Montgomery County

Election 2018: GCAAR Board of Education Forum Next Week  

On Wednesday, October 10 , GCAAR will be holding a forum for Montgomery County Board of Education candidates . Lunch will be served at 12 pm, and the forum will start at 12:30 pm .

The forum will feature At-Large candidates Julie Reiley and Karla Silvestre, District 3 candidates Pat O'Neill and Lynn Amano, and District 5 candidate Brenda Wolff.

You can sign up here for the Board of Education Forum. We look forward to seeing you on October 10!

Montgomery County Legislative Update

Three pieces of legislative news for GCAAR members:

Bill 23-18 - Carbon Monoxide legislation
  • Unanimously passed the Council on October 2
  • Effective July 1, 2019, carbon monoxide alarms or detectors are required for single-unit homes, two-unit homes, and townhouses built before 2008
  • Please see the Council packet for more information here


ZTA 18-07, Accessory Residential Uses – Accessory Apartments
  • Introduced on October 2 - first committee session not yet scheduled
  • Removes barriers to adding accessory apartments to properties
  • Targets licensing requirements for accessory apartments
  • Revises limited use provisions for attached and detached accessory apartments

ZTA 18-11, Telecommunications Towers – Limited Use
  • Allows existing utility poles or light poles to be replaced with similar sized telecommunication towers in rural-residential and residential zones
  • 'Towers' would be placed where current pole is 22+ feet tall, and the current pole/replacement tower is at least 30 feet from a dwelling
  • Though many have health concerns regarding these towers, the Council is preempted by Federal law from using any public health concerns as basis for its decision on legislation

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Take the Poll: What
Would You Change? 

GCAAR is still shaping its 2018-2019 Legislative Priorities, and we want to hear from you !

What difficulties do you face?

What changes would you make to the real estate marketplace in MoCo?

Take this two-minute survey and let us know!

We will use these answers - and any feedback you have - to work toward a more favorable REALTOR ® environment in Montgomery County.

District of Columbia
DC First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Increases

Eligibility for the tax benefit for first-time DC homebuyers has expanded to include a larger audience in 2019. For details on who is now eligible for this benefit, see the DC Office of Tax and Revenue fact sheet here.
DC Council Votes to Regulate Short-Term Rentals

On October 2, the DC Council voted in favor of a bill that would regulate short-term rentals in DC, such as Airbnb and HomeAway.

In short, the bill limits short-term rentals to primary residences, and if the owner is away from the premises, the property may only be rented up to 90 days per calendar year. The bill must be voted on again before it can be sent to the Mayor for approval and then funded in next year’s budget (it carries a $20 million price tag).

While regulation of short-term rentals is overdue in DC, we are actively working to amend this bill to establish a more balanced solution that prevents bad actors without limiting those acting in good faith.

Please contact advocacy@dcrealtors.org with any questions or comments.