NAR NEWS

REALTOR® SAFETY WEEK - September 12-18, 2004
Safe and Sound

You receive a call to show a property. You scoot out the door without mentioning the appointment to anyone, hop in your car, drive to the remote address, and wait for the unknown prospect to show. The sun's setting. Nobody's around. You start to feel edgy.

This scenario should have particular resonance for you as the second annual REALTOR® Safety Week approaches, September 12–18. During Safety Week—and all year round—the National Association of REALTORS® urges you to be mindful of the particular risks inherent in your profession and to take advantage of training resources offered through NAR, your state and local associations, and your brokerage. "Safety education and preparedness can literally mean the difference between life and death for REALTORS®," says NAR President Walt McDonald.

Among the precautions NAR recommends: Carry a charged cell phone, leave at home cash and expensive jewelry, and tell your broker or office receptionist when and where you went and with whom.

Some other tips:

• Put your police department phone number on your speed dial
• Photograph your car and license for your company's records
• Meet new prospects first at your office and make a copy of their driver's license
• Never let new prospects ride in your car.
• Most important, McDonald says, "trust your gut instincts."

Buy the New Million Member Campaign Pins

REALTOR® TeamStore™ is now offering "A Million Members Working For You" pins. Show your REALTOR® pride with a residential or commercial Million Member pin, available for $7.95 each. Ordering info available on realtor.org.

NAR, Florida Association Hurricane Relief Fund to Aid Victims

REALTORS® and associations are encouraged to contribute to the Florida Association of REALTORS®' Disaster Relief Fund or NAR's REALTORS® Relief Foundation to aid victims of Hurricane Charley. Last Friday's category 4 hurricane left thousands homeless, millions without power or water and property damage estimated in the billions of dollars.

"We have thousands of members who must find shelter for their families, incur large out-of-pocket expenses and shortly, return to their real estate career with few homes to market and little or no interest from buyers for the next few months," said Russell Grooms, President of the Florida Association of REALTORS®

NAR is making a significant contribution to the FAR fund.

All contributions to both funds will aid REALTORS® and needy Floridians. Funds will be administered by the Florida Association of REALTORS®.

How You Can Contribute:

To make a tax deductible contribution to FAR's Disaster Relief Fund and to assist in hurricane relief efforts, make checks payable to: FAR Disaster Relief Fund
7025 Augusta National Dr.
Orlando, FL 32822

In the memo line, write "For FAR Disaster Relief Fund."

Funds also may be wired to an FAR account. The account number is 2000021226230; routing number is 063107513. For more info, Contact: Margaret Wimmer.

Contributions to NAR's REALTORS® Relief Foundation can be quickly and easily be made by credit card online at www.realtor.org/Relief or Information Central at 800/874-6500.

To contribute by check, make payable to "REALTORS® Relief Foundation" and send to:
REALTORS® Relief Foundation
c/o National Association of REALTORS®
430 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

July Existing Home Sales Off Slightly From Record

Existing single-family home sales slipped in July but still managed the third-best pace on record, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Existing-home sales declined 2.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.72 million units in July from a record pace of 6.92 million units in June; last month's sales activity was 8.6 percent above the 6.19-million unit pace in July 2003. The second-highest sales rate was in May of this year.

STATE NEWS

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