VOLUME: 7 • ISSUE 43 • JANUARY 2013

RE/MAX Professionals INSIDER Newsletter

Frank RussoDesignated Broker

7111 W. Bell Rd. Suite 101 | Glendale, AZ | 85308

We had a recent get-together with all of the RE/MAX Professionals’employees to go over all kinds of items such as policies, procedures and the like. Did you know there are 21 of us?

Our goal was to educate and to learn. It is so productive to learn from the “troops” what is happening on a day-to-day level. We have some absolutely fabulous people representing our company. I love to get their input and hear their thoughts on how to better our company. One of the areas Nate and I worked on before the meeting was to try and define our company in a few words. Core values, if you will. We have done this before and it starts to sound complicated and/or confusing. We did not want that.

Who are we - might be a great question to ask. Here are the core values we established.

We believe in Respect. Respect for the public, the agents, the staff and anyone else we come in contact with. This sounds simple, but it can be hard to find in your day-to-day activities.

A second word that keeps coming up is Integrity. Are we living our business and personal life with integrity? Are we proud of who we are, what we do and how we do it?

The third word that we hear from agents and staff is Stability. Agents and staff want stability in their jobs and sales positions, again, knowing we are going to be around for the long haul is important and critical to everyone in our Professionals world.

The last word that we focused on was Excellence. We believe that if the first three are important to our core, than the last one is an obvious conclusion.

As we pondered these words and their importance, Mike took a look at them and said that the acronym spelled ‘RISE’ ~ Respect-Integrity-Stability- Excellence. I love this word and the core value words that lead up to it.

As I get more mature in my life, the things that are important to me are changing. My day-to-day interaction with all of you has become more of a NEED for me. I get a charge, so to speak, from the interaction with my team, the RE/MAX Professionals team, and all of the agents and their teams. My core values have always been on target, but I never sat down to write them out. This was a powerful exercise for us and the staff. I personally think everyone gained from it and perhaps had growth as well. We look forward to the future with each and every one of you, and the future of our great company.

- Frank RussoHere is to a GREAT 2013!

Lenore Stevenson 18yrs. Arrowhead NorthMarcy Minchella 7yrs. Sun City WestMarsha Muth Johnson 10yrs. Sun City WestJulie Schoppaul 9yrs. AnthemMike Sims 8yrs. Arrowhead SouthKathy Jackola 6yrs. NW ValleyAshley Belliveau 5yrs. NW ValleyGuille Felix 3yrs. SW Valley

This information is accurate as of date of printing and is subject to change without notice. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. ©2012 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801

David PinedaSales ManagerP: 602-703-8123 david.pineda@wellsfargo.comNMLS ID: 473029

Kurt ZimmermanHMCP: 602-390-0164kurt.t.zimmerman@wellsfargo.comNMLS ID: 418904

Michelle RealeHMCC: 602-339-9443O: 623-878-2201michelle.m.reale@wellsfargo.com

HMCKeith A. Knoeferl

P: 480-316-8064knoeferl@wellsfargo.comNMLS ID: 502440

Get a strong teamto pull for youWe are proud to be part of the community and invite you todiscover how we may assist you with your mortgage needs.

100715 - XX/XX

Fran Comer HMCP: 602-291-2822 frances.j.comer@wellsfargo.comNMLS ID: 404801

Outstanding Agents.Outstanding Results®

Professionals

Happy Birthday to you!

Marion Larsen 1/1 NW ValleyJames Lombardi 1/3 Arrowhead SouthJohn Luders 1/3 AnthemLarry Espinoza 1/6 Arrowhead SouthDave Finatri 1/12 Sun City WestTimeri McCloud 1/13 Arrowhead NorthJim Ernst 1/15 Arrowhead NorthSheila Espinoza 1/19 Arrowhead SouthRoberta Voss 1/21 Arrowhead SouthTami Guerrero 1/23 Arrowhead NorthLiz Romero 1/29 AnthemChuck Bills 1/30 NW Valley

*Anniversary years are based upon information received from RE/MAX, LLC Membership Services Dept.

Supply is rising and demand is falling in the marketplace as pricing continues to rise across the Valley. In fact, the average sales price per square foot of homes sold through ARMLS increased every single month over the past year! Supply and demand are working together to slowly decrease the rate at which prices are rising and to move the market toward balanced pricing. Over the next month, average price per square foot in the market is expected to rise a mere 0.8% instead of this past month’s 3.7% rise.

On another interesting note, in typical subdivisions built in 2006-2008, positive equity in homes nearly balances negative equity. The foreclosure wave in these communities is almost completed even though many homeowners continue to rely on renting out the home to make mortgage payments.

Now for a West Valley snapshot: The West Valley, like its neighboring areas, is poised for a slow but steady comeback in 2013, with rising prices, strong inventory, and very few foreclosures. Although the holiday season may slow down some of the price increases, 2013 is still promising to offer an improved marketplace with more listings.

For more information about accessing the most up to date data for your marketplace, contact Rob Cannon to find out about the Cromford Report Website where you can access a subscription through Fidelity and pull customized reports DAILY!

ROB CANNON C: 623-302-3684 • O: 623-256-6070E: rob.cannon@fnf.com • www.RobCannonFNT.com

Happy Anniversary

Valley Market Update

TRAVIS ZIMMERMAN OneGuard/Professionals Home Warranty

602-757-2959 t.zimmerman@oneguardhw.com

USA 46

FIRST CLASS

USA 46

FIRST CLASS

Starting January 1, 2013, the USPS will begin implementing strict new standards that will effect almost every mail piece produced. Changes to mailing panel location, tab style/size and tab location are just a few of the newest regulation changes, so plan ahead! Incorporating these changes into your mail piece is your responsibility and we are here to assist you in maintaining compliance of these new standards.

In addition, highlights of the new single-piece First Class Mail pricing, effective January 27, 2013 include:

Letters (1 ounce): 1 cent increase to $0.46 Letters (additional ounces): unchanged at $0.20 Letters to all international destinations (1 ounce): $1.10 Postcards: 1 cent increase to $0.33

Thank you for all you did to contribute to the St Mary’s Food Drive and toys for the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Together we collected 406 pounds of food equal to 406 meals and because of the leverage of the St Mary’s Alliance the $402 collected multiplies into 7 meals per $1 or 2814 meals for a total of 3220 meals!!!

- Tiger Myers

Professionals

Outstanding Agents.Outstanding Results®

24654 N Lake Pleasant Prkwy #103-139 Peoria, AZ 85383P: 623-561-0803 • E: sales@knippcontracting.com

- Mike DeRosa

I.T. MessageProtecting Your Clients’ Data

Since our Risk Reduction meeting in December I’ve had quite a few questions about how to reasonably protect clients’ sensitive data while staying productive and not having to spend too much time managing the solution. There isn’t sufficient space here to address the entire topic, so I’ll touch on 2 key pieces of the puzzle: 1.) How do you store information securely on your computer while you’re actively using it (for a currently open deal, for instance) and 2.) How do you then properly remove that information when you’re ready to move the files to secure long-term storage (uploaded to SureClose, etc.)?

For the first question, while there are a number of ways to encrypt all the data on your computer to prevent someone else from viewing it without your password (BitLocker for Windows or FileVault on a Mac are well-known options), they can have real drawbacks for performance and serious implications for general maintenance of your computer when it comes to everyday use. There is a great free and cross-platform program that can es-sentially secure an individual folder - perhaps your “Clients” folder that’s currently just sitting in My Documents amongst other far less sensitive items - and then stay out of your way as you work. That program is called TrueCrypt and it creates a secure storage area on your PC or Mac that works just like any other folder or drive on your computer but keeps all the files encrypted in the background. It simply asks for a password to open the secure storage volume, so the only other thing you need to do is remember to close it (which re-locks everything) when you’re done. You can find more information and download the program at: http://www.TrueCrypt.org

The second question is something that most folks overlook. Let’s say you scan in a paper contract and then upload it directly to SureClose (or copy it to your TrueCrypt volume or oth-er properly secure spot), then immediately delete it from your computer. If you just dropped the files into the Windows Recycle Bin or Mac Trash Can and emptied it, many people aren’t aware that the data isn’t actually deleted - the space is simply marked as available on the hard drive. For even someone with fairly basic computer skills, it’s trivial to download a program to scan for recoverable files and access all of that information. Identity thieves often do this both with stolen computers as well as machines that have been donated to charity or dropped off at a thrift store or recycling center whose owners think they’ve deleted all of their information. Thankfully this is an easy problem to solve. On the Mac, there is a built-in option called “Secure Empty Trash” that will overwrite the files with random data several times so it’s not recoverable. It gets the job done and is very easy to use. For a quick how-to, take a look here: http://rem.ax/YRrk4Q While there isn’t a similar option included with Windows, there is another free tool that is also very easy to use - just drag-and-drop the sensitive files to this digital file “shredder” instead of the Windows Recycle Bin and they’ll be disposed of properly. That program is Freeraser, available at: http://www.freeraser.com

You deal with many types of liability every day with your client interactions, so resolve to start 2013 by re-evaluating your exposure and eliminating what you can. When it comes to data security especially, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Hello fellow RE/MAX Professional Agents’ It is a new year and a great time for changing your

business plan.

Is your business growing and you need help? If so, please remember there are professional transaction

coordination services available for you right here at RE/MAX Professionals

Call me to set up a time to meet and discuss your individual needs. My office is at the Arrowhead North

location but I can work with agents from any of our RE/MAX Professional locations.

Lynn TurschmannOffice: 623-362-3031Email: lynneturschmann@remax.net

RE/MAX has been named the No. 1 real estate franchise. Entrepreneur magazine will announce in its January issue that RE/MAX ranked above all competitors in its 2013 Franchise 500.

This is the 10th time in the last 14 years that RE/MAX has won the honor of being the No. 1 real estate franchise in the survey that is dominated by iconic brands such as Sub-way, 7-Eleven, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s.

“We are pleased, but not surprised, to be ranked No. 1,” said RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly. “Our Sales Associates, Broker/Owners and regional master franchisors are talented groups who help each other excel whatever the market conditions. The 40th anniversary of RE/MAX in January is a tribute to our company’s agent-centric philosophy and the innovative entrepreneurs that it attracts.”

Finishing behind RE/MAX in the real estate category were:

2. Weichert Real Estate Affiliates 3. Realty Executives International 4. Keller Williams Realty 5. ERA Franchise Systems 6. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

No other real estate franchises were ranked.

Entrepreneur franchise ratings are based on financial strength and stability, growth rate and size, and startup costs. In the U.S., RE/MAX leads the industry inper-agent productivity* and has No. 1 market share. Nobody in the world sell more real estate than RE/MAX.Resource materials for use in listing and recruiting are being prepared for RE/MAX Affiliates and will be available in early January.

* Based on comparison of real estate franchise brokerages participating in the 2012 REAL Trends 500 report.

7111 West Bell Road. #101Glendale, Arizona 85308Each office is independently owned and operated

Professionals

RE/MAX Professionals Newsletter is created and distributed on a monthly basis. All rights reserved. If you would like to submit an article or advertise in our newsletter, email Carol Murr at: cmurr@azpros.net

EDITOR: Carol Murr • cmurr@azpros.net • 623.533.3100

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Orlando Diaz • odiaz@azpros.net • 623.643.1000

CONTRIBUTORS: Frank RussoFidelity National Title Wells Fargo Home MortgageMike DeRosa

RE/MAX Professionals INSIDER Newsletter

“The Real Estate Company You WILL Refer”We are experienced professionals providing world-class service with integrity and respect.

NORTHWEST VALLEY15003 W Bell Rd #100

Surprise, AZ 85374623.533.3100

SOUTHWEST VALLEY10320 W McDowell Rd Bldng B

#2005 Avondale, AZ 85392623.344.7300

ARROWHEAD SOUTH7111 W Bell Rd #101 Glendale, AZ 85308

623.643.1000

SUN CITY WEST13940 Meeker Blvd #119 Sun City West, AZ 85375

623.214.3340

ANTHEM39504 N Daisy Mountain Dr

#106 Anthem, AZ 85086623.465.2300

ARROWHEAD NORTH20241 N. 67th Ave #A-1

Glendale, AZ 85308623-362.3000

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The holidays have come and gone, and you may need help financially in getting off on the right track for the New Year.

We are here to help!

As an added benefit of services to our agents, RE/MAX Professionals would like to remind you that we

offer a competitive Commission Advance Program to help our agents when transactions may not close on time.

If you may have any questions, please feel free to contact your office manager at your respective location.

Professional Commission Advance