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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Office of the Mayor <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br />April 1, 2009 <br />8 a.m. <br /> <br />New program will certify Realtors for South Bend <br /> <br />Contact: <br />Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 <br /> <br />or Sue Solmos,Residential Marketing Specialist, 235-9660 <br /> <br />A contingent of 20 area Realtors will begin a series of eight classes about South Bend’s <br />history, quality of life and civic amenities in the City of South Bend’s inaugural Realtors <br />Certification Classes. <br /> <br />Participants who satisfactorily complete the classes will become South Bend-certified <br />realtors, who are well-versed about the City’s offerings and its neighborhoods. The <br />opening session begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Northern Indiana Center for History, <br />808 W. Washington St., after a continental-breakfast reception at 8:30 a.m. There is a <br />waiting list for a second series of classes at a yet-to-be-determined future date. <br /> <br />“We hear frequently from people who’ve settled outside of South Bend that they were <br />unaware of the benefits and quality of life within the city at the time they were looking to <br />buy a home,” said Mayor Stephen J. Luecke. “As confirmed by South Bend’s selection <br />Tuesday as a 2009 All-America City finalist, there are a lot of great things happening in <br />this city. We want to work in partnership with people on the front lines of the housing <br />market to make sure they are fully equipped to let prospective homebuyers know these <br />features.” <br /> <br />The initiative grows out of efforts by Sue Solmos, residential marketing specialist for the <br />City’s Department of Community and Economic Development, for municipal <br />government to take a more active role in promoting market-rate housing in residential <br />neighborhoods. Inspired by an effort in Hampton, Va., the Realtors Certification Classes <br />were designed in a partnership among the City of South Bend, the Greater South Bend <br />Mishawaka Board of Realtors, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Northern Indiana and <br />the University of Notre Dame. <br /> <br />“The benefit is that these Realtors will really know about South Bend, its arts and cultural <br /> <br />