GMAR Weekly Email Digest: 9/4/2018
  It’s hard to believe summer is basically over, Halloween and even Christmas decorations are in the stores! Ugh!
 
September is REALTOR® Safety Month. The GMAR will be sending out information on how to keep yourself safe this month. One way you can proactively keep yourself safe is to sign up for SentriLock lockbox training at the end of the month. You should have received an email from SentriLock with directions to register for a training session. They’re not long, about an hour and a half, and are being hosted in Brookfield and Menomonee Falls.
 
One upcoming event that I hope you can attend is the Wine and Beer Tasting Event on Tuesday, September 11th, hosted by the Kettle Moraine Council at House of Heileman’s in West Bend. The event benefits the GMAR’s Youth Foundation. It will be a great networking event with fun REALTORS®.
                                                                                                                                  
As we all know, RPAC is an important component of organized real estate. I really, really want to make an appeal to you to keep the $35 contribution on your dues statement when you pay your dues this year. Supporting pro-REALTOR® candidates is something we have done for years, and has helped us pass pro-consumer and pro-REALTOR® legislation.
 
Speaking of pro-REALTOR® elected officials, we lost a great one last week, when Senator John McCain passed away. I never had the chance to meet Sen. McCain when we were in Washington DC. I wish I could have, because I really respect his service, patriotism and big-picture view of politics. He always tried to transcend partisanship, and when I read his farewell letter to America it reminded me that – and we’ve heard this many times – we have more in common than that separates us. This is a message that we always need to be reminded of, so I would like to share Sen. McCain’s 524-word farewell letter with you.  You can read the entire statement here .
YOU'RE INVITED: THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF NEW BERLIN REALTOR BREAKFAST
The School District of New Berlin is hosting its second annual REALTOR BREAKFAS T on Tuesday, September 25th at 8:00am. This year's event will be held at Elmbrook Elementary, 5900 S. Sunnyslope Rd., New Berlin.  
 
Come enjoy a complimentary breakfast as you hear the latest news from our school district and the reasons why the SDNB is a strong selling-point to potential buyers considering a home purchase in the city of New Berlin.
 
8:00am - Networking & Breakfast
8:30am - Presentation and Q&A
9:00am - Optional Tour of Elmwood Elementary

Registration is now open.  Click here to register. 

FAIR HOUSING FOCUS: ON FRONT LINES OF CHANGE
REALTORS® talk about being on the front lines of the fight for fair housing in the second Fair Housing Focus video.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Slate of Candidates for GMAR Director Election
 


The Nominating Committee has approved the following candidates to be placed on the ballot for the Greater Milwaukee Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors election. There will be four (4) Directors elected to serve three-year terms: 

Amanda Baake, Kathleen Hansen & Associates
Kim Curtis, Shorewest Realtors
Ted Dentice, Shorewest Realtors
Judy Hearst, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Angela Kallay, Benefit Realty
Mark Kivley, RE/MAX Lakeside
Kelly Leitner, Leitner Properties
Sonya Mays, Midwest Executive Realty
Kelly Sly, Exit Realty Horizons
Angela Walters, Realty Executives Integrity
 
Additional candidates may be placed on the ballot by a petition signed by at least 5% of GMAR members eligible to vote by September 21, 2018
 
The election will be held by electronic voting beginning October 14, 2018
SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION SEEKING FEEDBACK ON VISION 2050 AMENDMENT
Six public meetings on the proposed VISION 2050 amendment will be held in September. Staff will be available in an "open house" format, so you can attend any time during the two-hour timeframe. Snacks and refreshments will also be provided. Oral comment may be given to a court reporter during the meeting or written comments may be submitted.  

More information about the proposed amendment, including a 12-page summary and how to provide comments, can be found on the VISION 2050 website.
COE MARKETING RESOURCES AVAILABLE
NAR has created several banner ads for associations to use to remind members of the Dec. 31 Code of Ethics education deadline. Download the ads to use on your website and in social media and email communications.
BUY REAL ESTATE SUPPLIES AT MINUTEMAN PRESS IN BROOKFIELD
We still receive calls asking where the store is. The GMAR Realtor store is closed and Minuteman Press in Brookfield is now selling Real Estate Supplies! Visit them at 13680 W. Capitol Drive, M-F 8am-5pm. If you have any questions, feel free to contact them at 262-781-9622.
All Realtor members should have received an email from SentriLock inviting you to attend a lockbox distribution & training event in September. The email came from notice@sentrilock.com. If you did not receive this email, please be sure to check your spam, trash, etc. If you still cannot find the email, please give the GMAR office a call:
414-778-4929.

We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions on electronic lockboxes.
SAVE THE DATE - 1ST ANNUAL WINE & BEER TASTING EVENT
Join the Kettle Moraine Council for their inaugural 
Wine & Beer Tasting Event to benefit GMAR's Youth Foundation
 
 Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Time: 5:00 p.m - 7:30 p.m. 
Location: House of Heileman's on Big Cedar Lake
Cost of Tickets: $25/person
*If interested in attending, please sign up this week so we have a food count!
 
Bus Information - at this time no one has signed up for the bus. If not enough people sign up the bus will not run.

A reservation must be made to ride the bus with Kaye Erdman by September 6
Email: kerdman@firstweber.com Cell: 262-707-4966      
Friday, October 12 is Shredfest
Each GMAR member may bring up to 10 boxes or bags to be shredded. Your cardboard boxes and plastic bags are emptied as you arrive and returned to you.  
REALTOR ® TRAINING | WOW! TOUCHPOINTS
**Free Live Class for Real Estate Professionals**
At this event, we'll discuss the touchpoints you can put in your real estate practice to WOW! your clients! We'll cover systems and structure you can implement to ensure your clients all have a consistently-amazing WOW-experience sure to get you at least one referral from each of your clients, each time you close for them!

This will be a live class taught by Michael Creed, Branch Manager of Envoy Mortgage of Brookfield. You're not going to want to miss this!
Lunch will be served at 11:45 with the presentation starting promptly at 12 Noon with a Q & A to follow. You'll be out and on with your day by 1:00 PM at the latest; likely sooner! 
 
Space is limited so sign up today!
 
Location: GMAR - 12300 W Center St, Milwaukee, WI 53222
Date: Wednesday, September 12 th   
Time: 11:45 Lunch, class starts promptly at noon
To Register (required) and for Full Details visit:   http://EnvoyBrookfield.com/WW
 
HOW REALTORS CAN CUT 2018 TAXES BY $2,500 OR MORE
*A program put on by Bradford and Company

Friday, October 19 from 9:00 am-11:30 am at the GMAR: 12300 W. Center Street
(Please arrive at  8:45 am for registration.
Seminar begins promptly at  9:00 am)
 
 
Discover simple legal tax-reduction strategies that most self-employed or solo business owners miss out on-plus learn how to audit-proof your return!
 
Here are just some of the safe, audit-proof tax-saving tips you will learn:
  • How to deduct maximum entertainment expenses under the new tax law
  • How to use a medical reimbursement plan that can save you and your family thousands of tax dollars every year
  • Tips for maximizing your automobile deductions-including luxury autos-plus easy documentation strategies
  • How to safely qualify your home office for big tax deductions, even if you spend most of your office time at another office
  • How to audit-proof your tax records-so you reduce chances of an audit, but can stand confident if selected randomly
  • Learn how to make the most of your new 20% 199A tax deductions
 
Attendance is limited: Please register for this free event at michelle@gmar.ws 
  
*Bradford and Company is a non-biased educational firm.
This is not a tax-prep class. Since 1989 our seminars have specialized in
tax reduction strategies for the self-employed professional.