Amplified Voices: REALTORS® Unite, Lead and Engage

ThiS fALL, NC REALTORS® fROM ACROSS ThE STATE hAvE BEEN ACTivATiNg ANd uNiTiNg TO LEAd ANd ENgAgE iN ThE LEgiSLATivE pROCESS, ON ThE LOCAL, STATE ANd NATiONAL LEvELS

In mid-September, at the 2013 NC REALTORS® Convention & Expo, hundreds of NC REALTORS® turned out – packing the rooms and spilling out into the hallways at several legislative and regulatory sessions. REALTOR® members of the North Carolina General Assembly and REALTOR® appointees to the regulatory boards and commissions overseeing or affecting the real estate industry and NC REALTORS® shared their unique experience bringing a REALTOR® perspective to policymaking and expert insights into how REALTORS® can advocate effectively. Additionally, NCAR’s Government Affairs staff and Legislative Committee and National Association of REALTORS® staff spread the word about the results of the 2013 state legislative session and about recent and emerging national legislative developments, and together called on NC REALTORS® to engage and invest in NCAR and NAR-led advocacy efforts.

During the Convention, NC REALTORS® raised the second highest amount ever recorded for a Convention fundraising event and then stepped up afterwards to strongly invest further in the NC REALTOR® Political Action Committee (RPAC). NC REALTORS® got involved in myriad other ways in October and early November – from learning the implications of recent federal legislation on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), to taking on leadership posts in a state regulatory commission and running successfully for local public offices.

Local Municipal Elections

The fall local municipal elections cycle will culminate with mayoral, alderman and city council elections around the state on November 5. As of press time, two early races (October 8) have already been decided, with sound victories for the NC REALTORS® North Carolina Homeowners Alliance.

Ronnie Thompson, Morganton City Councilman-elect, NAR Director, NC REALTOR® and former NCAR President (2004), defeated longtime incumbent Alfred Hamer, Jr. by 27 points (63 percent vs. 36 percent). Dennis Bailey, NC REALTOR® and a champion of housing during his tenure on the Shelby City Council, has been serving out a vacated three-year term and won his first-ever election – garnering 79 percent of the vote.

State NCREC Appointments

On October 9, two NC REALTORS® newly appointed by Governor Pat McCrory to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, who have worked in real estate for decades, signed their oaths of office. Appointee George Bell was named 2012 NCREC Educator of the Year and has served on the 2013 NCAR Executive Committee, and appointee Tony Craver received a 2012 NCAR Regional Service Award and was elected a 2011-2012 NCAR regional vice president. They will be sworn in officially to the NCREC on November 13.

2013 NCAR Convention

NC REALTORS® came together September 14-17 for the 2013 NCAR Convention, which showcased and called for REALTOR® legislative engagement in several legislative and regulatory sessions.

During the Legislative Forum, U.S. Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC) spoke about the importance of REALTOR® voices in the legislative process. Mark Zimmerman, chair of the 2013 NC REALTORS®

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) speaks at the 2013 Legislative Forum.

Legislative Committee and the Forum’s moderator, said about NCAR members and legislators, “We need to engage...and they listen!”

The Forum’s panel participants also spoke of the housing industry’s importance to the economy and how their experience in the real estate industry has helped them in their elected or appointed positions.

Panel participants included: w U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) w Rep. William Brawley (R-Mecklenburg) w Rep. Kelly E. Hastings (R-Gaston) w Rep. Andy Wells (R-Catawba) w Rep. Chris Whitmire (R-Transylvania) w Thomas A. Barton, North Carolina Appraisal Board w Garth Dunklin, North Carolina Rules Review Commission w Tony Jarrett, North Carolina Home Inspector Licensure Board w Everett “Vic” Knight, NCREC w Tom Smith, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency w Janet B. Thoren, NCREC

NC REALTORS® also heard a year-in-review of the state legislative session at the 2013 NC REALTORS® Legislative Committee Meeting, thanks to a presentation by Mr. Zimmerman and Lolita Malave, chair and vice-chair of the Committee; Cady Thomas, NCAR director of government affairs; and Robert Broome, NCAR director of regulatory affairs. Together, they shared the series of accomplishments made by NC REALTORS® during the session on important issues concerning regulatory reform, property management and environmental law, and reported on state tax reform developments in 2013. (For more information on the 2013 session, please contact cthomas@ncrealtors.org.)

National

During and following the Convention, NAR also reported on recent and emerging legislative developments, on the national level, and called on NC REALTORS® to engage and invest in advocacy.

Federal Tax Reform

During the Legislative Committee meeting, NAR’s April Brown presented an update, facts and NAR’s perspective on federal tax reform. She reported that the U.S. House and Senate have both taken action on federal tax reform in 2013 – considering multiple models for reform – but concrete bills have not yet been introduced. According to Ms. Brown, 75 percent of homeowners nationally take the federal mortgage interest deduction, and the average tax savings for North Carolina homeowners who claim it is more than $9,000. Along with protecting the MID, NAR is working to protect the many other favorable tax treatments afforded to real property in the current code.

Flood Insurance

Ms. Brown also reported on NAR’s work legislatively with the U.S. House and Senate to support a reasonable phase-in of increased premiums for flood insurance coverage and a delay in the implementation of these increased premiums for previously grandfathered properties. The increase has resulted from changes to the federal flood insurance subsidy in the law that has reauthorized the NFIP, and could have a significant impact on real estate markets.

In October, NCAR and NAR continued the flood insurance conversation with NC REALTORS® that had begun at the Convention. NAR updated state and local associations on the issue, and requested they conduct outreach to the North Carolina delegation of the U.S. Congress, to press for a delay of the rate increases. In response, NCAR 2013 President Patrice Willetts submitted letters of concern to all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina and the state’s two U.S. Senators. She also encouraged local association executives and government affairs directors to request that local board presidents each send a letter to their House member and the two Senators.

On October 29, Congress introduced a bipartisan bill that NAR supports as a first step toward the delayed implementation

Advocacy

At the Convention’s General Membership Meeting, Kenny Parcell, NAR member mobilization liaison, called for NCAR members to continue increasing their engagement and investment in NAR and NCAR-led federal and state advocacy efforts, RPAC and the Broker Involvement Program. He noted those are like an essential “insurance policy,” and members’ strong and united voices are needed for the U.S. Congress and General Assembly to pay attention to important real estate issues.

That night, NC REALTORS® brought in more than $15,000 for RPAC at a trivia and live auction fundraiser, and thousands contributed to RPAC in anticipation of the fundraising year’s end on October 18 (see page 12). For more information on RPAC and the Broker Involvement Program, visit NCRealtors.org and RealtorActionCenter.com. v

By BRIDGET MCCREA