San Marino : Fees for Realtors Changed

Responding to complaints, the City Council voted unanimously last week to lower the business license fee on real estate offices and rescind fees for out-of-town real estate agents.

Since 1988, all realtors, including those who only showed property in the city but whose place of business was elsewhere, had been charged a $50 annual fee. That drew protests from the California Board of Realtors and, city officials said, created a backlog of paperwork.

Under the new guidelines, which will take effect July 1, the license will be $35 annually and will be due only from agents who have offices in the city.

Council members said that, because San Marino-based realtors do not have to pay a tax in other communities where they sell property, agents based in other cities should be treated the same in San Marino.