2022 Recap

It’s hard to believe this will be the last issue of 2022 but this is my final column as your President, so I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the year we’ve had. We focused on three key areas this year: diversity, equity, and inclusion; continued member engagement; and advocacy, and I am pleased to say we successfully made strides in each of those areas.

• For the first time in New Jersey Realtors® history, we have an official strategic plan (from the Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity Committee) to boost underrepresented communities and grow awareness of key issues.

• During Fair Housing Month, we hosted a series of sessions to help Realtors® align their businesses to uphold the Code of Ethics, discover the differences between implicit and personal biases, and learn about New Jersey’s Fair Chance in Housing Act.

• We hosted a children’s Fair Housing art contest to encourage families to discuss fair housing and what it means to be a Realtor® with their children or other family members.

• NJ Realtors® co-hosted a two-day, regional diversity, equity, and inclusion summit in June to take a deeper look at DEI in the real estate industry and create actionable steps for change.

• NJ Realtors® formed a new partnership with the Real Estate Alliance, an organization dedicated to helping the LGBTQ+ community on their homeownership paths, and strengthened relationships with AREAA, NAREB, and NAHREP.

• With events back in-person this year, we held Trenton Day in June with more new member attendance than I’ve ever seen.

• NJ Realtors® broker email newsletter, Broker Bulletin, has seen much success in the past year as brokers engage with monthly polls and request further information on specific industry topics.

• We’ve held two lead paint law webinars with the NJ Department of Community Affairs and the NJ Department of Health with brokers in mind to disseminate the information to their agents.

• We’ve sent more than 4 million segmented emails to members with an average open rate of 47%.

• Our social media channels have grown, and we continue to see more engagement with members.

• NJ Realtors® Weekly received a refresh to streamline the latest industry headlines and association news.

• NJ Realtors® held more than a dozen virtual webinars for first-time homebuyers across the state to disseminate an accurate representation of the NJ housing market.

• We ensured there are no new taxes or fees in the fiscal year 2023 state budget.

• We continue to build relationships with members of the State Legislature, and they come to us on issues of flood disclosure, lead paint, and much more.

• Last month, we encouraged members to register to vote, ensure all information with the NJ Department of Elections is up to date, and vote in the General Election.

• The 2022 Leadership Team traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with NJ federal representatives about the issues that matter.

• We held a series of virtual hill visits so members could learn more about their representative.

Thank you to all 64,000+ members for your support and encouragement over the past year — it was a privilege to serve as your 2022 New Jersey Realtors® President.