Agendas for the upcoming Planning and Zoning Commission Workshops have yet to be posted, however, below is the list of the upcoming workshops.
These are open to the public and we greatly encourage all to come and participate. It is our understanding that Planning and Zoning are preparing to have their final draft Now is the time for the Reatlor® voice to be strong.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Planning and Zoning Commission Workshop September 13 @ 9:00 am – view agenda
Planning and Zoning Commission Workshop September 20 @ 9:00 am – view agenda
Planning and Zoning Commission Workshop September 27 @ 9:00 am – view agenda
All workshops are held in the Sussex County Council Chambers and are broadcast live. To follow the development of the Comprehensive Plan you can click on the link below. A link to the live broadcast site is provided below the Comp. Plan link. You can listen to any, and all, previous workshops as they are archived on the site listed below.
SCAOR Public Policy Committee (PPC) had submitted their approved talking points to SCAOR Executive Board, on July 13th, 2017, and received their final approval. Talking points should be presented in the upcoming Public Workshops. Stay tuned to see the position of SCAOR and the developing Sussex County Comprehensive Plan.
During this time Sussex County Council heard and approved a proposal to amend the sign ordinance related to on-premise signs and setbacks from an existing billboard (ORDINANCE NO. 2509). This is a friendly amendment to allow business/property owners to place signs on their property that were previously not permitted under the ordinance that was approved in October 2016. To view that change please click the link below.
Two changes to the PPC have occurred since the last SCAORcard. It was determined that member services would be enhanced to have a committee solely dedicated to RPAC education and fundraising and to improve the existing Park Avenue Expansion Task Force into a Park Avenue Expansion PAG. New members were added to this PAG to further follow the developments of this project.
Your SCAOR PPC continues to work with our DAR GAD, Maria Evans, as we continue to support DAR in ensuring the 1st Time Home Buyer exemption is reviewed as it relates to the new RTT increases.
As our 2017 Summer season comes to a close, remember the end of the licensing cycle (April 30) will be here before you know it. There are plenty of opportunities to enable you to complete your requirements. To assist you in keeping your records, please click here for the handy dandy worksheet.
Attention New Agents:
– You receive New Salesperson Module 1 with New Member Orientation
– Knock out New Licensee Modules 2 & 3 on September 26 and New Licensee Module 4 on October 4.
Attention Brokers:
We have a brand new class for you. You can knock out Modules 2, 4 & 5.
Taking the new Risk Reduction for Brokers class here at SCAOR on November 14. This is a 9 – hour class.
You have to stay for the class to get credit.
For more information on classes please visit the SCAOR website.
SCAOR offers a variety of annual Association memberships.
As a REALTOR – you join as a Primary Member, Secondary Member or MLS Only Member (Click here to figure out which type of member you should become).
If you interested in joining SCAOR or discussing your membership level, please contact Mary Hanley, Membership Coordinator. Membership dues are paid in October with the SCAOR fiscal year running from January 1 through December 31. Current Primary and Secondary Member dues are $260.
Agendas for the upcoming Planning and Zoning Commission Workshops have yet to be posted, however, below is the list of the upcoming workshops.These are open to the public and we greatly encourage all to come and participate. Now is the time for the REALTOR® voice to be strong.
SCHEDULE
UPCOMING
Planning and Zoning Commission Workshop – July 14 @ 10:00 am view agenda
Planning and Zoning Commission Workshop – July 21 @ 9:00 am view agenda
Planning and Zoning Commission Workshop – July 28 @ 9:00 am view agenda
At the last workshop, they discussed a 300-page document that covered the conservation element of the Comprehensive Plan. To date they have had a discussion on two sets of data regarding population and population growth over the next 25+ years, they have discussed alternative housing options and community designs. They have discussed agriculture and agricultural land preservation and future growth. Discussions have also included TIDs (Transportation Improvement Districts) and the State’s push for Sussex County to establish a fixed zoning for these TIDs. The workshops have also included discussions on the history and historical preservation in Sussex County among other elements.
All workshops are held in the Sussex County Council Chambers and are broadcast live. The follow the development of the Comprehensive Plan you can click on the link below. A link to the life broadcast site is provided below the Comp. Plan link. You can listen to any, and all, previous workshops as they are archived on the site listed below.
SCAOR Public Policy Committee (PPC) has approved talking points that will be presented to SCAOR Executive Board for final approval so they can be read into the record at the next workshop. Stay tuned to see the position of SCAOR and the developing Sussex County Comprehensive Plan.
As you may be aware, Sussex County Council approved an ordinance to amend Chapter 103, Article IV, Section 103-19D of the Sussex County Code to limit the “First Time Home Buyer” Transfer Tax Exemption, with a vote of 4-0-1 (4 yes, 0 no, and 1 absent).
To read Ordinance 2500, please click on the link below and then open the PDF file.
As you enjoy the second half of the Summer season please remember that the end of the licensing cycle is creeping upon us. There is still plenty of time to fulfill your education requirements before the April 30 deadline.
Do you have an idea for a class? The Professional Development Committee would love to hear it. Please shoot me an email to share with the committee.
Attention New Agents:
You receive New Salesperson Module 1 with New Member Orientation.
Knock out New Licensee Modules 2& 3 on August 3 and
Puerto Rico – Education Adventure: The week of October 15 SCAOR will be visiting Puerto Rico for the low price of $197 per person per night. This is an ALL INCLUSIVE opportunity. We will be offering NAR’s Resort, Second Home Property Specialist (RSPS) certification along with DE, MD and PA credits! Bonus tax write off! We only have a few rooms left, so give Dena a call at 302-678-5050 and book today.
Online Education: Yes, we do offer online education! Click here for more information and to receive a discount.
Brokers Course: Are you interested in becoming a Broker? Class begins August 29. Register today using “BROKER20” coupon code and receive 20% off until July 4. Did you know that taking the Brokers course satisfies ALL 7 MODULES?
Thanks, and as always, it’s a pleasure to serve, Angela Emerson
—
Angela Emerson, RCE
Sussex County Association of REALTORS®
23407 Park Avenue
Welcome to the June edition of the SCAORcard. The most important information I can give the membership is a Lockbox Exchange update. First, the Exchange is July 24-28. Second, Sentrilock will commence programming lockboxes on Monday, July 24, with the first new lockboxes arriving at broker doorsteps in the afternoon and continuing throughout the week. SCAOR will be picking up lockboxes starting July 26 through July 28. Please take time to download the app. There are approximately 500 REALTORS that have downloaded the app, and we need many more before July 24. Third, the Finance Committee will meet on August 10 to review the FY 2018 (FY18) Operating Budget. The BOD will review/adopt the FY18 Budget no later than the November BOD meeting. Speaking of meetings, stay tuned for Bright MLS training workshops this fall. Meeting dates will be on the SCAOR calendar and published within Association communications (SCAORcard, At-A-Glance, etc.). On another note, I am happy to report that the capital improvements have been completed. The LED lighting was installed inside the facility and outside in the parking lot. Hopefully you will enjoy a safer experience when leaving SCAOR meetings in the evening hours.
Lastly, I would like to apologize for the association management software program problems. SCAOR transitioned to RAMCO (NAR supported) in late 2016, and we have had minor problems ever since. Management is researching alternatives to make your customer experience less cumbersome and more efficient. Please be patient with us as we work through this challenge.
As always, if you have questions or comments, I can be reached via email at merritt@scaor.com.
Each year contracts fall apart because either a listing agent or a selling agent failed to keep a contract in full force and effect by failing to get an appropriate addendum signed. There are a number of situations where a timely addendum can make the difference between a transaction going to settlement or falling apart. Let’s look at some examples:
Mortgage Commitment – A mortgage commitment is due by a certain date. You call the mortgage company and they assure you the commitment will be in your hands by the due date. So you tend to forget about it until the listing agent calls a day or so after the commitment date and asks, “where’s the commitment?” You have just put your buyer at risk because in Sussex County our contracts have a Time-Is-Of-The-Essence clause which means all dates MUST be met unless a written addendum has been signed by all parties.
Home Inspection Dates – As a result of a home inspection being done, both buyer and seller have options open to them, and dates are attached to each one of these options. For instance, a home inspection might state that a buyer must notify the seller within 3 days of the home inspection what repairs he wants to the seller to make. A seller may take a position that if he doesn’t receive this request for repairs or an addendum extending the date for the request for repairs that he is no longer responsible for making said repairs.
Review of HOA or Condominium Documents – When a contract is contingent upon review of HOA or Condo documents within a specified date, or contains a DUCIOA Addendum, it would be wise to prepare an addendum in which the buyer acknowledges that he has received and read the documents, that he approves of same, and that he removes that contingency from the contract. If a DUCIOA Addendum is part of your contract, then the buyer should sign the Resale Certificate to indicate acceptance of all the documents within the required time.
Settlement Date – You may have an occasion where the buyer finds it impossible to get to settlement as per the contract date. Prepare an addendum asking for an extension of time for settlement.
Other Addendums
Possession Before Settlement
Possession After Settlement
1031 Exchange
Rezoning
Special Financing
Clauses of the original contract that need to be changed
Must Sell
Property Must Appraise
The most important thing to remember on addendums is to get them signed in a timely manner. Mark your calendar a couple of days in advance of the required date; don’t wait until the actual date something is due to get an addendum signed. Failure to adhere to the dates specified in a contract puts your client at risk. Doing a good job and paying attention to our ratified contract will get us all to the settlement table. And that’s the ultimate goal!
We’ve got a lot of exciting updates for our education section this month: Broker’s Courses, New Salesperson Mods, and the Education Adventure all await!
Each year contracts fall apart because either a listing agent or a selling agent failed to keep a contract in full force and effect by failing to get an appropriate addendum signed. How can you help?
In public policy, we are constantly listening for advocacy opportunities. Currently, there’s a proposed commercial rezoning ordinance introduced that would replace the popular CR-1 & B-1 districts with seven new districts that provide more specific uses. On July 14th at 8:30AM, our PCA Members along with PPC will be hosting the Sussex County staff at SCAOR to summarize the proposed revision to the commercial zoning code. Look for an upcoming email with registration information.
On the Sussex County Comp Plan, there will be a Planning and Zoning Workshop on Monday, June 5th @ 9:00 am in Council Chambers. Public Policy encourages all REALTOR® members to participate in these hearings. The collective REALTOR® voice needs to be heard and our Chairman strongly implores our membership to take the time to come out to a public workshop and stay abreast of the Comp Plan developments. This can be done by visiting sussexplan.com. The next set of town hall meetings will be released later this summer.
On June 8th at 6 PM, Sussex County Planning and Zoning will be conducting a public hearing in Council Chambers on the proposal to approve a new energy company. This company converts chicken waste and is proposed to be located behind residential properties along Lewes/Georgetown Highway just east of the CHEER Center in Georgetown.
SCAOR stands with DAR in one voice regarding state matters, especially HB130. Please see this DAR link for current positions. We encourage all of SCAOR members to attend and participate in the upcoming Legislative Action day on June 13th at 12:30 PM. Legislative Hall, Dover DE.
Be sure to check out our other SCAOR Card section, Local Government, for more info on Rehoboth Beaches issuance of outfall permitting and valet trash service.
As the President-elect of SCAOR, I was provided with the opportunity to attend the Annual Legislative Meetings and Expo in Washington D.C. last month. This was my first time attending the event and I must say, this is a trip worthy of taking for not only leaders in a REALTOR® organization but for any REALTOR® who is passionate about their industry.
The meetings provide an opportunity to hear from nationally known speakers, participate in roundtable discussions in smaller environments and also provide the opportunity to hear from leaders within the National Association of REALTORS®.
The Hill Visit is one of the most exciting highlights of the week where you can meet and hear from your local legislators. This year’s attendees had the opportunity to hear from Senator Carper, Representative Blunt Rochester, and Senator Coons in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building.
I am excited to attend the Legislative Meetings and Expo again next year as your President and hope to see many of you there as well.
Best regards,
Christopher M. Lind | Managing Broker, REALTOR®
President-elect, Sussex County Association of REALTORS® – 2017
