Latest News
It’s dues payment season around the board. If you’re unfamiliar with our online process, spend a couple of minutes as we walk you through the easy electronic payment system.
Every November, several NWIA REALTOR® members participate in the Siouxland Sleepout. These folks voluntarily sleep outside on the ball field of the Sioux City Explorers to bring awareness to the plight of homeless members of our community.
In addition to the REALTOR® support, our own Heather Frigge participates in the event as a representative of our NWIA board. Heather always enjoys incorporating a creative theme into her cardboard box structure. This year she plans to use shoes to help shed light on the challenges facing the homeless in our community.
In support of her theme, the board office is conducting a shoe drive.
Members, please go into your closet and find a pair of gently used shoes to donate. Footwear for men, women, and children of all sizes and styles is needed.
All donations will be taken to area shelters to be used by those in need.
Shoes can be dropped off at the Board Office anytime between now and Thursday, November 10. If you prefer, call Heather at (712) 255-8810 and she’ll happily pick them up from your office.
Cash donations in support of the Siouxland Sleepout are also being accepted at the board office. The Sleepout event will take place on November 4.
Thank you in advance for your support of the most vulnerable members of our community, and for helping our board to meet one of the NAR Core Standards.
REALTORS® Property Resource might be the most powerful real estate tool you’ve never heard of. Yes, it’s true.
And as a member of the National Association of REALTORS®, it’s completely free to you. With over 160 million pieces of property across the country, RPR has what you’re looking for. And it can make you look really good at a listing presentation.
You’ll learn how RPR’s dynamic data and client friendly reports can easily help REALTORS® achieve professional success.
In this free workshop will you will learn to:
Search hundreds of datasets on more than 160 million on-and-off market properties
Create the ultimate listing package with RPR’s Comp Analysis tool
Calculate the ROI for your client’s home improvement
Send customized and branded reports… anywhere, anytime
The class is just one hour (no CE’s). It’s free. And it might be a very good investment of time to set your real estate business above the competition. Email Heather at the office at [email protected] to sign up.
NWIA extends a warm welcome to the following members who have recently joined our organization. Please welcome them as you have opportunity. Contact information for any of these members is available in our searchable board member database or our searchable affiliate member database. Both lists are always accessible on our website and are regularly updated with current information for all contacts.
We wish each of you the best in your real estate endeavors. Welcome to the REALTOR® family!
New REALTOR® Members
Candice Matson
Keller Williams Siouxland
Brooke Meyer
United Real Estate Solutions
Vicki Bos
Keller Williams Siouxland
Chris Chase
Keller Williams Siouxland
Tim Holcomb
Holcomb Appraisal Firm
Jessica Watson
Keller Williams Siouxland
Mary Buenrostro
Keller Williams Siouxland
Sarah Taggart
Premier Real Estate
Kylah Barnes
Klassen Realty
Rachael Kies
NextHome at the Lakes
David Struve
J and M Real Estate
New Affiliate Member
Front Porch Properties
All NWIA REALTORS are invited to join us as we participate with our community in the Downtown Sioux City walk on Wednesday, October 5th at Noon.
The event will showcase the Perry Creek Trail and will begin at Noon. Meet us on the east side of the Tyson Center and we’ll walk north along Pierce Street on the trail for approximately one mile before turning around to walk back to Long Lines. The walk will last around 30 minutes.
Wear your REALTOR apparel or pin, and be sure to put your tennis shoes in the car that morning!
Get details on the event in Sioux City here.
NOT IN SIOUX CITY? There are Healthiest State Initiative walks being held all across our 13 county region that day. Find one here, go participate and send us your photos!
The general election of 2016 is quickly approaching, and members of the Northwest Iowa Regional Board of REALTORS® remind the public to take time to ensure they are properly registered to vote at their current residence.
In Iowa, pre-registration can be completed up to 10 days in advance of a general election. Residents can also register at the polling site on Election Day with proper proof of identification and residence. More information about the 2016 election process, including requests for absentee ballots, can be found on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/general/generalelection2016.html
In Nebraska, applications must be submitted prior to the third Friday before the election. Online registration and information is available at https://www.nebraska.gov/apps-sos-voter-registration/
In South Dakota, voter registration applications must be received 15 days prior to the election. A printable online form can be found at https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/voting/register-to-vote/default.aspx and when completed, the form must be returned to the county auditor’s office. Online registration is not available in South Dakota.
REALTORS® are the primary defenders of home ownership in America today, and proudly encourage all citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
The Northwest Iowa Regional Board of REALTORS® is the primary local organization serving the educational, networking and legislative lobbying needs of real estate professionals in a 13 county region. Members of the Northwest Iowa Regional Board of REALTORS® are real estate licensees and subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics; not all real estate licensees are REALTORS®.
September is REALTOR® safety month, and NWIA plans to mark the occasion with two outstanding CE classes for members on September 29 taught by nationally known safety expert Robert Siciliano.
NWIA members may register for the classes by clicking here to access our online registration tool. Please note: registration will require a realtor.org username and password. Members needing assistance with these items should follow directions on the registration page. Members can find their NRDS number by searching this listing on our website.
REALTOR® Safety and Security: Agent/Client Personal Security
It’s not just law enforcement professionals and first responders. Yes, ordinary men and women face risk every day. Real estate agents regularly interact with strangers all the time, yet too many agents are often unprepared for an attack—either by known or unknown assailants. Even when not on the job, your visible public profile as a real estate agent makes you (and your family) a target for potential assault and abduction.
With a light touch and serious knowledge, Robert will:
- Teach you the fundamentals of personal security, both in the physical and virtual worlds.
- Help you devise an effective ongoing personal and office security plan.
- Offer strategies for holding a safe open house and conducting safe personal marketing.
- Show you how to take control with self-defense strategies.
- Help you create a “home safe” plan for your family, both at home and out in the world, regardless of scenario.
COST: Just $10 for 3 hours elective CE credit.
TIME: 9 AM to Noon, Thursday, September 29
LOCATION: Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center, Sioux City
Click here to register via our online store.
Identity Theft Security and Awareness: Protecting The Public’s Information From Identity Theft
Every few seconds, someone has their identity stolen. Computers are hacked, wallets are stolen, credit cards are compromised, credit is ruined…and the instigators make more in a day than most of us make in a year. The fact is, the system we function under is set up to fail—and unless consumers know their options, it’s just a matter of time before they are victimized themselves.
There is a reason data breaches involving millions of credit card and account numbers make news: they cost thousands to millions of dollars per incident, and organizations take on a huge potential financial loss when it comes to the potential of identity theft and data forfeiture. The bleeding will not stop anytime soon—and the more time you spend uninformed, the better your chances of being targeted.
During this presentation, Robert Siciliano will examine:
- The clever ways thieves look for—and get—information.
- Numerous strategies you can use to protect your valuable personal and business data.
- How to use various tools to ensure the data that criminals want are impossible to get.
COST: Just $10 for 3 hours elective CE credit.
TIME: 1 PM to 4 PM, Thursday, September 29
LOCATION: Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center, Sioux City
Click here to register via our online store.
About The Presenter
Best Selling Author Robert Siciliano C.S.P, is the CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Staff Officer of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security whose motto is Semper Paratus (Always Ready).
He is a five time Boston Marathoner, a Private Investigator and is fiercely committed to informing, educating, and empowering people so they can be protected from violence and crime in the physical and virtual worlds. As a Certified Speaking Professional his “tell it like it is” style is sought after by major media outlets such as Fox News, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, ABC Nightly News, Wall Street Journal, and many more. He frequently speaks to executives of leading corporations, meeting planners, and community leaders with the straight talk needed to stay safe in a world in which physical and virtual crime is commonplace.
Robert lives in Boston with his lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. He rides a 1987 purple Harley Davidson Low Rider.
Show us your $320 selfie!
This September, NWIA is pleased to offer an opportunity for one of our members to attend the Iowa Association of REALTORS® Annual Convention event in Coralville … for free!
With dozens of educational classes, nationally known speakers and outstanding opportunities for networking, this is the annual must-attend event for REALTORS® across our state. And, someone from the Northwest Iowa Board of REALTORS® gets to go for FREE!
If you want to be that lucky NWIA member, here’s what you need to do.
Make a sign. Print it from your computer, paint it on cardboard, write it on the driveway with chalk, or put in the sky with an airplane. You know, get creative.- On the sign, use the words, “Send me to #IARConv….”, and then tell us WHY we should pick YOU to attend. Again, creativity and originality count, so make your reason compelling. You’re in sales, so you should be good at that, right?
- Take a photo of you holding your sign, and email it to [email protected] with the subject line, “#IARConv”. By sending us a photo, you’re allowing us to publish it on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). So be tasteful and stuff, please.
- Deadline for entries is 5:00 PM on Tuesday, August 23.
- Your lovely, talented and extremely intelligent board staff will review all the entries and select a winner on Wednesday, August 24. The staff may or may not accept bribes in the form of chocolate, cupcakes or flowers. (Just kidding….)
- The selected photo entrant will receive the following gargantuan-sized prize package, worth a whopping $320:
- One three day registration pass to the Iowa Association of REALTORS® event, held September 13 through 16 in Coralville, Iowa. (value $125)
- Entry to the Tuesday night Kick-Off Reception party.
- One ticket to the Annual Meeting Luncheon. (value $25)
- One ticket to the Fun Night event. (value $30)
- One ticket to the Inaugural Gala party. (value $40)
- A $100 Visa card to help with hotel and gas expenses.
- This amazingly fun contest is only open to primary and secondary REALTOR® members of the Northwest Iowa Regional Board of REALTORS®. We know, those of you in other boards might be a tiny bit sad. Or jealous. We’re sorry. Just remember, we’re always taking new members and you can join as many REALTOR® boards as you want.
So, what are you waiting for? Get busy making your sign and taking a photo. We can’t wait for you to show us your $320 #IARConv selfie!
We’re excited to report that we’ve had three new faces join the NWIA organization in the hot month of July.
Man, it was HOT. Like sweltering, wasn’t it? It certainly makes the flowers lovely, but if we don’t see 80 degree dewpoints and “corn sweat” as news topics again this summer, that would be okay with us around the office. That kind of outrageous humidity turns your otherwise fresh (and lovely) board staff into completely wilted flowers.
But we digress.
We’re tickled to have one new REALTOR® member and two new affiliates aboard as we kick off August. Please extend a warm (but hopefully not sweaty) welcome to these folks as you have an opportunity to meet them. And here’s to hoping for some more comfortable weather in the coming month!
New REALTOR® Member
Scott Simmelink
Siouxland Town & Country Realty, LLC
New Affiliate Members
Lakeside Image
Contact: Heather Bircher
Homeowners Financial Group USA LLC
Contact: Tarra Trumble
Okay, let’s face it. November in Iowa isn’t exactly the most prime month for weather. The crops are harvested, leaving behind sad looking fields waiting for the arrival of spring. The colorful fall beauty in your yard has blown to the ground, waiting to be raked into piles, or if you’re lazy, potentially left to rot all winter….and kill your hopes for a lush lawn in the spring.
Late fall yard work is BLAH.
Iowa in November. The cold, damp, and increasingly dark days of approaching winter slow summer’s frenzied pace to a snail’s crawl. You’re tired. Perhaps you’re uninspired to press on in growing your business, avoiding making that next call, or feeling not up to investing in your professional growth. Frankly, you’re feeling wiped out from the summer and fall grind.
You feel BLAH.
Iowa in November. It’s generally cold, often gray, occasionally wet, and sometimes snowy. Anyone remember the state playoff football games last year had to be postponed because of a blizzard? And you know you plan your children’s Halloween costumes to accommodate a coat and snow boots if necessary. It’s IOWA, people.
November weather in Iowa can certainly be BLAH.
But, coming this November, you can Escape The Blah. Yes, that’s right, E-S-C-A-P-E the Blah. Wave ‘buh-bye to it for four glorious days of warmth, sun, and blue skies in the Sunshine State of Florida. Orlando, to be exact.
We invite you to escape to the NAR Annual Convention!
And get this. When you escape, you not only get to soak up the fabulous weather (and, eek…. palm trees, which you don’t see in Iowa!), you also get to soak in over 100 outstanding educational classes and leadership development opportunities, over 400 trade show vendors, and an unlimited amount of camaraderie and network building experiences with 19,000 new REALTOR® friends. And take in a Hall & Oates concert.
Hello? ONE referral and you’ll have paid for your entire trip, which really isn’t as expensive as you might think. At the writing of this post, we priced flights out of Omaha for around $350 round trip. Yep, ROUND TRIP, folks. Plus there are conference discounts for United and Delta.
And if you go, you’ll probably end up making more money than the average REALTOR® member.
What? More money? Now you’re listening, right?
It’s true. Since 2008, attendees at the REALTOR® Conference and Expo report making twice the average income from real estate as the typical member of the National Association of REALTORS®. Twice the income. TWO times more.
Attending really is a no-brainer. You get to Escape the Blah of both your real estate rut and the Iowa weather. And soak up sun and palm trees, which definitely are not BLAH.
Learn all about the National Association of REALTORS 2016 Conference & Expo right here. And if you’re going, please let our board office know, just so we can be sure to share your cute sunset selfies by the pool with those who didn’t get to Escape the Blah.
