At the end of March we will be transitioning from the display key to the ActiveKEY and new Bluetooth iBoxes.

The MLS board approved this technology infrastructure upgrade in an effort to put our members at the forefront of the latest technology and simplify their business.

Technology is rapidly changing and with most technology enhancements comes an added cost. Our MLS has always been prudent and taken a valiant effort to keep your costs to a minimum. We have not raised your MLS fees in seven years. In correlation with those efforts, your fees will increase only to cover the cost of this new product.

Your next quarterly user fees, which will be e-mailed March 1, 2011 and are due no later than March 25, will reflect this increase. User fees will be raised $5 a month or an increase of $15 per quarter totaling $105 per quarter. eKey Basic will be available for $105 total and eKey Pro will remain at $122 a quarter.

Please note the ActiveKEY and eKey Basic will be available at the same price giving Participants and Subscribers a choice of which product they prefer.

Download ActiveKEY or Bluetooth iBox user manuals.

We will be communicating directly with office brokers in the coming weeks regarding display key and lockbox exchanges, which will occur at the end of March.

*Requires eKey Basic or eKey Pro membership. Some smart phones require additional adapters. Click here for list of smart phones that function as lockbox key.

Questions? Please contact us at 219.795.3600.

Please take the following survey to give us your insight.

Thank you for your participation.

Due to the continued severe weather conditions the GNIAR office will open at 11 am Thursday, February 3.

Should any changes occur, membership will be updated accordingly.

Please be sure to call ahead prior to visiting the office 219.795.3600.

Due to the blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service the GNIAR office will be closing at 4 pm Tuesday, February 1.

GNIAR will have limited office hours of 11 am to 4 pm Wednesday, February 2. However, the office may be closed if weather conditions are too severe. Membership will be updated accordingly.

Please be sure to call ahead prior to visiting the office 219.795.3600.

Due to severe weather conditions the GNIAR office will be closed Wednesday, February 2.

GNIAR may have limited office hours Thursday, February 3. Membership will be updated accordingly.

Please be sure to call ahead prior to visiting the office 219.795.3600.

If you know landlords, please let them know that scams like this one are becoming more common place- demanding a return of money that never actually existed.
A man indicated he was CEO of Traffic Safety Inc., wanted to rent a property for one of his employees, who was moving to this area for his company for 1 year.
He wrote out 2 checks – one for security deposit and another for one month’s rent.
Both checks were returned because he wrote them out of a closed account. He used the excuse that his financial person consolidated accounts and he made a mistake.
He also complained that the property was not up to par and wanted to hire his own painters, cleaners and have new appliances put in and wanted reimbursement.

The checks came back NSF, yet he has been hounding the REALTOR® firm for reimbursement for his paint and painter, which was almost$2000. The check to a local paint store came back NSF.

The Munster police indicated these persons are wanted by Munster and Hobart for scams, plus in Florida and Illinois. A copy of court documents showed his company has been dissolved involuntarily in FL, IN, NY and IL.

The “CEO”, employee and another woman came to the real estate office to collect the money, stating they were representatives for Traffic Safety, Inc. When told that they had checked and there was no such company they didn’t bat an eye and continued to demand the money from the REALTOR® firm. They have been using intimidation tactics by saying they have reported the firm to the Real Estate Commission in their demands to collect money.
If you know landlords, please let them know that scams like this one are becoming more common place- demanding a return of money that never actually existed.

• GNIAR would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of Jose Angel Garcia who passed away. Jose was the father of REALTOR® members Grace Barajas and Mike Garcia both with McColly Real Estate in Crown Point.
• Visitation will be on Friday, November 5, 2010 from 2:00 – 8:00 pm at Kish Funeral Home, 10000 Calumet Avenue, Munster, IN. Funeral services are Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 10:00 am at First Baptist Church, 473 Sibley, Hammond, IN.

• Your GNIAR membership dues have been posted. You should have received an e-mail with your statement. Please note that your Local dues and your State and National Dues are separate invoices totaling $245 and $295 respectively.
• While your e-mail will be the primary vehicle in which you receive your statements, you can always view and download your statements online at any time.
• Visit www.gniar.com
• Sign in
• Click on “”Pay Your GNIAR Dues” to view recent payments, etc.
• Click on PDF icon to download
• You may pay by credit card online. If you prefer to pay by check you may upload your statement and then mail it to the Association (Attn: Accounting Department 800 E. 86th Avenue, Merrillville, IN 46410). Please reference your invoice # on the memo line.
• You are also given an opt-out option. To be opted out of paperless billing please contact GNIAR at 219.795.3600. A $5 fee will be charged per hard copy billing sent by mail.
• Payment is due before Dec. 1, 2010 and payable no later than Jan. 4, 2011. Any dues received after 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2011 will be assessed a 10% late fee. Members who have not paid their dues by 5:30 p.m. on Jan 25, 2011 will be terminated. Once terminated, individuals can apply for reinstatement and will be assessed a $200 local application fee in addition to their annual dues.
• Thank you for your cooperation and assistance during this transition.
• GNIAR Staff