Designated Realtor® April 2019

DESIGNATED

REALTOR

®

ISSUE 2: April 2019

REALTORS® ADVOCATE FOR HOMEOWNERS NJREALTOR.COM

The History of Fair Housing Rights

1789 V

Private Property Rights

April is Fair Housing Month

Fifth Amendment to the Constitution protects property rights. Slavery, court cases, and legislation denied these rights to African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and other minorities.

1866

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 Provides that all citizens have the same rights to real property as white citizens.

Court cases, immigration laws, and racially defined zoning deny those rights.

1917

Racial Zoning Outlawed The Supreme Court voids zoning based on race. Property owners, real estate interests, and local governments employ deed restrictions based on race and religion. Laws and practices continue to deny property rights based on race.

1948

Restrictive Covenants Not Enforceable The Supreme Court ends federal court enforcement of racially restrictive covenants. A growing fair housing movement passes first fair housing laws in New York City and Colorado in the 1950s.

1968 ACT

FAIR HOUSING

*information brought to you by the National Association of Realtors®

E

ach April, fair housing is celebrated to commemorate the monumental 1968 Fair Housing Act; a U.S. law established prohibiting discrimination in housing. Last year, fair housing celebrated its 50th year, and now, going into year 51, fair housing continues to be a critical topic of discussion.

Last month, Congress members introduced the Equality Act. If enacted into law, the act would amend the Fair Housing Act, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and several other regulations to protect the LGBTQ community in the areas of employment, public accommodations, credit markets, and voting. With 287 original co-sponsors, the bill has the most congressional support that any piece of pro-LGBTQ legislation has received upon introduction, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The National Association of Realtors® cheers the bill and representatives from their government affairs staff will be speaking at a policy summit hosted by the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals in Washington D.C. on April 10-11 to talk about what’s next for the legislation. Learn more about the summit here.

Celebrate fair housing by taking NAR’s certification course At Home With Diversity (AHWD). The certification can be completed online and addresses the topics of diversity, fair housing, and business planning development. After the course is complete, Realtors® are eligible for the AHWD certification, which conveys to clients you transcend cultural barriers. Learn more about AHWD here.

Is fair housing an important topic to you? Consider applying to be a member of the NJ Realtors® Equal Opportunity/Cultural Diversity Committee and help provide Realtors® with fair housing training. Committee applications will be available this summer.

I M P O R TA N T D AT E S & D E A D L I N E S

APRIL

MAY

Realtors 5 NJ Educational

®

Foundation Application Deadline njrealtorsef.com

of Directors 9 Board Meeting

15

Tax Day

JUNE

12 Mother’s Day 13

11 Executive Committee

REALTORS® Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo Washington, D.C. legislative.realtor

Realtors 27 NJ Closed

®

Office

Memorial Day

Day of 19 First Passover

Meeting: 11 a.m.

JULY Realtors 4 NJ Closed

®

Office

Independence Day

of Directors 11 Board Meeting: 1 p.m.

16 Father’s Day Day of 21 First Summer

21 Easter Sunday 22 Earth Day

WHAT’S BUZZING IN REAL ESTATE?

1

The National Association of Realtors® announced their consumer advertising campaign, That’s Who We R®. Inspired by the Code of Ethics, NAR hopes this campaign will help consumers understand why a Realtor® is the best choice when it comes to buying and selling your home. For campaign materials and more information visit www.thatswhower.realtor.

4

A survey done by the Military Family Advisory Network revealed 55 percent of 16,000 respondents reported a “negative” or “very negative” experience with privatized military housing. Many of the respondents reported they show signs of chronic illnesses due to poor housing conditions. Read the article here.

2

A new senior housing rule was adopted by the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights in February.

The rule clarified that it is the age of the occupant, not the age of the owner that matters when it comes to age restricted communities, as allowed by federal and state law. For more information click here.

5

Realtor.com® announced the most affordable towns to own a home in every state. They reported Holiday City South, an unincorporated community located in Ocean County, as New Jersey’s most affordable town with a median home listing price of $179,450. Here are the rest of the cities chosen.

3

Realtor® Magazine announced its 2019 30 Under 30 list. This year’s winners are focused on relationships within the business of real estate, but more importantly the relationships they build with their clients. Member from Jackson, N.J., Stacy Butewicz, was selected as a top 50 finalist. See the finalists and this year’s Web Choice Winner here.

6

In March, Gov. Murphy presented his 2020 Fiscal Year budget proposal to a joint session of the State Legislature. It contained no increases to the realty transfer fee, a seasonal rental tax, or tax on commissions. Read his proposal in its entirety here.

Designated REALTOR® | April 2019 | 1

Safe Home – Safe Sale I

n February, New Jersey Realtors®, the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey launched a campaign to educate Realtors® and homeowners with an active listing, along with the general public, about the importance of securing medicines in their homes and properly disposing of unused drugs that are no longer needed.

The joint Safe Home – Safe Sale campaign kicked off with a press conference at the Trenton headquarters of New Jersey Realtors®.

“As Realtors®, we are all very involved in our communities.

While it was not something that we anticipated, we recognize the importance of this public awareness campaign,” said 2019 NJ Realtors® Immediate Past President Christian

Designated REALTOR® | April 2019 | 2

Schlueter. “We encourage every Realtor® in our state to take a few minutes to inform sellers and their friends about the importance of securing their prescription drugs.”

Alex Kelly, chair of the HINJ Board of Trustees and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Allergan said: “New Jersey’s biopharmaceutical companies are pleased to stand with those on the front lines fighting drug abuse and addiction. When used properly, medicine can cure disease, control symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life. But in the wrong hands, medicine can have serious and long-term consequences.”

Dean J. Paranicas, HINJ President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “HINJ is pleased to join with the New Jersey Realtors®, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and PhRMA on this innovative initiative to educate the public on the importance of securing medicine in the household. We

look forward to building on this partnership and engaging with other community leaders to stem the diversion and misuse of prescription drugs.”

Angelo M. Valente, executive director, Partnership for a DrugFree New Jersey, said: “The opioid crisis is impacting every community in our state and it is imperative that we all take steps to safeguard our homes. Last year, New Jersey lost over 3,000 residents to the opioid epidemic and securing and safely disposing of the prescribed opioids in our homes can protect our families and save lives.”

promotion leading viewers to a website with resources for Realtors® and homeowners, and a curriculum for Realtors® that will be offered as part of their required continuing education.

For disposing of unused medicines that are no longer needed, the campaign will point Realtors®, home sellers and the public to the American Medicine Chest website. It provides the locations of drop-off sites in New Jersey where people can safely and anonymously dispose of unused and expired medications. Learn more at njrealtor.com/ prescriptiondrug safety.

The Safe Home – Safe Sale campaign includes an educational brochure for Realtors® to share with their clients, social media

February Market Update T

he harsh winter weather had an impact on buyers and sellers in February, but even with transaction delays, buyers proved to be motivated to close before the more popular home buying season began.

The median sales price was up 4.2 percent year to date at $276,221, closed sales were down 2.9 percent, and new listings were up 2.2 percent since this time last year.

2019 was predicted to be a tough year for the real estate industry. However, market outlook remains positive because buyers continue to show excitement towards the American Dream of homeownership during the cold winter months.

Designated REALTOR® | April 2019 | 3

njrealtor.com/alexa

+

Did you know?

Step 1

Open the Alexa app.

Click in the upper left hand corner.

Click “Settings.”

You can have NJ Realtors® Weekly newsletter read to you on your Alexa-enabled device.

Step 2

Under Alexa Preferences, tap Flash Briefing.

Then, tap Add Content.

Search for “NJ Realtors”

Step 3

Tap Enable to Use once you see NJ Realtors® Weekly Flash Briefing.

To listen, say “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?” or “Alexa, what’s the news?”

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS®

2020 Committee Application Now Open The deadline to submit applications is May 1, 2019. The NAR committee application process allows members to enter committee applications and endorsements online.

Once your applications are submitted and endorsements are received, the information is compiled into reports which are used by NAR Officers in the NAR committee selection process.

Apply today!

Designated REALTOR® | April 2019 | 4

Realtors® Meet in D.C. for Advocacy Meetings I

n March, NJ Realtors® traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with Members of Congress to advance initiatives that support the rights of Realtors® and homeowners across the Garden State.

The 2019 NJ Realtors® Leadership Team, including President Ilene Horowitz; President-Elect Angela Sicoli; First Vice President Jeff Jones; Treasurer Nick Manis; Immediate Past President Christian Schlueter, Chief Executive Officer Jarrod Grasso, and Vice President of Government Affairs Douglas Tomson advocated on behalf for NJ Realtors®, but more importantly for our state’s 9 million residents.

Our team of real estate advocates met with the offices of Sen. Bob Menendez, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Donald Norcross, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, Rep. Andy Kim, Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. Tom Malinowski, Rep. Albio Sires, Rep. Bill Pascrell, Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.

“Having a face-to-face meeting with our representatives is a priority every year,” said 2019 NJ Realtors® President Ilene Horowitz. “There is no one better equipped to protect the rights of homeowners in our state than New Jersey Realtors®. We are confident our concerns have been heard and are grateful for the time our elected officials spent with us.”

Topics of discussion included: the impact of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on real estate and homeownership; the needed long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program before its expiration on May 31, 2019; the necessary access to health care options for real estate professional through AHPs; fundamental and needed reforms to current governmentsponsored entities; the preservation of federal mortgage programs; infrastructure improvement as a benefit to communities; commercial real estate and its regulations, and technology’s impact on consumers and real estate practices.

“It’s important Realtors® stay informed about timely issues because they directly impact their clients, the way they conduct business, and their communities” said NJ Realtors® Vice President of Government Affairs Douglas Tomson. “My advice is to stay engaged, get to know your local elected officials, and reach out to NJ Realtors® if a local issue should ever arise” he added.

Click here for more information on the topics discussed.

Designated REALTOR® | April 2019 | 5

CONTINUING EDUCATION The New Jersey Real Estate Commission mandates that all real estate licensees complete 12 continuing education credit hours every two years to maintain their licenses. The 2019 Term is July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2019. CE completed after April 30 will be subject to a $200 late fee in addition to the license renewal fee. Any licensee who does not complete their credits by June 30, 2019, will not be able to renew their license and it will expire.

Key facts about CE: • You must complete 12 continuing education credit hours.

• At least two hours must be completed in ethics training.

• At least six hours must be completed in core topics (ethics included).

• The six remaining hours may be completed in core or elective topics.

• Visit the NJ REALTORS® Academy of Continuing Education to find CE courses to complete your requirement.

• Visit the PSI online CE tracking system to see your complete CE record.

Important Dates: • April 30, 2019: 2019 CE must be completed in order to avoid $200 late fee.

• May 1 – June 30, 2019: Licensees may submit CE credits, but are subject to a $200 late fee.

• July 1, 2019: New 2021 CE Term begins. All licensees who did not complete their CE requirement and renew their license may no longer practice real estate until their license is reinstated.

New Jersey Real Estate Commission’s Complete Continuing Education Requirements: Notice of Proposal Notice of Adoption (Must be read together to see complete rules as finally adopted) Still have questions?

Check out the FAQs on continuing education or contact info@njrealtorsace.com or 609-341-7100.

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