Message from the President
by Rebecca Van Dorn
BNAR Leadership Joined Travel to our Nation’s Capital to Advocate Policy Issues Affecting Homeownership, Commercial Real Estate
Your BNAR leadership and more than 9,000 Realtors® gathered in Washington, D.C. in Mid-May, during the 2018 REALTOR® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo, to advocate for crucial real estate issues on behalf of current and future home and property owners across the country.
We attended meetings and informational sessions, as well as met with regulatory agency staff and lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss and advocate real estate issues affecting the real estate industry, and their businesses, communities and clients.
Members of the National Association of Realtors® focused on several significant issues affecting the industry during the legislative-focused meetings, including fair housing, flood insurance and internet neutrality.
Realtors® are the leading advocates for homeownership and commercial real estate, which is why it is so critical that we connect with lawmakers and ensure they understand the issues facing the real estate industry and their constituents – of which many are home and property owners.
We met with Congressmen Brian Higgins, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chris Collins on Capitol Hill to discuss and advocate for public policy decisions affecting Americans’ ability to own, buy, rent and sell residential and commercial real estate. Supporting home and property owners through smart legislation and regulatory initiatives is essential to advancing our nation’s economy, as well as our communities, so Realtors® are continuing the fight to keep Congress’s attention on the issues that impact real estate most. Realtors® also are proud to lead the way toward greater equality in housing opportunities and are committed to furthering policies that support sustainable and inclusive communities without discrimination.
Also during the meetings we heard from industry experts and leaders and had the opportunity to explore the latest industry innovations and receive the most recent information on the products and services from more nearly 100 industry-leading companies that participated during the trade expo.
As your president, I am available, 24/7/365 so please feel free to email me.
A Brief Message from your Government Affairs Director - Dan Locche
Click the image below
Social Media Commentary
As members, you subscribe to a Code of Ethics and are licensed individuals 24/7, no matter which social media account you are using. You need to be very cognizant of every word that you are posting! Commenting on posts that you have no direct knowledge of can be damaging to a fellow agent and to the real estate profession. If you made any disparaging remarks, we urge you to remove them.
Article 15 States: REALTORS® shall not knowingly of recklessly make false or misleading statement about other real estate professionals, their businesses, or their business practices.
• Standard of Practice 15-1 - Realtors® shall not knowingly or recklessly file false or unfounded ethics complaints. (Adopted 1/00)
• Standard of Practice 15-2 - The obligation to refrain from making false or misleading statements about other real estate professionals, their businesses, and their business practices includes the duty to not knowingly or recklessly publish, repeat, retransmit, or republish false or misleading statements made by others. This duty applies whether false or misleading statements are repeated in person, in writing, by technological means (e.g., the Internet), or by any other means. (Adopted 1/07, Amended 1/12)
• Standard of Practice 15-3 - The obligation to refrain from making false or misleading statements about other real estate professionals, their businesses, and their business practices includes the duty to publish a clarification about or to remove statements made by others on electronic media the Realtor® controls once the Realtor® knows the statement is false or misleading. (Adopted 1/10, Amended 1/12)
Here is a link to a NAR video which reviews “Social Media’s Legal Risks”
NYSAR Housing Opportunities Foundation Individual Grant Programs
Qualifying individuals can apply for grants to assist with closing costs and/or down payments. The grants are gifts with no payback requirement and are available to low-to-moderate income families in New York State. Here is the link to the Eligibility Requirements and application. Any inquiries should be made via email to nysar@cfgcr.org.
