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Update on GMAR Holiday Party & Award Winners


Please Return Any Unused SentriLock Lockboxes
2020 HOLIDAY PARTY & AWARDS
Like many events this year, we regret to inform you that the GMAR will not be holding its annual Holiday Party this year. We hope that we will be able to celebrate in 2021.
 
Nonetheless, we want to celebrate and recognize some very special members for their work this year and throughout their careers.

GMAR Leaders
2020 Chair: Kel Svoboda, First Weber Realtors
2021 Chair: Courtney Stefaniak, The Stefaniak Group

2020 Award Winners
Lifetime Achievement: Mary Steinke, Shorewest Realtors
Realtor of the Year: Rochelle Gamauf, Next Home Lake Country
Dedicated Service: Mark Kivley, RE/MAX Lakeside
Affiliate of the Year: Jill Meier, Merit Title
 
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a video series to hear from our leaders and award winners.

Please send them your congratulations (socially distanced, of course!) 
RESPONDING TO WISCONSIN'S WORKFORCE HOUSING SHORTAGE
The "Falling Behind" study by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of urban and regional planning Dr. Kurt Paulsen, Ph.D., AICP, explored Wisconsin's workforce housing shortage. "Falling Behind" identified three primary reasons for the shortage:

1. Wisconsin has not built enough homes to keep up with population and income growth.
2. Construction costs are rising faster than inflation and income.
3. Outdated land-use regulations drive up the cost of housing.

These reasons are why the WRA is working with legislators from both sides to develop and support legislative proposals to increase the workforce housing supply.
FALL HOME BUYING & SELLING DURING THE PANDEMIC - COURTNEY STEFANIAK ON CBS NEWS
With so many things up in the air because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, CBS 58 Morning News is getting some insight about how long your search might take, and how quickly you could sell your home. 

Courtney Stefaniak from the Stefaniak Group virtually joined CBS 58 to discuss the sellers market. 
PLEASE RETURN UNUSED SENTRILOCK LOCKBOXES
Back in May, the GMAR began working through an audit of the SentriLock lockbox system. Of our 9,000 lockboxes in the association, 8,605 were in members hands. Of those 8,605, only 2,747 were on listings. We did mange to get a good number of the lockboxes back, however there are still 4,997 lockboxes out there that are not being used on listings.
 
If you are someone who has lockboxes in your possession and you do not plan to use them on your listings, please return them to the GMAR office.

Please also keep in mind that if you ever leave the association your lockboxes will need to be returned to avoid a fine.

If you have any questions on this topic please email Emily Simonelli. 
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL SCHEDULE
Thank you for your membership in the Greater Milwaukee Association of REALTORS® this past year.

To continue your membership with the GMAR, WRA & NAR, and to avoid any interruption in service, please note the following payment deadlines:

  • Pay by October 31, 2020 - You can DEDUCT $25 from the total on your invoice
  • Pay between November 1 and 30, 2020 - Please pay the total shown on your invoice
  • Pay between December 1 and 31, 2020 - Please ADD $50 to the total shown on your invoice
  • Pay after January 1, 2021 - We must treat you as a new member, please ADD $225 to the total on your invoice (if you are a REALTOR® member) or $345 (if you are a Designated REALTOR® member). 

Nondeductible Dues for 2021

Under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, local associations can no longer include local lobbying expenses in the deductible portion of a member’s annual dues. Local lobbying expenses must now be added to the non-deductible dues amount, along with state and national dues.

As a result, the GMAR calculated the nondeductible portion of your 2021 local Membership Dues as $1.00. This amount is in addition to the amounts stated on the back of your WRA dues statement which specifies the non-deductibility of WRA and NAR dues. 
'RE-ORIENT YOURSELF' : METRO MLS
Brush Up on What You Learned at Orientation
Whether you are a brand new REALTOR® just starting out or have been in the business for years, it never hurts to check back in on the basics and make sure you are taking full advantage of your membership.
Are you using FlexMLS to it’s full potential? Are there aspects of the system you wish you knew more about? Did you know that Metro MLS offers 24/7 training on our website in a variety of formats? If the answers to the questions were No, Yes, and No, visit www.metromls.com. 

In our support menu, you will find Manuals (written instructions), Tutorial Videos (short videos that will take you through the process to complete the indicated function), as well as Webinars (recorded versions of our live webinars). Do you prefer live instruction? Every Wednesday (during Covid) we are offering live webinars with our team of instructors. 

Is there something you need help with? Let us know! 414.778.5400  
WRA'S THURSDAY TAKEAWAYS VIDEO SERIES
Check out the most recent edition of WRA's Thursday Takeaways Video Series!

"CDC Eviction Moratorium Updates"
With Tracy Rucka
Can a landlord evict? Maybe. Tune into an overview of permissible and prohibited basis for evictions based on the CDC moratorium until the end of 2020.
STAND OUT AS A FOCUS ON ENERGY AMBASSADOR
Looking for new ways to bring added value to your clients? Consider becoming a FOCUS ON ENERGY® Ambassador. Focus on Energy partners with utilities across Wisconsin to provide resources and incentives for energy efficient home products, equipment and improvement projects.
 
Once you complete a digital 45 minute Workshop and enroll as an Ambassador, you can start offering your clients access to new energy efficiency expertise and exclusive perks, including a Welcome Kit with a $125 heating and cooling tune-up voucher and a helpful Home Energy & Maintenance Guide. The kit is co-branded with your business information and sent to your clients on your behalf, at no cost to you, providing an extra touch and added value.
 
Join the 700+ Wisconsin real estate professionals already offering these informational resources and exclusive perks to their clients. For more information, visit focusonenergy.com/ambassador or email ambassador@focusonenergy.com. You can also call Nancy Alberte, local Focus on Energy representative, at 608.358.8212 with questions. 
COVID-19 RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO REALTORS®
REAL ESTATE SUPPLY STORE NOW AT
MINUTEMAN PRESS - BROOKFIELD
The real estate supply store is now located ONLY at Minuteman Press - Brookfield location (13680 W. Capitol Drive). The store is back open with COVID-19 protection measures in place. Online orders are still encouraged. Store hours are M-F between 8:30 AM and 5 PM.
Contact Minuteman Press-Brookfield for more info, (262) 781-9622!
Comments, Suggestions or Questions?...
Let us know how the GMAR can improve what we offer to you as members of our organization. Your feedback helps us to make quality improvements to our programs and benefits, so we appreciate it! Click here to e-mail your feedback to the GMAR.