On April 19, The Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® hosted a Member Appreciation Baseball Night at a San Jose Giants Game. Members came out to the ballpark early and enjoyed a free tailgate — tacos and drinks galore! A few hours later everyone entered the ballpark and watched our President, Rick Smith, throw out the first pitch at the game (see below for video). Thank you to all the members that came out and made it a truly memorable night. See you all next year!
Photos from the game:
Senator Bob Wieckowski was the keynote speaker at the SCCAOR General Membership meeting on February 10th, 2017. The Senator spoke about several new laws and guidelines that are relevant to the real estate industry, and he answered several questions from the audience. The meeting also featured a NAR update from Dave Walsh, a CAR update from Craig Gorman, and an MLS Listings update from Quincy Virgilio. SCCAOR also honored its legacy members who have been with the association for 25, 30, 40, and 45 years.
We have compiled some relevant documents on the information that was covered in the meeting:
SCCAOR General Membership Meeting 2/10/2017
SCCAOR General Membership Meeting, featuring keynote speaker. Senator Bob Wieckowski.
Posted by Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® on Friday, February 10, 2017
Rick Smith, broker and owner at Windermere Silicon Valley, has been installed as President of the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAOR). Smith and the entirety of SCCAOR’s 2017 Board of Directors were sworn in at an evening ceremony at the Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose on January 20, 2017.
“I’m excited and honored to represent the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® and serve as its president,” said Smith. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to take on this leadership role and help SCCAOR develop and promote programs and services that will enhance members’ ability to conduct business, while promoting real property ownership and the preservation of real property rights.”
Smith, who served as President-Elect of SCCAOR in 2015, is also a Director and Ombudsman for the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.), and has served several years on C.A.R.’s Professional Standards Committee, which has strengthened his commitment to help improving the professionalism of REALTORS® and their adherence to the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics.
SCCAOR’s 2017 Board of Directors were also installed at the event. Kevin Cole will serve as President-Elect, Anne Hansen will serve as Vice President, and Brad Gill will serve as Treasurer in 2017. Other members of the Board of Directors that were installed include: Helen Chong, Craig Gorman, Doug Goss, Gene Hunt, Sandy Jamison, Don Jessup, Trisha Motter, Stephen Theard, Myron Von Raesfeld, and Linda Zimmer.
SCCAOR also honored several members at the event. Sandy Jamison received the REALTOR® of the Year Award, Sheryl Martinez received the President’s Choice Award, Grace Vaccaro received the Volunteer of the Year Award, and Anna Lopez received the Affiliate of the Year Award. In a surprise announcement, Dave Walsh was awarded SCCAOR’s highest honor, the Byron Brawley Award for Service of Self.
The Santa Clara County REALTORS® Foundation was also present at the event, and gave separate $25,000 checks to two local organizations: Downtown Streets Team and Family Supportive Housing. The Foundation has now given out over $125,000 in grants, scholarships, and donations to organizations that are helping to improve the lives of children and families in our communities.
Click here to view photos from the event.
KAFPA and SCCAOR Members with some of the donated items from the Toy & Pajama Drive: Denise Marchu (KAFPA Executive Director), Christina Atkinson (KAFPA Program Specialist), Susan Steele (KAFPA Foster/Adoptive Family Advocate), Cassandra Guzman(KAFPA Program assistant), and Hilda Ramirez (SCCAOR Director of PR, Education & Events).
The weather called for heavy wind and rain, but members of the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAOR) were determined to bring joy to local foster children this Christmas. More than 200 Local REALTORS® came together last Thursday and raised over $16,000 in cash, toy, and pajama donations for local foster teens.
SCCAOR Members weathered the torrential downpours and winter temperatures to bring both their donations and their holiday cheer to their Annual Membership Appreciation Mixer and Gifts for Teens Drive. All donations and money raised during the event went to KAFPA, the Kinship, Adoptive and Foster Parent Association, a nonprofit that provides resources and advocates for the needs of foster and adoptive Families in Santa Clara County. This year’s donation drive placed emphasis on teens, a segment of the population often overlooked during the “Season of Giving.”
Trisha Motter, President of SCCAOR, said that this year’s event was a team effort.
“So many dedicated people and groups came together to make this year’s toy drive a huge success,” said Motter. “We felt that it was important to focus on gifts for teens, as they are often the ‘forgotten group’ when it comes to holiday giving.”
The event was attended by real estate agents from all over Santa Clara County. Each attendee brought some type of donation, some individuals electing to fill bags and even boxes full toys to donate to KAFPA.
Kelly Hunt, a REALTOR® for CSR Real Estate Services, has been actively participating in the event for the last ten years. She spends the month before the event gathering donations from friends and colleagues. This year she collected a total of 405 toys and pajamas, and $1300 in cash and gift cards.
“My volunteer work over the years has been primarily focused on helping children, since they don’t always have the ability to control their environment,” said Hunt. “My clients, friends, and colleagues are what really makes the toy drive a success, and I couldn’t do it without them. I’m just the vehicle making it easier to help and to bring everyone together for the benefit of the kids.”
While organizations like KAFPA receive a majority of their donations around the holidays, it is important to keep them in mind year round.
Hunt added, “KAFPA needs donations all year long for basic necessities, so I’m working with the director to find ways to help more throughout the year. The Holiday Toy Drive is just one of many things our real estate community does to give back to the community throughout the year, and I’m always proud to be a part of helping those in need.”
For more information on KAFPA, visit www.kafpa.org.
Learn more about the Santa Clara County REALTORS® Foundation at www.sccrfoundation.org.
The Global Investment Council for the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAOR) recently hosted the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) delegation from the Philippines. The event, held at the SCCAOR Offices in San Jose, featured presentations and Q&A sessions where the delegates answered questions and discussed the current real estate trends in the Philippines. The event was attended by local REALTORS®, members of the public, and local government officials, including Milpitas City Council Member Garry Barbadillo.
“We are so excited to welcome the NAR Delegates from the Philippines to the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS®,” said SCCAOR CEO Neil Collins during a presentation at the event. “SCCAOR is dedicated to working with the international community to better understand trends in the global real estate landscape, and we are proud to be a local resource for our multicultural members.”
One the delegates in attendance was Evangeline Yia, the VP for International Affairs at the Chamber of Real Estate & Builders’ Associations (CREBA) in the Philippines. As a liaison between the Philippines and NAR, she discussed her positive outlook on the relationship between NAR and REALTORS® in the Philippines.
“NAR will really help REALTORS® in the Philippines level up their professionalism and code of ethics,” Yia said. “With NAR’s help, we are lifting the bar of excellence.”
The attendees at the event enjoyed traditional cuisine from the Philippines, and many guests wore traditional Filipino clothing.
Jennifer Tasto, a California based REALTOR® and currently the NAR President’s Liaison to Philippines, informed the crowd that the National Association of REALTORS® has over 4,000 International members, and almost 700 of those REALTORS® are from the Philippines.
“A lot of this success has come from the support and hard work of Evangeline Yia, CREBA leadership, and the International Real Estate Members of the Philippines,” she said.
CREBA is a non-profit that was established in the Philippines in 1973. It is the recognized umbrella organization of some 4,000 firms, individuals and associations directly or indirectly involved in land and housing, construction, allied industries and various professional fields of discipline.
Sharmin Albacete, CREBA’s Executive Director, said that his organization was chosen in 2011 as the exclusive cooperating association of NAR in the Philippines.
“As the sole partner of NAR in the Philippines, we are committed to help promote the highest degree of ethics in the real estate profession,” said Albacete. “Our partnership with NAR has allowed us to gain insights on how other countries are able to address their own housing issues and explore new ideas.”
Click here for more photos
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. It takes place each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, The Santa Clara County REALTORS® Foundation will be participating in Giving Tuesday, and we want YOU to get involved.
Here is what you can do to participate:
SCCAOR and SCCR Foundation will be sharing posts on their social media that highlight the recent ways that the Foundation has given back to the community. If you see a post, share it to your followers!
We will be posting on the following networks:
Facebook: SCCAOR / SCCR Foundation
Twitter: @SCCAOR
Instagram: @SCCAOR
LinkedIn: @SCCAOR
– Make social media posts to share how you are giving back or why you gave
– If you can’t give back on that Tuesday, you can pledge how you will volunteer, or how you will give back to your community
– Encourage your clients to get involved – We can expand our reach if everyone shares within their social circles.
– Use the hashtag #GivingTuesday and tag SCCAOR in the post. We will share and retweet our favorites!
Here is some sample language you can use in your post or photo:
“I’m supporting __________ because ______________________ . #Giving Tuesday”
“I’m giving to ______________ on #GivingTuesday.”
The Santa Clara County REALTORS® Foundation has contributed many thousands of dollars to a wide variety of local charitable organizations. The Santa Clara County REALTORS® Foundation is a non-profit organization consisting of over 5,000 REALTOR® and Affiliate members.
Your donations will directly help grant recipients that are working hard at making Santa Clara County a better place to live.
Click here to donate to the SCCR Foundation (scroll down the page and find the DONATE button)
Previous Grant Recipients include:
Learn more about the Santa Clara County REALTORS® Foundation at www.sccrfoundation.org.
Over 1,500 real estate professionals will come together at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Tuesday, October 4th for the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® 26th Annual Convention & Expo.
The guest speakers at this year’s event include a host of well accomplished and respected industry professionals. They will share valuable insight and tips on how REALTORS® can grow their business and stay relevant in today’s competitive landscape. The convention will also include technology workshops which will provide information about the latest technologies in the real estate industry.
Kristi Kennelly, a national speaker from REALTOR.com, will kick things off when she takes the main stage at 10:00 a.m. She will walk the audience through the day in the life of a mobile savvy agent. Kennelly, formerly an award-winning Broadway and professional theater actress, has been involved in real estate marketing and mortgage technology for almost 20 years.
Top industry CEOs – including Chris Trapani of Sereno Group, Sean O’Toole of Property Radar, and James Dwiggins of Next Home – will share insights on the disruption and evolution of the real estate industry. Their panel, called “If You Build It, Will They Come?”, will be moderated by Michael Soon Lee.
The Convention will also feature more than 70 exhibitors that provide products and services to the real estate industry. This will provide an excellent opportunity for REALTORS® to network and mingle with businesses and individuals that are having a direct impact on the real estate industry.
REALTORS® and those who serve the real estate industry will not want to miss this year’s event! To register and see a list of exhibitors that are attending, visit www.sccaor.com/2016Convention. You can also download the mobile app for this year’s Convention at my.yapp.us/SCCAOR.
What would summer be without an outdoor BBQ? The two seem to go hand-in-hand. It’s certainly a tradition here at SCCAOR, where every year we show how much we appreciate you, our valued members, by providing a BBQ in our beautiful courtyard free of charge.
This year’s sold-out event, held last week, drew more than 400 people who were treated to great food and drinks and got to do some networking as well. Everyone got to enjoy their drinks with the commemorative glasses we gave away in honor of SCCAOR’s 120th anniversary.
To kick off the event in style, we held a reception inside our newly remodeled office with President Trisha Motter, where people could enjoy some appetizers and see the many exciting changes that we’ve made, especially to our membership department.
Don Jessup of Silicon Valley Associates, who attended the BBQ with his wife, Jennifer Chaing and their 5-year-old son, said he enjoyed the reception and the event overall.
“The reception for the new office was wonderful,” he said. “The remodel is beautiful. The BBQ was one of the best we have ever had. It was a good time for networking and seeing old friends. Thank you for giving back to the members of SCCAOR.”
We recognized several of our many outstanding members. Larry Fargher, CEO of Realcom Associates, received the Distinguished Member of the Year Award for his commitment and service to the real estate industry.
Joe Garcia of Camino Real Realty and Richard Matusich of Richard Matsuich & Associates were recognized for their 47 years of service.
A dozen politicians cleared their busy schedules in order to attend the BBQ. We’d like to thank them for coming as well:
It was a great event and we look forward to seeing you at next year’s BBQ!