The PSAR family is sad over the recent passing of REALTOR® member and broker Herman “Hank” Miller. Hank passed away January 28 from lung cancer. He was 89.

A Celebration of Life service attended by family members was held Thursday, February 6, at the Little Chapel of the Roses in Bonita.

Hank was born June 16, 1930, in Barbourville, Kentucky In 1940, at age 10, Hank moved with his family to Chula Vista. As a teenager, Hank helped his father build homes in the South Bay community. He graduated from Chula Vista High School in 1948, when the school was located at Brown Field.

After high school, Hank worked at Rohr Industries. While at Rohr, Hank worked a second job as an owner and operator of one of San Diego’s first 7/Eleven convenience stores, located on Broadway in Chula Vista.

In January 1955, he got his barber's license. In 1960, he opened his first barber shop with good friend Paul Burton. Hank and Paul’s Barber shop, which operated for more than 50 years, was well known in Chula Vista. While working as a barber in his early days, he also practiced as a real estate sales agent.

In 1971, he became a member of PSAR. In 1975, he earned his broker’s license and opened Hank Miller Realty. His company also provided property management services. Some properties continue to remain under Hank’s property management company to this day.

The PSAR staff remembers Hank as someone who was full of love and laughter, always joking with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, even when he wasn’t feeling well. He also cheered-on people in their business endeavors and made everyone around him feel as if he or she were the most important person in the world. Once you met him, you became his friend.

With his southern drawl, he would greet PSAR members by saying, “Well, hello PSAR. How are you doing today?” PSAR staff members also said he was a very happy, positive, compassionate, generous, and giving person who brightened up a room when he entered.

Several years ago, a fire damaged a neighbor’s home and Hank invited the neighbor to move into his home until he and his family could find another place to live. Hank even encouraged the family to continue their home Bible studies during their temporary stay.

Hank is survived by four of his five children; Kenny Miller, Dave Miller, Robert Miller and Debbie Miller. He also is survived by 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild, a boy. He was preceded in death by wife Jean, who passed away in 2010, and a son, Fred Miller, who passed away of colon cancer on December 2, 2019.

Family members recall that Hank was deeply in love with Jean. They were married July 28, 1957. Hank visited Jean’s grave daily, even on the same day he was discharged from the hospital following heart surgery in 2010. He made sure the nearby landscaping was in order and the stone monument was clean. After his passing, family members found a letter Hank had written to them, expressing what a wonderful mother Jean had been, how she held the family together and just how much he loved her.

Family members also recall Hank as a friendly, genuine gentleman who loved people and life. He first battled lung cancer in 2018. Up to his last days, Hank’s words to family members were, “I’ll be okay, please don’t be sad.”

Janet Miller, a daughter-in-law, plans to continue his real estate brokerage under the name Hank Miller Realty. Hank renewed the company’s business license on January 15, 2020. Janet received her broker’s license January 30, 2020. “I will be proud to carry on his name,” said Janet. “He was a wonderful man.”

Everyone at PSAR extends their heart felt thoughts and condolences to Hank's family and friends.

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San Diego County’s housing market saw a slight drop in home sale prices and home sales in December 2019, according to the recent statistics from the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.).

The median sales price of an existing single-family home in San Diego County in December 2019 was $655,000, a drop of 0.6 percent from November 2019, when the median sales price was $659,000. But, a year ago, in December 2018, the median sales price in San Diego was lower at $618,500, a difference of 5.9 percent.

Meanwhile, San Diego home sales in December 2019 saw a decrease of 1.3 percent compared to November 2019, but a 17.4 percent increase in a year-over-year comparison between December 2019 and December 2018.

Statewide, in December, tight housing inventory tamped down the benefits of low interest rates and held back California home sales. Existing, single-family home sales totaled 398,880 in December 2019 on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 1.0 percent from the 402,880 level in November 2019 and up 7.4 percent from December 2018’s revised 371,410 figure. It marked the first time in six months that sales fell below the 400,000 benchmark. For the year 2019, annual existing statewide home sales fell for the second consecutive year to a preliminary 397,910 closed escrow sales in California, down from 2018’s pace of 402,640, a drop of 1.2 percent. 

The December 2019 statewide median home price was $615,090, up 4.3 percent from November 2019 and up 10.3 percent from $557,740 from December 2018. The statewide median home price for the year was $592,450, an increase of 4.0 percent from a revised $569,480 in 2018. The year-over-year price increase was the largest since May 2014 and the first double-digit price increase in more than five-and-a-half years. 

December 2019 County Sales and Price Activity
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

“Despite a sales slowdown at year-end, home sales were up from a year ago as interest rates remained low,” said 2020 C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick, a second-generation REALTOR® from Bakersfield, Calif. “It’s important to note, however, that the increase was due partly to low housing demand in the prior year. Looking ahead, low rates should continue to provide support to the market as buyers have become more motivated to get back into the market, and home sales in California should see an improvement at the start of the year.”

“With housing supply dropping to the lowest level in nearly seven years, California experienced an unusual jump in its median price at the end of the year when the market is supposed to cool down,” said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “While low rates were fueling demand in the second half of 2019, supply constraints continued to put a drag on the market and undercut the positive effect of low rates. The surge in price is a byproduct of the imbalance between supply and demand as market competition continues to heat up.”

With prices rising faster in recent months while supplies continued to shrink, home sellers’ optimism improved both month-over-month and year-over-year, according to a monthly Google poll conducted by C.A.R. in December. The poll revealed that slightly more than half (56 percent) believe it is a good time to sell, up from 51 percent a month prior and up from 48 percent a year ago. Many buyers, however, remain uncertain about the current housing market conditions as only one-quarter of respondents (25 percent) believe that it is a good time to buy now, slightly higher than last year (22 percent), when interest rates were more than 100 basis points higher.

Other key points from the December 2019 resale housing report include:

-- At the regional level, non-seasonally adjusted sales rose on both a monthly and annual basis in all major regions. On a yearly basis, sales in the Central Coast increased the most at 42.4 percent, followed by the San Francisco Bay Area (16.0 percent) and Los Angeles (15.6 percent). The Inland Empire and Central Valley rounded out the remaining regions with annual increases of 13.3 percent and 11.6 percent, respectively. Forty of the 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. experienced year-over-year sales growth.

-- Also, regionally speaking, median home prices increased from last year in all regions except the Central Coast, with Southern California up the most at 10.0 percent, followed by the Central Valley (7.7 percent) and the Bay Area (6.9 percent). The median price in the Central Coast dipped from a year ago by 2.2 percent but edged up 0.7 percent from November.

-- Thirty-nine of the 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. reported a year-over-year price gain in December, with Siskiyou county experiencing the highest at 23.3 percent over last year. Of the 11 counties that experienced a price drop from last December, Mono county had the biggest decline at 26.1 percent, while the rest of the counties all had 8.3 percent or less in price losses.

-- California’s housing supply recorded back-to-back drops of more than 20 percent at the end of 2019, with active listings declining 26.5 percent in December after a 22.5 percent decrease in November. December marked the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year decline in supply, and it was the largest decline since April 2013. The number of active listings in December was, in fact, at the lowest level in nearly seven years.

-- The sharp drop in active listings and surge in year-over-year sales sharply curbed housing inventory in December. The Unsold Inventory Index (UII), which is a ratio of inventory over sales, was 2.5 months in December, down from 3.1 months in November and down sharply from 3.5 months in December 2018. The index measures the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. 

-- Statewide, the median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home fell from a year ago, declining from 32 days in December 2018 to 28 days in December 2019. That compares to 25 days in November 2019, 24 days in October 2019, 24 days in September 2019, 23 days in August 2019 and 21 days in July 2019.

-- In San Diego County, the median number of days a home remained unsold on the market was seven fewer days in a year-over-year comparison, from 27 days in December 2018 to 20 days in December 2019. That compares to 17 days in November 2019, 18 days in October 2019, 18 days in September 2019, 17 days in August 2019, 15 days in July 2019, 13 days in June 2019, 14 days in May 2019, 17 days in April 2019, 19 days in March 2019 and 22 days in February 2019.

-- The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.72 percent in December, down from 4.64 percent in December 2018, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate was an average of 3.39 percent, compared to 4.02 percent in December 2018.

In other recent real estate and economic news, reports:

-- According to CoreLogic, San Diego County’s median home price was $575,000 in December, a slight decrease from the previous month of November when the median price hit an all-time high of $594,909. San Diego County’s average price in December was up 4.5 percent in a year, ending the year on a high note after a sluggish first six months, per Core Logic.

-- San Diego County had 347 properties in some form of distress in 2019, a 4.6 percent decline in a year-over-year comparison, according to Attom Data Solutions. The total included 225 notices of default, 70 notices of a trustee’s sale and 52 REO properties. Among San Diego’s approximately 1.19 million housing units, only one in every 3,446 housing units are under some sort of distress. Nationally, default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions fell 21 percent year-over-year in 2019 to 493,066, which was the lowest level since tracking of this statistic began in 2005.

December 2019 County Unsold Inventory and Days on Market
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

-- December 2019 saw the largest year-over-year decline of housing inventory nationally since January 2018, according to Realtor.com's Housing Trends report. The 12 percent year-over-year drop pushed the number of homes for sale in the U.S. to its lowest level since January 2018. San Diego County experienced a much more significant drop as inventory fell 28.3 percent year-over-year in December. The inventory has continued to decline despite the median list price reaching $719,444 in December 2019, a 9.8 percent increase over the same month the previous year.

-- San Diego County closed out the year experiencing the fastest job growth rate in Southern California and a near-record low of 2.8 percent unemployment. There were 34,800 jobs added in San Diego County in the 12 month period, state labor officials said. The 2.8 percent unemployment rate in December 2019 was even lower than November 2019 at 2.9 percent. San Diego County’s jobless rate is one of the lowest in California (3.7 percent overall) and below the national rate (3.4 percent). San Diego’s rate hit 2.7 percent in May, based on revised numbers, the lowest rate since December 1999.

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By Robert Calloway
2019 PSAR President

It was my honor to serve as your 2019 PSAR President. I’d like to take a moment to express my appreciation to the 2019 officers, directors, committee chairs and to every PSAR member.

It was my honor to serve with such a great team.Team spirit is never accidental; it is always intentional. The more credit you give to others, the more you develop a team spirit. It’s that simple. 

You can’t build a team without trust. Trust is the emotional glue that binds a team together. I’m grateful for the trust and loyalty that I received from the PSAR board, staff and every member.

Our theme for 2019 was “Salute to Service.” Thanks to all of you who participated in related events and were dedicated to this theme. It was a year when our members definitely stepped up and served our association by committing themselves to service and to our mission of empowering our members. PSAR’s mission statement is: “We empower our members to flourish while being accountable to each other, our clients and our community.” Our members are also self-empowered to take control of their own destiny and careers.

Here’s a personal, straight-from-the-shoulder admission: I have learned that nothing is more refreshing than to serve and giveback by getting involved. It’s your attitude that is most important. There’s something very authentic in participating with the desire to help others. Nothing to prove, nothing to lose. So, it was very gratifying to watch in 2019 our members experience greater rewards and the benefits of PSAR membership, as well as a sense of satisfaction, by stepping forward, participating and serving on or in a PSAR committee or an event.

Every PSAR member is unique with different strengths and talents. Every one of us is equipped with different skills and abilities. I’m so grateful that you all gave of yourselves selflessly.

You shared yourselves and your resources in 2019 on behalf of our association. You are all leaders. All leaders are learners. The moment you stop learning, you stop being a leader. Throughout the year, I witnessed again and again our members willing to learn. I genuinely applaud your performance and care about you. I greatly appreciate your contributions during my year as President.

Your dedication and commitment served as a vital link in the chain which drove our association. Achievement and success don’t happen by accident. Breakthroughs come after hard work and embracing new ideas. I’m thankful for your support of PSAR and the part you played in maintaining our high performance standards and commitment to excellence.

During 2019, there were many highlights. Here are some notable benchmarks and accomplishments:

• 190 training classes, 23 unique events and 600 marketing sessions;
• Membership increased by 10 percent
• Services expanded by opening a third PSAR service center in Clairemont Mesa, at 4340 Genesee Ave., Suite 203, San Diego, labeled the Central San Diego Service Center;
• A new weekly property marketing pitch meeting was launched, called “City Pitch,” held at 9 a.m. every Tuesday morning, at the PSAR Central San Diego Service Center
• Significant increase in access to more technology and listing data by joining the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS)
• Glide 2.0 and SavvyCard added as new member benefits
• Our El Cajon office building mortgage paid off
• $13,500 awarded to four local nonprofits, including South Bay Community Services, Unity 4 Orphans, Meals on Wheels and San Ysidro Health Center, as a result of fundraising at two PSAR events,the PSAR 2019 Realtor Games, held in June, and the PSAR 2019 Zombie Run-Walk, held in October
• A new Local Area Disclosures (LAD) publication, covering San Diego County, was published in partnership with the North San Diego County Association of REALTORS® (NSDCAR). The new LAD contains disclosure information relating to properties in the San Diego region
• Recognition by the El Cajon City Council for a grant that created a website featuring resources and information to assist homeless people in the East County
• Assistance provided to the City of San Diego by writing  the “Companion Unit Handbook,” a 38-page guide to help homeowners better navigate the process of constructing a companion unit, also known as a granny flat or accessory dwelling unit (ADU), on their property
• Guidance provided to the La Mesa City Council, City of Chula Vista and San Diego County Board of Supervisors on ADUs in support of property owners and as a way to address the region’s housing supply and affordability crisis 
• Organization of “Small Homes, Big Impact,” a free forum and resource fair on ADUs that was sponsored by AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, and held in October at the La Mesa Community Center
• Promotion of the CRMLS/Mexico MLS data-share as a presenter at the AMPI (Asociacion Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarios) national convention (AMPI is Mexico’s counterpart to the National Association of REALTORS^®)
• Development of relationships with Baja Associations via meetings in Los Cabos and La Paz
• Hosting of the second annual Global Council Forum, that featured speakers offering tips on how to deal with financial, legal and cultural differences and work deals with international agents from other countries
• Recognition by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association with a Golden Watchdog Award for PSAR’s assistance to the San Diego County Assessor’s Office with a program that is helping disabled military veterans achieve homeownership
• Recognition by the California Board of Equalization (BOE), a state agency, for PSAR’s leadership role in a housing affordability program that is assisting disabled military veterans in San Diego achieve homeownership, stay in their homes and save money on their property taxes
• Advising the San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk on a number of homeownership initiatives that assisted more than 8,000 local disabled veterans, a 30 percent increase from the previous year
• Coordinating the trip of 27 REALTORS® to Sacramento to advocate for homeownership
• Hosting Mike Ferry's massive sales training event

In conclusion, let me encourage all of you to continue to stay involved by volunteering and serving on a PSAR committee. Don’t just show-up, volunteer. Find your passions, utilize your strengths, be a participant, not just an observer and you will get more out of PSAR. You will develop your skills, advance your career and the experience will be rewarding to you both personally and professionally. While no one is capable of doing everything, everyone is capable of doing something. All of us can extend the reach of PSAR by building relationships and spreading the word about the many benefits PSAR offers.

In 2020, take advantage of the available opportunities as we work together and commit ourselves to increase business and leadership opportunities and develop relationships. Together, let’s send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that we are here to build business networks and community, share resources and experiences, develop professionally through educational opportunities, contribute to economic development and influence the real estate industry’s future. Thanks for being a committed member to PSAR in 2019. It was a wonderful year. Fair Winds and Following Seas!

San Diego County’s housing market saw a slight increase in home sale prices but a drop in the number of sales in November 2019, according to a recent report from the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.).

The median sales price of an existing single-family home in San Diego County in November, 2019 was $659,000, compared to $652,000 in October, 2019 and $626,000 in November, 2018. That’s an increase of only 1.1 percent comparing November to October. 2019, and an increase of 5.3 percent in a comparison of November, 2019 to November, 2018.

Meanwhile, San Diego home sales in November, 2019 saw a decrease of 9.3 percent, compared to October, 2019, but a 10 percent increase in a comparison of November, 2019 to November, 2018.

Statewide, it was a different story in November 2019, when home sales and prices retreated.

The statewide median price decreased by 2.6 percent from $605,280 in October, 2019 to $589,770 in November 2019, marking the first time in seven months the median price was under $600,000. November, 2019’s median price was up 6.4 percent from $554,240 in November, 2018. The year-over-year price increase was the largest gain in nearly a year and a half since July 2018.

The number of closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes statewide in November 2019 was down 0.3 percent to 402,880, compared to 404,240 in October, 2019, but up 5.6 percent from home sales in November, 2018 with a revised total of 381,690. Year-to-date statewide home sales were down 1.9 percent in November, 2019.

The statewide annualized sales figure based on information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2019 if sales maintained the November pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

After 15 straight months of year-over-year increases, active listings fell for the fifth straight month, dropping 22.5 percent from year ago. The decline was the third consecutive double-digit drop and the largest since April 2013. The sharp drop in active listings and slight uptick in year-over-year sales put a dent in housing inventory. The Unsold Inventory Index (UII), which is a ratio of inventory over sales, was 3.1 months in November, up slightly from 3.0 months in October but down sharply from 3.7 months in November 2018. It was the second lowest level in the last 17 months. The index measures the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. 

“While statewide home sales and prices eased back slightly as the housing market continued to move into the off season, a favorable lending environment continues to draw interest from buyers who want to take advantage of low rates,” said 2020 C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick, a second-generation REALTOR® from Bakersfield, Calif. “The upper end of the market, in particular, is showing some welcomed improvement in recent months as both sales and prices posted mild growth from a year ago in November.”

 “We’re seeing a more robust market in the second half of the year, driven primarily by the lowest interest rates in nearly three years,” said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “While uncertainties and supply constraints will continue to dictate the market outlook in 2020, the California housing market will likely wrap up 2019 in slightly better shape than previously thought.”  

With prices rising faster in recent months while supply continued to shrink, home sellers’ optimism improved both month-over-month and year-over-year. According to a monthly Google poll conducted by C.A.R. in December, slightly more than half (51 percent) believe it is a good time to sell, up from 47 percent a month ago, and up from 46 percent a year ago. Buyers, however, remain uncertain about the current housing market conditions as less than one-fourth of respondents (24 percent) believe that it is a good time to buy now, lower than last year (25 percent), when interest rates were more than 100 basis points higher.

Other key points from the November 2019 resale housing report included:

-- At the regional level, non-seasonally adjusted sales rose on an annual basis in all major regions, except the San Francisco Bay Area. Southern California increased the most at 4.6 percent, followed by Central Coast (1.0 percent) and Central Valley (0.6 percent).

-- Also, regionally speaking, median home prices rose from a year ago in all major regions with Southern California recording the largest gain (7.5 percent), followed by Central Valley (6.3 percent), Central Coast (3.3 percent) and the Bay Area (2.2 percent).

-- In the Southern California region, median home prices grew in every county, led by Los Angeles County, which recorded a 7.4 percent jump from a year ago. The six counties in the Southern California region posted an average year-to-year price gain of 5 percent in November.

-- Statewide, the median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home fell from a year ago, declining to 25 days in November 2019 from 28 days in November 2018.  That compares to 24 days in October 2019, 24 days in September 2019, 23 days in August 2019 and 21 days in July 2019.

-- In San Diego County, the median number of days a home remained unsold on the market in November 2019 decreased five days in a year-over-year comparison, from 22 days in November 2018 to 17 days in November 2019.

-- The statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio was 98.4 percent in November, 2019, up from 97.9 percent in November, 2018. That compares to 98.5 percent in October and September, 2019, 98.7 percent in August, 2019 and 99.0 percent in July 2019. Sales-to-list-price ratio is an indicator that reflects the negotiation power of home buyers and home sellers under current market conditions. The ratio is calculated by dividing the final sales price of a property by its last list price and is expressed as a percentage. A sales-to-list ratio with 100 percent or above suggests that the property sold for more than the list price, and a ratio below 100 percent indicates that the price sold below the asking price.

-- The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.70 percent in November, down from 4.87 percent in November, 2018, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate was an average of 3.41 percent, compared to 4.11 percent in November, 2018.

In other recent real estate and economic news, according to news reports:

-- San Diego will be the hottest major home market for California in 2020, according to a group of more than 100 economists and housing experts who participated in a Zillow study. The experts are predicting a more sluggish year of price increases across the nation, but a quarter of panelists expect San Diego home values will grow faster than the national rate, 39 percent said they would grow slower and 37 percent said it would be able the same.

-- Also according to Zillow, the median value of a single-family home was $600,560 in November, marking a 1.7 percent year-over-year increase. Nationwide, the home value growth in November reached its lowest point since January, 2013.

-- According to CoreLogic, San Diego County’s median home price hit an all-time high of $594,455 in November 2019, pushed up by declining inventory and dropping interest rates. The previous high in the county was $590,000 in June 2019.

-- The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices report shows a marked slowdown in residential real estate appreciation in San Diego, with a 0.2 percent price decline in October, 2019 and a revised estimate of no change in September, 2019. Nevertheless, San Diego prices were still 2.9 percent higher in October, 2019 compared to a year ago.

-- San Diego County continues to be one of the least affordable markets to buy a home in the U.S., according to an Attom Data Solutions report. The real estate analytics company found that a San Diegan with an annual wage of $62,907 would need to spend 63.1 percent of his or her income to buy a $570,000 home.

-- San Diego County experienced the largest decline in active listing inventory in the nation in November, 2019, falling 28.1 percent in a year-over-year comparison, according to a Realtor.com report. The online real estate data company also said the region's median list price rose 8.4 percent year-over-year in November. Realtor.com placed the median listing price of a single-family home in San Diego at $715,000.

-- The amount of money that San Diegans spent on rent has increased greatly over the past 10 years. Renters in San Diego County spent $86.2 billion on housing over the decade as rent prices steadily increased, according to Zillow. From January 2010 to December 2019, San Diegans saw the amount they spent on rent increase 53.6 percent. That’s based on a Zillow estimate of median rent in January, 2010 of $1,997 a month and $2,548 a month now.

-- San Diego ended the year with the distinction of being the ninth most expensive rental market among the 10 largest U.S. cities. Zumper, a national online rental listings site, reported that the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Diego was $1,780 in December. A two bedroom apartment went for $2,350. Tech-mecca San Francisco was the priciest U.S. rental market at $3,490 for a one-bedroom unit and $4,500 for two.

-- The unemployment rate in San Diego County remained at near 20-year lows in November 2019 at 2.9 percent. San Diego County’s jobless rate is one of the lowest in California and below the national rate of 3.3 percent. San Diego’s rate hit 2.7 percent in May, based on revised numbers, which was the lowest since December 1999.

PSAR recently honored seven REALTOR® members who have achieved Emeritus status with the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

These PSAR members have maintained their NAR membership for 40 consecutive years or more. They were recognized earlier this month at Rally & Ride meetings and received a certificate and an Emeritus lapel pin as symbols of their status. Each lapel pin features four rubies reflecting 40 years of dedicated service.

The Emeritus designation means payment of NAR dues will be waived for the reminder of their membership and they will be exempt from the Code of Ethics Training requirement.

The seven PSAR REALTOR® members are Dawn and Russ August, Joe Garzanelli, Jacqueline McWay, Eleanor “Ellie” Mello, Lydia Painter and Marilyn Schweer. The group has a combined total experience in real estate of nearly 300 years.

Dawn and Russ August have lived in Alpine since 1975, after relocating from Michigan. “Right after the wedding, we quit our jobs, loaded-up our stuff and drove cross-country to San Diego,” said Dawn. “We ended-up in Chula Vista looking for rentals. We asked about living in the country and somebody said to visit Alpine. We have never left.”

Joe Garzinelli has nearly 50 years of experience in the real estate industry. He is the owner of Keller Williams Realty 

San Diego East Foothills in El Cajon, the largest residential real estate office in San Diego’s East County region. He opened his Keller Williams office in March 2011. Previously, he managed and owned several other real estate offices, including those that grew to be ranked among the top-producing brokerages in the nation.The Augusts earned their real estate sales licenses in 1977 and opened their own office in August 1979. They were affiliated with Coldwell Banker from 1990 to 2016 before returning to operate an independent office called Alpine Premier Properties.

Joe is active in the community, providing support to several nonprofits and engaging in charitable volunteer work. He was honored as the 2017 El Cajon Citizen of the Year.

Jacqueline McWay, who goes by Jackie, earned her real estate sales license on Dec. 22, 1975. She had previously worked as a legal secretary for 11 years. “I loved not being confined to an office all day. That’s why I liked real estate so much,” she said. “I started back when we used Thomas Brothers maps and we would follow the sign company installer in our cars to find out the latest new listings because the hot sheet came out only once a week.”

Ellie Mello has lived in San Diego since 1975. In 1976, she started her real estate career with a Forest E. Olson office. In 1996, she started her open company called Compass Real Estate and Property Management in Chula Vista. She recently completed serving as the 2018-2019 President of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary (VFW) for the State of California. The state has 162 VFW auxiliaries in 16 separate districts with a membership of more than 21,000.Jackie remains active in real estate sales, often with longtime clients.

 “I have worked with the same families on multiple deals and sold the same property two or three times. I still do my business the old-fashioned way, I meet with clients at their residences,” she said.

How has she survived more than 40 years in such a competitive business? Ellie replied,

Lydia Painter, who was born in Shanghai, China, has been selling real estate for 45 years. After graduating from the University of Colorado, she worked as a teacher for a brief time before starting her real estate career.“You take one day at a time, never give up trying and thank God for your blessings. I surround myself with positive people, like the great staff at PSAR who are always willing to lend a hand. I hope I display that helpful willingness when I’m around newcomers.”

“I have sold homes all over California, and even in Washington state and Hawaii,” she said. “I liked the flexible hours so I could stay home when the kids were young and still make my own appointments. I enjoy it very much and I enjoy my clients very much. I plan to work as long as I’m able. I enjoy real estate so much that I call it my second religion.” She is still active in the profession, although she has been recently dealing with various health issues.

Marilyn Schweer grew up in La Mesa and stated selling real estate in 1978. “It has been a great career for me,” she said. “I have met so many fabulous agents and worked with so many wonderful clients. It has been so awesome to be my clients’ REALTOR®.”

Marilyn was one of the planners of a fashion show organized by the East County Association of REALTORS® that was held for 10 years throughout the 1980s and 1990s. For the past few years, Marilyn and husband George Serochi have enjoyed spending more time at their condo in Maui. “We’ve been taking advantage of one of the many benefits of working in real estate,” she said.

In January, longtime PSAR member Isabel Hall is scheduled to receive her Emeritus lapel pin and certificate. Isabel started her real estate career in 1974, the same year she joined PSAR.  In 1987, Isabel joined McMillin Realty, where she served for 15 years as their General Manager.

Of its 1.4 million members as of November 2019, NAR has 14,682 active REALTOR® emeritus members.

REALTOR® Emeritus qualifications are changing. In the future, forty years of NAR membership will no longer be enough to qualify members for Emeritus status. Beginning in 2020, the service qualification will change so that at least one year of service at the national level only will be required, in addition to the 40-year membership. Service at the state or local level will not be considered. Service at the national level will include acting as an officer, director, committee member, federal political coordinator, president’s liaison or regional coordinator to a country with which NAR has a reciprocal agreement.