President's Column: A Message from LoCAR’s New President

Lori Elswick, 2010 2010 President, Lorain County Association of REALTORS®

Lori Elswick 2010 LoCAR President

Happy New Year … 2010! A new year, a new decade! … Hello, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Lori Elswick and I have the honor of serving as the 2010 President of the Lorain County Association of Realtors® (LoCAR).

LoCAR is an industry trade association representing licensed real estate agents in Lorain County who are members of the National Association of Realtors®. As members of the National Association these licensed real estate agents have earned the right to be called REALTORS® and they pledge to protect the rights of homeownership and conduct their real estate business abiding by the Realtors® Code of Ethics.

Our trade association also represents Affiliate members. Affiliate members are professionals who provide important real estate industry support services such as, home inspectors, mortgage providers, title insurance companies, appraisal services and home stagers.

As a trade association promoting home ownership and the use of REALTORS® on both sides of the real estate transaction, LoCAR also provides many services to the community. For example, our Legislative Committee works with other groups monitoring regulations and public policy programs affecting the ownership of real property. Special consumer programs educate first time homebuyers. LoCAR also provides a consumer website www.MyNewCommunity.net with links to many other websites for information about Lorain County communities and home buying advice.

In addition to homebuying information on the websites, the Association has many informative brochures and pamphlets available. For the first-time homebuyer the “Homebuyer’s Toolkit – Ten Steps to Choosing and Purchasing Your Home” can be mailed to you. Contact the LoCAR office at (440) 328-4210 or email your request to contact@LoCAR.org.

Many of the articles you’ll see here for 2010 will promote Realtors® and the real estate industry in Lorain County. The articles will focus on the opportunities and trends within Lorain County to provide affordable housing (through either existing homes for sale or new construction) and to encourage first-time homebuyers, move-ups and investors to see Lorain County as the place to live, raise your family and become involved in our communities. By working together to we can connect with our communities and add value to homeownership.

Presently, the inventory of homes for sale provides many opportunities in terms of community choice, variety of styles, and excellent pricing. In addition, the interest rates continue to be at an all time low and loan programs are available to qualified buyers. What a wonderful opportunity for the first-time homebuyer, investors and second-home buyers. Let’s not forget the tax credit of $8,000 for first time homebuyers and the $6,500 tax credit for others that will expire on April 30th of this year The time is right for a home purchase in Lorain County. And using a professional REALTOR® is an important factor in your investment.

Remember, the Lorain County Association of REALTORS® offers a website that provides a complete listing of REALTOR® real estate brokerages in Lorain County, contact information for REALTOR® members, and industry associates. If you are a first time homebuyer or a repeat buyer consider www.MyNewCommunity.net or www.LoCAR.org as a good source for Lorain County REALTOR® information. Also, look for us soon on Facebook!