NAR Virtual Library

March 5, 2012

Professional Standards

This Updated Field Guide provides quick links to essential information on NAR's 2012 Code of Ethics and Professional Standards Policy. Find out about the mandatory Code of Ethics training, Professional Standards Administrator training, and applying the Code of Ethics in real life. For a comprehensive listing of ethics and professional standards resources available from NAR, visit the Professional Standards/Code of Ethics page on Realtor.org.

March 5, 2012

Establishing a Charitable Foundation

Making the decision to establish or even to participate in a charitable foundation can be rough, especially in today's economic times. The resources presented in this Updated Field Guide can help facilitate this decision-making process. You will find information pertaining to tax and legal issues, fundraising as well as general tips on how to start a non-profit. You'll also discover a wide assortment of useful web sites as well as many valuable resources available from NAR.

March 1, 2012

Development Impact Fees

Impact fees, or development fees, are expenditures that developers are required to make as a precondition to approval of their projects. Impact fees are generally used to finance roads, schools, affordable housing, transit systems, and other projects and services in municipalities throughout the United States. The fees are frequently passed on by developers to purchasers in the price of a new property and, therefore, increase the cost of housing and decrease the profitability of a particular project. This Updated Field Guide page includes articles, studies, Supreme Court decisions, and other material on the debate over impact fees.

March 1, 2012

Sale Leasebacks and Synthetic Leases

Often used as a financing alternative, sale-leasebacks offer financially struggling companies access to cash to pay down debt and improve the bottom line. And in a post-Enron environment, sale-leasebacks provide an alternative to the less favorable option of synthetic leases. Find out how sale-leaseback transactions have helped the balance sheets of hotel, restaurant, retail, and other businesses, in this Updated Field Guide.

March 1, 2012

Appraisal of Real Estate Offices and Selling Your Book of Business

Whether you own a real estate firm or are thinking of buying or selling one, it's important to know what the business is worth. The following articles and studies in this Updated Field Guide can provide some insight into determining the value of a real estate firm and its assets.

March 1, 2012

Association Budgets and Reserves

Creating and maintaining a successful association budget doesn't have to be a headache. Take the pain out of budgeting with these tools available with this Updated Field Guide through NAR's library at Information Central.

February 10, 2012

QR Codes

Have you started to notice black and white squares on advertising, in magazines, on business cards or on yard signs? Created in Japan in 1994, Best Buy, Ralph Lauren, and movie advertising are using QR codes to connect with customers. Find out how to generate a QR Code, download the QR Code on your smartphone and then read the information. In this Updated Field Guide, learn about QR (Quick Response) codes, why they are a new form of mobile advertising, and how they can be used to market and sell real estate.

February 10, 2012

Foreign Investment Trends in the U.S.

Despite potential risks such as a depressed housing market, dealing with foreign laws, fluctuating exchange rates, etc., cross-border investment is expected to accelerate as domestic investors seek high returns abroad and foreign investors take advantage of a weakened dollar. The steadily rising influx of capital into U.S. markets and limited supply of product have altered the way the game is played. This Field Guide offers information and sources for those considering foreign investment opportunities.

February 8, 2012

Cell Phone Towers

Cell phone towers may bring extra tax revenue, greater reception, and security to a city or town. Despite these benefits, many remain skeptical of towers due to potential health risks, environmental aesthetics, and the impact on property values.

February 3, 2012

New Books in the Library (February 2012)

What's new in the Information Central library collection? This month you'll find books on Nonprofit Leadership, Financial Management Handbook, Real Estate Investment in Emerging Markets and many more. Interested in borrowing any of these titles from the library? Simply click on the title to make your request right over the web!

February 3, 2012

New eBooks in the Library (February 2012)

What's new in the Information Central eBook collection? This month our featured eBook section is Top New Year’s Resolutions. You'll also find some of the following new titles in our "just added" section on the eBook home page: Get Paid More and Promoted Faster, Commercial Real Estate Restructuring, Leasing Process and many more. Interested in borrowing any of these titles from the eBook collection? Simply click on the title to make your request right over the web!

November 15, 2011

This month in real estate history: Hello Miss Grant, this is Presley

Virginia Grant recognized the woman sitting in a large pink Cadillac in front of the trendy Lowenstein’s East Department store in early 1957. Grant had seen the woman’s photograph in the newspaper and recognized her. It was Elvis Presley’s mother. "But for the Grace of God," she said in the September 1957 issue of the Women’s Council newsletter, What Women Realtors Are Doing, "I might never have been at Lowenstein’s East and met the lovely Mrs. Presley, in exactly the way in which I described to you." Find out more in "This Month in Real Estate History" from the NAR Archives.

September 6, 2011

Twitter Videos

Have you as a REALTOR® jumped into the Twitter game? According to the 2010 CRT Technology Survey, about 30% of REALTORS® are on Twitter. If you’ve thought about it, but aren’t sure how Twitter might fit in to your life, Kate from NAR’s Information Central has just completed a series of videos on Twitter basics, how to get started, where to find followers, and more. Take a look and let us know what you think!

August 5, 2011

New Library Catalog!

Make the library your first stop for personal and professional reading through the new Library Catalog at www.Realtor.org/library, or go directly to http://realtors.kohalibrary.com/.

In addition to the 12,000+ books, reports, CDs and DVDs in the traditional collection, the library also offers a digital collection of 2300+ books, audiobooks and videos and nearly 1700 journals through Proquest.

Go to catalog >

May 16, 2011

Contact Information Central via Instant Message, Skype, or Twitter

Have a quick research question or just want to keep up with all the doings at Information Central?

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December 28, 2007

Social Networking

Last year, Information Central reported on social networking tools in A Web 2.0 Sampler: YouTube, ActiveRain, and iTV. Since that time, many more technologies have gained momentum as powerful networking and marketing tools for REALTORS®. As expected, social networking websites and applications continue to take the lead when it comes to "must have" technologies. In this new report you will find tech tools you absolutely must know about to reach those tech savvy consumers. Find out more in the latest technology report from NAR's Information Central.

October 12, 2007

A Look Back at Real Estate's Beginnings

The latest video in our series on our favorite resources for REALTORS® and association staff takes a look at the 1958 book Real Estate in American History by Pearl Janet Davies.