If we are not part of the conversation, someone else is making the rules! Participation in government to support the Real Estate industry and home ownership is a high priority to ensure REALTORS® remain a central part of the transaction.
There are a few very important ways to be involved in Home Ownership Advocacy. The first way to is always keep your eyes and ears open for things going on in your community. Be aware when if situations arise in your local political arena that might effect real estate, land or home ownership.
Another way is to always respond to the Calls For Action that arrive to your email or on our Websites that add your voice to the many from a grass roots level. When one of our political incumbants recieves thousands of emails about an issue, they do take notice. From a local level, this is how we make our voices heard, and the innate beauty of our political system allowing each of us to have a voice.
One more way is to participate in Lobby Day. Annually the New York State Association of REALTORS plans a day of visitation at our State Capital in Albany where we are able to visit many of the local potilicians in their office to discuss the issues that are priorities in our profession. It is a wonderful way to see how our state politicans do their job and who they really are as we sit face to face.
Also if you are already involved in your local politics by respresenting a public seat, or interacting with your local boards or committees, please let us know.
Here are the current Legislative Priorities NYSAR Supports: http://www.nysar.com/government-affairs/legislative-priorities
- First-Time Homebuyer Savings Account Program (A.4427-A – Ramos; S.6548 – Panepinto)
- Transparency and Disclosure in Co-operative Housing (A.1120 – Lavine; S.5644 – Hannon) and (A.6705 – Englebright; No Same as) and (A.6395 –Perry; No Same as)
- Requiring “Agency” Education
- Team Definition Legislation (A.7323 – Cusick; S.3318-A – Lanza)
- Scaffold Law Reform (A.3209 – Morelle; S.543 – Gallivan)
- Vested Rights for Property Owners (A.1435 – Paulin; S.3901 – Murphy)
- Mandate Relief
- Increasing the Threshold for the Mansion Tax (A.79 – Buchwald; S.548 – Latimer) and (A.5885 – Kavanagh; No Same as)
- Exemption of Mortgage Recording Tax for First Time Homebuyers (A.2989 – Weprin; S.3851 – Lanza)
- Tax Credit for Installation of Fire Sprinkler System (A.4227 – DenDekker; S.2587 – Flanagan)
Here are the current Legislative Priorities NYSAR Opposes:
- Increasing State and Local Mortgage Recording and Transfer Taxes
- Increasing the so-called “Mansion Tax” in New York City (A.7945 – Wright; No Same as)
- Private Well Testing Act (A.2295 – Jaffee; No Same as
- Well Water Education Act (A.804 – Jaffee; No Same as)
- Expanding Cease and Desist Zones (A.7931 – Weprin; S.1379 – Avella)
- Imposed Real Estate Transfer Tax to Create Community Preservation Fund (S.806 – Breslin; No Same as)
Expanded Agriculture Disclosure Notice (A.1030 – Gunther; No Same as)
Status: Assembly Agriculture
- Requirement of License Number Disclosure (A.4126 – DenDekker; No Same as):
- Broker Signature on All Real Estate Documents (A.4222 – DenDekker, No Same as)
- Source of Income (A.3059 – Weprin; No Same as) and (A.6764 – Crespo; S.151-A – Squadron)
- Citizen Suits (A.4949 – O’Donnell; S.885 – Avella) and (A.5802 – Kavanagh; S.1087-A – Parker)
- Doubling of Fines for Violation of RE License Law (A.3226 – Weprin; No Same as)
- Sex Offender Disclosure (S.2079 – Flanagan; No Same as)
- Restrictions on Property Owners Use of Apartments (A.3812 – Wright; No Same as)