President's Perspective
We get so much good
information when
we attend our
National meetings! |
Lynda Long
President
llong@coldwellbanker.com |
 |
I'm halfway through my year (170 days today – but who's counting!) and I'm pleased to report our membership has skyrocketed to 5,506 which is the highest we've been since 1991. Roughly 30 percent (415) of the total new licensees in the state year to date through May (1400) have joined the CBR!
Record ticket sales at our May CORPAC auction along with voluntary contributions puts us at 70 percent of our 2002 goal. Hat's off to Co-Chairs Lynne Wittman and Jim Coridan and the rest of the committee for their outstanding work so far this year.
In May, we traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the NAR Legislative Conference. During this week-long program, we had the opportunity to attend many informational committee meetings and seminars which addressed internet MLS display, communications, marketing, education, legislative issues, licensing, etc. We also visited with Congressman Pat Tiberi and Congresswoman Deborah Pryce.
I'd like to share with you the outcome and status of some of those topics we addressed…
New NAR office building in D.C.
We approved construction of a 103,500-square foot, modern, class ‘A' office building with 93,000 net rentable square feet at 500 New Jersey Ave., three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The plan calls for completion of the $45 million, environmentally friendly building by mid-2004. The new building will give NAR a prominent presence in Washington and generate significant tenant revenue. (For more on the new building, see the May 20 edition of RealtorMag Online news and the July issue of REALTOR Magazine.)
Banks in Real Estate
The NAR has made visible progress in its effort to keep banks out of real estate. During this conference, REALTORS® made 535 congressional visits in two days and as a result picked up five new House sponsors for the Community Choice in Real Estate Act, bringing the total to 232. Four additional senators also pledged their support, bringing the Senate total to 14 supporters, a 40 percent increase from a week ago.
Transportation/Infrastructure
We decided to expand our involvement in transportation and infrastructure issues and will monitor government financing and construction of infrastructure, including transportation, water, sewer, and education facilities.
Internet Data Display
With the growing popularity of the Virtual Office Website (VOW), the NAR MLS committee drafted policies to address how local Boards can oversee the use of the members MLS data in this new way. Local Boards have been asked to comment on the proposal and we will vote on it at the November convention.
RPAC Contributions
As of April 2002, RPAC has collected more than $1.4 million, a 53 percent increase over contributions by that time last year. The percentage of members contributing is 29 percent ahead of last year at this time. In addition, 12 states and the District of Columbia have already reached their goal for the year.
REALTOR.com
The Board heard a report on Homestore.com, which is projected to be cash flow positive by the end of the last quarter of 2002. REALTOR.com continues to grow in popularity, with half the homebuyers in the country now visiting REALTOR.com in the course of their transaction.
Dues
2003 dues will remain at $64 per member, plus the $20 special assessment to fund the public awareness campaign.
Mold
We also approved a number of recommendations related to the growing concerns about mold and mold-related liability, including: 1) addressing mold in property condition disclosures (which Ohio is already working on); 2) working with state lawmakers to adopt laws that will provide defense against liabilities for brokers and associates who have disclosed known mold conditions; 3) working to ensure availability of errors and omissions coverage for mold-related claims; and 4) conducting educational programs and working with other groups to disseminate information about mold and its hazards.
Code of Ethics
A new Standard of Practice related to Article 1 of NAR's Code of Ethics was added saying that, when buyers or cooperating brokers inquire about a property, REALTORS shall, with sellers' approval, divulge the existence of other offers on the property. Additionally, we increased the maximum permissible fine for a violation of the Code of Ethics from $2,500 to $5,000.
The week in Washington was a busy week. There were hundreds of Realtors® all converging on legislators...all protecting private property rights. Remember that your CORPAC contribution is the force behind our legislative power. To date, 2192 of our CBR members (39.8%) have contributed to our 2002 CORPAC campaign. Our goal is 50% participation. Please do your share... send in your money today.
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