GADFly Newsletter – May 2018

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GADFly Newsletter – May 2018

In This Issue…

Dates & Deadlines

2018 GAD Institute – Registration Opens Next Week!

Join us for the 2018 GAD Institute in Portland, Oregon from July 17 – 19! As in years past, optional workshops are available on Tuesday morning (pre-registration required). The Institute officially kicks off its programming Tuesday at 12:00 PM and concludes on Thursday night following the Oregon Night Out Reception. Onsite registration will open Monday evening prior to conference kick off. New this year, are optional, award-winning walking tours to better give you a flavor of Portland, its economic drivers, and current issues. Please check the website for more info. Contact Kyle Lambert London.

Registration Fee: $500; $550 after June 8, 2018

May 8: Free Webinar: Become a Smarter Consumer of Polling

On Tuesday, May 8 at 12:00 PM EST, Joe Goode of American Strategies Polling will be conducting a webinar on how to interpret poll results and become a smarter consumer of polling data from NAR and other sources. As part of the Candidate and Issue Campaign Training (CICT) program, this webinar is free and open to anyone in the REALTOR® family interested in learning more about polling. To register for the webinar visit our website and click on the upcoming webinar link. For more information, contact John Winston at (202) 383-1235 or Kyle Lambert London at (202) 383-1203.

May 16: REALTORParty.com Officially Becomes REALTORParty.realtor

Be sure to update your association websites and bookmarks.

June 7-8: REALTOR® Party New GAD & AE Orientation

Are you new to the REALTOR® organization or do you have a staff person who is? REGISTRATION IS OPEN until May 7 for the second of three 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.

Know Before You Go: 2018 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings

Register for the 2018 NAR Town Hall Webcast

On May 10 at 2:00 PM EDT, NAR will conduct a live Town Hall Meeting for REALTORS® who are planning to attend the 2018 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. NAR’s Chief Lobbyist Jerry Giovaniello and the NAR lobbying team will highlight the issues REALTORS® will discuss with members of Congress on Capitol Hill. Jerry and the lobbyists will answer questions sent by REALTORS® via email.

Additional materials including the 2018 talking points and video summaries of federal priority issues will be available for download on May 1 at www.nar.realtor/hillvisitmaterials. In order to prepare for the meeting with your Member of Congress or Senator, NAR strongly suggests downloading the talking points prior to attending the webcast on May 10.

Register for the NAR Town Hall Webcast today. (Bookmark this link for instant access on May 10)

Advocacy Materials are Now Online

The 2018 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo Talking Points and additional advocacy materials are now available on www.nar.realtor/HillVisitMaterials.

Here are links for sharing information on social media for specific topics on the Hill Visit Materials page:

If you have any questions about the materials, contact John DiBiase at 202-383-1037.

Prepare Your FPCs for Their Meetings on Capitol Hill

This year, NAR made additional efforts to best prepare the Federal Political Coordinators for their meetings on Capitol Hill. These efforts include targeted letters (log-in required) to those who have members of Congress or Senators on Committees of Jurisdiction important to one of our key issues, asking those FPCs to prioritize one of the talking points. See if your FPCs have specific talking points (log-in required) where they should focus attention. NAR has also developed two-minute issue videos for our four legislative priorities. These videos seek to distill the talking points to ensure every registrant understands why REALTORS® should care about our priority issues.

FPC E-Packets Ready for Download

NAR has created anFPC E-Packet. This one-stop shop for all advocacy materials your FPCs need to be ready for their Hill meetings is ready for download. The 2018 FPC E-Packet includes materials and reminders to prep FPCs for their Hill visits, including federal priority issue talking points and videos, NAR/RPR Economic Area Reports, social media tools, and other helpful tips and resources.

Tell your members to stop by the REALTORS® Trade Expo for Free Metro Cards before Heading to the Hill!

Before you leave for your Capitol Hill Visits, tell members to stop by the REALTORS® Trade Expo, back of Hall B, on Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM to pick up a free Metro card and map, available only while supplies last.

Fair Housing at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo

As your members plan for the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo, remind them to add NAR 360 and the General Session to their schedule. Both events will include special fair housing programming they will not want to miss. Also, they can reaffirm their pledge to Article 10 of the Code of Ethics, which states that REALTORS® should not discriminate against any person, by signing the poster at the Fair Housing Act display in the lobby of the Marriott Wardman Park. Then they can pick up a Fair Housing Act 50th Anniversary pin on Wednesday or Thursday at NAR Booth #1707 (While supplies last).

For more information, visit nar.realtor/midyear.nsf/

Advocacy Everywhere

Have questions about NAR’s new Call For Action platform? NAR will be hosting both an Advocacy Everywhere Office Hours on May 16 AND an Advocacy Everywhere Training on May 17 at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

*The Office Hours will not be a formal training, so please let us know the topics you need help navigating and stop by anytime between 9:00 – 10:00 AM on the 16th and
Sign up links for both are below.

Office Hours: https://www.votervoice.net/NAR/Surveys/4524/Respond

Training: https://www.votervoice.net/NAR/Surveys/4525/Respond

Learn more about Advocacy Everywhere at https://realtorparty.realtor/member-consumer/advocacy-everywhere

GAD Schedule at 2018 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings Schedule

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

GAD Briefing on Hill Visits
(GADs obtain copies of talking points for hill visits here)
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Omni Shoreham Hotel, Ambassador Ballroom, Lower Level

Thursday, May 17, 2018

GAD Reception
6:30 – 8:30 PM
Old Ebbitt Grill
675 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC

Friday, May 18, 2018

GAD Advisory Group Meeting (Closed Meeting)
8:30 – 10:30 AM
Washington Hilton, Monroe Room, Concourse Level

Campaign Services Workshop
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Washington Hilton, International Ballroom West, Concourse Level

Government Affairs Directors Meeting
12:30 – 1:30 PM
Washington Hilton
International Ballroom East, Concourse Level

State and Local Government Affairs Directors Breakouts
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Washington Hilton
Georgetown East, Concourse Level (State Breakout)
International Ballroom East (Local Breakout)

GAD Professional Development Session
2:30 – 3:30 PM
Washington Hilton International Ballroom East, Concourse Level

Advocacy Resources

Advocacy Issues A to Z

NAR’s Advocacy policy staff has put together a brief document outlining all the hot-topics they are covering now. It gives you a brief summary, as well as who to contact for more information. Download it at http://narfocus.com/billdatabase/clientfiles/172/26/3149.pdf. For more information, contact Megan Booth at 202-383-1222.

Land Use Initiative Update

Below is the 1st quarter summary of NAR’s Land Use Initiative (LUI) program. The LUI provides recommendations to requesting REALTOR® Associations to improve/support/oppose proposed state or local land use measures.

Twenty requests were processed during the first three months of 2018. Of the requests, 55 percent were related to rental regulations, primarily short-term/vacation rental regulations. Short-term rental (STR) regulations include rental registries and/or specific zoning areas where STRs may be permitted or prohibited. Of significant note, two communities proposed registration fees that were unreasonably higher than other jurisdictions, $1,000 in Orange Beach, Ala. and $904 in Walworth County, Wisc. Presumably, the high fees are an effort to deter property owners from renting units on a short-term basis. Typically these fees range from $100-$250. The Baldwin County Association of REALTORS® was able to reduce the $1,000 fee to $500. Further, there are two pending ballot measures in California that would ban STRs. NAR’s Issues Mobilization is also involved with efforts to prevent the STR ban in Palm Springs and South Tahoe.

Affordable housing regulations were introduced in Telluride, Colo. The average sales price for a townhouse/condo is more than $1.1 million. Within the affordable housing package, a proposed housing mitigation fee for residential development would increase from 60 percent to 90 percent. This percentage is used in a formula to calculate the total fee amount for development. Housing mitigation rates are comparable to impact fees, the mitigation percentage determines the fee amount based off the new development project’s size/square footage. While the Telluride Association of REALTORS® recognize the need for affordable housing, the calculation of the mitigation fee is arbitrary, ultimately serving as a punitive measure to residential development. Not only could this proposal deter residential development in Telluride but drive it to other communities with significantly lower impact fees. Get more details about the mitigation formula, here.

A Formula Business Ordinance (FBO) proposed by the City of Holmes Beach, Fla. was reviewed for the REALTOR® Association of Sarasota and Manatee. FBOs have come up in other communities as an effort to protect the unique character of a community and local small to medium business owners. FBOs generally seek to prohibit group or chain stores from dominating the market. The Holmes Beach proposal is notable for two reasons: (i) FBO was targeted for a specific commercial zone rather than a broad FBO applicable to all land use zones that have been proposed in other communities and (ii) an unintended consequence would have banned real estate companies with more than 11 offices in the world, such as Keller Williams. The Sarasota REALTORS® were able to amend the adopted ordinance to specifically exclude real estate franchises from the FBO, which is considered a huge win for the association. See a press release from the Association.

If you have questions or want more details, contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.

REALTOR® Party State Legislative Monitor

At least 24 states have introduced legislation regarding the regulation of short-term rentals (STRs). While the legislation is primarily related to the taxation or enabling of local jurisdictions to regulate STRs, a bill in Massachusetts would require hosting platforms to maintain liability insurance to cover each residential unit offered as an STR. A bill in Georgia (HB 410-awaiting Governor Deal action) will clarify the intent and fee amount charged by Homeowners Associations to process documents related to a real estate transaction. Legislation authorizing First-Time Home Buyer Savings Accounts are under consideration in Michigan and Missouri (Alabama and Oregon adopted these accounts in 2018). Minnesota and Michigan are considering legislation to repeal existing bans on rent control (similar bills in Illinois and Washington did not move prior to the end of session).

For more information, click here or contact Adriann Murawski at 202-383-1068.

RPAC News & Political Fundraising Update

REALTOR® Party Corporate Ally Program Update

Congratulations to the Boise Regional REALTORS® Association and the Calaveras County Association of REALTORS® for their respective WINS on issue campaigns for a school ballot initiative and a moratorium on PACE grants. Both associations had 100% of the skin-in-the-game requirement (SITG) covered by Corporate Ally Program funds thanks to the generosity of investors in their states. CAP wishes the Baldwin County Association and the Clarksville Association much success in their issue campaigns that also benefitted from CAP with 100% SITG coverage. How does your association cover its SITG requirement for issue mobilization grants? To learn more about CAP’s mission to support REALTOR® Party advocacy from the Federal to the local level or to schedule a CAP fundraising event for your association, click here or contact Paula Martino at 202-383-1156.

2018 President’s Circle Rounds and Deadline

Round 3 of President’s Circle was released in early April, featuring the National Party Committees (with credit to your favorite Member of Congress) OR FPCs’ direct contribution to their respective Member of Congress. The 12 REALTOR® Champions from the first two rounds are also still available to support, which we encourage — early money to our REALTOR® Champions is essential! The deadline for President’s Circle members to invest their first $500 is May 31, 2018. For more information, contact Kelly O’Donnell at 202-383-7510 or Kanoa Naehu at 202-383-1268.

RPAC Hall of Fame Class of 2017

194 REALTORS® will be inducted into the 2017 RPAC Hall of Fame Class during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo! The RPAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is open to all – please plan to come cheer on your members as they receive this prestigious honor! The ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 16, 2018 from 6:30 –7:30 PM in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Click here to view the 2017 RPAC Hall of Fame roster. For more information, contact Jackie Zaporowski at 202-383-1029.

Save the Date: RPAC Fundraising Awards Ceremony

Be sure to save the date for the 2017 RPAC Fundraising Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 from 4:30 – 6:00 PM in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Join us to cheer on your association and celebrate a successful 2017 RPAC fundraising year! View President’s Cup and Triple Crown Award details. For more information, contact Jackie Zaporowski at 202-383-1029.

NAR’s Economic Outlook

  • Pending Home Sales Move Up 0.4 Percent in March – Pending home sales inched higher for the second consecutive month in March, but unrelenting inventory constraints once again kept overall activity below year ago levels.
  • Existing-Home Sales Climb in March – Sales of existing homes increased in March as prices continued to rise and inventory levels remained low. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun discusses the data in this video.
  • REALTORS® and Sustainability – In February 2018, NAR surveyed its members about sustainability issues facing the industry. This report presents their responses.
  • Infographic: REALTORS® and Sustainability 2018 – This infographic presents highlights from a survey of NAR’s residential and commercial members about sustainability in homes and buildings they work with, and about client interest in energy-efficient features.
  • REALTORS® Confidence Index – REALTORS® report “low inventory” and “interest rates” as the major issues affecting transactions in March 2018.
  • Description: arrow-gray.gif For more information on NAR’s Economic Outlook, contact Meredith Dunn at 202-383-1207.

cadyThomas2.jpg

Message from the GAD ChairCady Thomas
GAD Chair
North Carolina Association of REALTORS®

It is almost here – REALTORS® Legislative Meetings are just two weeks away. Others have outlined all the sessions you should attend in the main part of this email, so I will just focus on the fun stuff. If you have topics for discussion at the state and local breakout session, please email them to State or Local. Second, make sure you are well versed in the specifics of NAR’s S.M.A.R.T. Budget Initiative. Finally, we will have our always popular and entertaining GAD Reception. This year, we will be rooftop at Old Ebbitt Grill looking down on the monuments to the great leaders of our nation. Special thanks to REAL Strategies for hosting this event!

Next week (day TBD), the 2018 GAD Institute registration will open. Make sure to check the website diligently because you do not want to miss this Institute! We listened to you – okay the ones that bothered to complete the survey – and are changing the model of our annual conference.

This year our Institute will be more interactive, you will get to spend time with your Political Field Representatives, hear from an amazing (read $$$$$) keynote speaker on Thursday night before the fun of the Portland night out, Gerry has promised me giraffe rides, and you might even get to see some of your old friends that have moved on to other jobs. That’s right, we are wrapping up on Thursday night, so you can take that early Friday morning plane home without that guilty feeling. We are also adding walking tours on Monday and a GADs Give Back opportunity – calling all superheroes! More on that at the GAD meeting in DC.

See you soon,
Cady

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