Here is a quick guide for those of you who are considering transferring to our non-Realtor sister company.  

The Realtor Rules Dilemma
Board of Realtors rules require that either ALL our agents be board members or NONE of them can be members.  The broker is required to pay a $396 penalty for any of their agents who do not pay their board dues.  In years past, Realtor membership was required in order to access the MLS.  But court decisions and legal settlements have changed that.  We now have another option which may be helpful to some of you.  It involves transferring to our non-Realtor sister company.

Sister Companies – (the 2 Company Solution)
From our standpoint having a non-Realtor sister company is not a painless choice.  We firmly believe in the value of Realtor membership.  The non-Realtor company is simply another less costly option for some of you. 

Brokers Guild Classic
The non-Realtor company is called Brokers Guild Classic.  It has been up and running since late last winter.   John Pickering is the broker.   John managed the old Cherry Creek Southeast office for many years. 

A Change Without a Change
The new company is simply an option that allows some of you to remain in real estate without the financial burden of paying board dues.  With either company you still have full use of all of our tools and facilities.  The single most significant difference with our new sister company is that you will not belong to a board or pay any board dues.   

Is Our New Sister Company the Right Choice for You?
- If you have already paid your board dues, the answer is clearly no.  For those of you who still owe board dues, the new company may be worth considering.  

Costs and Procedures
There are several easy things that you  need to do if you wish to be part of this new “non-realtor” sister company.  By doing these you will cut your 1^st year "Realtor dues" costs about in half.  Your savings should be substantially greater in future years.

The To Do and Costs List for Those of You Who Want to Switch
          1.  Transfer your license to the new company – cost $50
          2.  Individually Join Metrolist  – Cost $75
          3.  Take a 7 hour Metrolist Orientation Class 
               - This class is given the 3rd Thursday of every month at Metrolist
                 & gives 4 hours of CE credit.  You must complete this within 90 days.
          3.  Add company name change magnets to your yard signs – Cost $12 per sign 
          4.  Discard your old business cards and get new ones. – Cost about $50
          5.  Change the company name on your active listings – Cost $0
               We have a simple way to do this listing change.
          5.  Discontinue using Realfast.  You may use the free Instanet Software 
                or you may use another contract software vendor
          6.  Miscellaneous other minor paperwork with Metrolist & our showing service.
          7.  Your monthly cost for Metrolist will be $5 higher than it is for Realtors..    
          8. There is a $25 fee to Metrolist whenever you change companies.   

Questions & Answers
1.  Who owns the new sister company?
          - The owner is the same, Dave Killian.
2.  What about Realtor.com?
          - Listings from Non-Realtors do NOT appear on Realtor.com.
3.  What about ListHub, REColorado, and Realtor IDX sites?
          - All of your Metrolist listings will continue to appear on each of those sites.
4.  Does this affect my office phone extension and phone number?
          - Your extension would remain the same.
5.  Why would I have to change my signs and business cards?
          - The Colorado Real Estate Commission is very concerned about properly disclosing your company affiliation to the public.  You may be suspended and/or severely fined for confusing people as to your accurate company identity.   It’s easy and worthwhile to make the name change.
6.  Isn’t it important to be a Realtor?
          - YES, our National and local Realtor associations do very important work that has made our industry great.  With the lawyers and anti-business folks currently controlling our state and national governments, the Realtor organization is more important now than ever before.  We strongly encourage you to keep your Realtor membership and to actively participate in your local board.  But if your current financial circumstances make this difficult or impossible, our non-Realtor sister company is an option for you to consider.

How do you proceed?
- If you wish to remain in our Realtor company, you don’t need to do anything other than making sure that your board dues have been paid.
   OR
- If you think that you might want to change to our new sister company, simply call John Pickering at 303-752-0007 extension 2196