If you’re like most REALTORS®, you put a great deal of thought and effort into your marketing materials, including advertisements, signs and business cards. You want to make every dollar count—but how much consideration do you give to the safety afforded by these communications? How much information are you giving the public that many people go to great lengths to keep private?

A distress code is a spoken word or phrase that is not commonly used but can be worked into any phone or in-person conversation for cases where you feel that you are in danger. Use this code if the person you are with can overhear the conversation, but you don’t want to alarm them.

Open houses can be a great sales tool—but hosting one also exposes you to numerous unfamiliar people for the first time. Take these steps to stay safe.

Identity theft is a serious and costly crime. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans, housing or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.

Now in its 10th year, Showcase - the Southeast Residential Real Estate Trade Show, brings together Realtors®, real estate professionals and fringe industries on a single day, Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

Congress has approved an extension of the June 30 closing deadline for the federal homebuyer tax credit.  Buyers who were under contract as of April 30 will now have until September to close their purchase and retain eligibility for the credit. 

If you manage and show commercial properties, you should be aware that this may be one of the most potentially dangerous careers in real estate. You’re typically showing a vacant property to a prospective customer, and may be far from other people and buildings, putting you in a very vulnerable position.

The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and this organization have worked hard to keep REALTOR® Safety foremost in everyone's minds. But what about your clients? They, too, face some dangers in allowing strangers into their homes or visiting other people's properties.

Share this valuable advice with everyone, and you'll help them learn to protect themselves against crime.

The Pickens County Board of REALTORS® recognized its 2009 Million Dollar Club recipients at the monthly luncheon on Thursday, March 18th. Thanks to the Committee members Jay Foster, Connie Sims and Christel Cramer, who worked hard to review each application and plan this event. We would also like to give a very special thanks to our event sponsor, Travis Key of Regions Mortgage for picking up the tab on the luncheon, which had nearly 80 members and guests in attendance. Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients!

A state Senate committee has voted down a controversial proposal to mandate termite inspections prior to transfers of residential property.  Learn more about how Georgia REALTORS® responded to a Call for Action aimed at defeating the bill, and what might happen next.