Weekly Newsletter

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

A Message From 2024 President, Lisa Comito

Association Updates & Free Member Benefits!

Congratulations to Greater Bergen REALTORS® 2023 Circle of Excellence Sales Award winners!

FREE Member Benefits:

Earn Your Two-Day Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR®) Designation for FREE with GBR! Join us on Friday, March 22nd and Monday, March 25th! Register HERE!

NEW! FREE member subscription to HousingWire! Offering premier real estate news, market data, and housing research.

Keep an eye on your email inbox today to sign up!

WATCH LISA'S FULL VIDEO

ASSOCIATION NEWS

FREE MEMBER BENEFIT!

Earn Your ABR® Designation For FREE With GBR!

The Accredited Buyers Representative® (ABR) Designation Course Is March 22nd & 25th!

Elevate Your REALTOR® Value!

Greater Bergen REALTORS® is now offering the two-day Accredited Buyers Representative® (ABR) Designation for FREE to our members, as an exclusive member benefit!

Take Advantage Of This FREE Member Benefit Today!

Two-Day Designation:

March 22, 2024 & March 25, 2024

9:00AM - 4:30PM

Hybrid

Instructors: Rhoda Moss-Latimer, Alireza Memar

FREE For Members

CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH!

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Presents

2nd Annual Women's History Month: REALTORS® Across All Generations

A Lunch And Learn Event! All Are Welcome!

Join the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee in honoring Women’s History Month with their second annual event! A Lunch & Learn event with a lively discussion featuring a panel of dynamic women across all generations within the real estate industry!

All Are Welcome! Join The Celebration!

March 20, 2024

12:00PM - 2:00PM

In-Person at GBR Headquarters

$10 For Members | $20 Non-members

FREE! Let's Talk Class!

The "Plan": How To Build A Six Figure Income In Real Estate In 90 Days Or Less!

Join "The Plan": How To Build a Six-Figure Income in Real Estate in 90 Days, where you'll unlock the secrets to skyrocketing your career from a former top-producing REALTOR® turned leading loan officer.

Discover the straightforward, actionable plan that propelled a "Zero to Hero" journey, amassing millions in the real estate realm. This is your golden ticket to transform your potential into lucrative success, starting from day one. Perfect for new agents or those in a rut, "The Plan" is your blueprint to thriving in the competitive real estate market.

This event is FREE for members!

Don't miss out—start your journey to the top today!

March 28, 2024

11:30AM - 12:30PM

Instructor: Sean Shallis

FREE For Members | $20 Non-Members

NEW! FREE For Members!

The Professional Development Committee Presents

Vision, Value, & Mission: How To Craft Your Value Proposition

A Lunch & Learn Event! Sign Up Today!

Join the Professional Development Committee for a new Lunch & Learn event! Learn how to craft an effective value proposition to enhance your business, identify what sets you apart as a REALTOR® in the real estate market, and more!

This event is FREE for members!

April 9, 2024

10:00AM - 12:00PM

FREE For Members | $20 Non-Members

Know A Graduating Senior?

You Can Make A Difference In Your Local Community!

The REALTORS® Care Foundation High School Scholarship Program Is Accepting Applications!

The Greater Bergen REALTORS®, REALTORS® Care Foundation High School Scholarship Program is accepting applications for high school seniors!

Fill out the application and email all supporting documents to: education@greaterbergenrealtors.com

Application Deadline: April 15, 2024

APPLY HERE

COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT

The Young Professionals Network (YPN) Raised Money To Support Non-Profit Organization Kids Against Hunger® At Their Annual Bowling For Charity With YPN Last Week!

GBR's Young Professionals Network (YPN) hosted their annual kick-off event, Bowling For Charity at Bowler City in Hackensack, NJ for over 70 attendees. The charitable event was a fun opportunity to raise money to support local non-profit, Kids Against Hunger®, an organization that provides fully nutritious food to impoverished children, individuals, and families around the world and around the corner.

Last year, YPN partnered with Kids Against Hunger® to package over 40,000 meals to feed those in need. In 2024, they hope to exceed this goal. All proceeds from Bowling For Chairty successfully funded their collaborative first food-packing event of the year at Greater Bergen REALTORS® headquarters where 10,000 meals were then equally distributed to an Indian reservation in South Dakota and internationally.

A special thank you to event sponsors, Main Street Title & Settlement Service LLC,

Carlos J Capellan Insurance Agency Inc., Think Mortgage, NJ Lenders Corp.,

and Bond Street Mortgage.

To view photos from Bowling For Charity, click HERE!

HEALTH & WELLNESS

This Month! March Into An Exciting Reading Endeavor!

Join The Health, Wellness, Safety Council Book Club!

Are you looking for a new hobby and improved health? Join the HWSC Book Club, with lively discussions and fun with other motivated peers.

Book of the month: Eat Right 4 Your Type

*Disclaimer: This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical

recommendations of physicians or other healthcare providers.

Are You Interested? Register Today!

STATE NEWS

“It Seems Impossible:” Bergen County, NJ’s Housing Market Is Vexing Agents And Buyers

Real estate agents in the leafy suburbs of Bergen County, New Jersey say the current housing market — with historically low inventory and record-high prices — is actually more challenging than the multiple offer chaos they sweated through during the pandemic.

“Bidding wars are still there but it isn’t as bad as during COVID,” said Lisa Comito, a broker at Howard Hanna Rand Realty and the president of Greater Bergen REALTORS®, which has nearly 9,000 members. “When we were coming out of COVID we were seeing 15 to 20 offers on a house, where you’d have to make a spreadsheet to show your seller. You aren’t getting that, but there is still a lot of competitive bidding.”

Like elsewhere in the country, agents blame the low interest rates of 2020 and 2021 for locking many would-be sellers into their homes. “During the pandemic, people would downsize or sell their home on a whim,” Comito said. “Now it is a different conversation. If they are downsizing it is for quality of life or that they can’t maintain a large home anymore.”

NATIONAL NEWS

NAR Thanks President Biden For Addressing Affordable Housing Supply in State Of The Union Address

Statement From 2024 NAR President, Kevin Sears

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) thanked President Biden last week for raising awareness of the affordable housing crisis during his State of the Union address.

The following is a statement from 2024 NAR President Kevin Sears:

"The lack of affordable housing supply is hurting the middle class and depriving first-generation and first-time homebuyers of the financial security that homeownership and the American Dream provide.

NAR first sounded the alarm on this issue with original research showing a nationwide shortage of 5.5 million affordable housing units. We commend President Biden’s commitment to an all-of-government approach to solve this problem. NAR has proposed and advocated for many of these proposals, which together would make serious headway toward fixing this crisis..."

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Assessing The Impact Of The SEC’s New Climate Disclosure Rules On The Real Estate Industry

Last week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new rules requiring public companies to enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures. The rules phase in over time, requiring the largest companies or public investor shares to begin making climate risk disclosures in 2025.

“We have been waiting for this for a long time, to understand what the SEC would require of publicly listed companies,” says Marta Schantz, co-executive director of the ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate. “From our perspective, climate risk is financial risk, so we see it as important to business success that the real estate industry thinks about climate risks, and that companies understand both the physical risks and the transition risks associated with their business.

TIPS FOR CONSUMERS/REALTORS®

Women Can Help Each Other Get Ahead In Real Estate

Women in real estate should mentor and support other women, building up each other’s confidence to achieve higher echelons in the industry, many female brokers say.

"It’s an important time to empower women, considering they account for 62% of the REALTOR® membership but hold fewer leadership positions," says Carla Hayes, director of industry and public relations at Coldwell Banker Real Estate.

Shattering the glass ceiling can be difficult. Whether it’s working as a single mom, building self-confidence alongside male colleagues or ascending the ranks at a male-dominated brokerage, there are many challenges that should bring women together. Female brokers address the hurdles in their own careers and offer tips for how women in leadership roles can influence change in the industry.

AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT

Meet Affiliate Partner, Mark Johnson!

Mark Johnson is an industry veteran, with over three decades of experience in the mortgage industry. Mark has dedicated his career to providing top-notch financial solutions to real estate agents and their clients. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every transaction, ensuring a seamless and stress-free mortgage process.

Mark's commitment to excellence is evident in his personalized approach to client service. He takes the time to understand each client's unique needs and financial goals, guiding them through every step of the mortgage process with clarity and transparency. Real estate agents appreciate Mark's knowledge, experience and ability to communicate effectively and efficiently, keeping them informed at every stage of the transaction.

For real estate agents seeking a trusted partner in the mortgage lending process, Mark Johnson is the ideal choice. With his extensive experience, personalized approach, and commitment to excellence, he is dedicated to helping agents and their clients achieve their real estate goals.