GADFly Newsletter – November 2021

It was great seeing all of you in San Diego and I hope you all had a successful Annual Meeting.

During the GAD Business Meeting, held the morning of November 13, our Vice Chair, Brent Swander announced that he would be stepping down from his leadership position. Brent has been named the new CEO of the Columbus REALTORS and we are all excited for him and wish him all the best with the new role.

With Brent’s departure, we will fill the vacancy of the Vice Chair in accordance with the by-laws and it will be filled by a vote of the GADs at their next regularly scheduled meeting. This next GAD meeting will be held virtually on January 20, 2022. Candidates must be affiliated with a local association and provide a Statement of Interest to NAR by December 31, 2021. The Statement of Interest should include the candidate’s qualifications, reasons for seeking the position, an indication of support from their association executive, and an affirmation of interest in fulfilling the responsibilities of the position. Any person eligible to seek office who fails to meet the deadline may announce his/her candidacy from the floor at the meeting at which the election is being held. He/She will be considered a write-in candidate and his/her name will not appear on the ballot.

If you have any questions about the Vice Chair position please reach out to Jim MacGregor, Director, State and Local Programs.

Community Outreach

Read the Fall Issue of On Common Ground: Addressing the Housing Shortage
The latest On Common Ground explores ways all levels of government and the private sector are responding to the housing shortage, from zoning modifications to 3D-printed houses. An online version is available via the OCG APP (Apple) (Google Play) and via https://www.nar.realtor/on-common-ground. Over 35,000 copies will be distributed to state and local associations and elected officials. Are you on the list? If not, contact Catherine Mesick.

Questions? Contact Hugh Morris at 202-383-1278.

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 state and local REALTOR associations for proposed planning and zoning related measures that impact the transfer of real property. Review measures submitted by associations during Q3 2021 and search key word, issue, date and state to read submitted measures by associations since 1999.

Questions? Contact Holly Moskerintz.

New Placemaking Toolkit Inspires REALTOR® Engagement and Livability
Leverage the Placemaking for REALTOR® Associations Guide to Transform Public Spaces to Community Places resource to help your association take the lead in spearheading a new pocket park, community garden, parklet, dog park or downtown gathering spot that creates a distinctive sense of place and enhances your community’s walkability. Learn More.

Questions? Contact Holly Moskerintz.

2022 is Around the Corner!
2021 is winding down and the Community Outreach Grant application window is closed for the year. As you plan out your smart growth, fsair housing, placemaking, rural outreach and housing opportunity advocacy activities and initiatives for next year, please note that the grant application platform will reopen on Monday, January 3rd, 2022 and, if your application is approved, you have a full year to use it and seek reimbursement. Need ideas on how to leverage a grant? Sign-up for a 30-minute, one-on-one, Community Outreach Coaching via Zoom invite to brainstorm ways to address affordable housing challenges, community planning and development issues, revitalization opportunities and fair housing education and beyond using a Community Outreach Grant.

Questions? Contact Christine Windle at 202/383-1135.

REALTOR® Party Success Stories – November 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 November include:

For more information or questions and to submit a success story, contact Christine Windle, cwindle@nar.realtor

RPAC Fundraising

Dec. 15: Year-End RPAC Transmittal Deadline
The final deadline is approaching for individuals to be recognized as NAR RPAC Major Investors and for associations to receive credit toward their 2021 fundraising goals! National RPAC requires that all funds, with appropriate back-up documentation, be received in NAR’s Chicago Finance office by close of business on Wednesday, December 15.

For more information regarding RPAC deadlines please click here or contact Jackie Zaporowski (202-383-1029).

Dec. 15: RPAC Hall of Fame Deadline
The RPAC Hall of Fame eligibility deadline is Wednesday, December 15. Eligible members and staff must meet the $25,000 minimum threshold by the end of the previous fundraising year. The deadline for the nomination form to be submitted to NAR by the state is January 31, 2022. Click here to access the guidelines and nomination form.

For questions regarding the Hall of Fame, or to verify an investment history total, please contact Jackie Zaporowski (202-383-1029).

Dec. 15: Reimbursement Deadline – RPAC Fundraising Programs
Reimbursement forms for the RPAC Fundraising Partnership Grant Program and the Major Investor Event Program are due on or before the RPAC year-end transmittal deadline of Wednesday, December 15, 2021. No 2021 reimbursements will be processed after that date. Click here for the RPAC Fundraising Partnership Grant Program reimbursement information or contact rpacpartnership@nar.realtor.

Click here for the Major Invest Event Program reimbursement information or contact Jackie Zaporowski (202-383-1029).

NAR Research and Press Releases

40 years of Home Buyer and Seller Data: How Does the Profile Compare?
The National Association of REALTORS® started the Profile of Home Buyers Sellers survey in 1981. Since that time, NAR has tracked who the recent primary residence buyers and sellers are in the housing market, what they are purchasing, and their use of an agent. When NAR first administered the survey in 1981 it had only 59 questions. In 2021, the survey contained 129 questions.
By: Jessica Lautz, JLautz@nar.realtor

40th Anniversary Top 10 Highlights: Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
While the report tops 164 pages and has hundreds of data points that a real estate professional can use in their daily business, here are some takeaways.
By: Jessica Lautz, JLautz@nar.realtor

Instant Reaction: Jobs, November 5, 2021
The job market continues to make progress in October with 531,000 net new jobs. Since coming out of lockdown 18 million jobs have been created, but total jobs are still 4 million below the level seen before the arrival of COVID-19.
By: Lawrence Yun, LYun@nar.realtor

Instant Reaction: Mortgage Rates, November 4, 2021
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 3.09% this week from 3.14%, good news for homebuyers and homeowners who want to refinance.
November 4, 2021
By: Nadia Evangelou, NEvangelou@nar.realtor

Key Dates

December 1–3, 2021
REALTOR® Party Training Conference

Brad Ward
GAD Chair
Michigan REALTORS®

It was so good to see so many of you last week at Annual in San Diego. For those of you that were unable to attend, you missed some marvelous weather. Low 80’s every day without a cloud in the sky was definitely a blessing for this boy from Michigan.

To catch up the non-attendees, I have some bittersweet news to report coming out of our business meeting – our great Vice Chair, Brent Swander, will be leaving GAD Nation to become the new CEO of the Columbus Association of Realtors®. We are going to miss Brent and his expertise on the Advisory Group, and we wish him all the best as he takes this next step in his career. For now, Brent will be pulling double duty as CEO and GAD and will continue to serve on the advisory committee for the short-term. However, this means that we will be holding an election for Vice Chair on our next All-GAD Call in January.

Notice of candidates for the vice chair position need to be provided to you 15 days in advance of the January 20th call, per our bylaws. As such, letters of intent to run are due to Jim MacGregor, no later than December 31st. More details are included in the introduction to this issue of the GAD Fly. Candidates must be local GADs.

Speaking of the GAD AG, we had our first in-person meeting since the group was appointed. I can tell you that we are on the path to planning an exciting institute for you all in Philly next year. We are still drilling down on topics for each session, but I can confirm there will be some exciting changes to the schedule based on your feedback on this past institute survey.

Rest assured, even though Brent will be leaving, I still plan to deliver on our campaign promise of more snacks.

GADFly Newsletter – November 2021