Hello GAD Nation!
The staff at NAR are excited to welcome everyone for the Annual meetings next month in San Diego, CA! Everyone is hard at work preparing a great agenda for the GAD meetings. The GAD Reception will be held at Vin De Syrah in the Gaslamp Quarter on Friday, November 12th from 5-7pm. The reception venue is only a 12-minute walk to Petco Park where the NAR opening reception will be held from 6-9pm.
A quick note about attendance: due to COVID protocols, all GAD Meeting attendees must be fully registered for the conference and expo and abide by COVID procedures, including proof of vaccination/negative COVID test to attend.
For questions regarding the meetings, registration, or the GAD reception, please direct your inquiries to Jim MacGregor at JMacGregor@NAR.REALTOR.
-The Campaign Services Team
Community Outreach
Urban Roundtable – Tackling the Housing Crisis, Friday, November 12, 3-4pm PT
GADs, AEs, and their leadership are cordially invited to attend the Urban Roundtable to hear an expert-led panel discussion on local solutions to address housing supply and affordability, the connection between housing and transportation policies, and ways cities can ensure housing solutions are developed with a focus on equity. Asa Fleming, REALTOR® Party Community Engagement Liaison, will moderate a discussion featuring experts and thought leaders including, Colin Parent, Executive Director and General Counsel, Circulate San Diego, Lori Holt Pfeiler, President & CEO, Building Industry Association of San Diego, and The Honorable Todd Gloria, Mayor, San Diego (invited). More info. Questions? Contact Wendy Penn at 202-383-7504.
Neighborhood Stabilization Webinar Series Wraps Up
The Policy, Practice, Process: Transforming Neighborhoods through Equitable Revitalization webinar series finale, A Collaborative Approach to Building Communities through Arts and Culture, took place Tuesday, September 21st. The six-part series focused on realizing equitable revitalization strategies and explored opportunities for building partnerships between REALTORS®, local government, and community stakeholders. Read the REALTOR® Magazine coverage, Housing Equity in Practice, Not Just Theory, How to Help Revitalize Your Neighborhood; How to Address Problem Vacancies in Your Neighborhood; How to Bring Problem Properties Back to Productive Use; Land Banks on the Rise; and How Art Can Help Revitalize Neighborhoods, or visit realtorparty.realtor/transforming to view the recordings. Questions? Contact Wendy Penn at wpenn@nar.realtor.
Expert Advocacy Help When You Need It
Often legislative and regulatory proposals that may do harm to property rights arise quickly and require expert analysis. The Land Use Initiative will analyze and provide talking points for proposed planning and zoning related measures that impact the transfer of real property. Review measures submitted by associations during Q2 2021 and search key word, issue, date and state to read submitted measures by associations since 1999. Questions? Contact Holly Moskerintz.
REALTOR® Party Success Stories – October 2021
Each month, stories highlighting state and local associations who leveraged a REALTOR Party grant or resource that led to an advocacy “win” are highlighted and cataloged in the REALTOR Party Success Stories. Success stories created in October include:
- Connecticut REALTORS® Fend Off Transfer Tax with Issues Mobilization and Advocacy Everywhere
- Big Bear Association of REALTORS® Opposes Cap on Short-Term Rentals with Advocacy Everywhere and Housing Opportunity Grant
- Delayed by Natural Disaster, Rogue Valley Association of REALTORS® Launches Wildfire Safety Campaign with Emphasis on Prevention
- Virginia REALTORS® Launches Fairhaven Competition
For more information or questions and to submit a success story, contact Christine Windle, cwindle@nar.realtor
RPAC Fundraising
Save the Date: RPAC Major Investor Reception
The RPAC Major Investor Reception will be held Saturday, November 13 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm during the REALTORS® Conference & Expo. We’ll be taking over Belmont Park, San Diego’s beachfront amusement park. Please keep in mind, the deadline to have Major Investor funds processed to be invited to this event is Wednesday, October 20th. We hope to see you and your fellow 2021 Major Investors there!
Contact Beth Brittingham at 202-383-1209
RPAC President’s Circle
The 2021 President’s Circle program closed on Thursday, September 30th. If members are interested in joining 2022 President’s Circle, they may contact Avery Walker at awalker@nar.realtor to receive instructions to join when the program opens next year.
NAR Research and Press Releases
Commercial Weekly: Retail Vacancy Rates at Lowest Levels Since Q2 2020
With people returning to physical stores and food and drinking places, demand for retail space in Q2 2021 exceeded pre-pandemic peak levels.
By: Brandon Hardin, BHardin@nar.realtor
Instant Reaction: Mortgage Rates, October 14, 2021
Mortgage rates rose sharply to 3.05% this week from 2.99% last week as consumer and producer prices continue to inflate due to persistent supply bottlenecks and labor difficulties. NAR forecasts the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will reach 3.6% by mid-2022.
By: Nadia Evangelou, NEvangelou@nar.realtor
Housing Affordability Continued to Improve in August
At the national level, housing affordability increased for the second consecutive month in August compared to the previous month, with the monthly mortgage payment falling by 1.1% and the median family income falling modestly by 0.7%.
By: Michael Hyman, MHyman@nar.realtor
Instant Reaction: Jobs, October 8, 2021
The latest job additions of 194,000 in September are light considering there are still 5 million fewer Americans working now versus before the pandemic.
By: Lawrence Yun, LYun@nar.realtor
Commercial Weekly: Renter Demand Shifts Toward More Affordable and Suburban-Class B/C Apartments
The apartment vacancy rate has fallen to a decade low of 4.5%, and the asking rent has soared to a historic high of 10.5%.
By: Scholastica (Gay) Cororaton, SCororaton@nar.realtor
Key Dates
Official Government Affairs Director Meetings in San Diego, CA
Friday, Nov 12 from 5:00p – 7:00p
GAD Networking Reception at Vin de Syrah
901 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Saturday, Nov 13 from 10:30a – 12:00p
Government Affairs Directors Meeting & Professional Development Session
Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Grand Salon 1 – 3, Lobby Level
Saturday, Nov 13 from 12:30p – 1:30p
Government Affairs Directors Local Breakout Session
Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Grand Salon 1 – 3, Lobby Level
Saturday, Nov 13 from 12:30p – 1:30p
Government Affairs Directors State Breakout Session
Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Grand Salon 4, Lobby Level
Brad Ward
GAD Chair
Michigan REALTORS®
Just a couple of weeks until Election Day. For those of you making RPAC endorsements, running IEs, or ballot initiative campaigns, I wish you the best of luck. I look forward to celebrating, or commiserating, with you the following week in San Diego. Additionally, we will be hearing the results of the recent GAD/AE policy issues survey.
The GAD Advisory Group held our first meeting to start planning next year’s institute in Philadelphia. So far, I’ve resisted the urge to push for the branding “Finally in Philly.” The committee appreciates your responses to the institute survey to help us plan. If one thing came through loud and clear it was how valuable our state and local breakouts are, and your desire for additional networking/idea-sharing opportunities.
The good news is, we will be holding state and local breakouts again at Annual on Saturday, November 13th. I would like to challenge everyone to think of one new thing that your association did this year, that you can share with the group. I know that time is short and not everyone will have a chance to share their ideas, but if the opportunity presents itself, we could all benefit from hearing about new and innovative ways to use data or the NAR grants and elections programs.
I look forward to seeing you all in San Diego!
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