Thursday, June 30, 2011

CNBC: N.C. Among Best States for Business

North Carolina was recently named the third best state for business by CNBC, following Virginia and Texas. The rankings were determined by measuring each state in 10 different categories. In those categories, N.C. ranked in the top five for workforce and infrastructure/transportation but the lowest for its economy. For more information on the criteria or to see how other states fared, follow the link below.
Click Here

Friday, June 24, 2011

Free NAR Commercial Webinar and Podcast

Impact of Natural Disasters on Commercial Real Estate

In the last year we’ve experienced several major natural disasters, most recently devastating tornadoes in America’s heartland and floods
in the south. These national and global events have profound implications for the upcoming regulatory environment in the United States.
Boston College Professor and Signature Series Speaker Frank Parker explores the effects on the economy, nuclear future, oil prices, wind tunnel and solar panel events,
water access threats, and carbon sequestration. Download this free 30 minute webinar at your convenience!
LINK:
http://www.realtor.org/commercial/free_educational_webinars


Getting Paid Beyond the Transaction

Signature Series Speaker, Dr. Drew Stevens offers some great advice about how to adapt to the nuances of selling today in this 20 minute Commercial
Intelligence Briefing podcast
. Cold calling is dead; endorsements and referrals is where it’s at. Differentiating yourself and adding value to the
relationship with your clients – not just a transaction – is key.
LINK: http://www.realtor.org/commercial/technology_and_intelligence_briefings_podcast

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Commercial Broker Lien Bill & Credit Union Lending Bill

Governor Perdue signed HB 174 (Commercial Broker Lien Act), sponsored by Reps Darrell McCormick (R-Iredell), Pryor Gibson (D-Anson), Leo Daughtry (R-Johnston) and Tom Murry (R-Wake), into law on June 17, which was a significant accomplishment for the NC Association of REALTORS®, as staff and REALTORS® have been working diligently on this issue since 1997. Ultimately, it passed the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously and then passed the Senate with only one “no” vote, a testament to the work that was put into this issue throughout the process and making sure that legislators understood the significance of this bill. This legislation will ensure that commercial brokers are paid the commission owed to them. For information on the bill, click on the HB174 link at the top.


NAR Supports Credit Union Lending Bill
The U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban affairs Committee held a hearing last week on credit union member business lending. NAR sent a letter in support of S. 509, the Small Business Lending Enhancement Act of 2011 (Udall, D-CO), which would raise the cap on credit union member business lending. The letter focused on the beneficial effect this source of financing would have on commercial real estate and small businesses.

The current cap on credit union member business lending is 12.5 percent of a credit union's assets, but NAR seeks to raise that limit for well-capitalized credit unions. This would allow credit unions to fill in the commercial real estate financing gap, and help get capital to the struggling small businesses who occupy commercial buildings. NAR will continue to engage with Congress and other stakeholders to push for a raise of the business lending cap for credit unions. Read NAR's Letter to the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee

Friday, June 17, 2011

TCAR Partners with Triangle Economic Development Agencies

TCAR (www.TCAR.com), announces the integration of its commercial real estate exchange portal, Tacquire, into the websites of two Triangle economic development agencies. Raleigh Economic Development (www.raleigh4you.com) and Wake County Economic Development (www.raleigh-wake.org) now provide website visitors with real-time property and lease data.

“In communicating with business owners that are considering relocation to the area, one of the first things they want to know is what space is available for lease or purchase,” says Jennifer Bosser, assistant executive director for Wake County Economic Development. “With the new capabilities added through Tacquire, accurate and comprehensive listings are available at a moment’s notice.”

Tacquire tracks office, industrial, retail and specialty space available for lease across the Triangle region, as well as buildings and land being marketed for sale. The database is set up to be searchable by location, property type, price range and square footage. To ensure accuracy, Tacquire utilizes researchers to verify and update listings on an ongoing basis.

“Providing the most up-to-date property data is imperative to sustaining growth in our area,” says Kim Brennan, TCAR executive officer. “It’s an honor to have earned the trust of these agencies, and we look forward to building upon these partnerships as the area continues to grow.”

Database improvements have expanded the property listing details to give more information to prospective businesses. These include providing area maps, demographics, a birds-eye view, and a printable flyer.

The new partnerships bring added benefits to Tacquire members as well. With more than 5,215 hits per month at the Raleigh and Wake Economic Development websites, member listings receive increased exposure. This has helped open doors to increased interaction with prospective business owners.

About Wake County Economic Development
Wake County Economic Development (WCED) is the lead economic development agency for Wake County. As such, WCED assists businesses with their relocation and expansion plans, and markets Wake County as one of the best places for business in the United States. WCED is a program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit www.raleigh-wake.org.

About Raleigh Economic Development
The City of Raleigh Economic Development Program is a partnership between the City of Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. The primary function of Raleigh Economic Development is to support job creation and capital investment in the city of Raleigh. This is accomplished by working with companies, site selection consultants, real estate professionals, and others to provide a wide range of information about the City of Raleigh. For more information, visit www.raleigh4u.com.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Lien Law on Senate Floor Today

After having been quickly through the Senate Commerce Committee at the beginning of the week, Broker Lien Bill HB 174 has made it to the full Senate today for a vote.

This has all occurred very fast and so a call to action was difficult to get out in a timely manner. In the hopes of not having to wait yet another year and go through the process again, the bill has been moved quickly through the different stages.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Latest on Broker Lien Law

Since 1997, the North Carolina Association of REALTORS® has been working diligently on a Broker Lien Law for our commercial members.

The latest version of the legislation, HB174, has just made it through the House with a vote of 107 to 11. No one spoke against the bill. Our membership has very much been involved in working hard to make this bill happen.

The next step is for it to be heard in the Senate next week. We'll keep you posted on further developments and if there is any further assistance required in order for this legislation to become law.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

AT&T Discounts to NC REALTORS®

Just another way to pay for your membership!

AT&T wireless is offering exclusive discounts to NC REALTORS®. Members can receive a 10% discount off of monthly access charges, waived Activation Fee with a two year contract, and accessory discounts at any AT&T owned stores. Now through June 30th, buy any 2 accessories and receive a third (non Apple brand), of equal of lesser value for FREE! To sign up for service, visit any AT&T Company Owned Retail location.

Make sure to provide the following to get your discounts: Foundation Account Number (FAN) - 2017074. If you have questions, please email cc8410@att.com.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

A Message From Cindy Chandler re: Commercial Broker Lien Law

This just came out and was hopefully received by your members.

For those members of yours who are in support of this legislation, please encourage them to respond to this Call For Action. It takes about 20 seconds.

I plan to ask how many Call for Action responses we got on this and if its low, then it will be difficult to defend this legislation. We need the participation of all of those who are in support. Remind them that its not "someone else's job" to respond.

I recognize that some of your developer members may not support this, which is fine. Those brokers who complain that they are hosed by landlords and sellers need to take action or shut up. From now on when they call me, complaining, I will ask them if they responded to this CFA and if not, I will terminate my conversation with them.

Because of the nature of my business this doesn't matter to me personally but I am supporting it as a commercial practitioner. There is broker lien law in about half of the states now, and this bill makes is difficult to have a frivolous suit.

Please go to for the Call to Action if you support this bill.


Cindy

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Call For Action on Commercial Broker Lien Law

Earlier today, HB 174 - Commercial Broker Lien Law - passed out of House Judiciary A. The bill passed after one question and only two comments allowed from the floor. The bar association spoke against and Cady Thomas, Director of Government Affairs for the North Carolina Association of REALTORS® spoke for the bill and then Rep. Grey Mills made the motion for a favorable report.

Next the bill goes to the House Floor. In anticipation of this vote and opposition by some of the lawyers, we have enacted a Call For Action. Please participate in this CFA and let your house member know you support the legislation. It's expected to be on the floor next week, so timing is critical.

Here is the link to the Commercial Broker Lien Law Call for Action:

http://www2.realtoractioncenter.com/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=1603

We are thankful to Rep. McCormick for his continued efforts on this bill and to Rep. Leo Daughtry, a co-sponsor of the legislation, who ran the bill today so Rep. McCormick could hold the committee he chairs.