FROM THE REAL ESTATE TRENCHES

by Charlotte Reed

"Real estate is my business…my only business."

January 13, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – In today’s column, we cover the latest hot topics in real estate locally and nationwide.  This week’s topics are:

•    MLS consumer website now available
•    Three realtor associations in merger talks
•     Agents search for the perfect office
•     Fair-lending charges against Bank of America settlement

MLS launches consumer website in San Diego

After many months of preparations, discussions and input from the San Diego County Realtor membership, a comprehensive and user friendly website was made available to the public recently by the four San Diego Realtor Associations and SANDICOR.  The Website facilitates a consumer’s search for San Diego County real estate information (all active listings) as well as open house dates and times, community data, population statistics, school data and government information.  The site is powered by a powerful and flexible search engine and all information is updated every 10 minutes.  The Multiple Listing Search is the source for all real estate information provided by and for real estate professionals in San Diego County and is the most reliable website for all consumers of Real Estate information. http://consumer.sandicor.com/.

Local realtor groups weigh merger

In early 2011 The East San Diego County Association of Realtors, (ESDCAR) The Pacific Southwest County Association of Realtors (PSWCAR) and The North San Diego County Association of Realtors (NSDCAR) began talks concerning the merger of the three Associations.  Recently the three associations met separately and all voted to submit the proposed merger to the three association memberships for a vote by their respective members to take place the last two weeks of February.  There will be a meeting for members East The San Diego County Board of Realtors for a Q & A and debate on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 in the Regency Room at 1150 Broadway, El Cajon CA 92019.

Realtors ready move to new office

Although it was known for at least a year that Sotheby’s Realty was going to close the small annex office on La Mesa Blvd. (next door to Cosmo’s coffee house) and integrate the half dozen agents who were there into the larger office at 8310 La Mesa Blvd., there was so much unhappiness and dissatisfaction among them they were easily recruited to go en masse to Keller Williams Realty.  Keller Williams will assimilate the agents into their La Mesa and El Cajon offices until a new office in the Vons Shopping Ctr. on Avocado can be readied.  Jefi Torzeski is slated to head up the new office.

U.S. Justice Departments seeks victims due compensation after Bank America settlement over Countrywide loans

The Justice Department has started the daunting task of searching for more that 200,000 victims to be compensated after the settlement of the fair-lending charges against Bank of America Corp’s Countrywide Unit in the amount of $335 million dollars.  The Federal Trade Commission settled a similar charge against Countrywide last year and has started making payment to the borrowers who were either charged higher fees and costs or were steered into more costly subprime loans.  Bank of America stopped these less than ethical and/or legal practices upon acquiring Countrywide.

Charlotte Reed is a realtor with Windemere SoCal Realty in La Mesa.  She can be reached at CharlotteReed@cox.net or (619)997-7333. Her motto is “Real estate is my business…my only business.”