Multiple offers in this market? No surprise to Conejo Valley REALTORS®, who recently learned from a panel of real estate attorneys how to most professionally and fairly handle more than one offer on a property.

The "Hot Topics" seminar was presented by the Conejo Valley Association of REALTORS® (CVAR) exclusively for its members. The event, held at the Los Robles Greens Golf Course and Banquet Center in Thousand Oaks, was sponsored by CVAR's Education Committee, which is chaired by June Murray.

Moderated by Kathy Mehringer, local REALTOR® and past CVAR President, the seminar covered subjects ranging from mediation techniques and disclosure issues to risk management and foreclosures. "Keeping REALTORS® ahead of the curve in this changing market is a commitment our Association makes to its REALTOR® members, and this seminar helps put them on the cutting edge," noted Mehringer, after the event. "Multiple offers on foreclosed and short sale properties are not at all unusual," added Connie Reed, the current president of the Association, "because with today's low interest rates and attractive prices, the market offers opportunities buyers don't want to miss." The attorney panelists included: Neil Kalin, California Association of REALTORS®, who spoke on short sales and foreclosures; Sam Manfredi of Manfredi, Levine, Eccles & Miller, who covered risk management; Mark Loeterman, Attorney Mediator, who discussed the benefits of mediation in resolving disputes; and Steven D. Spile of Spile, Siegal, Leff & Goor, who talked about disclosure issues.

"The benefits of clients using mediation to resolve disputes before they reach a courtroom was a popular topic," said June Murray, CVAR's Education Chair. "It saves time, money, effort, and energy for everyone," she noted, "and it allows the participants to reach their own decisions, rather than to have their fate decided by a judge." A standing room only crowd of over 220 REALTORS® attended the seminar. "Not all real estate agents are REALTORS®," explained Reed. "Only those who belong to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) may call themselves REALTORS®. The NAR has a strict Code of Ethics that must be adhered to by all REALTORS®," she added. "It is gratifying to see how dedicated our REALTORS® are to their profession."