Sue Pakulla of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

"Do It Now! Buy a Maryland Home" is the battle cry of Realtors who will be hitting the streets January and February with a campaign to encourage homebuying in the state.The campaign is designed to "tell the public that this is a good time to buy because fixed-rate mortgages are below 10 percent for the first time in several years, and there is a large inventory of available homes and sellers are anxious to sell," said Michael Yerman, president of the Maryland Association of Realtors. Mr. Yerman is chief executive officer of Meredith Real Estate Better Homes & Gardens and president of Mycor Development Co. in Baltimore.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate has announced Marianne Ferguson, branch vice president at the company's Harford County Regional Office, recently was named the 2011-2012 president of the Harford County Association of Realtors. Ferguson has 21 years of real estate experience and brings leadership skills to the association, graduating from the Maryland Association of Realtors Leadership Academy in 2010 with the honor of receiving the prestigious W.H.C. Wilson Award. She has earned Graduate, Realtor Institute and Accredited Buyer's Representative Realtors designations, and has served as an officer and director with the Million Dollar Realtor Association of Harford County and Harford County Association of Realtor over the past several years.

President Fred Archer, Harford County Association of REALTORS® recently announced the 2011 REALTOR® of Year is Arletha (Candy) Myers associated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Bel Air.  The REALTOR® of the Year Award is bestowed upon the REALTOR® in the local association who exemplifies the model member through Real Estate Service to the Community, and the Local, State and National Associations. The purpose of the award is not to honor individuals as "super achievers"; rather it is intended to spotlight those individuals who exemplify the values and ethics of REALTORS®.

Edna J. Wolf, who worked in real estate sales for 30 years, died of cancer Aug. 29 at a daughter's Pikesville home. She was 77. Edna Jacobs was born and raised in Norfolk, Va., and moved to Washington in 1952. She attended Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from George Washington University in the 1970s. Since 1980, Ms. Jacobs had worked in real estate sales for Long & Foster in Washington. She had been honored by the Washington, D.C., Association of Realtors for her work and was an active member of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors.

It's one of the biggest unknowns bugging would-be buyers of houses and condos this summer: Will Congress let the $8,000 nonrepayable tax credit for first-time purchasers expire as scheduled about three months from now? Or will the credit get a second life and be extended for six to 12 months, taking pressure off buyers, real estate agents and settlement companies? That's an especially urgent matter if you're a buyer just starting to shop and you see entry-level prices bottoming out or rebounding.

Maryland was posting some of the steepest drops in home sales nationwide not long ago, but now it's among the gainers. Home sales from April to June were up 4.4 percent compared with a year ago, the ninth-biggest increase in the country, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. The trade group said sales increased about 15 percent from the previous three months, topping all but six other states and Washington, D.C. The numbers are adjusted to try to account for typical variations in buying from one season to the next.

Home sales declined sharply last month, and housing prices posted their deepest decline in four decades as a rapidly slowing economy discouraged many potential buyers from tip-toeing into the market. Sales of existing homes declined 8.6 percent last month, to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.49 million, according to the National Association of Realtors, a trade association. The median price of a home fell 13 percent in November, to $181,300 from $208,000 a year ago. That was the lowest price since February 2004.

Friesema is awarded GRI designationGracia Friesema of Re/Max Advantage Realty in Columbia has been awarded the GRI designation by the Realtors Institute of Maryland. She completed 90 hours of education outlined by the National Association of Realtors.Ms. Friesema is active in the Howard County Association of Realtors and is a member of the Howard County Million Dollar Club.Horowitz relocates accounting, tax practiceMatthew R. Horowitz, CPA, has relocated his accounting and tax practice to 6624 Seneca Farm Road in Columbia.

Anderson installed as president of AACAR for 2003 Ron Anderson, sales associate with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's Severn office, was installed as the 2003 president of the Anne Arundel County Association of Realtors this month. Anderson, a 13-year real estate veteran, is a member of the National Association of Realtors, the Maryland Association of Realtors and the Real Estate Buyers Agent Council. He was president-elect this year and treasurer last year. The Severn resident also has served as chairman of the AACAR state legislative committee.

It is the rare homebuyer who hasn't done preliminary house-hunting online, whether to peruse what's for sale, check out neighborhoods or get an idea of what prices homes have fetched in the past few months. A recent National Association of Realtors survey says that 84 percent of all homebuyers and sellers turned to the Internet. That's up from 71 percent in 2003. "They can sit and surf that Net and come up with a lot of data," said Carol Bliss, branch vice president of Coldwell Banker's Roland Park-Cross Keys office, noting that buyers and sellers tell agents they site-hop.

If you don't absolutely, positively have to sell a home at the moment, how do you figure out if you really, honestly want to? Once you get past the financials - how much do you owe, how much could you get - you might consider how many homes in your neck of the woods are selling and how many are sitting. If you're a would-be buyer, you'll probably want to know that, too. The more homes sitting on the market, the harder it is for homeowners to sell and the easier it is for buyers to make a deal, all else being equal.