Association News
December 2020
News
NYSAR Mid-Winter Business Meetings to be held virtually
In light of ongoing health and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the current Executive Order in NYS, the difficult decision has been made to transition the 2021 Mid-Winter Business Meetings, originally scheduled for February 7-11 at The Desmond Hotel in Albany, to a fully virtual format. Popular sessions, including the Legal Update and the General Session, and most committee meetings, forums, and updates will be held during the last week of January through the Board of Directors meeting scheduled on February 11. The Installation of Officers and Leadership Conference will also be held virtually. Specific dates and times for all sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.
Save the date for Lobby Day 2021
NYSAR Lobby Day is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at the State Capitol in Albany. Join fellow REALTORS® for a prime opportunity to speak to your lawmakers about important issues impacting REALTORS® and the real estate profession. While we are hopeful this event can take part in-person, NYSAR’s Government Affairs department will be ready to switch to a virtual format if or when that is needed. If you have any questions, email [email protected]
Local Board/Association REALTOR® of the Year
The local board/association REALTOR® of the Year award recognizes outstanding personal leadership skills along with the civic and industry commitment of one NYSAR member. The 2020 awards will be presented during the NYSAR Mid-Winter Business Meetings. To access the reporting form, click here.
Please contact Patrick Reilly with any questions at [email protected]
NAR monthly Code of Ethics training
The National Association of REALTORS® is hosting monthly trainings to provide guidance on the changes to the Code of Ethics that were approved by the NAR Board of Directors in November and to provide an opportunity to ask questions of our policy experts. 2021 training dates are: January 14, February 9, March 9 and April 6. For more information and to register, click here.
2021 AE Institute to be held virtually March 22-24
NAR’s 2021 Association Executive Institute (AE Institute) will be held virtually March 22-24, 2021 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT. Information on registration ($199/attendee) and other logistical details will be made available by NAR early next year. Registration will entitle attendees to participate in each session live or on replay for 30 days. Learn more.
Across the Association
Find out about New York State Real Estate Education Foundation
scholarships, FREE NAR Fair Housing training, NYSAR’s annual Lobby Day in 2021 and more in the latest Across the Association video. Watch now!
NYSREEF scholarship deadline fast approaching
The New York State Real Estate Education Foundation provides scholarships for national designation courses to active REALTORS practicing full-time in New York State. The deadline to apply is December 31. Winter scholarships are awarded in February. For more information, please visit NYSREEF.org.
Education
NYSAR Course Registration
Registration for NYSAR 2021 courses opens January 2. If your members would like to register sooner, please have them call 518-463-0300 ext. 219.
Learn from the top experts
Spread the word to your members that in order to achieve their license renewal goals and to stay compliant with their license, they can complete the following four classes, which will be offered on Zoom, to fulfill their requirements:
FREE Legal Update course
The one-hour Legal Update course, which is approved for continuing education (CE) credit on recent legal matters, will be held once a month and is instructed by an attorney. Live streaming will also be offered for these sessions, so if a member already earned their CE, they may still attend if the session is full or watch it later on NYSAR.com.
GRI-1 ETHICS
Capitalize on what sets REALTORS® apart from real estate licensees. Satisfies NAR’s mandatory ethics training requirement and NY State’s new requirement for 2.5 hours
of ethical business practices for license renewal.
GRI-3 AGENCY
Provide effective, legal and ethical client representation. This includes two hours of agency training for license renewal.
GRI-5 BUYERS
NYS Fair Housing training and two-hour agency coursework requirements for license renewal.
Government Affairs
NYSAR meets with state and NYC lawmakers as 2021 approaches
NYSAR staff has been meeting with state lawmakers to discuss legislative priorities, including fair housing measures and a pied-a-terre tax proposal, as well as budget concerns and how the pandemic has been impacting REALTORS®. NYSAR staff has also been meeting with New York City Councilmembers alongside REALTOR® members to express concerns with city legislation that would ban criminal background checks on prospective tenants and require residential fire sprinklers to be installed in existing residential building 3-stories or more. NYSAR will be releasing its 2021 legislative priorities in the coming weeks.
Congress close on $900 billion COVID-19 relief deal
As of Wednesday, it is being reported that Congress is closing in on a $900 billion COVID-19 relief deal that would run alongside a federal funding bill that needs to be passed by Friday to avoid a government shutdown. Details on the agreement continue to be fluid as negotiations continue. Learn more.
Report shows people leaving NYC, costing $34 billion in lost income
A new report released Tuesday by Unacast shows about 3.57 million people left New York City amid the COVID-19 crisis, costing $34 billion in lost income. The report also says that those moving into New York City are earning lower average incomes than those moving out. Learn more.
New REALTOR® reality series streaming on Roku
NAR recently launched a new digital video series to over 40 million households streaming on Roku. In contrast with most real estate-themed programs, the show “First-Time Buyer” focuses on the relationship between REALTORS® and homebuyers to provide viewers with a more genuine portrayal of the home buying process. Watch the trailer and the 8 episode series by clicking here.
RPAC
2020 RPAC Fundraising & Participation Update
As of November 30, RPAC of New York has raised $1,000,009 reflecting 80 percent toward our 2020 fundraising goal of $1.2 million. In terms of participation, 17,376 members have invested in RPAC, representing 82 percent toward our 2020 Participation Goal of 21,148. These figures represent 30 percent of NYSAR’s total membership as invested in RPAC to date. The 2020 RPAC Fundraising year is now closed, final receipts are currently being processed into the system. NYSAR staff will report final 2020 RPAC figures in the weeks ahead. To view the current RPAC fundraising derby, click here.
December Auction Item – Roku Ultra
The Roku Ultra is your ultimate streaming player! Top of the line streaming for your favorites – stream live TV, news, sports, movies, Disney + and Apple TV are now streaming on all Roku devices too. Control your Roku over your phone or with the remote that includes voice control. Bidding closes Wednesday, December 30 at 5 p.m. To bid on the item, visit the RPAC of New York Facebook group.
Contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes. Contributions to RPAC are voluntary and are used for political purposes. You may contribute more or less than the suggested amount. You may refuse to contribute without reprisal and the National Association of REALTORS, the New York State Association of REALTORS or any of its local boards or associations will not favor or disfavor any member because of the amount contributed. 70% of each contribution is used by your state PAC to support state and local political candidates. Until your NYSAR PAC reaches its PAC goal, 30% is sent to National RPAC to support federal candidates and is charged against your limits under 2 U.S.C. 441a; after NYSAR PAC reaches its RPAC goal, it may elect to retain your entire contribution for use in supporting state and local candidates. Contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes. Contributions to RPAC are voluntary and are used for political purposes. You may contribute more or less than the suggested amount. You may refuse to contribute without reprisal and the National Association of REALTORS, the New York State Association of REALTORS or any of its local boards or associations will not favor or disfavor any member because of the amount contributed. 70% of each contribution is used by your state PAC to support state and local political candidates. Until your NYSAR PAC reaches its PAC goal, 30% is sent to National RPAC to support federal candidates and is charged against your limits under 2 U.S.C. 441a; after NYSAR PAC reaches its RPAC goal, it may elect to retain your entire contribution for use in supporting state and local candidates.