Session 5 is now April 30th

We have a new date for Session 5 at the heard Museum April 30th. see the website for details......

Heard Museum Link

CCAR goes GREEN

Well, I could not imaging the presentation going any better. I have uploaded the video of the presentation to YouTube.com. The video is 30 minutes in length so I had to divide the presentation into 3 files. The linkes are:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdLmeoQ9Dv0



Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mACCXZoT-us


Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlV4qh7IkAc


I'll be sending out an email to each of the attendees thanking them and offering to help them with recycling and perhaps doing the presenation for their local office.

THANK YOU to everyone who helped out!

Bob

PS. Mary issued a TREPAC challenge to TRLP Classes I & II. She'll post more on that later.

WOW!! Bob McCranie Presentation at CCAR MLS

Hats off to Mister Bob McCranie for a wonderful GO GREEN Presentation this morning at CCAR MLS meeting. . . . . WOW!! I had NO idea how well versed this guy is!! Congrats to the whole GO GREEN committee within our TRLP 3 group. -rodney

TRLP in Austin.......

thank you to everyone who wished me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY in Austin!! What a great time, a great group, and a great learning experience. All most information overload by midday.

Sad news

Hello All,

This is to inform you that I have to drop out of the Texas Realtor Leadership Program. I have had to give this a great deal of thought and it has been a very tough decision. As you all know, I applied to this program when I was employed for Chicago Title. My branch manager thought it would be a great opportunity for me to gain leadership skills and grow my place in this business. Prematurely in my opinion, Chicago Title let me go due to corporate downsizing and I feared the worst, that I would not find another title job and would have to get out of the business altogether, with all the prediction of gloom and doom. Thank God that was not the case!

Since I took the job in Dallas at Ticor, now Alamo, it has become increasingly difficult for me to attend CCAR meetings, and I am finding it even harder to take the one day each month to meet with all of you for our classes. The office I work in is a smaller office and it is difficult for me to get away for an entire work day when everyone has to cover for me. My business is growing, which is another blessing!

Anyway, it is with great sorrow that I have to drop out but I hope to keep in touch with you all. Bob, I would like to continue meeting with your group each month for lunch....I really enjoyed that. I hope you all will keep me in your email lists because if I can attend a meeting, I would like to....maybe just not an all day event. I am still planning to come to Austin this weekend so let me know where you are all going to meet on Saturday night....I would love to meet up for a little while....but I probably won't be attending class on Sunday.

Best wishes to you all and I hope to see you soon!

Kay

Craig Moves on...

I was recently hired as senior property manager for AmREIT, a Houston based firm. I am reponsible for all Dallas properties. As such, I regret to tell you all I have resigned from my position as chair of TRLP, along with TREPAC and CCAR and TAR Boards. I will retain my license with KW and continue to complete transactions with my existing clients. As vice-chair, Michael Elliott will assume my responsibilities. I presume President Narisi will appoint Michael to the chair position. I am sorry I must step down, but know the program is in good hands. I look forward to seeing all of you in the near future. Best wishes in completing this great program!

SuperBowl Football Pot

well, even though the Cowboys/Packers did NOT make it!!! The SuperBowl will go on. February 3rd, 2008. We are having our 3rd annual SuperBowl Football Pot. $50 per square. Pays $1250 per quarter ($750 forwards / $500 backwards). Anyone can play. IF interested - - please send me an email. RodRowan@aol.com thank you, have a good week! RR

CCAR Installation.....

Hello. . . .Rodney Rowan here. . . . I am looking forward to seeing all of you this SATURDAY night at CCAR Installation......

Thanks for the support..doing better

I went into the emergency room on Sunday with sharp pain under the lowest rib on the left side. After an XRay and an ultrasound the ER doctor said it was gas and to go home and wait for it to pass. Then a new doctor came on shift and suggested I do a CAT scan which I did. They found 3 blood clots, one in each lung and one in the right leg. I was immediately admitted put on two blood thinners and pain killers. I'm doing MUCH better. I have to get the anti-clotting drug levels up to a 3 in my blood, right now they're at a 1.4. I should be out by Sunday or Monday. They want me to stay in the room and not move around much. The ones in the lungs are stable and not going to go anywhere. The one in the leg could move but they think it will dissolve in place.
I don't mean to scare anyone but I wanted to let you guys know. I have my cell phone with me so call if you want. I'm really doing a lot better. The pain is pretty much gone and the blood work is looking really good. I don't have any reason as to why this would happen...no long flights, previous injuries, family history, etc. I'll be on anti-clotting drugs for at least a year. The nurses and doctors have been GREAT and the hospital is first class. Warren and mom are staying with me 24/7 pretty much so I'm not lacking for comfort or visitors.

I understand they cancelled the Green Presentation on Tuesday but hopefully we can make it even that much better next time.

Keep yourselves Healthy!
Bob

Ticor Title is now Alamo Title

Hello all,

Just wanted to let you know that our company is now called Alamo Title. We will offer the same great service and dedication to excellence. I will email new info email and web addresses as they come. Hope you all are well and I'm looking forward to seeing you all in February in Austin!

Take care,
Kay

Friday, January 11th session

Hi all:

Regrettably, I will not be able to attend tomorrows session. I have been in the hospital with my son, Brett, since Tuesday afternoon. We thought it was his appendix and had scheduled surgery for today but a repeat CT scan showed no evidence of appendicitis. He continues to be in pain and we are scheduled to see a specialist tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. I am disappointed that I will not be able to attend....have a great session and see you all soon.

Take care,

Shelly

Dallas Goes Green Special Report

Here is a really good special report done by "D" Magazine. It has some great stuff in it. See if you folks can get a hold of your own copy.

Diversity Session-Friday, January 11

Friday, January 11, is the TRLP Session 3, At Home With Diversity, located the Collin County Justice Center in McKinney. From 75 north, exit and turn left onto Bloomdale Drive. Pass the new courthouse and turn right at the stop sign. You will meet in the first building to your right. Please park in "visitor" parking.

PLEASE plan to be at the facility at 7:30 for security check in and breakfast. As this is a 9-hour MCE course, the session will start promptly at 8:00 a.m. We will conclude at 5:00 p.m.

We ask that you dress conservatively - business casual is fine.

More Green Stuff

GREENER HOMES
Enviormentally friendly homes are finally finding favor with mainstream Americans.

High energy costs for heating and cooling mean that energy-efficient homes make even better financial sense than before...and Americans are increasingly interested in protecting the enviorment even when it doesn't lower their bills.
Among the popular green-home design features...
Bamboo floors. Home owners who select bamboo can have the look and durability of traditional hardwood flooring without contributing to deforestation.
Most hardwood floors come from forests that take decades to regrow once cut down. But bamboo is not a tree at all--it's a type of grass that regrows very quickly.
Triple-glazed windows. Three panes of glass can add $4 to $7 per square foot to the price of a new window but can cut energy consumption by an extra 10% to 11% compared with typical double-paned windows.
Reduced home size in the high-end market. Luxury homes have grown steadily larger in recent decades--until last year, when the biggest high-end homes suddenly lost much of their allure, in part because of the high cost of heating and cooling massive residences. Should this trend persist, 3,500- to 4,500- square foot homes might hold their value better than huge 6,000- square foot mansions.
Smaller is not better at the lower end of the housing market, however--most people living in homes with less than 3,000 square feet still would like to live in largere spaces.
On The Decline...
Two-story entrance foyers. With more houses being built with nine-foot-high or even 10-foot-high first-floor ceilings, the energy-and-space-hogging two-story- entrance foyer is not seen as the necessity it once was in mid-level and upper-end homes.

The author of this article is Kermit Baker, PhD-American Institute of Architects.
Article found in Bottom Line (January 1, 2008 issue), Home Improvements That Pay Off Big Now And When You Sell Your House.

CCAR Holiday Breakfast

Good Production Class III

I would like to extend my appreciation to y'all for creating a plan and taking the action needed in getting your task accomplished...actually 2 plans with your blog and the "green theme".
Just enjoy your time in class and remember your involvement and actions taken within your time with TRLP will be a benefit to yourself and your peers...and more importantly to our profession.
Remember to always give the 1 degree of extra effort in all you do...especially when you don't feel like it and you will amaze yourselves when you measure the successes it will create.
First time I have ever blogged and it took y'all in Class III for me to consider such a thing !!
I look forward to seeing all of you again and to all a very relaxing and Merry Christmas !!
MJE

New Address for Soldier Cards

The address in Marys post below has decided that they cannot accept mail not addressed to a specific soldier, its a security issue. This address will work for those cards and notes you'd like to send to a recovering soldier.

Operation Holiday Thanks c/o E.D. Hill
FOX News Channel 1211 6th Ave. 17th floor
New York, NY 10036

Material World - National Green Building Program

As Green Building continues to gain momentum, the National Association of Home Builders recognized a need to establish a new program to meet the varying needs of builders and new home buyers nationwide. To read more follow this link:
http://www.sellnewhomes.com/remax/Newsletter/MaterialWorldGreenBuilding.htm

Green Committee Update

Yesterday the Green Committee met with Paul Le Roy who is the Commercial Recycling Coordinator for the City of Plano. Eight members of the committee were in attendance. We went over the program that Plano has and what materials we could contribute. We talked about how to implement the plan with CCAR personnel and guests. We also talked about where to place the dumpster, whether or not a screening structure would be needed and how quickly we could implement the program.

Tasks:
1. Mary Leidy is checking with our builder friends to see who would be willing to contribute the bricks and labor to put up the screening wall around the new dumpster.
2. Shelly is pricing "recycle" themed cans for the office workers and for the common rooms.
3. Bob will schedule a follow up meeting, probably after the holiday, to confirm the details of this program element which we want to have implemented by Jan 31, 2008. We will als discuss low-flow water solutions, rain-water capturing, and scheduling the realtor hybrid vehicles auto show at CCAR.

TRLP GRADUATION DATE-CORRECTION

The TRLP Committee met today and in the process of reviewing the 2008 calendar noted the date for Session 8 (Graduation) is in error. Graduation will occur on Friday, June 6. Please make note of this correction.