Realtors

Five local Realtors were installed last month to positions on the Harford County Chapter of the Women's Council of Realtors in a ceremony at the Annapolis Doubletree Hotel Nov. 19. The Harford County Chapter is a professional real estate group affiliated with the Women's Council of Realtors. Charlene Lunsford of Long and Foster Real Estate Inc. was installed as the 2013 president and will serve a one-year term as president. She will be responsible for oversight of the chapter operations.

Real estate agents have long boasted of the lengths they'll go to market properties. Now, for some, the sky's the limit. As unmanned aircraft become more widely available, some agents have started to use drones to sell listings, inviting prospective buyers on aerial tours of country estates, waterfront acreage - and even standard, suburban development. "A buyer today wants to see a stunning Hollywood trailer experience," said Robert McArtor, an agent with Re/Max Components in Fallston, who uses a GoPro camera mounted on the belly of a quadcoptor to take aerial video of his listings.

The Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors announced Dec. 1 that Susan Myszkowski will lead its board of directors as president for 2012. As president of GBBR, she will spearhead its mission to promote ethical and professional standards in real estate sales and law, through professional training, continuing education, community outreach and arbitration services. Myszkowski is a sales associate with Yerman, Witman, Gaines & Conklin Realty in Timonium. She has served with distinction on the Education Committee, Communications Committee, Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Community Service Committee.

Ann N. Libov, whose career in real estate sales spanned more than 30 years, died Dec. 16 of multiple myeloma at her Pikesville home. She was 73. The daughter of a salesman and a homemaker, Ann Scheuer was born in Baltimore and raised on Fallstaff Road in Northwest Baltimore. She was a 1958 graduate of the Park School and earned a bachelor's degree in 1962 from what is now Towson University. After earning her real estate license, Mrs. Libov when to work for Fiola Blum Inc., a Northwest Baltimore real estate firm.

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.

Marianne Ferguson, branch vice president with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Harford County, was recently named as the 2013 Realtor of the Year, announced by Simon Nwaigwe, president of the Harford County Association of Realtors. 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 local Realtor of the Year is nominated to the state level that will be selected during the annual conference in Ocean City.

In light of community concerns over Sheppard Pratt Health System's purchase of a home in Ruxton for use as a rehabilitation facility for patients recovering from a mental illness ("Ruxton ready to fight over rehab home," April 22), we are writing on behalf of the 3,200 members of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors to dispel some of the misperceptions that some community residents may have about the role of real estate professionals in the transaction. Real estate agents are legally bound by Maryland law to act in the best interests of their clients at all times.

Home sales are "close to a peak" in the United States, and prices will rise next year at about half the rate of 2005, the National Association of Realtors said last week. The median price of an existing home will increase 5.2 percent to $215,200 next year, the smallest gain since 2000, when prices rose 4.1 percent, according to a forecast by the Washington-based trade group. Sales of previously owned homes will fall 3.6 percent and sales of new homes will drop 4.5 percent. "The housing market is probably close to a peak right now," David Lereah, the group's chief economist, said in a statement.

Chances are the Realtor who helped you buy or sell your home recently was close to this demographic: She was 52 years old and married, had a gross personal income of $47,700 and worked about 43 hours per week. These were among the findings revealed by the National Association of Realtors Member Profile - a survey of 40,000 members with a 19 percent response rate. Among other findings: The typical Realtor works for an independent, non-franchised firm with one sales office and 19 sales associates.

The National Association of Realtors has reduced its home sales forecast for the ninth time this year and said the housing slump will extend into 2008. Sales of existing homes are expected to fall 8.6 percent in 2007, exceeding the 6.8 percent drop estimated a month ago. New-home sales probably will decline 24 percent on top of an 18 percent fall in 2006, the trade group for real estate brokers said yesterday. This year's sales would be the lowest since 2002, when sales hit 5.6 million.

Kimberly Bogris of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage was installed as the 2014 president of the Harford County Chapter in a ceremony held at Harford County Association of Realtors on Nov. 7. The Harford County Chapter is a 50-plus member professional real estate group affiliated with the Women's Council of Realtors, a national professional development organization with 19,000 members. Bogris will serve a one-year term as president and will be responsible for overseeing the operation of the organization.

Marianne Ferguson, branch vice president with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Harford County, was recently named as the 2013 Realtor of the Year, announced by Simon Nwaigwe, president of the Harford County Association of Realtors. 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 local Realtor of the Year is nominated to the state level that will be selected during the annual conference in Ocean City.

Five local Realtors were installed last month to positions on the Harford County Chapter of the Women's Council of Realtors in a ceremony at the Annapolis Doubletree Hotel Nov. 19. The Harford County Chapter is a professional real estate group affiliated with the Women's Council of Realtors. Charlene Lunsford of Long and Foster Real Estate Inc. was installed as the 2013 president and will serve a one-year term as president. She will be responsible for oversight of the chapter operations.

Adam D. Cockey Jr., a leader in the Baltimore-area real estate industry who had headed a Roland Park brokerage, died Oct. 30 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson of complications from a fall he suffered last month while on vacation in Phoenix, Ariz. He was 71 and had homes in Cockeysviile and St. Michaels. Born in Timonium, he was a member of the family that lent its name to Cockeysville. He attended Lutherville Elementary School. He was a 1959 graduate of Towson High School, where he was class president.

Realtor Carole Bowen, of the Long & Foster Realtors, Bel Air Central Office, received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Harford County Association of Realtors at its annual meeting and awards luncheon Sept. 26. "The Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed, only once in a lifetime, upon the Realtor member in the local association who exemplifies the model member through real estate service to the community, and the local, state and national associations during the many years of their career.

Penn National Gaming spent far more than any other company on lobbyists in Annapolis in the past six months, laying out $877,432 to make its case before lawmakers, according to a new report from the state ethics commission. The company, which owns and operates the Hollywood Casino in Perryville, was pushing the legislature to authorize a sixth casino in Prince George's County at Rosecroft Raceway, which it also owns. It is unclear whether the money was well spent; the gambling expansion bill that passed the Senate would have not have allowed a casino at Penn National's establishment.

More homes sold through November this year than last year in Anne Arundel County, indicating a strengthening local housing market for next year, local Realtors said."

Thomas Robert Lindos, a retired First Home Mortgage loan officer and a continuing education teacher for the Harford County Association of Realtors, died of cancer Dec. 25 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. He was 64 and lived in the Village of Cross Keys. Born in Baltimore and raised in Towson, he was a 1965 City College graduate. He earned a business degree from the University of Baltimore. As a young man, he worked in sales and marketing and became a mortgage banker at First Home on York Road in Towson.

Sharron Dorsey, associated with the Long and Foster Real Estate Aberdeen office and a director with the Harford County Association of Realtors, was one of the 21 graduates from the Maryland Association of Realtors 12th annual Leadership Academy honored at ceremonies held in Annapolis. The MAR Leadership Academy was formed by Realtors who understand the important role they play in their community and the need to enhance the leadership skills, knowledge and competencies of fellow Realtors interested in making a difference in their personal lives and in their communities.

Karen Gaylord, a sales associate with Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.'s Bel Air sales office at 3004 Emmorton Road, Abingdon, has been named top lister and top producer for 2011. A 10-year real estate professional, Gaylord is president of the Harford County Million Dollar Realtor's Association, a board member of the Harford County Association of Realtors and an active member of the Maryland Board of Realtors. Consistently a high achiever since she entered real estate, Gaylord has frequently been cited as a top real estate producer.