The Chattanooga CRS-CRB Group elected its 2016 officers at its most recent networking luncheon, held Dec. 10 at Broad Street Grille. Serving next year will be: Steven LaMar, president; Kaye Ivey, president-elect; Brenda Pargeon, treasurer; and Susan Barnette, secretary.
The Chattanooga CRS-CRB is made up of local Realtors who hold either the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation, or the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) designation, or both.
The group encourages ongoing Realtor education, promotes a positive image of the designees through advertising, provides a forum for networking, and offers assistance to Realtors looking to become designees.
LaMar has a full plate for his term in 2016. Some of the goals he hopes to achieve as president include increasing benefits, reducing costs for existing members, advertising designees to consumers, recruiting new candidates for the designations, increasing the membership, representing members at the local and state associations, and giving back to the community through volunteer and fundraising efforts.
About the president
LaMar moved from Huntsville, Ala., to Chattanooga, Tenn., in September 2014. He’s been in the residential real estate industry since 1993. He joined the National Association of Realtors in 2001 after graduating from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in real estate finance. In 2006, LaMar became a Certified Residential Specialist and then served as the president of the North Alabama CRS Chapter in 2011. He practices with the downtown office of Crye-Leike, where he’s the assistant managing broker.
Next year will mark 14 years of “wedded bliss” for LaMar and his wife, Melani. In his spare time, he can be found running with different groups around downtown Chattanooga and onstage in community theater productions.
To learn more about the Chattanooga CRS-CRB Group, email LaMar at steven@stevenlamar.com.
TRID tips and best practices
The first few weeks after a contract is signed is the most important period of the process. During the Chattanooga CRS-CRB networking luncheon, Terre Webb and Lindsey Webb-Wood of Mortgage Investors Group offered these tips designed to help the loan process move smoothly toward the target closing date:
– Encourage buyers to apply for a mortgage within the first 48 hours of signing the contract.
– Remind buyers to provide all financial documents and information to their lender within five days of submitting the application.
– Stress the importance of shopping for and deciding on homeowners insurance within two weeks of submitting the application, and of providing the lender with the information as soon as possible.
– Provide changes to the contract to the lender within 24 hours, including changes to seller concessions.
– When possible, complete a home inspection and any negotiations for repairs within ten days of submitting the application so the lender can order the appraisal, if applicable.
– Determine a definite close date at the signing of the contract and then avoid making changes if possible. (The lender will be working on a timeline to meet that date, and changing to an earlier date could disrupt the timeline.)
– Schedule the date and the time of the closing with the title agent as soon as possible after signing the contract.
– Provide any charges or costs the buyer is to pay at closing within two weeks of the contract, or as soon as known.
– Provide all contact information, including the license numbers of the selling and listing agent, at the signing of the contract.