DESIGNATED
REALTOR
®
ISSUE 6: december 2017
heeding the
call
Why Calls For Action Matter
NJREALTOR.COM
FROM THE CEO'S DESK
Answering the Call
New Jersey’s Realtor® Voices Matter
A
few times a year, members typically hear from New Jersey Realtors® and the National Association of Realtors® on policy issues that need member and public support. With more than a million members across the nation, the Realtor® voice is a strong and powerful one, often tipping the scales and creating policies that protect the real estate market and homeowners, or blocking ones that would do harm. When you see a Call For Action from the association come across your inbox, I urge you to take immediate action and to be part of the political process that impacts you personally and professionally. As the Designated Realtor® in your office, I also encourage you to remind If the legislation moves forward, it has the potential to your colleagues to answer the call as well. impact home values in high cost The messages are pre-written, and if Any obstacle that states, including New Jersey. you click directly from your personalized There are some who will not email, your information is pre-populated hinders homeownership see the immediate impact of tax -- all you have to do is hit the submit or detracts from its reform. However, if implemented, button to send the message and it’ll go value is a threat to the the current legislation will have to the appropriate legislators. a lasting effect on New Jersey’s real estate market and housing market. Right now, one of the most critical issues the American Dream. we’re facing is tax reform legislation The Realtor® association believes in Washington. New Jersey’s economy is greatly that a streamlined tax system would benefit Americans, dependent on the survival of a robust real estate market but it should not be achieved at the expense of -- and frankly, so is the entire nation’s economy. Any hardworking, middle-class taxpayers. obstacle that hinders homeownership or detracts from its value is a threat to the real estate market and the The issue is ongoing, and one that the association American Dream. is monitoring closely. We are working with our representatives in Washington to ensure that tax reform Living in an already-high tax state, the tax reform does not harm homeowners and the real estate industry. legislation that was introduced would create incredible Be sure to follow NJ Realtors® on social media, check burdens for homeowners here, eliminating the state and our weekly email update, and view our website for the local income tax deductions, capping the mortgage most current information. Don’t hesitate to reach out to interest deduction, and capping deductions for real our government affairs department at 609-341-7100. estate property taxes. It would represent a tax increase on middle-class homeowners, despite promises that the legislation would lower taxes and create economic growth. Jarrod C. Grasso Designated REALTOR® | december 2017 | 1
I M P O R TA N T D AT E S DECEMBER
FEBRUARY
4 Triple Play Realtor® Convention & Trade Expo
19 NJ Realtors® offices closed
realtorstripleplay.com
8 RPAC 2017 end of year deadline njrealtor.com/account
25 NJ Realtors® offices closed JANUARY
MARCH
1 NJ Realtors® offices closed
8 TaxBot Webinar, 12 p.m.
5 NJ Realtors® Circle of Excellence Sales Award® applications due
spendingtracker.infusionsoft.com/go/webinar_nj/nj/
11 Daylight Savings Time
15 NJ Realtors® offices closed 18 TaxBot Webinar, 12 p.m.
spendingtracker.infusionsoft.com/go/webinar_nj/nj/
Website Copyright Compliance Deadline Approaching The U.S. Copyright office recently issued a new compliance requirement that all copyright agents must be digitally registered with them by the end of 2017. To safeguard against possible copyright infringement on a website, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act provides a safe harbor provision for website providers, however, certain actions have to be met to qualify. Compliance with the DMCA is a crucial risk management strategy for your business, as statutory damages can be as high as $150,000 per infringed work. The National Association of Realtors® is recommending that all real estate businesses, including brokerages, MLSs, and Associations, comply with the DMCA since it is relatively inexpensive and simply for the protection it provides. Compliance will then protect you if a third-party posts content that infringes another's copyright. Compliance is especially important if users can post their own content to your website, or may be able to do so in the
future. It costs $6 to register a DMCA copyright agent with the U.S. Copyright Office and can be completed online at dmca.copyright.gov/osp/login.html. NJ Realtors® has registered our General Counsel, Barry S. Goodman as the association’s DMCA designated agent. The language for the DMCA is contained in our website Terms of Service available at njrealtor.com/ terms-of-service. Before you choose your designated agent, check with an attorney for determination. For more information, watch a short video from NAR on how to comply. It is an excellent resource and clearly outlines the steps you need to take to protect yourself and your business, available at nar.realtor/videos/ window-to-the-law/window-to-the-law-changes-todmca-safe-harbor. Contact Director of Member Services, Teresa Tilton, with any questions at 609-341-7118. Designated REALTOR® | december 2017 | 2
Election Results
2017
O
n November 7, voters in the Garden State cast their ballots to elect a new Governor, all 120 members of the State Legislature, and hundreds of county and local officials.
District will replace Vincent Prieto of Hudson County’s 32nd District to be the new Assembly Speaker in the next session of the State Legislature. Stephen Sweeney of the 3rd District was re-elected as Senate President. Jon Bramnick and Tom Kean, Jr., both of the 21st With Gov. Chris Christie nearing the end of his District, were re-elected as Assembly Minority Leader second and final term of office, the race was between and Senate Minority Leader, respectively. Republican nominee, Lt. Kim Guadagno and her running mate, Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo, We’re pleased to say that several Realtors® took part against Democratic nominee, Amb. Phil Murphy and his in local races and won. Rebecca LaPira of Demarest, running mate, Assembly Speaker Emeritus Sheila Oliver. Melissa Rubinstein of Wyckoff, Gloria McCauley of Murphy and Oliver edged out Guadagno and Rendo by Hillsborough, Matthew DeMichele of Seaside Park, a margin of 56% to 42%. Murphy will be sworn in as the Carmela Vitale of Madison, and Jairo Rodriguez of 56th Governor of New Jersey and Oliver as the second Woodland Park all won elections to their respective Lt. Governor on Jan. 16, 2018. local or school board governing bodies. The State Legislature elections also saw a party shakeup, with the Democrats expanding their control in both houses for the 218th session of the Legislature, which will begin on Jan. 9, 2018. In the State Senate, Democrats will hold 25 seats and the Republicans will control 15 seats. The Democrats picked up seats in both the 7th (portions of Burlington County) and 11th Districts (portions of Monmouth County). Republicans flipped one seat in the 2nd District (portions of Atlantic County). In the General Assembly, the Democrats will have 54 members and the Republicans will hold 26 seats. Lt. Governor-Elect Sheila Oliver’s seat will create a vacancy when she resigns her position in the Assembly to assume her new duties, where she will also oversee the Dept. of Community Affairs. Additionally, Assemblyman Craig Coughlin of Middlesex County’s 19th Designated REALTOR® | december 2017 | 3
Beginning in January, NJ Realtors® will work with newly elected officials on issues impacting the state’s real estate industry and homeowners. In the next legislative session, we expect property taxes and lead paint to be hotly debated and NJ Realtors® will continue to work with officials to create solutions across the state.
NJ Realtors® 2017 Leadership Team with Governor-Elect Muprhy.
1st Legislative District Assembly Bob Andrzejczak (D)* R. Bruce Land (D)* Senate Jeff Van Drew (D)*
11th Legislative District Assembly JoAnn Downey (D)* Eric Houghtaling (D)* Senate Vin Gopal (D)
21st Legislative District Assembly Jon Bramnick (R)* Nancy Munoz (R)* Senate Thomas Kean, Jr. (R)*
31st Legislative District Assembly Nicholas Chiaravalloti (D)* Angela McKnight (D)* Senate Sandra Cunningham (D)*
2nd Legislative District Assembly Vincent Mazzeo (D)* John Armato (D) Senate Chris Brown (R)
12th Legislative District Assembly Ronald Dancer (R)* Robert Clifton (R)* Senate Samuel Thompson (R)*
22nd Legislative District Assembly Gerald “Jerry” Green (D)* James Kennedy (D)* Senate Nicholas Scutari (D)*
32nd Legislative District Assembly Vincent Prieto (D)* Angelica Jimenez (D)* Senate Nicholas Sacco (D)*
3rd Legislative District Assembly John Burzichelli (D)* Adam Taliaferro (D)* Senate Stephen Sweeney (D)*
13th Legislative District Assembly Amy Handlin (R)* Serena DiMaso (R) Senate Declan O’Scanlon (R)
23rd Legislative District Assembly Erik Peterson (R)* John DiMaio (R)* Senate Michael Doherty (R)*
33rd Legislative District Assembly Raj Mukherji (D)* Annette Chaparro (D)* Senate Brian Stack (D)*
4th Legislative District Assembly Paul Moriarty (D)* Gabriela Mosquera (D)* Senate Fred Madden (D)
14th Legislative District Assembly Wayne DeAngelo (D)* Daniel Benson (D)* Senate Linda Greenstein (D)*
24th Legislative District Assembly F. Parker Space (R)* Harold Wirths (R) Senate Steven Oroho (R)*
34th Legislative District Assembly Sheila Oliver (D)* Thomas Giblin (D)* Senate Nia Gill (D)*
5th Legislative District Assembly Patricia Egan Jones (D)* Arthur Barclay (D)* Senate Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D)*
15th Legislative District Assembly Elizabeth Maher Muoio (D)* Reed Gusciora (D)* Senate Shirley Turner (D)*
25th Legislative District Assembly Anthony M. Bucco (R)* Michael Patrick Carroll (R)* Senate Anthony R. Bucco (R)*
35th Legislative District Assembly Shavonda Sumter (D)* Benjie Wimberly (D)* Senate Nellie Pou (D)*
6th Legislative District Assembly Louis Greenwald (D)* Pamela Lampitt (D)* Senate James Beach (D)*
16th Legislative District Assembly Andrew Zwicker (D)* Roy Freiman (D) Senate Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R)*
26th Legislative District Assembly BettyLou DeCroce (R)* Jay Webber (R)* Senate Joe Pennacchio (R)*
36th Legislative District Assembly Gary Schaer (D)* Marlene Caride (D)* Senate Paul Sarlo (D)*
7th Legislative District Assembly Herb Conaway (D)* Carol Murphy (D) Senate Troy Singleton (D)
17th Legislative District Assembly Joseph Egan (D)* Joe Danielsen (D)* Senate Bob Smith (D)*
27th Legislative District Assembly Mila Jasey (D)* John McKeon (D)* Senate Richard Codey (D)*
37th Legislative District Assembly Gordon Johnson (D)* Valerie Vaineri Huttle (D)* Senate Loretta Weinberg (D)*
8th Legislative District Assembly Ryan Peters (R) Joe Howarth (R)* Senate Dawn Marie Addiego (R)*
18th Legislative District Assembly Nancy Pinkin (D)* Robert Karabinchak (D)* Senate Patrick Diegnan (D)*
28th Legislative District Assembly Ralph Caputo (D)* Cleopatra Tucker (D)* Senate Ronald Rice (D)*
38th Legislative District Assembly Tim Eustace (D)* Joseph Lagana (D)* Senate Robert Gordon (D)*
9th Legislative District Assembly Brian Rumpf (R)* DiAnne Gove (R)* Senate Christopher Connors (R)*
19th Legislative District Assembly Craig Coughlin (D)* Yvonne Lopez (D) Senate Joseph Vitale (D)*
29th Legislative District Assembly Eliana Pintor Marin (D)* Shanique Speight (D) Senate M. Teresa Ruiz (D)*
39th Legislative District Assembly Holly Schepisi (R)* Robert Auth (R)* Senate Gerald Cardinale (R)*
10th Legislative District Assembly David Wolfe (R)* Gregory McGuckin (R)* Senate Jim Holzapfel (R)*
20th Legislative District Assembly Annette Quijano (D)* Jamel Holley (D)* Senate Joseph Cryan (D)
30th Legislative District Assembly Sean Kean (R)* Edward Thomson III (R)* Senate Robert Singer (R)*
40th Legislative District Assembly Kevin Rooney (R)* Christopher DePhillips (R) Senate Kristin Corrado (R)*
*Denotes incumbent Designated REALTOR® | december 2017 | 4
INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
In this year’s general election, the New Jersey Coalition of Real Estate, the independent expenditure arm of NJ Realtors®, participated in three races, working to protect elected Realtor® champions. Here’s what happened.
District 1
bamboo on properties for sale would never be heard in his committee. Assemblyman Land is the newest In District 1, which encompasses parts of Atlantic, Cape member of the “Team” and is also very supportive of May, and Cumberland counties, NJ CORE supported our issues. the “Van Drew Team” of Democrats, who included Sen. Jeff Van Drew, Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak, and NJ CORE supported the Van Drew team with mail Assemblyman Bruce Land. This district is historically a pieces, phone calls, and digital ads, totaling just over very competitive district, made up of more Republicans $91,000. than Democrats. District 1 also has a large unaffiliated population. Senator Van Drew is one of NJ Realtors®’ closest allies in the New Jersey State Senate. He is the chair of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee and a member of the Budget Committee. He is a vocal supporter of shore protection funding, has worked to ensure that seasonal rentals are never taxed and worked closely with NJ Realtors® on various legislation, including the Bulk Sales Act. Assemblyman Land is the chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and has worked to ensure NJ’s veterans have access to housing. Additionally, he worked with NJ Realtors® to ensure that cumbersome legislation regarding the disclosure of Designated REALTOR® | december 2017 | 5
District 3 In District 3, NJ CORE supported Democrat and Senate President Steve Sweeney. Normally, this is a safe Democratic district, encompassing parts of Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties.
However, due to disagreements with the New Jersey Education Association, Senate President Sweeney was the target of an $8 million campaign against his candidacy. Senate President Sweeney has been a Realtor® Champion his entire time in the Senate, working closely with the association on continuing education legislation. Since he has been the Senate President, there have been no new taxes on real estate. NJ CORE supported Senate President Sweeney with a full campaign that included a field program, mail pieces, phone calls, and digital ads. Additionally, extra polling was conducted towards the end of the campaign to better allocate resources. About $304,400 was spent on this campaign.
years the demographics have changed. The district encompasses parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties. Because Assemblyman Ciattarelli did not seek re-election in this district, we knew we had to support Senator Bateman. The Senator is a member of the Environment and Judiciary Committees. Additionally, he is the Deputy Conference leader and a highly respected member of the Republican Party. He is a tireless advocate of our issues and a true Realtor® In District 16, NJ CORE supported Senator Kip Bateman. Champion, having been one of the strongest opponents District 16 was a split district – Senator Bateman of the realty transfer fee and most ardent supporters of and Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli are Republicans keeping sex offenders from holding real estate licenses. and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker is a Democrat. This district was historically Republican, but in recent NJ CORE supported Senator Bateman with a full campaign that included a field program, mail pieces, phone calls, and digital ads. WHAT IS AN INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE? In the end, the two Democratic Assembly candidates won, but Senator Bateman was An Independent Expenditure is a political campaign victorious by 683 votes. NJ CORE spent designed to influence the outcome of an election and just over $208,000 on this campaign. are run for a candidate without coordinating with that
District 16
individual. An IE can be as simple as sending out a mail piece urging voters to support a certain candidate on election day, or as complex as multiple mail pieces, phone calls, online advertisements, and door-to-door canvassers.
If you have any questions about independent expenditures or NJ CORE, please contact Deputy Director of Government Affairs, Catherine Best, at 609-341-7109.
The New Jersey Coalition of Real Estate has a board of trustees comprised of Realtors® from throughout the state to oversee its activities. As a rule, NJ CORE seeks to highlight the positive attributes of each candidate it supports and never conducts negative campaigning. Designated REALTOR® | december 2017 | 6
Circle of Excellence Sales AwardÂŽ
What Do You Need as Proof? Is it a sale?
Yes
Is it a listing?
Is it in the MLS? Yes
Full Mls Printout
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Is it in the MLS?
Proof Of Compensation
Yes
Is it a rental?
Is it in the MLS?
No
No
Yes Full Mls Printout
Completed applications are due to your local board by close of business on January 5, 2018. Absolutely no handwritten applications will be accepted.
Listing Agreement & Proof of Compensation
Full Mls Printout & Proof of Compensation
Did you represent the landlord? Yes
Listing Agreement & Proof of Compensation
Manage your application at coe.njrealtor.com
No
Proof Of Compensation