| THE GADFLY |
| January 2018 |
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| In This Issue... |
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| Dates & Deadlines |
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 Week of Jan. 8: NAR Kicks off Commemoration of the Fair Housing Act
This year, NAR will embark on a yearlong commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act to raise awareness about the significance of this law and to create opportunities for REALTOR® advocacy and involvement. NAR will provide a variety of communication resources to help associations share the importance fair housing plays in the industry and in communities. Visit www.FairHousing.realtor to learn more, to find resources you can use, and to share what your association is doing to commemorate the anniversary. For more information, contact Fred Underwood at 202-383-1132. |
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Jan. 31: 2018 Issues Mobilization Grant Requests
As soon as possible, but no later than Wednesday, January 31, we need to identify upcoming 2018 Issues Mobilization grant requests with as much specificity as possible in terms of issue, amount of grant request, and timing of grant request. We understand that issues pop up unexpectedly throughout the year, so it’s not possible to predict your needs with 100% certainty. However, we will all be in a better position if we can identify your 2018 needs as early in the year as possible. Please contact Joe Maheady at 202-383-1006 or John Winston at 202-383-1235 to discuss as soon as possible. |
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| REALTOR® Party Educational Opportunities |
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New Member Orientation Materials Made Easy
Check out this easy-to-use, 2-minute video and Power Point combo. The REALTOR® Party New Member Orientation supplements the existing NAR Orientation Toolkit for associations, but focuses solely on the importance of the REALTOR® Party for members and the real estate industry. Just press “play” and leave the story telling to us! Questions? Contact Kyle Lambert London. |
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REALTOR® Party New GAD & AE Orientation – February 22 & 23
Are you new to the REALTOR® organization or do you have a staff person who is? REGISTRATION IS OPEN for the first of four REALTOR® Party New Government Affairs Director & Association Executive Orientations of 2018. Receive a comprehensive overview of the activities surrounding, and key staff members involved with, REALTOR® advocacy efforts. Visit our website for info on expenses covered by NAR and criteria to attend as well as for a sample agenda. Questions? Contact Kyle Lambert London. |
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Candidate Training Academy & Best Practices for Choosing REALTOR® Champions
Limited opportunities are available to bring either of these courses to your association free of charge. You recruit the attendees and print the 2018 newly updated materials. The 7-hour Candidate Training Academy (10 available) educates REALTOR®-friendly candidates on the ins and outs of running for office. The 3-hour Best Practices for Choosing REALTOR® Champions (7 available) educates volunteer members on techniques to discern the best candidate for your association to support through proper questions, the interview process and other time-tested methods. Contact Kyle Lambert London to schedule your class today! |
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NEW! 2018 Candidate & Issue Campaign Training (CICT)
Interested in taking your campaigns to the next level? Would you like to support a local candidate or issue in 2018? Then join us for NAR’s new Candidate & Issue Campaign Training course. This hybrid webinar/in-person course consists of a seven-part, monthly webinar series leading to an intensive, in-person training in June at NAR in Washington D.C. Webinars, beginning on January 16, are free of charge and open to all association staff members. However, limited spaces are available for the full CICT certificate course. Formal registration for the full certificate course ($99 course fee) will open next week. Visit our website for program details or contact Kyle Lambert London or John Winston to be added to a special mailing list. |
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| GAD Resources |
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Tax Reform Resource
Download NAR’s Comprehensive Guide to the recently enacted Tax Reform Law: “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act - What it Means for Homeowners and Real Estate Professionals.” The guide is broken down into special sections for current and prospective homeowners, real estate professionals and commercial real estate. For ore information, contact John DiBiase at 202-383-1037. |
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What’s Kind about In-Kind Contributions?
Did you know that inadvertent political contributions from your association to candidates are likely illegal? In-kind contributions are commonly overlooked by associations, resulting in potential impermissible contributions to candidate campaign committees. Learn about preventing inadvertent in-kind contributions (Reference Document | Presentation). For more information, contact Jon Waclawski at 202-383-1248. |
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Hot Topic Alert: Real Estate Teams
The typical REALTOR® understands the importance of real estate teams within a brokerage as they are rapidly growing within the industry. In 2016, there were between 35,000 and 50,000 real estate teams operating in the United States. It is estimated that by 2019, more than 100,000 teams will form to share the workload and responsibilities of real estate services within a brokerage. At least 24 states have statutes or formal regulations in place for real estate teams. Learn more about these regulations and find your state’s statute in NAR’s State Issues Tracker. For more information, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068. |
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2018 State REALTOR® Association Legislative Priorities
Thank you for participating in the legislative priority survey earlier this year. The results have been collected and we learned a few things. The top five issues identified as priorities are: property taxes or tax reform, first-time homebuyer programs, short-term rentals, sales tax on services and professional licensing. For more information, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068. |
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REALTOR® Party State Legislative Monitor
Get ready for your 2018 state legislative session to begin. For the second year, we are offering access to the REALTOR® Party State Legislative Monitor. This is a service that helps identify and monitor real estate-related state legislation. In 2017, more than 750 bills were tracked that had to do with regulating short-term rentals, affordable housing measures, seller disclosures and sales taxes on services, to name a few. If you have interest in accessing the Monitor or attending a training session, please contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068. |
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| RPAC Update |
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 Jan. 23: RPAC Fundraising Training Webinar: RPAC & The Law
Fundraising for a Political Action Committee is fun, but it also comes with various federal and state laws that must be followed. Please join NAR’s Ralph Holmen, Associate General Counsel, and Jon Waclawski, Political Compliance Counsel, on Tuesday, January 23 at 3:00 PM EST for a webinar that will address the most important legal issues related to political fundraising. Whether you are new to political fundraising or have years of experience, this interactive webinar will help you navigate critical campaign finance laws. Click here to register. For more information, contact Liz Demorest at 202-383-1030. |
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2018 President’s Circle Launch
The first round of 2018 President’s Circle will launch in January. Round 1 will consist of 6 REALTOR® Champions—different than past years where Round 1 consisted of National Party Committees and FPC Members of Congress. For more information, please contact Kanoa Naehu or Kelly O’ Donnell. |
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DEADLINE: RPAC Hall of Fame Nominations
Do you have an RPAC investor with an aggregate lifetime investment history of $25,000 or more? If so, you may nominate them for induction into the REALTORS® Political Action Committee Hall of Fame no later than January 31, 2018. A nomination form must also be submitted for current Hall of Fame members transitioning into the $50,000, $75,000 or $100,000 tiers. To access the guidelines and nomination form, please click here. For more information, contact Jackie Zaporowski. |
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| NAR’s Economic Outlook |
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Pending Home Sales Inch Up 0.2 Percent in November - Pending home sales were mostly unmoved in November, but did squeak out a minor gain both on a monthly and annualized basis. |
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November 2017 Foot Traffic - After a sharp increase in October, the diffusion index for foot traffic dipped in November. |
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November 2017 Existing-Home Sales - Total existing-home sales jumped 5.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.81 million in November from an upwardly revised 5.50 million in October. After last month’s increase, sales are 3.8% higher than a year ago and are at their strongest pace since December 2006 (6.42 million). |
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2017 Q4 Homeownership Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) Survey - Despite steady job creation, record stock market gains and faster economic growth in recent months, new consumer findings show that a smaller share of households believe that now is a good time to buy or sell a home. |
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REALTORS® Confidence Index - REALTORS® report “low inventory” and “tax reform” as the major issues affecting transactions in November 2017. |
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For more information on NAR’s Economic Outlook, contact Meredith Dunn at 202-383-1207 |
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Message from the GAD Chair
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Cady Thomas
GAD Chair
North Carolina Association of REALTORS® |
Happy New Year! Some of you are likely off to the races with the start of session, others are in campaign mode and the rest of us are just trying to win the two big lottery jackpots and move to the islands!
Since I did not win the Mega Millions last night, and I cannot count on hitting the Powerball tonight, let’s focus on the exciting changes in programing at NAR and the quickly approaching events of which you need to be aware.
Hopefully you are enjoying the new REALTORParty.com website that recently launched. If you haven’t had a chance to visit it please do so today. Advocacy Everywhere is operational as the call for action tool. Please make sure you are up to speed on this program and ready to go before you are hit with your first important issue. As with the federal government, I am sure all your state and local elected officials are chomping at the bit to be “effective” in 2018. Don’t get caught flatfooted by not understanding the new program.
Additionally, there are several professional development opportunities this winter and spring. If you have any questions about whether or not you should participate in any of the programs below, call me! All of these programs will help you be an effective GAD.
Let’s make 2018 the best year for the REALTOR Party yet!
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REALTOR® Action Center! |
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