Good afternoon fellow Association Executives,

I realize most of you attended the recent OAR Directors meeting at the end of our Annual Convention last week, but I know there were a few not in attendance.  I want to inform those who were not in attendance that the Directors voted to create a Political Advocacy Fund (PAF).  The funding mechanism for the PAF is a $25 member dues assessment for a five-year period beginning in 2017.  The dues assessment is not pro-ratable.

The Political Advocacy Fund will be utilized by OAR and Local Boards/Associations to support political and issue advocacy campaigns.  It will provide the necessary funding to expand our involvement at the State House and City Halls across Ohio.  This fund will complement and enhance our existing RPAC program, creating a solid foundation for long-term relevance in ensuring that private property rights are protected.

I and the OAR leadership team appreciate the support of the OAR Local Boards/Associations to make this truly significant initiative a reality.

Robert E. Fletcher, CEO

Ohio Association of REALTORS

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(614) 225-6220

The past month has been busy, with our annual RPAC event, a General Membership meeting, committee meetings, NAR leadership meeting, and we were a Co-Sponsor of the Manning golf tournament. We are now working on the details of our events for the last quarter of the year.

On Sunday, August 21st I traveled with President-Elect Alex Morgan-Johnson to Chicago for the 2017 Leadership Summit. On Monday; we toured the NAR headquarters building. The building is impressive and due to the large size of the attendees; we were unable to see many of the floors.  The theme for 2017 is Revolution. Incoming 2017 NAR President William Brown is a big music fan, and the sounds of 60’s and 70’s music were used to buffer the speakers along with quotes from historical figures on change.   George Blankenship, former Apple Computer, and Tesla Motors executive spoke on the power of challenging conventional thinking. He told of the struggles of bringing unconventional ideas to the marketplace.

Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist, began his remarks with a personal story of his Korean roots in regards to censorship in music by the government. He then reported on the state of the housing industry. Home ownership is critical to our economy and personal wealth of our country. Younger people are delaying the purchase of real estate, and this is affecting our industry.

CEO Dale Stinton spoke on the changes in our industry in the past 30 years and what the future might likely look.

 Katie Johnson, NAR General Counsel, gave a short update on some of the legal cases involving NAR. She also went into a discussion on opportunities and risks facing local boards

The conclusion of the day 2017 NAR President William Brown addressed the group on his family history. He told of his Great Grandmother, a former slave when freed working and saving to send her children to college. He spoke of his father who sold insurance and real estate. The influence of music in his life and his personal thoughts on our industry.  He then introduced the entire 2017 NAR Leadership team.

The evening program was held at the House of Blues, and we were able to meet several leaders of other associations.

Tuesday's program began with a session on the Volunteer/Staff Partnership. A discussion on role responsibilities and reasonable expectations of all parties.A  Core Standards panel followed and was informative. A follow-up on planning tools for Core Standards followed.

On August 25th we held our 2nd Island Cruise for RPAC and our attendance was increased from last year. The weather was great, and we had a large amount of guests from other associations at this year's event. Terry Boose and Steve Arndt were in attendance from the Ohio House this year. State Senator Randy Gardner was unable to attend due to his involvement in a committee meeting for workers compensation held the same day. This event has grown, and I would suggest that the RPAC committee continue this cruise.

On September 1st the Member Services Committee met to discuss our upcoming awards banquet. The venue will be in Bellevue this year, and the plans are finished. We will also be holding elections for Directors at this meeting.

On September 2nd Legislative Committee Chair Frank Corder and I met with Tom Dunlap candidate for the open 57th Ohio House seat and delivered a campaign contribution. The combined committee’s of FAOR and LORCAR chose to support Commissioner Dunlap for this race.

On September 7th we held a General Membership meeting in Fremont with over 60 members in attendance. After the regular business, President Riesen introduced the candidates for the open Directors seats who were in attendance.

September 9th Frank, DJ., Steve, and I attended the Manning Golf Outing held in Avon. Trough RPAC and OAR we were sponsors of this event. We had a chance to talk to Senators Manning and Gardner at the event. We also met Representative Nathan Manning and had an opportunity to have a short talk with him. This event was well attended, and our Board was recognized a primary sponsor. 

The final item on my report is on the monthly office visits that Sara, Alex, and I have been doing. After taking off the month of July, we were in Norwalk on September 13th. These visits are a great outreach to our members, and I hope that the leadership sees the value in continuing this policy.

Respectfully submitted,

David W. Freitag, RCE CEO  

WHY?  to ensure that OAR is sufficiently armed with enough funds to fight for your industry rights?

NAR REQUIRES MORE "skin in the game"

NAR recently reviewed OAR's finances and discovered that we are on the low side of funds held for issue campaigns.

We also discovered that coalition partner contributions do not count toward the required minimum contribution towards an issue campaign.

NAR requires that State and Local Associations contribute 10%-50% of total funds needed towards mobilizing an issue.  For requests over $1 million, a minimum of 50% is required as an association contribution.  Guess how much the average cost to put an issue on a state ballot for general vote?  Yup, approximately $1 million.  For requests over $1 million, a minimum 50% contribution is required for an NAR Issues Mon Grant.  That's $500K from the State or Local Association.  OUCH!

Learn more

A MESSAGE FROM THE OHIO ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS CEO:

I realize that it's a busy time of the year, but wanted to take a quick moment to let you know that our Board of Directors will be considering a motion that will have an impact on 2017 dues. The Board of Directors will meet at our State convention on Wednesday, September 21. 

Linda Armstrong - PSC1
James Ashton - PSC5T
John Bauer - PSC1
Jennifer Behnke - PSC5
Joanne Berardi - PSC2
John Berger - PSC1
Joy Berquist - PSC2
Janice Betz - PSC1
Phillip Bolte - PSC1
Angie Bonnell - PSC1
Victoria Borger - PSC2
Robert Boukissen - PSC1
Monica Camerata - PSC2
Debbie Conte - PSC1
Gerald Corona - PSC7T
Jennifer Craig - PSC5
Ann Dowell - PSC1
Leslie Dundore - PSC1
Nancy Dunlap - PSC1
Michael Dziak - PSC1
Kathryn Eirons - PSC5T
Richard Elsasser - PSC1
Brad Everett - PSC1
Britny Focht - PSC1
Marcia Focht - PSC1
Ronda Gearheart - PSC1
Theodore Greene - PSC1
Diann Hamons - PSC1
Tonia Harris - PSC1
Janet Herzog - PSC2
Cheryl Hetrick - PSC1
Mike Homan - PSC1
Lisa Horman - PSC1
Christina Hormell - PSC1
Mary Howard - PSC2
April Hull - PSC1
Thomas Jagucki - PSC1
Thomas Jagucki - PCS2
Mary Anne Jeffrey - PSC1
Diana Johnson - PSC1
Tomi Johnson - PSC7
Kelli Jones - PSC1T
William Jones - PSC1T
Kathleen Joy - PSC2
Faith Kastor - PSC2T
Gwendolyn Kelley - PSC5T
Cynthia Klein - PSC1
Jonathan Konz - PSC1
Steve Lehmann - PSC1
Teresa Lonsway - PSC1
Steven Mack - PSC1
Denise Manning - PSC1
Corasue McIIrath-Flint - PSC2
Charlene Meyer - PSC2
Jeffrey Morgan - PSC1
Kim Mulholland Becker - PSC1
Amy Northrop - PSC1
Kelli Overmyer - PSC1
Leonard Partin - PSC1
Anna Piacentino - PSC2
Stephan Pitzer - PSC1
Jaime Polter - PSC1
Alishia Poorman - PSC1
Patsy Postma - PSC1
Sean Pugh - PSC1
Kyler Recker - PSC5
Margaret Redmond - PSC2
Kelli Reis - PSC1
Sara Riesen - PSC2
Fonda Risner - PCS2
Jamie Ritchie - PSC1
Robert Routh - PSC1
Norma Schaechterle - PSC2
Donna Schoonmaker - PSC2
Jill Schroeder - PSC1
Randy Schroeder - PSC1
Bryan Schube - PSC1T
Marcia Shockley - PSC1
Shannon Smith-Hartzell - PSC1
Tammy Steinle - PSC1
Heidi Stephey - PSC1
Lisa Strode - PSC1
Jill Swaisgood - PSC1
Frank Van Dresser - PSC2T
Pamela Vogel - PSC5
David Wallace - PSC2
Christopher Wechter - PSC1
Connor Wechter - PSC1
Cheryl Wendt - PSC2
Annette Wilcox - PSC1
Kimberly Wood - PSC2
Sharon Woodson - PSC2
Stephanie Yarbrough - PSC5
Theresa Zilles - PSC1

Level of Recognition Key: (A "T" after the code indicates member is part of a team)
PSC1 = Achievement (1 Mil) ($1.5-Team)/PSC2 = Distinction (2.5 Mil) ($3.75 Team)
PSC5 = Excellence (5 Mil) ($7.5 Team)/PSC7 = (705 Mil) ($11.25 Team)

The last month has a busy time at the Association with events, committee meetings and travel to both OAR, and NAR meetings.

On April the 26^th MLS chair Scott Myers, Connie and I meet with representatives from Zillow to bring us up-to-date on RETSLY which is in essence their version of ListHub. They are trying to get MLS’s to allow them a feed to establish their product. UPSTREEM, AMP, RETSLY, and TRESTLE are all topics that we will need to become more educated on in the next few months.

The Charitable Foundation held its first fundraising event on April 27 and they were able to collect over $6000 in donations. The entire event was a success with a larger than expected attendance. The inclusion of local chef’s to be the judges was well received. The foundation is on its way to making money for their endeavors.  

On May 3^rd thru 5^th I attended OAR’s Mediation Training Seminar along with Tammy Steinle held in Columbus. The instructor for this class was Bruce Aydt, who helped establish NAR’s program. This class fulfills NAR’s requirement to be able for local Boards to offer Mediation to its members.

From May 9th thru the 13^th I attended NAR’s Mid-Year and Legislative meetings in Washington, D.C. The week was filled with meetings, hill visits, and roundtable discussion groups. The meetings that I attended are as follows;

•      Congressional Impact and the 2016 Elections and Political forum
•      CMLS Brings it to the Table
•      Federal Priority Issues Briefing
•      The Race for the White House
•      Hill Visits with Bob Gibbs, Bob Latta, Jim Jordan
•      State of Ohio meeting with Senators Brown and Portman
•      MLS Policy & Listing Issues
•      FAOR meeting with Rapattoni
•      Supra Information meeting
•      Association Management Roundtable
•      Met with RPR to discuss data issues
•      The board kept NAR dues at $120 for 2017, and approved a three-year extension of the $35 special assessment that funds the consumer advertising campaign, and approved creation of a uniform communications platform for NAR's committees, advisory boards, and forums.
•      Engage in at least two activities per year that demonstrate how the association is the “Voice for Real Estate" in its market, and at
• least two activities demonstrating the association’s investment in the community.
•      Require six hours of professional development for volunteers who carry out responsibilities that would otherwise be handled by paid staff.
•      Offer, promote, or provide at least one professional development opportunity for members every year.
•      Annually certify that they have conducted an activity promoting REALTOR® safety.
•      Provide resources for or access to leadership development education or training for their elected REALTOR® leaders, and document those resources.
•      Include a voluntary political action committee or political advocacy fund contribution on their dues statements, unless prohibited by law.
•      The board decided to transition to a calendar-year compliance cycle for the standards. As a result, the next compliance cycle will last 18 months, from July 1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2017. Watch for a complete list of updates at REALTOR.org’s Core Standards page.

The NAR policy changes that were passed are as follows;

Core Standards, among other changes, for the compliance cycle starting July 1, 2016, associations must do the following:

MLS policy

With concerns growing over copyright infringement, the board approved changes to the Handbook on Multiple Listing Policy to reflect the importance of MLS users granting the MLS the licenses necessary to store, reproduce, compile and distribute listing information. In addition, the board is taking steps to increase cooperation and information sharing between NAR and the Council of Multiple Listing Services, a professional trade organization for multiple listing services.

 Once again our leadership team did a great job of delivering our legislative concerns with our Federal Officials. We have many challenges ahead as the MLS data wars continue. I will continue to research and use our membership in CMLS to keep the Directors informed of the changes we will face for our MLS. 

Respectfully submitted,

David W Freitag RCE, CEO