About Us

Highlights: Who We Are and How to Join

• Local Associations: Organized real estate in California is composed of about 120 local associations and boards led by Association executives. You can access a roster complete with contact information that puts all the associations at your fingertips.
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• C.A.R. Leadership: Get to know your C.A.R. officers on the Leadership page. Contact information, photos, and biographies are included.
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• C.A.R. At A Glance: This section offers a summary of goals, achievements and services we are offering, working towards, or have accomplished as an Association.
   
• C.A.R. Scholarships: Did you know the C.A.R. Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships to students enrolled in a California college or university for professions centered on or supportive of a career in real estate? 
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• Online Advertising: This site offers information on how to promote your product on C.A.R.'s Web sites.
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• Member FAQs: Have a general question? Chances are you will find the answer at your leisure in Member Frequently Asked Questions. If you don't find what you need, ask your question on the "Contact Us" form for a speedy e-mail reply.
   

Member Center

• C.A.R. Member Benefits: Are you taking advantage of all the benefits of your membership? Here's a summary of everything from insurance and affinity programs to legislative advocacy and legal briefs that lets you know what you get for your dues. Discounts and special offers from partners save you money; new partners are continually added, so check back.
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• Find a REALTOR®: Consumers can quickly find a REALTOR® in a particular city, by name or by company, using this section. Members can edit their own pages online, including contact information, specialties and designations. All members are entitled to a free member Web page, and regular updates are made to include new members.
   
  C.A.R. Directors: Directors and committee rosters are available here for your convenience. You may find contact information by last name, committee, city, board and region. Find an e-mail address of a fellow committee member or find other directors in your city.
   
  Brokers/Managers' Section: Managers and brokers should take advantage of articles written and compiled to help you do business. Resources from throughout the site are pulled together here in one convenient location. In the "In Management" newsletter, articles on market trends, relevant legislative notices, and top firm profiles are included in this section.
   

Consumer Information

What's New: C.A.R. recognizes the importance of consumer awareness of REALTORS® and organized real estate. The benefits of working with a REALTOR® are emphasized in content focused on meeting consumer needs. Find articles full of new home buying, selling, mortgage and remodeling tips at this site each week.

• Using a REALTOR®: The single most important transaction of a lifetime should not be conducted without the expertise and assistance of trained and licensed professionals, and this is where REALTORS® come into play. This section explains the benefits of using a REALTOR® and is linked to C.A.R.'s membership directory and multilingual directory, which are hosted by the California Living Network (http://ca.realtor.com).
   
  Buying a Home: Buying a house is a big step, and this section gives consumers the information they need to feel confident starting on that path. The personal and financial benefits of homeownership are highlighted.
   
  Selling a Home: Selling a home, even just moving up, can be an unsettling experience, so we've given sellers a starting place with tips, advice and frequently asked questions.
   
• Real Estate Terms: In the blur of homebuying activity, a barrage of unfamiliar terms can be intimidating, so we've created a glossary of basic terms.
   
• Financing: Mortgage Matters highlights down payments, types of mortgages, private mortgage insurance, and where to find daily rate reports.
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• Industry Events Calendar: From local educational classes to national expos, industry-specific events can be found within the calendar.
   
• C.A.R. Directors' meetings: C.A.R. directors' meetings, schedules, programs, hotel and city guides, plus all-important committee materials and agendas are available online.
   
• N.A.R. Meetings/Conventions: The information necessary to participate in N.A.R.'s policy committee meetings is available in this section. A memo outlining key activities for Californians links to Federal Public Policy Issues Summary Papers. Links and contact information for N.A.R. enable you to find additional information.
   
• C.A.R. Expo: The annual C.A.R. Expo section is chock-full of exhibitor information, itineraries, event descriptions, floor plans, schedules of future events, and more.
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• Note: You need to have a password and be a C.A.R. member (or Risk Management subscriber) to access the legal section of C.A.R. Online. 
    
• What's New: Here you will find the latest breaking legal information. Check it frequently for What's Hot! This information may well impact your real estate practice. Included in What's New are links to the new California statutes affecting real estate, the most recent legal updates, a link to important real estate cases, a Legal Quiz to test you on your knowledge of important real estate brokerage topics, recently published Legal Q&As and copies of ReaLegals that have been e-mailed to our members
   
• Member Legal Services: This section provides a summary of all the services provided to our members by the Legal Department.
   
• Legal Hotline: This section enables C.A.R. members to directly contact a C.A.R. Hotline Attorney to request a private telephone consultation.
   
• Legal Q&As: This area contains all the Q&As, Legal Briefs, and Updates published by the C.A.R. Member Legal Services Division.
   
• Real Estate Law & Resources: There you will find summaries of important cases (including cases in which the C.A.R. Legal Action Fund has participated), and new as well as existing California and federal laws and regulatory updates relevant to real estate licensees
    
• Multiple Listing Service: This section includes the C.A.R. Model MLS (Multiple Listing Service) rules, the Model Bylaws used by most local Boards/Associations, information about Virtual Office Websites, the Master MLS Reciprocal Agreement, including a chart of participants.
  
• Ethics and Board Arbitration: This section contains the rules and procedures used to conduct ethics and arbitration hearings as well as forms to be used by the local Boards/Associations. There are links to the NAR Code of Ethics as well as articles summarizing and explaining the ethics rules. 
   
• Private Arbitration and Mediation: This area contains helpful information about private arbitration and mediation - between buyers and sellers or other private parties - not handled by the local Boards/Associations or through interboard arbitration.
    
• Standard Forms Update: This section features information about the latest standard forms. See Standard Forms: Updates, Information, Guides and News. You?ll find information about specific forms and the forms revision process. If you go to the Product Mall link, you can purchase C.A.R. publications and products.
    

Governmental Affairs

What's New: Here you can find out about the latest developments in legislation and politics that concern C.A.R. Each bulletin links you to other areas of the site, where you can find Issues Briefing Papers and other more detailed information about a particular issue.

• Virtual Advocate: For those of you who are involved in government advocacy, here is the place to access all of the tools of your trade. You can read about C.A.R.'s sponsored bills in Sacramento, its federal priorities for the year, and a list of our local government issues briefing papers. You can sign up for the " Virtual Advocate", our free government affairs newsletter, check the current status of bills in Sacramento and D.C., look up your local Congressman or state representative, and many other online resources.
   
• Business Issues: This site has detailed information about a variety of business issues, such as affiliated business arrangements, rent control, risk management and utility bill liens.
    
• Taxes: Capital gains taxes affect property ownership. Business license taxes hit REALTORS® at the office. C.A.R. strongly opposes transfer taxes because they add costs to the sale of a home. You can read about these issues and more in this section.
   
• Housing Opportunities: This area provides information about an area of public policy that influences development trends and housing affordability. The housing element is a local government's blueprint for providing adequate housing to all income levels. Local historic preservation ordinances can severely restrict a homeowner's ability to remodel or refurbish. Transportation and clean air legislation raise concerns about the development of another layer of government, i.e., regional government, in the local planning process. As the economy picks up pace, growth control again becomes an issue in many local communities.
   
• Environment: REALTORS® want to protect the environment but oppose regulations that infringe on private property rights and increase government bureaucracy. This area provides you with information on tree protection ordinances, wetlands preservation, endangered species protection, fire safe councils, and other issues.
   
• Point-of-Sale/Disclosure: Government often tries to impose new regulations at the point-of-sale. REALTORS® oppose policies which place additional burdens on the transaction process or which necessitate that REALTORS® act as police for certain issues. This page provides you with information on Megan's Law, the Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS), agency disclosure, inspections, retrofits and other point-of-sale/disclosure issues.
   
• CREPAC/BORPAC/IMPAC: C.A.R. maintains three PACs to a provide support for the candidates and issues that are consistent with its legislative priorities at the state and local level. This section provides all of the administrative information that local Associations need to help contribute to the PACs and maintain them as an indispensible political resource.
   
• Political Affairs: CAR's political action committee supports candidates and elected officials who understand REALTOR® issues. By accessing this page, you can get more information about C.A.R.'s Political Affairs program, including PAC fundraising and administration forms and info; news about elections and campaigns; and information about REALTORS® who have become in-volved in politics by serving as elected or appointed officials.
   

Real Estate Newsstand

What's New: This section highlights the most recent news releases generated by C.A.R. and typically includes information on statewide home resale activity as well as updates on legislative activity.

• California Real Estate Magazine: This section features the most recent issue of California Real Estate, the award-winning official publication of C.A.R.
   
• Real Estate Technology Magazine: This section features the most recent issue of Real Estate Technology, C.A.R.'s semi-annual publication dedicated to providing REALTORS® with cutting-edge information on technology.
   
• News Releases: This section archives news releases produced by C.A.R., enabling users to look up historical data on home sales and median home prices as well as updates on C.A.R.'s legislative and public policy work. 
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• C.A.R. Newsletters: This section provides links to subscription information for "Trends," a monthly publication developed by the C.A.R. economics department, and "RMI," a monthly newsletter distributed to members of the Risk Management Institute. Plus, you can read entire issues of "In Management," which features information for brokers and managers; "CAEU," a monthly update for California Association Executives; and "Key Contact News," a monthly newsletter full of legislative articles.
   

Education

What's New: This section provides a look at new C.A.R. and REBS (Real Estate Business Services, Inc., C.A.R.'s wholly owned subsidiary) products and services for REALTORS® interested in enhancing their performance and professionalism. The regularly updated What's New section often provides REALTORS® with exclusive product and services previews and periodic special pricing offers.
 
Continuing Education: This area contains descriptions of C.A.R.'s line of continuing education products, including license renewal correspondence courses.
  
Designations: This area contains a detailed description of C.A.R.'s California REALTOR® Institute (GRI) program, including program content and benefits. There also is a description of the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) program, as well as links to GRI scheduling and information on various designations offered by the National Association of REALTORS® .
 
Licensing Information: Infor-mation on the various real estate license examinations, plus origination and renewal fees from the California Department of Real Estate (DRE), is included here. This area also contains information about various DRE divisions, including contact addresses and phone numbers.

• Seminars/Workshops: This section describes upcoming C.A.R. educational offerings, including continuing education workshops and CRS courses. It contains the current schedule for California REALTOR® Institute (GRI) offerings.
   
• Publications: Various publications are described in this section, including C.A.R.'s Office Policy Manual and Residential Real Estate Transaction Guide; there are also descriptions of other publications via links to C.A.R.'s Product Mall and Newsstand.