THE GADFLY August 2017   In This Issue... Campaign Services Reminders Advocacy Resources/Territorial Jurisdiction Work Group Update REALTOR® Party Resources Land Use Initiative Second Quarter Review RPAC & Political Fundraising Update NAR’s Economic Outlook     Campaign Services Reminders    Election Deadlines Reminder It’s that time of year again. Election Day if fast approaching, and just because you may not have members of Congress on the ballot this year doesn’t mean you don’t have local elections in your area. As a friendly reminder, below are the timelines for different kinds of campaign activity. So take a look at your local ballot and see if you have any REALTOR® Champions running in your area. Direct Mail and Online Ads: Approval five weeks prior to the election. Persuasion Phone Calls: Approval two weeks prior to the election. If you’re interested in supporting a REALTOR® Champion in your city, county, region, etc., please contact Mitchell Norton at 202-383-1091.    Independent Expenditure & Issues Mobilization Grant Requests It’s budget forecasting time at NAR. Please let us know as soon as possible if you plan to submit requests for Independent Expenditure or Issues Mobilization grant assistance so that we can budget accordingly.  In order for NAR to maximize our resources and provide you with the best possible assistance, it’s important for us to connect with you as early as possible on your candidate or issue campaigns.  Please contact Mitchell Norton for Independent Expenditures, Joe Maheady for Issues Mobilization or John Winston for both.     Advocacy Resources/Territorial Jurisdiction Work Group Update    Cady and Kelli Want Your Feedback As you learned at GAD Institute, a work group has been formed to discuss the issue of jurisdiction for government affairs and other board activities. Thank you for filling out the questionnaires on this issue. This information will be very helpful to the work group and our members. Cady and Kelli have been appointed to this group which will meet in 3 weeks.  Please send any comments you have on this issue specifically by August 17 so they can compile them and prepare for the work group meeting. Email all comments to Cady Thomas, Kelli Walker and Kyle Lambert-London.  Your comments will be kept confidential.      REALTOR® Party Resources    NAR’s Housing Pulse Survey NAR’s 12th Housing Pulse Survey shows a vast majority of Americans believe that buying a home is a solid financial decision, and most believe that homeownership helps create safe, secure, and stable environments. The survey, which measures consumers’ attitudes and concerns about housing issues, found that building equity and preparing for retirement are the top financial reasons for buying a home. Yet six in 10 say that they are concerned about the cost to buy a home or high rent prices in their area. An infographic and the full results are available for your review. For more information, contact Wendy Penn at 202-383-7504.    REALTOR® Party State Legislative Monitor Update The New Hampshire REALTORS® were successful in supporting the passage of legislation (HB 654) that would commission a study to understand the impact of short-term rentals and clarified that local jurisdictions shall not “impose any additional restrictions on dwellings used as a vacation rental or short-term rental.” Bottom line, unless a property is in violation of nuisance codes, local governments cannot restrict homeowners (single-family homes, condominiums, owner occupied houses, etc.) from offering short-term rentals. The short-term rental study will look at municipal regulation of vacation rentals, enforcement of regulations and the taxation of short-term rentals under the meals and rooms tax. The study is expected to be complete by November 1, 2017. For more information, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.     Land Use Initiative Second Quarter Review   Below is the 2nd quarter review of NAR’s Land Use Initiative (LUI), which provides recommendations to requesting REALTOR® Associations to improve/oppose/support proposed state or local land use measures. Of the 14 issues reviewed during the second quarter, half of the topics were related to rental regulations. Specific examples are highlighted below:  North Lake Tahoe, NV, Short-term Rentals A resolution provided by the local Fire Protection District would regulate vacation home rentals. Under the resolution, vacation rental owners would have to apply annually for (i) occupational permits, (ii) be subject to inspections and (iii) provide a local contact to the department. It is unusual that the resolution originated from the Fire Dept. (not the city or county). The Incline Village Board of REALTORS® opposed the measure at its entirety and questioned the legal authority of the fire district in implementing the ordinance.  Wilmington, NC, Short-term Rentals The city has been working on this ordinance for a couple years. This example is very interesting because there are powerful interests on both sides of the aisle, thus limiting the clarity of a position for the Cape Fear REALTORS®. The dynamics are explained by GAD Shane Johnson, looking for common ground on this issue to provide the Chair of the City’s Planning Commission, whom happens to be REALTOR® Deb Hays. This is an excellent example of the complexity of regulating short-term rentals at the local level. From an economic development perspective, short-term rentals (STRs) bring dollars into the community. Those in favor of STRs focus on impingement of property rights, the changing view of homeownership in society and economic development. Some favor handling STRs like B&Bs (the city allow one per block face with a permit, currently). From a neighborhood perspective STRs could have a disruptive effect in changing the fabric of neighborhoods. Shane further explains that those against STRs say that it disrupts neighborhoods and allows “mini-hotels” and thereby alloes commercial activity to take place in residential areas. Residential areas should be reserved for “residents” as the name implies. They also mention that STRs cause problems in neighborhoods (no stats to back this up).  Hamilton, OH, Residential Rental Registration and Inspection The city proposed the ordinance, which included chronic nuisance regulations and utility liens. Chronic nuisance includes a list of activities or behaviors by the owners, operators or persons associated with the property. Once deemed a chronic nuisance property, civil penalties may be assessed against the owner. The proposal included a new section allowing liens to be placed on the property if utility bills become delinquent (water, sewer, etc.).  A look at some numbers…. We received and approved 14 requests for LUI reviews in the 2nd quarter. To date, there have been 25 requests of which 24 were approved. If you would like to see additional details about the Land Use Initiative during the second quarter of 2017, please contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.     RPAC & Political Fundraising Update    2017 President’s Circle Update President’s Circle has launched its fourth and final round of the year. There will be no additional targets in 2017. During this round, President’s Circle members may invest as little as $500 or up to the full $2,000 in any of the REALTOR® Champion targets. The full $2,000 investment is due by September 30, 2017, but it is important to collect funds as soon as possible so they may be of the most benefit to our candidates’ campaigns. Please encourage your members not to wait until September 30 to complete their commitment. For more information, contact Kelly O’Donnell at 202-383-7510 or Kanoa Naehu at 202-383-1268    2018 President’s Circle Conference Update The 2018 President’s Circle (PC) Conference will be held at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas, March 1-4, 2018.  Remind your members: All persons traveling to the Bahamas must have a valid U.S. Passport.  If members choose to invest the full $2,000 by Friday, August 4, 2017, they will be able to register for the President’s Circle conference when registration initially opens on Monday, August 7, 2017. After the initial launch, registration will be open to members on a rolling basis, as follows: $2,000 PC investment completed between August 5 and August 31: Eligible to register on September 5 $2,000 PC investment completed between September 1 and September 30: Eligible to register on October 5   Contact Kelly O’Donnell at 202-383-7510 or Kanoa Naehu at 202-383-1268 for questions regarding the President’s Circle program. Contact Beth Brittingham at 202-383-1209 or Prisca Austin at 312-329-8389 for questions regarding registration for the 2018 President’s Circle Conference    RPAC Training Webinar: RPAC Online Posting Guidelines Did you know that RPAC-related information on social media and websites is subject to both federal and state election laws? Ralph Holmen, NAR’s Associate General Counsel, and Liz Demorest, RPAC Fundraising Manager, will fill you in on how to apply PAC fundraising laws to social media posts and website content. Join us to find out what can be publicly shared online. This interactive webinar will be held on Wednesday, August 23 at 3pm EST. Register now! Contact: Liz Demorest at 202-383-1030 for more information.    New RPAC Team Member Please welcome Liz Best-Bradford as the newest member of the RPAC Fundraising Team at NAR. Some of you may already know Liz, as she’s been a member of NAR’s campaign services team since 2015. In her new role, Liz will be managing the RPAC Fundraising Partnership Grant Program and serving as staff executive for the RPAC Participation Council and RPAC Fundraising Forum.  Liz Best-Bradford can be reached at 202-383-7582.    NAR After Dark Back by popular demand, NAR After Dark will be held Friday, November 3 from 9:00 PM to 12:00 AM. Join your REALTOR® colleagues and dance the night away! Tickets for NAR After Dark are $30 in advance through meeting registration or $40 at the door. Please encourage your members to join the fun! For more information, contact: Beth Brittingham at 202-383-1209.    RPAC Major Investor Reception The RPAC Major Investor Reception will be held Saturday, November 4 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM at the Museum of Science and Industry. As the largest science museum in the country, the Museum of Science and Industry features interactive exhibits including a historic steam locomotive, a submarine, and a 40-foot tornado! We hope to see you and your fellow 2017 Major Investors there! For more information, contact: Beth Brittingham at 202-383-1209.    RAMP: Improved RPAC Fundraising On the Go An updated version of the REALTOR® Association Mobile Processer (RAMP) is now available! This easy-to-use tool can help you collect investments from members at events and meeting quicker than ever before. Associations must be active on the REALTOR® PAC Management System to use RAMP. Contact us today for the updated RAMP Agreement to take advantage of the latest technology! For more information, contact: Peter Kelly at 202-383-7599.    Participate in a Phone-A-Friend for RPAC Fundraising Week Looking for a way to boost your RPAC participation and receipts? Phone banks are a fun way to help you reach your RPAC goals. To ease the planning work for you, we are hosting two special phone bank weeks this year: September 18-22 and October 9-13. NAR will set everything up in the PAC Management System, allowing you to focus on recruiting volunteers and planning the event. Associations may also apply for grants of up to $500 annually to help with the costs of hosting phone bank events. Click here for more information on Phone-a-Friend for RPAC. For more information, contact: Peter Kelly at 202-383-7599.     NAR’s Economic Outlook   Foreign U.S. Home Sales Surge 49 Percent - Fueled by a large increase in sales dollar volume from Canadian buyers, foreign investment in U.S. residential real estate skyrocketed to a new high. Existing-Home Sales Map - This interactive map shows price and sales data, and lets you compare it to prices and sales over the previous 12 months. ‘Open House:’ A Tradition Still Alive and Growing - Despite all the changes technology has made in the housing market, the Sunday open house has remained  a tradition in real estate industry. The Future of Appraisal: It’s Not Simple - While industry constraints may improve in the short-run, the long-term constraints are significant.  Contract Signings Inch up in June – In this video, Lawrence Yun talks about June pending sales, the economy, housing demand, inventory, days on the market, and compares 2017 sales with 2016 sales. For more information on NAR’s Economic Outlook, contact Meredith Dunn at 202-383-1207

Message from the GAD Chair Cady Thomas GAD Chair North Carolina Association of REALTORS® Inc Last week, the power of our GAD Nation and the REALTOR® family proved strong and showed strength in a most unusual situation. A family in NC needed help getting their son home from Arkansas and their REALTOR® reached out to her NC network. We in-turn reached out to our counterparts and friends in Arkansas. Within hours, fellow GAD, Amy Hair, found one of her REALTORS® to help. Three days later, he was home, sleeping in a real bed and eating home cooked meals rather than being in a homeless shelter. I am once again humbled and thankful for our strong network and all of the talented professionals with whom we are lucky enough to work.  It is my goal in the coming year to find ways to help each of us grow in our professions and help our members engage in ways to better their lives and those of their clients’. It is not a one-person job or one the GAD AG can tackle alone. We need you and your input to make this successful. Thus, I am asking all GADs to consider their unique challenges and opportunities, weaknesses and strengths and achievements and goals. Send me your ideas, success stories and needs so we can make this a wonderful year and accomplish the tasks presented by even the most unusual of situations. Follow the REALTOR® Action Center! GAD Directory  SAVE THE DATE New GAD & AE Orientation September 21-22, 2017 REALTORS® Conference & Expo Chicago, Illinois November 3-6, 2017