Industry announcements

Suzanne Sette in Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices California Properties’ La Jolla Office Named Board President of La Jolla Historical Society

Suzanne Sette, a power player in the real estate industry and in her community has been appointed President of the Board of Directors of the La Jolla Historical Society.

“I am honored to serve as board president for such an integral organization in our city,” said Suzanne, who has been an agent with the La Jolla office of Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices California Properties since 1998. “The Historical Society has so much to offer that many locals may not be aware of what is available: from incredible, timely, and thought-provoking art exhibitions, open-air movie nights, to an upcoming Zoom talk focusing on race relations in San Diego. It is a great resource for everyone in our wonderful region, and most of the events are free.”

PSAR class on tenant screening

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) will present a class on Rentspree, a tenant screening software that benefits brokers, landlords and renter and property management firms, from 1 to 2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 9, over the online Zoom meeting platform. Class fee is free. Instructor will be Steven Pastores, customer success manager, Rentspree. Based in Los Angeles, the software company has developed an online rental process that promotes improved interaction between renters, landlords and agents. It assists with rental application packages and tenant screening reports that includes credit reporters, background checks and eviction history. For more information, call PSAR at (619) 421-7811, or visit www.psar.org.

PSAR presents 2021 Housing Forecast

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) will present a webinar featuring a 2021 Southern California Housing Market Forecast by economist Steven Thomas, publisher of Reports on Housing, from 1 to 2 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18, over Zoom. All real estate professionals in San Diego County are invited to attend. Admission is free. Thomas, who has a degree in quantitative economics, will discuss interest rates, foreclosures, the hot housing market, when will buyers have any transaction leverage, trade war escalation and the impact of the 2020 elections. For more event information, call PSAR at (619) 421-7811 or visit www.psar.org.

Realtors learning seniors training

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) will present a series of online classes for realtors who want to earn the Seniors Real Estate Specialists (SRES) professional designation from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The SRES program provides professional training and development for realtors who serve clients ages 50 or older. Classes will be presented from 1 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 9, 10, 16 and 17 by certified SRES instructor Laura Kovacs of Phoenix. Cost is $185 for members, $199 for nonmembers. For more information, call PSAR at (619) 4217811, or visit www.psar.org. Inventory decreases to 1.7 months in September

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) reports the inventory of available supply of homes for sale in San Diego County declined by nearly half to 1.7 months in September 2020, compared to 3.1 months in September 2019. Statewide, the California Association of Realtors (CAR) said the inventory for the entire state of 2.0 months in September 2020 was lower than 3.6 months in September 2019. The 2.0 months figure was the lowest statewide level since November 2004. Inventory levels in months refers to the number it would take for the current inventory of homes on the market to sell-out given the current sales pace.

Homes selling in all price segments

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) reports home sales in all price segments are continuing to bounce back since the Covid-19 crisis depressed the housing market earlier this year. Citing recent statistics from the California Association of Realtors (CAR), PSAR said sales of higher-priced properties are recovering faster than other segments of the housing market. Typical reasons for price increases include a lack of homes for sale leading to price wars, plus record low interest rates and workers stuck doing jobs from home are raising homeownership levels and some are looking for more square footage space.

Realtors planning 2021 social media

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) said many of its realtor members are planning greater social media engagement in 2021. According to REALTOR Mike White, a PSAR board member and chair of PSAR’S Tech Committee, realtors can improve their social media content with images and videos of client testimonials, as a well as endorsements. “The best social media content is the result of planning, scheduling, creative thinking and familiarity with different social media channels,” said White. “The result will be informative communications to receptive clients at the right time.” PSAR’S Tech Committee offers free webinars at noontime on the fourth Wednesday of each month. All San Diego-area realtors, regardless of association membership, are invited to participate.

Expect busy housing market this fall

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) said its members are expecting a busy fall season in the San Diego resale housing market. Normally, the housing market experiences a cooldown in the fall as students return to school and buyers begin to hunker-down. However, that dynamic has changed with Covid delaying the reopening of schools for in-person learning. Realtor Robert Cromer, the 2020 PSAR President, said he expects the housing market in San

Diego will remain active this fall. “Sellers will continue to receive top dollar for their homes outside the prime selling season,” said Cromer. “Homes are selling quickly and buyer demand shows no signs of tapering off anytime soon.”

Diversity training for realtors

The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) will present a webinar for realtors who want to earn the “At Home with Diversity” certificate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19. PSAR said the certificate teaches realtors how to conduct their business with sensitivity with all client profiles and will help build a business plan that includes multicultural relationships. Instructor will be Michael Soon Lee, president of Ethno-connect, a training company that helps companies increase sales to multicultural customers. Cost to attend is $15 for members and $29 for nonmembers. For more information, call PSAR at (619) 421-7811, or visit www.psar.org.

Suzanne Sette