We are pleased to announce that one of our members has been recognized by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) for their long-time commitment and service to the real estate industry.  Mary Lou Raymond, ABR, GRI, CRB, CRS, a REALTOR® with Prudential Carruthers in Hamilton, Virginia, was approved for REALTOR® Emeritus status at the NAR Convention last month in Orlando, FL.  One year after DAAR received its charter as a local REALTOR® board, Raymond became active as a member in numerous committees and served as DAAR Chairman in 1974.  "As an active member who has been with DAAR from nearly the beginning, we truly appreciate Mary Lou's continuing years of service and involvement in the industry and association" adds Candice Bower, 2008 DAAR Chair.

It's almost here! DAAR will be upgrading all of its members to the new Supra ActiveKey - the only lockbox system that doesn't require daily cradling or key swiping during the first week of December. The ActiveKey Upgrade flyer details everything you need to know about the conversion, including when you should plan to come to the Holiday Inn Carradoc Hall to get your ActiveKey. Note that agents who are currently using the eKey do NOT need to attend the conversion.  Appointments are being set in 15 minute increments alphabetically by last name. You should plan to spend 30-45 minutes to complete your appointment.

DAAR is very aware of the impact the upcoming lockbox conversion by the neighboring associations will have on REALTORS(R).  We have been working hard with all the associations in Northern Virginia to minimize this impact as much as possible.  To that end, the associations have agreed to allow agents to obtain a "Key Only" membership that will provide them with keys and lockboxes for the "other" lockbox system at the lowest possible costs.  Click through to the Updated Key Only Membership Costs (2).pdf spreadsheet to see which lockbox system each association will be using after the conversion and how much they will be charging agents who obtain a Key Only membership to them.

NVAR representatives will be at the DAAR office in Leesburg on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 to sell Key Only memberships to DAAR agents.  PWAR will also be sending representatives to sell their Key Only memberships; however, we do not have a date yet.

If you have any questions about the upcoming lockbox conversion or Key Only memberships, please contact Alecia Moroz, Director, Membership Services at 703.579.0302 or via email to amoroz@dullesarea.com.  Check out our FAQ's, click here.

We are pleased to announce that the following DAAR members and staff have been appointed to several Virginia Association of REALTOR® advocacy and specialty group appointments for 2009 including...

The time is coming to upgrade to the new Supra ActiveKey - the only lockbox system that does not require daily cradling, key swiping, or daily code sharing.

We are finally beginning to get information from our neighboring associations about the details of their conversion to the SentriLock lockbox in mid-January.  We have loaded all this information into an easy-to-read Key Only Membership Costs (pdf) spreadsheet, so you can compare costs and decide which association you want to use to get your secondary lockbox key.

DAAR recognizes that many members may need a little help with their cash flow these days, so we've decided to split up the dues billing. In the next day or so you should be receiving your annual dues bill in the mail.  Hopefully the first thing you'll notice is the savings - $393 instead of $560.

DAAR is pleased to announce that Alecia Moroz has accepted the position of Director of Member Services.  Moroz's strong background in communications will add strength to DAAR's new organizational structure designed to produce value-added programs for members.  We are excited about the energy that is produced when our team gets together to plan services and programs for our members and we know that sooner, rather than later, you will see the results of that energy.  Please welcome Alecia to the staff.  She can be reached at amoroz@dullesarea.com, by Ext. 0302, or by her direct line 703-579-0302.

We were advised today that NVAR will not be offering the purchase of SentriCards to Affiliate members, nor will they be allowing Day Codes or Contractor Codes.  PWAR and GPAR have not indicated at this time if they will choose the same policy.  What does this mean to you, the listing agent?  Nothing, if you use a Supra iBox on your listings.  DAAR will continue to offer Supra keys to its Affiliate members.  However, if you choose to use only the Sentrilock lockbox on your listings, you will need to meet all Home Inspectors, Pest Control Inspectors, and possibly Appraisers to provide them access to the property.  Please give this matter serious consideration before determining what type of lockbox to place on your listings and which system best meets your business needs.

The Annual Meeting for the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS®, Inc. has been rescheduled for 8:30 AM, December 17, 2008, at River Creek Country Club prior to the start of the DAAR Economic Summit.  The purpose of this meeting is to elect the proposed slate of directors for 2009.  It is essential that we have a quorum, which is 70.  Please make every effort to attend, and this is a great opportunity to stay for the Annual Economic Summit.  

Following the summit will be the Installation of Officers and Directors, featuring our guest, State Senator Jill Vogel.  Come and support your fellow associates who are giving so generously of their time to support and lead your organization. To sign up for all of these important events, click here and then "Economic Summit" (login and password required) ($20 member registration includes full breakfast and all programs).