2016 REALTOR® Caucus

More than 150 politically-active Arizona REALTOR® members attended the 2016 REALTOR® Caucus on September 8 in Tempe.

After an overview from 2017 Legislative and Political Affairs Committee Chair Gary Nelson, I presented an update and preview starting with Michelle Lind’s video about A WORLD WITHOUT AAR's Legislative Voice.

Among the successes that Arizona REALTORS® had at the state capitol in 2016 were:

  • SB 1193: Real Estate Licenses; Broker Possession – This bill utilizes technology that has been in existence for over 20 years, allowing the agents license to be saved and accessed via a data base versus having to have a paper copy on file in the brokers office; essentially, saving the broker time, money and space. The bill became effective on August 6, 2016
  • SB 1350: Online Lodging; Administration; Definitions – This bill prohibits cities and municipalities from banning short term rentals. And for our members that practice property management, this bill created the requirement for the Arizona Department of Revenue to allow for rental Transaction Privilege Tax to be submitted electronically in one consolidating tax return; this bill becomes effective January 1, 2016
  • SB 1402: Class Six Property; Higher Education – This bad legislation would have created a tax cut for a special interest for-profit institution of higher education and shifted the tax obligation onto homeowners and small business owners throughout the state
  • HB 2514: Restricted Vehicle Use; DUI Exemption – This bill corrected an inequitable statue that placed a driving restriction on a broker or salesperson’s license once their driving rights were restore; the passage of this legislation created fair treatment of REALTORS® and became effective on August 6, 2016.

We also covered the Arizona REALTORS® success rate for primary election endorsements (91%) and looked at some issues we may see in the next legislative session.

For instance, if an attempt is made again to shift taxes onto the backs of small business and home owners by a for-profit higher education institution, we will fight it.

If an attempt is made to deregulate or remove professional licenses of REALTORS® and home inspectors, thereby putting the public at risk, we will fight it.

After a short break, Chris Ulrich, senior instructor at The Body Language Institute in Washington, D.C. demonstrated the impact of non-verbal communication in politics and real estate. His interactive presentation explained what clients are thinking by simply observing the way they react, stand and gesture.

Five regional breakout sessions led by Matias Rosales, Bill Ashker, Clark Jones, Dee Schippel and Eric Gibbs followed. Their regional reports were presented after National Association of REALTORS® Senior Political Director Lindsay Donnelly spoke about NAR successes at the U.S. Capitol.

Enjoy these highlights from the 2016 REALTOR® Caucus photo album.