THE GADFLY June 2017   In This Issue... Dates & Deadlines GAD Resources RPAC News NAR’s Economic Outlook     Dates & Deadlines    June 1: Register for the Sustainable Homeownership Conference Sustainable Homeownership Conference – Register Now! Last call – register now to reserve your spot. Registration closes TODAY! No on-site registration. Join us on June 9 for the Sustainable Homeownership Conference at UC Berkeley.    June 9: Early Registration for the 2017 GAD Institute Closes Calling all GADs and those association staffers who oversee REALTOR® Party programs to join us for the 2017 GAD Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida July 11 – 14.  This is the first year the scheduled programming begins on Tuesday at noon and concludes on Friday morning. Additionally, registration materials may be picked up as early as Monday evening before the conference kicks off. Please check the online draft agenda for programming, and note that there will be several, optional pre-conference workshops for which to register. Contact Kyle Lambert London for questions. Registration: GAD Institute webpage Registration Fee: $500; $550 after June 9, 2017     GAD Resources     HomeOwnershipMatters.REALTOR: #MyHomeMyVoice Today marks the beginning of National Homeownership Month, which recognizes the important relationship between homeownership and the American Dream. Each week HomeOwnershipMatters, the public face of NAR’s Consumer Advocacy Outreach Program, will be sharing the latest news, interesting stories and informative videos designed to inspire homeowners to take action. Encourage your members to share these stories with their clients on Facebook and Twitter! If your association is interested in using the Consumer Advocacy Outreach database on an upcoming legislative issue, contact Erin Murphy at 202-383-1079. Be sure to check out the all-new HomeOwnershipMatters.REALTOR today!    Hot Topic Alert: Sales Tax on Services  Professional services are broadly taxed in five states: Delaware, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota and Washington. In 2017, elected leaders in at least four states (Oklahoma, Louisiana, Montana and West Virginia) considered expanding sales taxes to include professional services. Opponents of a sales tax on services, including REALTORS®, highlight that a new tax of five or 10 percent on real estate transactions would have a major disruptive impact on markets while also creating higher consumer costs. For more information on the latest Hot Topic Alert, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.    REALTOR® Party State Legislative Monitor Twenty-three states have adjourned for the 2017 legislative session. A remaining 24 states (including DC and PR) are in regular session. There have been a number of bills related to support home buying; measures include programs geared specifically to benefit college graduates or military families. At least six states (GA, ID, IL, IN, NE and TX) considered legislation that would ban local governments from regulating short-term or vacation rentals. Idaho Governor Otter, signed into law a bill that will provide direction for the collection of a statewide standard transaction tax of the “short-term rental marketplace” while also aiming to protect property rights. For more information, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.    Ready for a Change? Did you know that NAR lists job openings for AEs, GADs, Communications Directors, Professional Development Directors and other staff positions within the REALTOR® family? Whether you are ready for a change of scenery, or just ready for that next step up the ladder, check out the AE Jobs section on nar.REALTOR.     RPAC News    President’s Circle The third round of President’s Circle has launched with 8 new targets.  The first $500 was due by May 31, but it’s not too late for your members to renew their President’s Circle status if they have not contributed $500 yet.  President’s Circle members may invest as little as $500 or up to the full $2,000 in any of the REALTOR® Champions targets.  View the current President’s Circle Roster online. For more information, contact Kelly O’Donnell or Kanoa Naehu.    RPAC Fundraising Awards Ceremony Thank you to everyone who attended the 2016 RPAC Fundraising Awards Ceremony last month to celebrate a successful 2016 RPAC fundraising year! Click here to see all 2016 award winners. For more information, contact Jackie Zaporowski.    New! RAMP Access for RPAC Trustees Last month, the RPAC Trustees Fundraising Committee voted to allow National, State and Local RPAC Trustees to be trained to use the new RAMP mobile credit card processing software at fundraising events they attend in states with signed RAMP agreements. RPAC investments received through the RAMP are linked directly to the PAC Management System and all funds are deposited into the state’s bank account. Qualifying Trustees need to notify NAR of their desire to use RAMP in their fundraising efforts, complete a 30-minute NAR training session and sign a user agreement before access to RAMP is approved. Click here for more information on RAMP. For more information, contact Peter Kelly.     NAR’s Economic Outlook   Existing-Home Sales Slip 2.3 Percent in April Low supply levels held down existing-home sales in April and pushed the median number of days a home was on the market to a new low of 29 days. Latest REALTORS®' Confidence Index First-time homebuyers accounted for 34 percent of sales. A lack of homes for sale was the main issue reported by REALTORS®. Economic and Housing Market Outlook Presentation – Did you miss NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun’s presentation at the Residential Economic Issues & Trends forum at the 2017 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo, or want to review the slides? Find his presentation and many others here. Commercial Lending Trends Survey - This annual report details REALTORS®' commercial financing conditions, including liquidity conditions, market impact, and funding sources. For more information on NAR’s Economic Outlook, contact Meredith Dunn at 202-383-1207

Message from the GAD Chair Mark J. Quarry GAD Chair Cincinnati Area Board OF REALTORS® Hello GAD Nation! I trust you had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend after another great week in Washington D.C. at the 2017 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings (Midyear). For those of you who couldn’t attend Midyear this year, there were many highlights.  We heard from CNBC’s Ron Insana and Fox News Channel’s Chris Wallace.  We conducted our Hill vsits with Members of Congress and wrapped up the week with our Government Affairs Directors meeting. Of particular focus at Midyear was the PricewaterhouseCoopers report, “Impact of Tax Reform Options on Owner-Occupied Housing,” and how the comprehensive tax reform proposals could impact homeowners.  Click here to download the report and/or share it with your respective Members of Congress. Now that we’re in the month of June, our attention shifts to the 2017 GAD Institute (July 11-14) in West Palm Beach, Florida.  If you haven’t already, please click here to REGISTER!  And don’t wait!  The registration fee increases $50 after June 9. Note:  Since it can get very hot in southern Florida during July, the recommended dress code is Business Casual.  We want everyone to be comfortable but please dress appropriately for each day’s sessions. The GAD Advisory Group has worked hard and put together another outstanding professional development conference of government/legislative/political affairs as well as REALTOR® Party, RPAC and community initiatives.  We’ve incorporated some new elements to the GAD Institute so that our newer GAD colleagues can feel welcome and get as much out of the GAD Institute as possible. In the meantime, if you have questions, ideas or suggestions, please contact me, GAD Chair Mark Quarry, GAD Vice Chair Cady Thomas or Kyle Lambert London. I look forward to seeing you next month in West Palm Beach, Florida! Follow the REALTOR® Action Center! GAD Directory  SAVE THE DATE 2017 Campaign Management Training 2.0 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 8-10 New AE & GAD Orientation Washington, DC June 15-16, 2017 2017 GAD Institute   West Palm Beach, Florida July 11-14, 2017 Registration Fee: $500 REALTORS® Conference & Expo  Chicago, Illinois November 3-6, 2017