Throughout the year, we continue to fight for your rights as homeowners. As your Realtors, we fight to stop bills from becoming laws and others to become laws. It sounds like a catch twenty-two, but remember, our job is to make buying a home better for you - the homeowner. We have many good Realtors involved in lobbying to help keep your interest in front of Congress. This does not only happen in Sacramento, but throughout the year.

Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing with you some vital updates. One of the key topics everyone wants to know is — What’s happening with short sales and foreclosures? Time frames are being shortened and foreclosures are on their way out. Banks are trying to reduce their inventory by doing something called bulk sales. This means packaging up many properties and selling them to investors. This is not a good thing. This would only prolong the current situation we are in now. I will touch more on this next week.

When looking for a Realtor to help you sell your home or help you purchase the home you have been waiting for, remember what they do for you throughout the year. Hire someone you can count on, hire a Realtor.

I have had many people ask me what is the difference between a REALTOR and a real estate agent. They are not the same. Both are licensed and can sell real estate, but a REALTOR is a member of the National Association of Realtors. They must subscribe to the Realtor Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics contains 17 articles and Standards of Practice. The standards are much more restrictive and confining as to conduct, than those governing agents who simply have a real estate license. There are no guarantees that all Realtors are morally and ethically better than a real estate agent. Just remember that a Realtor is fighting for your rights.

I look forward to next week.

Diane Gallagher is the President of the Lodi Associations of Realtors and can be reached at dgallagher@pmz.com.