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THE GADFLY
The NAR Government Affairs Directors Newsletter
The GADfly is produced by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® to provide Government Affairs Directors (GADs) at state and local REALTOR® associations with tools, news and information to help you serve your members. To add one of your staff members to the distribution list for the GADfly, or to be removed from the distribution list, contact Darren Smith, dsmith@realtors.org or 202-383-1068.
In This Issue...
 The REALTOR® Rally
New AE/GAD Orientation
2012 GAD Institute Highlights
RPAC News
REALTOR Party Reminders
Course Instructor Opportunities
NAR's Responsible Valuation Policy
Housing Market News
The REALTOR® Rally
Come to the REALTOR Rally on May 17
Get your members fired up about the REALTOR® Rally to Protect the American Dream in Washington, D.C., May 17, 2012 from 9:30-11am. Join us as we FILL Upper Senate Park, in the shadows of the U.S. Capitol Building! More details to come. Stay tuned!
 Email rally@realtors.org with immediate questions.
New AE/GAD Orientation
New AE/GAD Orientation April 16-17 in Washington, D.C.
Are you a state or local REALTOR® association GAD that was hired in 2011 or 2012? If so, please note that the NAR Community and Political Affairs and the Government Affairs Divisions will hold an orientation for new GADs and AEs on Monday and Tuesday, April 16-17, 2011. If you were hired in 2011 or 2012 and have not attended a GAD Orientation in Washington, D.C. before, please consider joining your new colleagues in April. NAR will cover the cost of air transportation and hotel charges for this event.
To find out more information, or to let NAR know you would like to attend the New GAD Orientation, please CONTACT Kyle Lambert London at klambertlondon@realtors.org or 202-383-1203.
2012 GAD Institute Highlights
NAR Campaign Management Program Follows GAD Institute in Tahoe
NAR's Campaign Services will be highlighted at this exciting day-long event immediately following the GAD Institute in Lake Tahoe on Sunday, July 29. The program will include a refresher on managing candidate and issue campaigns, utilizing new tools such as social media and online advertising, and a briefing on how NAR Campaign Services can work for state and local associations. Professional campaign consultants will lead the discussions and there will be opportunities to talk with experts in various fields. Space is limited to just 50 participants. First come, first served as soon as GAD Institute registration opens after the Midyear Meetings in May.
Contact Julienne Uhlich (juhlich@realtors.org/202-383-1235).
GAD Institute and Salary Survey—Deadline Extended!
If you haven't already, please take the GAD Institute and Salary Survey. The more people complete the survey, the more useful it will be to your peers. You'll find the survey at www.realtoractioncenter.com/gadsurvey. We have extended the deadline for completing the survey to Monday, March 5.
Go to the survey.
Contact Darren Smith (dsmith@realtors.org/202.383.1068).
2012 GAD Institute Webpage
Check out the GAD Institute Webpage for the latest information on the 2012 GAD Institute in Stateline (Lake Tahoe), Nevada. We will update this page with conference program, registration, and logistical details as they become available.
Contact Darren Smith (dsmith@realtors.org/202.383.1068).
RPAC News
2012 RPAC Fundraising Deadlines
Please mark your calendars; the RPAC fundraising deadlines have been set.
Deadline for recognition at Midyear Conference: April 23, 2012
Deadline for President's Circle: September 30, 2012
Deadline for recognition at Annual Conference: October 22, 2012
Go to RPAC fundraising deadlines.
Contact RPAC Fundraising staff Desta Wallace at dwallace@realtors.org or RPAC Finance Debbie Frey at dfrey@realtors.org
President's Circle Contributions on REALTOR® Action Center
Starting in 2012, the President's Circle roster and member's contribution will be updated every Thursday evening on the REALTOR® Action Center. As a friendly reminder, new President's Circle members must make a $500 contribution to officially join the program and be placed on the roster. Sustaining members are grandfathered into the program and have until May 30 to make a $500 contribution to remain an "active" President's Circle member. For your convenience, President's Circle contributions can be made online.
Contact Brooke Roth (broth@realtors.org) or
Lisa Friday Scott (lscott@realtors.org).
Update: RPAC Fundraising Partnership Program
RPAC is pleased to announce changes to one of our most popular programs, the RPAC Fundraising Partnership Program-Fundraising Grants. Traditionally, this program was to fund new, bold fundraising ideas. Moving forward, associations, both state and local, will be able to apply for a grant even if they have received a grant in the past without reprisal. Along with a solid fundraising plan, the RPAC Volunteer Workgroup will look at past grant performance as part of their criteria. If the association has struggled to raise three times the grant amount, then they may not receive the full grant amount requested. NAR must receive the application three weeks prior to the event kick-off in order to be eligible for review.
Review the updated guidelines and application on the Realtor Action Center.
Contact Bethany Vensel (bvensel@realtors.org/202-383-1166).
REALTOR® Party Reminders
REALTOR® Party/Convio Training is Here for You
Spots are still open for our March training class. Need a refresher or eager to join? Register for the class. For our existing users please note that we have recently added some advanced topics webinars. Topics include newsletters, data management, conditional content and advocacy.
Register for the class.
Contact Claire McDonough (cmcdonough@realtors.org/202-383-1080).
My REALTOR® Party Consultants at Your Service
NAR's team of My REALTOR® Party Consultants is ready and willing to help you make your association's advocacy and/or community outreach dream a reality. If you haven't already, get in touch with your consultant to talk about how you can use the tools, resources and funding available through My REALTOR® Party (MRP).
Check out the MRP Map to find the consultant assigned to your area.
Course Instructor Opportunities
Become a Community & Political Affairs Instructor
If you are Interested in offering either the Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH) or Expanding Housing Opportunities (EHO) class to your members, you may want to encourage someone on your staff to become an instructor for one of these classes. Staff can review the requirements and download the application to apply. Applications are due March 23. If approved, candidates will need to attend the Train the Trainer on May 18 in Washington, D.C. Space is limited to 8 candidates per class.
Employer-Assisted Housing Information
Expanding Housing Opportunities Information
Contact Holly Moskerintz (hmoskerintz@realtors.org/202-383-1157).
NAR's Responsible Valuation Policy is Foundation for Pricing Property
NAR's newly adopted Responsible Valuation Policy provides a holistic approach to valuing real property. The document is the culmination of NAR’s efforts to consider all methods of valuing real property. NAR previously hosted two valuation summits and two working groups were convened. Members from across NAR's policy structure had input in the document and included representation from the Professional Standards, Real Property Valuation/Appraisal, Federal Housing Policy, Conventional Finance and Lending, Commercial, and Business Issues Committees. Input was also provided by the REALTORS® Property Resource. The document will serve as the foundation for NAR's policy position on the various methods of valuing and pricing real property including appraisals, broker price opinions (BPO), and automated valuation models (AVM). The policy document also includes language from NAR's Code of Ethics as a reminder to members that REALTORS® hold themselves to the highest professional standards in the industry.
Read NAR's Responsible Valuation Policy
Contact Jerome Nagy (jnagy@realtors.org/202.383.1233).
Housing Market News
Check out some of the latest housing and economic reports from NAR Research:
Falling Unemployment Rates: the Bigger Picture
The Looming Shadow: State Estimates of Shadow Inventory
Mortgage Rate Forecast
REALTORS®' Commercial Markets Stabilize in Fourth Quarter 2011
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