Suburban West Realtors Association
Suburban West Weekly
September 18th, 2019
IN THIS ISSUE
  • Alert: Gift Card Phishing Scam

  • Important Notice for Members with Supra eKey Service on iPhone/iPad

  • PAR Legal Hotline Best Practice Tips

  • Heat Up Your Real Estate Marketing at September 23rd Starbucks Morning

  • REALTORS Invited to Chester County Clean Energy Tour on October 19th

  • NAR Responds to Administration Proposal to Reform Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

  • Calendar of Events 
  

 



Alert: Gift Card Phishing Scam

The Association has learned about a scam using text messaging is targeting agents and brokers in our area. The scammer sends an agent a text asking if the agent is available to assist the broker/office. The message informs the agent that the broker/office manager is in a meeting and doesn't have his own cell phone. The message instructs the agent to pick up gift cards and text over the numbers. The scammer then is able to use the gift card value and the agent is out of the money spent.
Agents and brokers are encouraged to discuss this and develop office policies for avoiding this trap. You may also want to report the scam to https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/submit-consumer-complaint-ftc and/or your phone's service provider.

Important Notice for Members with Supra eKey Service on iPhone/iPad

Apple will release a new operating system, iOS 13, for iPhones and iPads, on Thursday, September 19th. A new version of Supra eKEY app is now available in the Apple app store.
IMPORTANT! eKEY users who have the service on an iPhone or iPad must update their eKEY app to this new version before you update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 13. You may not be be able to access keyboxes if you use a previous version of the eKEY app with iOS 13.
To update to the latest version of the eKEY app:
  1. Go to your iPhone or iPad home screen and tap the App Store icon
  2. Tap the Updates icon in the bottom right of the screen
  3. Scroll to locate the eKEY app and select Update or select Update All at the top of the screen to update all of your apps.
Questions? Contact John Barbone via email at jbarbone@suburbanwestrealtors.com or call 610-560-4800

PAR Legal Hotline Best Practice Tips

The legal hotline is regularly cited as one of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR) most appreciated member benefits. Here are some "do's and don'ts" to get the most out of your experience with the hotline.
  • Do call the hotline if you are a PAR Realtor member
  • Do NOT give the number to clients, unlicensed administrative assistants, maintenance staff, non Realtor offices or non-member salespersons in Realtor offices. PAR will not answer questions from anyone other than a PAR Realtor member.
  • Do call between 9 to 11 a.m. and from 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Do NOT call or email PAR attorneys directly with your questions
  • Do give your full first as it is on your license and/or membership record - not your nickname - and spell it if it's tricky. Definitely spell out your last name, even if you think it's easy. Be sure there's an area code with your phone number.
  • Do provide a brief description of your question. This helps the hotline attorneys refresh on a topic before the return call if necessary, or to assign it to an attorney who may have more knowledge in a specific area. Failing to provide your name or a brief description may get your call bumped to the bottom of the queue.
  • Do keep your phone nearby. Hotline attorneys do their very best to return your call the same day - and definitely by the next workday. They will call back a few times over the next two days, but if they can't connect at that point, you'll be asked to leave a new message to be sure the question is still active. 

Heat Up Your Real Estate Marketing at Next Week's Starbucks Morning

Digital marketing can be time consuming and expensive. But it doesn't have to be. Join member and ePro instructor Stefanie Hahn for Starbucks Morning: Using Canva, Facebook Ads and Instagram Stories to Heat Up Your Real Estate Marketing (September 23; 10a-11:30a at SWRA, Malvern) as she provides tips and tricks to maximize your digital marketing without breaking your budget. Stefanie will cover:
  • The Canva Craze - discover how to utilize this online graphic design tool to create compelling content
  • Facebook Ads Tutorial - learn best practices for maximizing your Facebook Ad return and see examples of real ads and their analytics
  • Instagram Stories Primer - learn to drive traffic and engagement with Instagram including how to create an Instagram story from start to finish
Plus Stefanie will answer your questions. Don't miss this opportunity to get your digital marketing on track this Fall!
Register online (once logged in, access the Events tab and then click Upcoming Meetings) or call 610-560-4800.

Members Invited to 2019 Chester County Clean Energy Tour on October 19th

The organizations Chester County Ready for 100%, the American Solar Energy Society and Solar United Neighbors invites Suburban West members to the 2019 Chester County Clean Energy Tour. Held locally this year on Saturday, October 19th, this event is the largest grassroots solar, renewable energy and sustainable living event in the nation. 
The clean energy tour features more than 24 sites divided among 4 different loops across Chester County where solar homeowners, schools, houses of worship, business, farms and non-profits open their doors and explain their own sustainable solutions. It is an opportunity to learn how they got started using clean energy, what products are available, costs, financing options, payback periods, how to find an installer and more.
Find out more and register for the tour today by visiting https://www.nationalsolartour.org/localtours/chester-county/

NAR Responds to Administration Proposal to Reform Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

The National Association of Realtors is offering answers to questions regarding the Trump administration's recent release of proposals to reform the housing finance system and end the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Along with the administration's proposal, NAR has offered its own blueprint for GSE reform that has been praised by industry experts. Read more about both proposals here: https://www.nar.realtor/fannie-mae-freddie-mac-gses/faqs-on-white-house-gse-reform-proposal.
For more news items from the Suburban REALTORS Alliance, click here to access their Weekly News Briefs.
How Do I Save? How Do I Purchase the Pass?

Calendar of Events
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Suburban West REALTORS Association
1 Country View Road, Suite 201, Malvern PA 19355
P: 610-560-4800 | F: 610-560-4801		 Association of REALTORS School
1 Country View Road, Suite 101, Malvern PA 19355
P: 610-560-4900 | F: 610-560-4801
  Equal Housing Opportunity Realtor
Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
1 Country View Road Suite 201
Malvern, PA | 19355 US
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma
Subscribe to our email list.