National Association of REALTORS® GADFly Newsletter View e-mail in browser THE GADFLY September 2018 In This Issue... Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming GAD Meetings & Events Advocacy Updates & Resources RPAC News NAR’s Economic Outlook Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming GAD Meetings & Events  2018 REALTORS® Conference & Expo’s GAD Meetings – Mark Your Calendars! (Locations TBD) Thursday, November 1 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. - NAR 360 – Special performance by the GAD Band! Friday, November 2 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. – Federal Issues Update 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. – State and Local Issues Policy Committee 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. – Advocacy Everywhere: State Association Training 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. – State and Local Issues Mobilization Support Committee 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. – Hosting Your Major Investor Event 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. – Tour of Revitalized Areas – Seaport District 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Advocacy Everywhere: Concierge Services for Local Associations 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – RPAC Fundraising Forum 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – GAD Reception Saturday, November 3 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. - GAD Institute Advisory Group Meeting (closed) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. – GAD Meeting 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. – State and Local GAD Breakout Meetings 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – GAD Professional Development Session  2019 REALTOR® Party Advocacy New GAD & AE Orientations Please mark your calendars for the 2019 REALTOR® Party Advocacy New GAD & AE Orientations: Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1, 2019 Thursday and Friday, September 12 & 13, 2019 NAR reimburses attendees travel, and provides hotel stay and meals in Washington DC for this advocacy orientation geared toward staff in their positions 18 months or less. For additional information, please check out specific details on our webpage or contact Kyle Lambert London.  2019 GAD Institute Dates and Budget Items For your planning purposes, the 2019 GAD Institute will be in The Queen City, Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday, July 16 – Thursday, July 18, 2019. NAR group rates at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati will be $189/night plus taxes and fees. The 2019 registration fee will increase to $550 (late registration will be $600). Plan now and we hope to see you there!  2018 GAD Institute Photos Interested in seeing some of the sights from the 2018 GAD Institute in Portland, Oregon? Click here for downloadable photos! Advocacy Resources  Last Chance for 2018 Community Outreach Grants The deadline for the 2018 Community Outreach Grants is fast approaching. The Placemaking and level 1 Smart Growth, Diversity and Housing Opportunity grants’ deadline is October 1, 2018.  The level 2 Smart Growth, Diversity, and Housing Opportunity grants’ deadline is September 15, 2018. Apply soon or you will need to wait until 2019. Please read the criteria for each grant or call the staff who manages the grant if you have any questions. For more information, contact Holly Moskerintz at 202-383-1157.  FPC Nomination Process for 116th Congress As we approach the homestretch of the 115th session of Congress, please begin thinking about your state’s nominations for Federal Political Coordinators (FPCs) for the next cycle. The deadline for submitting your FPC nomination letter is November 23, 2018. Letters should be addressed to 2019 NAR President, Mr. John Smaby, on state letterhead and be signed by your 2019 State President. The RPMIC Committee is currently conducting “level of interest” calls with their FPCs to garner insight into who is interested in returning for another term. They will be reaching out to communicate the results to you in mid-September. For more information, visit the REALTOR® Party website or contact Victoria Givens.  NEW RESOURCE: Fair Housing & the ADA: Reasonable Accommodations with Service Animals White Paper Approximately 56.7 million people or nearly 1 in 5 Americans report having a disability. Claims of disability discrimination make up nearly 55 percent of all fair housing complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This White Paper covers the federal, state, and local laws that protect persons with disabilities. There have been several states adopting legislation to prevent abuse of the right to request an accommodation. It is expected that HUD will release guidelines on the misrepresentation of service animals in the near future. NAR is closely monitoring this and has been instrumental in voicing concerns for clarity on this issue. For more information, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.  New Resources Added to FairHousing.realtor NAR adds resources monthly to help with your Fair Housing Act commemoration activities. Find new articles, stories, ads, and more at www.FairHousing.realtor. Remember, we want to hear about how you are recognizing this important anniversary. Share your story for a chance to be featured on the Showcase Stories page. For more information, contact Wendy Penn at 202-383-7504.  2019 State REALTOR® Association Legislative Priorities Survey: Opening Soon State AEs and GADs will receive notice this week about the opening of a survey to determine the top three legislative priorities of your association. The survey will be open until Monday, September 24. Only one response per state is allowed. The results will be delivered at the REALTOR® Party Training Conference and will be available online. For more information, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.  Add Hundreds (or thousands) of Consumers Voices to Your Advocacy Efforts Are you working on a real estate ballot measure for November? Will property tax be on your local agenda? You can target consumers in your state or local communities (or even by zip code). Make homeowners aware of and ensure they support your real estate legislation. Contact Erin Murphy at 202-383-1079. Be sure to check out HomeOwnershipMatters.realtor today!  Easy Solution to Your New Member Orientations Would you would like your newest members to know the importance of the REALTOR® Party and RPAC? 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! Contact Kyle Lambert London at 202-383-1203 for details.  Apply for a Broker Involvement Grant Use the Broker Involvement Grant to create an activity to recruit, retain, educate, and engage your brokers and their agents in building a culture of advocacy. Examples of possible activities include a broker event, marketing materials, or broker advocacy messaging. The third quarter deadline is September 15 and applications are available here. State and local associations may apply for one Broker Involvement Grant of up to $5,000 annually. For more information, please contact Caroline Stewart.  Notification of Issues Mobilization Grant Assistance For program budgeting purposes, please let us know if you plan to request Issues Mobilization grant assistance on an issue campaign that will be conducted in 2018 ASAP. Please contact: Joe Maheady, Issues Mobilization Program Manager at 202-383-1006 or John Winston, Campaign Services Manager at 202-383-1235.   Use FairHousing.realtor to Support your Efforts Visit FairHousing.realtor to access materials including videos, PowerPoints, and scripts that your association can use to host its own Fair Housing Act presentation. Remember, when posting on social media about your association’s involvement in the commemoration, be sure to tag NAR at @realtoraction and use #FairHousingMakesUSStronger in your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts so we can share and re-tweet them. For more information, contact Wendy Penn at 202-383-7504. RPAC News  RPAC 50th Anniversary Video Competition What does RPAC mean to you, your association, and the real estate industry? Competition finalists and winners (by association size category) will have their videos featured during the 2019 REALTOR® Party Training Conference and RPAC’s 50th anniversary celebration in May 2019. The deadline to submit videos is Friday, October 26, 2018. Click here for more information or to submit a video. For more information, contact Lauren Facemire at 202-383-1080.  2018 President’s Circle Deadline All four President’s Circle rounds have now launched for 2018. The full $2,000 investment is due by the end of this month, September 30, 2018, so please encourage your members to complete their commitment in this important election year! View the current President’s Circle Roster online. For more information, contact Lauren Facemire at 202-383-1080 or Lisa Friday Scott at 202-383-1270.  Participate in the September RPAC Email Campaign   RPAC’s September fundraising campaign is centered on two compelling videos which educate and encourage members to invest in RPAC. Many states have already signed on – don’t miss out on this opportunity to promote the RPAC culture in your state or local! Contact Peter Kelly at 202-383-7599 to sign up for the September campaign or for more information.  RPAC Major Investor Reception   The RPAC Major Investor Reception will be held Saturday, November 3 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Museum of Science. The Museum of Science features hundreds of interactive exhibits as well as exceptional views of Boston and the Charles River! We hope to see you and your fellow 2018 Major Investors there! For more information, contact Beth Brittingham at 202-383-1209.  Deadline: RPAC Major Investor Recognition Make sure you and your members are recognized as RPAC Major Investors in time for the 2018 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Boston. RPAC investments must be submitted to the NAR Finance Office no later than Wednesday, October 18, 2018 to meet this deadline. Click here for more information. For more information, contact Liz Demorest at 202-383-1030. NAR’s Economic Outlook Infographic: July 2018 Foot Traffic - Foot traffic climbed 3.2 points to 55.8 mid-summer in July. REALTORS® Chief Economist Reflects on Past Recession, What's Ahead for Housing - American financial and lending systems look vastly different nearly a decade after the defining moments of the Great Recession, thanks in part to safe and sound lending and regulatory policy reforms, strongly supported by the National Association of REALTORS®. Today, home prices are at or approaching record highs in many markets, and mortgage default and foreclosure rates sit near historic lows. Pending Home Sales Trail Off 0.7 Percent in July - Pending home sales stepped back in July and have now fallen on an annual basis for seven straight months, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Infographic: July 2018 Existing-Home Sales - Total existing-home sales decreased 0.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.34M in July from 5.38M in June. Metro Home Prices Climb to New All-Time High; Rise 5.3 Percent in Second Quarter - With very low inventory levels in much of the country during the second quarter, existing-homes sales cooled and home prices rose robustly. For more information on NAR’s Economic Outlook, contact Meredith Dunn at 202-383-1207. Message from the GAD Chair Matthew Leger GAD Chair REALTORS® of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale Last month, we challenged the GAD Community to get involved and submit their applications to serve on the 2018/2019 GAD Advisory Group. You all answered that challenge – thank you! Over the next week, Julia and I will be finalizing the 2018/2019 GAD Advisory Group. A number of factors will go into the makeup of the 2018/2019 GAD Advisory Group with one goal in mind – to put together a team that will best embody our evolving GAD Community. Speaking of evolving, we are hoping to see you all in Boston this year for the NAR’s REALTORS® Conference & Expo! Per usual, NAR Staff has put a lot of effort in providing us with some valuable content. Check out the full meeting schedule. If you are not budgeted to attend this year, I encourage all of you to work with your respective finance departments for 2019, you’ll want to budget for: the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., from May 13-18; GAD Institute in Cincinnati from July 16-18 ($550 Registration & $189/Night for hotel); and NAR’s 2019 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in San Francisco from Nov 6-11. The in-person Candidate & Issue Campaign Training (CICT) will be in Chicago next year on April 10-11, 2019. There will also be a companion webinar series that will begin in early December. Registration for the course should open later this month. You will hear me say this a lot in the next year that the best resources you all have are each other. Whether in-person when we travel or via our REALTOR® Government Affairs Facebook Group, I see the effort you all make everyday in learning from each other’s experiences. Whether you are a veteran GAD or new GAD, state GAD or local GAD, fundraising specialist or lobbyist, you all have traits that can better our GAD community. As always, if you have any ideas, please do not hesitate to email me or text me at 561-635-2118. Thank you, Matthew Follow the REALTOR® Party! GAD Directory  SAVE THE DATE New GAD & AE Orientation Washington, D.C. September 13 - 14, 2018 REALTORS® Conference & Expo Boston, Mass. November 2 - 5, 2018 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2020