Latest News
Fall is here, and with it come a few new faces to our REALTOR organization. We are always delighted to welcome new members! Please join us in making these new folks feel at home as a part of NWIA. Contact information for these members is available in the membership directory located here on our website.
Victor Becerra, Century 21 ProLink
Theresa Deger, NextHome TriState Realty
Jeanne Glaser, Keller Williams Greater Des Moines
Effective November 1, the NWIA MLS will add a new required field to all Residential and Multi-Unit properties. The field will be called PROPERTY SURVEILLANCE, and will require a simple Yes or No answer to two questions:
- Audio (Yes or No), meaning does the property have any type of audio surveillance capability;
- Video (Yes or No), meaning does the property have video surveillance cameras of any kind?
Both questions must be answered as a part of the listing entry process. Unfortunately, these two questions will be added to all listings, meaning a previously entered listing which is being changed or updated by an agent must also have answers to the Audio (Yes or No), and Video (Yes or No) entered before any changes can be saved.
These questions are being added in our ongoing effort to decrease potential liability for REALTOR® members. Some NWIA brokerages have already added these questions to their listing agreements and/or property disclosures, and we expect more will do so as time and technology evolve.
TAKE NOTE: If a property does utilize either audio or video surveillance devices, it is strongly recommended that a notice be visibly posted for the public to see when an agent is hosting an open house event.
Questions about this change can be directed to the board office at (712) 255-8810.
Members of the Iowa Association of REALTORS® have access to a free Legal Hotline service included as a part of their annual dues payment. Recently, IAR has recently hired Gabe Walsh, a new face in this role. Gabe spoke about the Legal Hotline service at the IAR convention earlier this fall, and provided us with this presentation for those who couldn’t be in attendance. The Legal Hotline is intended to provide guidance, but it cannot substitute for an agent’s relationship with a personal attorney.
Questions about the Legal Hotline or its services can be directed to Gabe Walsh at the Iowa Association of REALTORS®, at (888) 636-2622 or by emailing [email protected]. Please note that responses are often not immediate due to the volume of requests received.
Please join us in welcoming these new members to our NWIA family! Contact information for these members is available in our member directory here on the website. Real estate is a great career, and we are proud of these new professionals for joining the REALTOR family. Welcome!
Brittini Fergen, Century 21 ProLink
Hannah Koerselman, Century 21 ProLink
Mohamed Warsame, United Real Estate Solutions
Claudia Zapata, United Real Estate Solutions
Steven Drent, Keller Williams Siouxland
By Russ McCall, Broker/Owner, McCall Auctions and Real Estate, Onawa
Greetings from the beautiful community of Onawa, Iowa! Strategically located halfway between Sioux City, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska is Onawa—my favorite town. I’ve called Onawa, Iowa (population 3,000) my home for many years and it’s a place near and dear to my heart.
We are located in Monona county, just off Interstate 29, and our proximity to major transportation routes makes us a great location for business and industry. We have many great retail shops in our downtown, and ten restaurants in our community. We are grateful for so many wonderful businesses that meet the needs of the community and employ our residents.
Onawa is not only a great place to work, it’s also a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I think we have one of the best public libraries around. The West Monona School system and all the other schools in the area are outstanding. Our community offers a range of outstanding medical care at the Burgess Health Center, and we have a number of care centers for those needing those services. Our faith community is also strong and active, with eight churches in our little town.
If you are a lover of the outdoors, Onawa is the place for you. Our location in western Iowa has us adjacent to a number of outdoor recreation opportunities, including the beautiful Loess Hills rising 200 feet above the prairie on the east side of our county. This unique geographic formation was created by wind-driven loess soil during the last ice age and is a great place to spend a day exploring the beautiful scenery. Additionally, Blue Lake is only 2 miles west of Onawa with great fishing, and camping opportunities abound at places like KOA Camping and the On-Ur-Wa R.V. Park located adjacent to I-29.
Finally, Onawa is a community that likes to have fun. We host a fun car show in June called Graffiti Night, and the Monona County fair every July which is full of entertainment and great food. RAGBRAI was hosted by Onawa in 2018 and was a huge success, and we had such a great time we will be certainly working to host again in the future.
I hope you will come experience all that Onawa has to offer next time you are passing through the area!
*NWIA sends a shout of thanks to the Onawa Chamber of Commerce for providing community photos and information for this article.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Russ McCall is the Broker/Owner of McCall Auctions and Real Estate in Onawa. McCall Auctions was founded in 1935 by E.W. “Red” McCall, and started as primarily a livestock auction company. McCall Auctions grew in 1974 when Russ and Loretta McCall began their vision of what has made McCall Auctions & Real Estate what it is today, a full time, full service Auction & Brokerage Company.
The company has conducted thousands of auctions including livestock, farm machinery & equipment, estates, antiques, collectibles and real estate auctions. Russ believes there is no place like HOME.
NWIA has welcomed a slew of new faces to the organization over the summer months. Please be sure to greet these folks and make them feel welcome as you have an opportunity. We are also welcoming new Affiliate members, and we are glad they are with us too.
As always, contact information for these folks and all our members, is available in the directories here on our website.
Rhonda Daniel, Keller Williams Siouxland
Nathan Maassen, Preferred Partners, Inc
Mark Nibbe, Next Home at the Lakes
Bridget Johnson, Next Home at the Lakes
Lance Ploeger, McGuire Auction Company, Inc
Jody Adler, Exit Realty Midwest
Kyle Richards, Keller Williams Siouxland
Bailey Elgersma, ISB Services inc.
Amy Lindgren, Keller Williams Siouxland
Nolan Shook, Keller Williams Siouxland
Emily Bye, Dakota Realty
Kim Doughan, Northwest Realty
Danny Pick, iSpec (affiliate)
Kimberly (Kim) Gordon, Realty One Group Regency
Kristina Brodersen, Exit Realty Midwest/Cherokee
Ronald Witham, Weaver Realtors
Angelica Gallegos, Keller Williams Siouxland
Lam Diep, Keller Williams Siouxland
Rachel Raak-Law, United Real Estate Solutions
By Corey Elgersma, Broker/Officer at ISB Services, Sheldon
The saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and my favorite village is Sheldon, Iowa (population 5,067). In Sheldon, our community is small enough that this statement holds true, but we are also large enough to have some really great amenities. Our town is clean and well kept, and we work together and take care of each other.
I believe Sheldon is a special place. We have both great public school system and private school options, which is somewhat unique for rural Iowa. Our public school’s music, athletic and drama programs are all outstanding and every year we have highly rated performers and teams from all of our extra-curricular activities. Speaking of ratings, the Sheldon School mascot is the Orab. Never heard of it? That’s okay, we made it up! It’s a combination of our school colors, ORange And Black, and in this town we are absolutely proud to have what the Des Moines Register called the number one worst rated mascot name in the state. Go Orabs!
Located primarily in O’Brien county, but with a little piece in Sioux county, Sheldon is a community that works together. We are home to the wonderful Northwest Iowa Community College and Sanford Medical Center, who collaborate well with the City of Sheldon, a number of great local banks, and many other businesses. Our local entities work together to accomplish things a small town otherwise could not on its own. In Sheldon, we are all proud to be partners in the community’s success.
Another thing I love about my town is that in Sheldon, we know how to have fun. Each year, our community hosts Risefest, a large Christian music festival in mid-June. We welcome thousands of people to our little town for a very big two day event. Later in the summer, Labor Day brings everyone out for Sheldon Celebration Days and a whole weekend of events, including street dances, comedians, food, cow patty bingo, a duck dive, worship, and carnival rides. That event is capped off by our wonderful Labor Day parade.
I invite you to come spend a day in Sheldon to have fun and make some memories. Try out a round of golf at the Sheldon Golf and Country Club, take a dip in our beautiful outdoor aquatic center, or attend a school athletic event. Of course any of these activities would be great topped off with a treat from the Dairy Dandy, one of the best ice cream shops in the world! Many passersby gladly exit the Highway 60 expressway to get some of that famous Dairy Dandy ice cream. If you’re visiting at meal time, Sheldon boasts several great locations for fast food, and we’re home to Langer’s and Cook’s Café, The J & B Bar, Old 60 Steaks and Chops, a host of Mexican cuisine options. We’ve got Chinese Chef and an awesome little coffee, soup and sandwich place called Truly Scrumptious, which lives up to its name. If you are hungry and it’s a Wednesday in the wintertime, be sure to visit the J & B Bar for hot beef, it’s amazing!
Next time you’re in the area, I hope you too will take time to turn off the expressway and come experience all that Sheldon, Iowa has to offer. We’re a friendly place, and we’d love to see you.
About The Author
Corey Elgersma is a REALTOR® member, and the Broker/Officer at ISB Services Inc. in Sheldon who has been in the real estate industry for 7 years. An active part of the Sheldon community, over the years Corey has served with Kiwanis, the Sheldon Fire Company as a volunteer fireman, a youth sponsor, and as a member of the leadership team for both the Sheldon Community School District and his church.
Corey says, “I sincerely enjoy helping people. I am an efficiency expert and a problem solver. The most rewarding for me, is first time home buyers. They are the most work but the most rewarding as well. It is the American Dream to own a home and when you achieve that dream, it is awesome!”
The Northwest Iowa Regional Board of Realtors® along with the National Association of Realtors®, today commended the Department of Housing and Urban Development for finalizing new Federal Housing Authority condominium loan policies. By increasing the availability of FHA-backed condo loans, these changes should yield thousands of new homeownership opportunities nationwide and help alleviate affordability restraints impacting northwest Iowa’s housing market.
“Condos are often the most affordable, attractive option for first time home buyers and various other groups of Americans, but the absence of FHA condominium financing threatened to raise the cost of housing for people across the country,” said Mark Vos, President of the Northwest Iowa Realtor® Board and Realtor® with United Real Estate Solutions in Sioux City. “Here in Sioux City, and across the 13 Northwest Iowa counties where our Realtor® professionals work, these new rules have the potential to transform our housing market and regional economy, easing affordability constraints, maximizing first-time homebuyer assistance programs and putting homeownership in reach for countless families that would have continued to be denied this critical wealth building opportunity.”
Specifically, the new guidance extends certifications from two years to three, allows for single-unit mortgage approvals, provides more flexibility with owner/occupancy ratios, and increases the allowable number of FHA loans in a single project. The rule will go into effect in mid-October – 60 days from publication. HUD believes the changes will extend critical benefits to aspiring homeowners and confirm the agency is properly serving the public.
“We are thrilled that HUD has taken this much-needed step to put the American Dream within reach for thousands of additional families,” said NAR President John Smaby, a second generation Realtor® and broker at Edina Realty in Edina, Minnesota. “This ruling, which culminates years of collaboration between HUD and NAR, will help reverse recent declines in condo sales and ensure the FHA is fulfilling its primary mission to the American people.”
During NAR’s most recent existing home sales report, June condominium and co-op sales were recorded at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 580,000 units. The figure represents a decline of 3.3% from May and a 6.5% drop from the same time last year. With more than 8.7 million condo units nationwide, only 17,792 FHA condo loans have been originated in the past year.
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun recently noted that even though median prices for existing condos have risen slightly, their relative affordability means condominiums remain a natural answer to inventory shortages holding back home sales growth. “Condos are typically more affordable than a detached single-family home, but only a small fraction of condos are FHA-certified,” Yun said last month.
The Northwest Iowa Board of Realtors® encompasses nearly 500 members, who are real estate professionals in a 13 county region across the northwest quadrant of Iowa.
National Ethics Day is Thursday, June 27 and NWIA has outstanding opportunity for our members to complete your NAR Code of Ethics requirement during this live-streamed session with the one-and-only Leigh Brown. Just $25 for the class OR $20 if you allow us to donate your payment to RPAC. 4 hours CE credit, what a deal!
All members are required to complete Code of Ethics Training every two years, per NAR rules. This is an easy and fun way to check that item off your to-do list. Plus you earn 4 hours of mandatory or elective CE credit. Boom!
Important Sign Up Instructions
- Visit the board website.
- Click Payment Portal in the upper right corner of this page.
- Enter your first and last name into the “Invoice number” area. If you don’t do this, we won’t know who paid!??
- Enter COE Class in Dues/Class/Other area.
- Enter your payment amount, either $25 or $20. If you choose to pay $20, you’re giving us permission to donate the payment to RPAC in your name.
- Come to class and learn from Leigh on June 27.
Lunch will NOT be provided, but feel free to bring your own. Be sure to post on social media so your clients know you are attending classes to further your education. This is a great opportunity to point out the difference between a real estate licensee and a REALTOR! Use #NationalEthicsDay in your posts.
Welcome to the following new new members who joined us in the last few weeks. It is always nice to have new faces in the organization. Contact information for these folks is available here in the membership directory on our website.
Randall Reardon, Century 21 ProLink–LeMars
Heather French, Weaver Realtors
We also welcome one new office to our board this month! Congratulations to Merlin on his new business venture.
Z Homes and Realty, Merlin Zwart, Broker/Owner
