Seven years ago, the South Bend Area REALTORS® partnered with local organizations and businesses to create a Better Block event along a forlorn stretch of roadway on the edge of town. Their vision prompted the city to invest millions of dollars over the course of next five years, improving the streetscape and elevating the community.
GADFly Newsletter – June 2021
GAD Institute Registration is OPEN! GAD Institute Registration is filling up! Over 250 of your GAD colleagues are attending, are you? Registration for GAD Institute ends on June 24th! Click HERE to register and for a look at the GAD Institute agenda. Pre-Institute sessions start at 8:30am on July 20th and the Institute concludes with GAD Night Out hosted by the Colorado Association at 6:00pm on July 22nd. We have 25 incredible sessions planned with over 50 speakers and panelists – there will be something for everyone! With nightly receptions, luncheons, and breakfast events, you are sure to have plenty...
Correcting the Record
American real estate is the envy of the world. It’s a shining example of the potential of our free market system and a defining feature of our collective embrace of the “unalienable Rights” set forth by Thomas Jefferson some 250 years ago. Considering the fight being waged against our members in some corners of the country, though, you wouldn’t always know that’s the case.
Kentucky REALTORS® Host Weeklong Virtual Treasure Hunt to Spur RPAC Investment
In a case of Necessity being the mother of Invention, the Kentucky REALTORS®’ RPAC and YPN Committees turned to a high-tech gadget to develop an engaging RPAC event: using a 3-D imaging camera, they hosted a five-day virtual treasure hunt that attracted new investment and is paving the way for future fully inclusive and accessible events.
Central Missouri Board of REALTORS® Uses Transforming Neighborhoods Technical Assessment to Address Vacant and Abandoned Properties
In the town of Marshall, Missouri (pop. 13,000,) about 20% of the residential properties were vacant, along with more than a dozen commercial properties, including a hospital and a grocery store. The Central Missouri Board of REALTORS® got to work with a REALTOR® Party-funded technical assessment, whose recommendations are driving real change focused on strategic code enforcement, data-driven problem solving, and property owner education.
Scottsdale Area Association of REALTORS® Uses Land Use Initiative to Champion Property Rights and Allow for Future Development
Using the findings of a Land Use Initiative analysis from the REALTOR® Party, the Scottsdale Area Association of REALTORS® helped dissuade the City Council from adopting the new ‘Desert Rural’ protective category that would have raised significant barriers to high-density development and trounced the rights of private property owners.
Columbia Board of REALTORS® Helps City and County Modernize Revenue Stream by Adopting Local Internet Use Tax
Without a local internet use tax in place on sales from out-of-state vendors, the City of Columbia, Missouri and its surrounding county had been missing out on tens of millions of revenue dollars from the online shopping trend. To help the municipality capture this income for essential services, the Columbia Board of REALTORS® used an Issues Mobilization Grant from the REALTOR® Party to convince voters to adopt the tax.
Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS Support the Health of Waterways, the Public, and the Economy with Issues Mobilization Campaign
There was no question that the wastewater infrastructure of Yarmouth, Massachusetts was overdue to be replaced, but the local REALTORS took no chances when a major plan that was years in the making was put to a final vote. A campaign supported by an Issues Mobilization grant from the REALTOR Party reminded voters how important the new system was to the environment, the residents, and to the peninsula’s tourist economy.
On Massachusetts’ South Shore, REALTORS® Use Advocacy Everywhere Program to Defend Against Dumping of Radioactive Wastewater in Cape Cod Bay
Not disposing of nuclear waste in any region’s precious waterways would seem be a matter of common sense, but apparently, in Massachusetts, the corporation responsible for decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station wants to do just that. To protect the environment, the economy, and the health of local communities, the South Shore REALTORS® have mobilized in opposition.
Alabama REALTORS® Champion First-Time Homebuyer Savings Accounts — Again
Having spearheaded the effort to create a First-Time Homebuyer Savings Account program in Alabama back in 2018, Alabama REALTORS® revisited the legislation as the end of a five-year sunset clause approached. A Call for Action reminded lawmakers how important the tax-free savings accounts are for aspiring homebuyers, and the law was not only renewed, but extended and strengthened with fraud protections and transparency measures.