Association Happenings

RSVP For the Following Upcoming Events

Just Added! February 29, 2012 - 2012 REALTOR® And Government Day

Just Added! March 28, 2012 - MLS Breakfast at Cedar Creek

Important Dates to Remember

January 25-27, 2012 - 2012 WRA Winter Convention

March 27, 2012 - New Member Orientation

REALTOR® & Government Day - Register Today!

Take a stand on issues that impact you! REALTOR® & Government Day is your opportunity to help shape laws that affect you. Through lobbying efforts at the Capitol, you’ll meet state lawmakers and have a unique opportunity to advocate for issues like property taxes, land use, property rights, regulations and more.

Our success as an industry requires active advocacy by every REALTOR®. In 2011, we demonstrated an impressive show of REALTOR® strength by bringing to Madison over 600 REALTORS® from every corner of the state. With your support and advocacy, 2012 will be a day well remembered at the Capitol.

The first 500 people that register for this event get FREE admission and there are limited spots remaining. If you would like to attend the 2012 REALTOR® & Government Day, please register ASAP to take advantage of the free admission. Click here to register online, or contact LARA and we’ll be happy to help you get your spot locked in.

Greater La Crosse MLS Corp and SEMAR (South East MN Association of REALTORS®) Sign Reciprocal Supra Key Agreement!

After a year of time working with SUPRA and SEMAR (South East Minnesota Association Of REALTORS®), we now have a Reciprocal Supra Key Agreement signed. You will still have to carry two keys, but you will only get billed once at your primary MLS.So this is how it will work. If you have a SEMAR Supra Key already, please return it to SEMAR. As they bill quarterly, please do this by March 31, 2012 as to save another quarter of fees.

Next, make an appointment with Ryan at 608-785-7838 to come in and sign the necessary paperwork and pick up the key. Plan on a 20 minute appointment. You will be required to sign a key agreement with SEMAR. You will then have access by the end of the day.

If a SEMAR key is lost, it will cost you $249 to replace it. I am asking your patience until we tweak this process.

If you have questions, please call our office at 608-785-7744.

Important update to MLS Change Forms - Effective 8/29

Starting August 29, 2011: When reporting the status of a listing to sold, the person submitting the sold information will be required to identify whether or not there were concessions associated with the sale. This is a ‘YES’ or ‘No’ selection. If you identify ‘Yes there were concessions, please disclose concessions in the proper boxes indicated on the Change Form. All Change Forms submitted without this information will be returned for completion.

Important: If the seller provided concessions, we will enter them in the Private Remarks section. If the information is not reported, the appraiser will call the listing agent for each sold comparable used in the appraisal.

We have revised the Greater La Crosse MLS Corporation – Change Form to reflect these changes. Click here to download and/or print the new change form.

Why is the concession information now required?

Effective September 1st, 2011: To sum it up quickly, Appraisers must meet additional requirements for appraisals submitted to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. One such requirement is to disclose whether or not there were concessions on sold listings used for comparables in the appraisal. Appraisers are already required to identify concessions for FHA and VA loans.

Click here to learn more about the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) developed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Any questions, please call the board office.

LARA Facebook Fan Page

Visit our fan page by clicking on the Facebook button on the top our homepage. To keep up to date, just log into your Facebook account and add yourself as a "fan" of the Association. Then, all future announcements posted on our Facebook page will also appear on your "wall".

Submit Your MLS Single Family & Two Family Profile Sheet Electronically

You can now enter your Single Family & Two Family Profile Sheets electronically. All required fields must be populated before successful submission. Online submission will give you the opportunity to send up to two confirmations to two different email addresses. Don’t forget to either fax your listing contract for verification to 608-785-7742 or email it to Membership Services. To access the electronic single family form, Click here. To access the electronic Two Family form, Click here. You can access either Single Family or Two Family electronic forms anytime from the left menu under "Quick Links".

Submit Your Open Houses Online

By submitting your Open House form via this website, you take the guess work out of checking to make sure that all of the required information has been entered. This ensures that your Open House will be processed in a timely manner. Online submission also allows you to receive an automatic confirmation email at up to two email addresses. Remember to call the Association Office to make sure we've received all of your Open Houses. To fill out your Open House Directory Form, click here.

Most Current Issue of the River City REALTOR®

The LARA Newsletter is always available for viewing, downloading, and printing. Keep an eye out for the most recent flyers and announcements. Find out what's happening with the Association and our members by clicking here to open this month's issue.

What is a REALTOR®?     What a REALTOR® can do for you!