2013 IAR Annual Report

Annual Report
2013
1
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Table of Contents
Introduction
2013 Leadership and IAR Staff
2013 Board of Directors
Operations
Awards
2013 Timeline
Governmental Affairs
RVOICE
RPAC
Legal
Professional Development
Communications
Information Technology
Dear IAR member:
Welcome to the 2013 Illinois Association of
REALTORS® Annual Report. As you’ll see, this
year’s edition is packed with facts about the
organization and its members.
IAR is nearing 100 years of service to REALTORS®, and a review
of this year’s accomplishments shows why this association has
remained relevant for so long.
You’ll find highlights on:
Advocacy: From the state Capitol in Springfield, to Congress in
Washington, D.C., to city halls throughout Illinois, IAR maintains
an aggressive and respected lobbying operation to promote sound real
estate policy. The association’s Political Action Committee (RPAC) is
one of the largest in the state, and donations ensure your business is
protected.
Education: IAR offers a wealth of opportunity to grow and learn in the
real estate business. The association works with those just starting their
real estate career as well as longtime veterans who need continuing education credit.
Of course, there’s much more. Your association provides legal guidance
through its hotline, professional standards training, seminars and conferences and news which helps members better navigate the complex and
changing world of real estate.
I am proud of the work we’ve done together in 2013, and it was an
honor to serve as IAR president.
Sincerely,
Illinois Association of
REALTORS®
522 S. Fifth Street
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 529-2600
web: www.illinoisrealtor.org
e-mail: IARaccess@iar.org
blog: www.IARbuzz.com
www.facebook.com/Illinois
AssociationofREALTORS
twitter.com/ILREALTOR
2
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Michael D. Oldenettel, CRS, GRI
RE/MAX Professionals Springfield
2013 President, Illinois Association
of REALTORS®
2013 Leadership
President
Michael D. Oldenettel,
CRS, GRI
RE/MAX Professionals
Springfield
President-Elect
Phil Chiles
ABR, CRS, GRI, SRES
Real Estate Group
Springfield
Treasurer
Jim Kinney,
ABR, CRB, CRS, GRI
Baird & Warner
Chicago
Immediate Past President
Loretta Alonzo,
CRB, GRI
Century 21 Alonzo & Associates
La Grange Park
Mission: To protect and promote private property rights while fighting for, educating and serving Illinois REALTORS®
and consumers.
IAR Staff
Gary L. Clayton,
CAE, RCE, Chief
Executive Officer
Rebecca Carraher,
Executive Secretary
Member and Association
Engagement
Ann Londrigan, CAE, Director of
Member and Association Engagement
Lindsay Lippa, Member Care
Specialist
Dana Gurnsey, Member Care
Specialist
Kim Buscher, RPAC Fundraising
Coordinator
Carie Cycholl, RPAC Fundraising
Coordinator
Jim Clayton, Market Research
Jenny Rich, Part-Time Marketing
Associate
Lyndee Fein, Marketing Manager
Communications
Jon Broadbooks, Director of
Communications
Stephanie Sievers, Associate Editor
Kara Kienzler, Webmaster/
Communications Coordinator
Governmental Affairs
Greg St. Aubin, Director of
Governmental Affairs
Julie Sullivan, Assistant Director Legislative and Political Affairs
Mike Scobey, Assistant Director RVOICE and Local Advocacy
Aimee Bick, Program Coordinator RVOICE and Local Advocacy
Sharon Gorrell, Housing Policy
Advisor
Local Governmental Affairs
Directors (GADs)
Kyle Anderson - Egyptian, Greater
Gateway and Southwestern Illinois
Brian Bernardoni - Chicago
Conor Brown - Belvidere, Heartland,
Rockford and Northwestern Illinois
Kristie Engerman - BloomingtonNormal, Lamoine Valley, Livingston,
Mid Valley, Peoria Area, Quad City
Area, Quincy, Pekin Area and West
Central Illinois
Howard Handler - North Shore/
Barrington and Mainstreet (Lake
County)
Tom Joseph - Kankakee-Iroquois
Ford, Three Rivers and Mainstreet
(South Suburban Cook County)
Kristen Jungles - HomeTown, Illini
Valley, Fox Valley, Sauk Valley
Mainstreet (DuPage County)
Neil Malone - Capital Area, Central
Illinois, Champaign County, Danville
Area, Decatur, Jacksonville and Logan
County
Jeff Merrinette - Mainstreet (DuPage
County, Northwest Suburban Cook
County)
Information Technology
Matthew Brewer, Director of
Information Technology
Ralph Carbonell, Help Desk
Technician
Professional Development
Wayne Edwards, CAE, RCE, Director of Professional
Development (retiring)
Kristen Butcher, CMP, Director of Professional
Development
Carrie Elliott, Education Manager
Stacy Mahinda, Assistant Education Program
Manager
Dana Gurnsey, Administrative Assistant
Lindsay Lippa, Administrative Assistant
Operations
Len Taylor, Director of Operations
Bethany Barnes, IAR Registrar
Chris Barnes, Accounting/Operations
Associate
Becky Clayton, Continuing Education
Processing Coordinator
Dalton Cordier, Student Intern
Chelsea Domescik, Operations Assistant
Randy Domescik, Business Manager
Debbie Harper, Membership Records
Coordinator
Cathy Madaus, Accounting Manager
Roger Oxby, Assistant Membership
Coordinator
Scott Sacco, Senior Accountant
Foundations
Laurie Clayton, Foundation
Manager of the Illinois
Real Estate Educational
Foundation (REEF)
Legal Counsel
Betsy Urbance, Legal Hotline
Attorney
2013 IAR Annual Report
3
Board of Directors
Ron Abrams
Loretta Alonzo
Janet Andreotti-Plecki
Jim Barbagallo
Amy Barnes
Scott Beilfuss
Genie Birch
Terri Booker
Laura Boyer
Monica Burkholder
Tonya Burris
Pat Callan
Donald Cave
Christine Chase
Grant Chignoli
Philip Chiles
Colleen Clavesilla
Tonya Corder
Ellen Credi
Richard Crosby
Jean Crosby
Heather Cunningham
Patrick Dalessandro
Mike Drews
Thomas Ewing
Ronald Ewing
Matthew Farrell
Agnes Fay
Tyler Fuhr
Andrew Gagliardo
Bobbie Gerbrecht
Jerry Gibson
Sheryl Grider Whitehurst
William Griffin
Mabel Guzman
Ronald Hardgrove
Lisa Hathaway
Dana Hudson
Richard Hunt
Karen Irace
Phil Johnson
Thomas Jones
Jim Kinney
Patricia Kloepping
John C. Kmiecik
Thomas Krettler
Alex LaBelle
Tony Lape
Rita Liberatore
Crystal Lilley
Dondi Maricle
Jane McClelland
Judith McConville
James Merrion
Sandy Michel
Susan Miller
Eileen Milligan
Charles Montgomerie
Ezekiel “Zeke” Morris
Steve Myers
Michael D. Oldenettel
Michael Onorato
Patricia Palzet-Taylor
Michael Parent
Gerald Perlow
Jack Persin
John Purple
Randall Raynolds
Dave Richert
Hugh Rider
Karen Robertson
R. Rex Rowland
Eric Ryden
Todd Salen
Chris Seniker
Board highlights
Hydraulic fracturing a focus of task force
Illinois is poised to see an energy exploration boom
through the use of hydraulic fracturing. The process, which
shoots pressurized water, chemicals and sand deep underground, has potential ramifications for REALTORS®, particularly those living and working in southern Illinois.
In 2013, IAR Treasurer Jim Kinney chaired a task force
to look at what REALTORS® needed to now about hydraulic fracturing. Kinney was uniquely suited to the task,
having come from a family that was involved in the oil
business in Illinois. The task force talked to state regulators and legal experts, and as a result provided training
on the energy extraction process and what REALTORS®
should be aware of as they work with clients.
“What REALTORS® need
to know about hydraulic
fracturing, Part 1,” available on IAR’s YouTube
channel.
Leo Sheridan
Toni Sherman
Carol Shields
Pradeep Shukla
Stan Sieron
Chris Smith
Constance Stellhorn-Schanter
Nancy Sutton
Glenn Swick
Tricia Tialdo
Phillip Trautman
Vicky Turner
Lois Tyrrell
Mary Ulfers
James Votanek
Dan Wagner
Martin Walsh
David Wayman
Linda Wheaton
Kay Wirth
Greg Zanger
Robert Zoretich
The task force drew members
from throughout the state, and provided valuable insight into what the
future might hold as Illinois works
toward regulating energy exploration
in a way that protects the environment, landowners and business.
Board actions
In 2013 IAR transitioned to
a 28-member board, a move that
began with a 2012 vote by the full
107-member Board of Directors. The change was made to
create a more focused board able to respond more quickly to
market and strategic changes. The new board met for the first
time in December, 2013.
Front row, left to right: Connie Conway, Chris Read, Loretta Alonzo (past president), Michael D. Oldenettel (2014 immediate past president), Mike Drews
(treasurer), Phil Chiles (president), Jim Kinney (president-elect), Thomas Krettler, Patrick Dalessandro (past president), Stan Sieron (a past president who
was selected as an at-large member). Back row, left to right: Andrew Cook, Susan Miller, Piero Orsi, Vicky Turner, Christopher Tenggren, Mike Buscher,
Michael Onorato (past president), Sheryl Grider Whitehurst (past president), Jeff Kolbus, Robert Eby, Pat Callan (past president), Michael Parent, Max
Mitchell, Kay Wirth, Charles Wiercinski, Daniel Wagner, Ed Neaves, John C. Kmiecik (ex officio, Region 7 NAR VP). Not pictured: Pat McCarthy.
4
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Operations
Dues Distribution
Membership
Dues Rate: $150
IAR membership rose slightly
Reserves/Capital
Management/
Operations
in 2013 to 42,783 members,
Meetings/NAR
up from 42,701 in 2012. There
were an average of 284 new
$23
licensees per month in 2013.
Advocacy
Communication
In 2013, IAR collected $2,077,900 in
RVOICE assessments
and spent $2,167,003 on RVOICE
expenses. Overall, there was $3,412,363
remaining in the RVOICE assessment
fund in 2013.
$18
Education
$17
$16
$10
Member Services
$66
Governmental
Affairs Lobbying
The Illinois Association of REALTORS® paid off its
headquarters in Springfield in 2013. IAR broke ground on the
building at 522 S. Fifth Street in downtown Springfield in 2005
and made its final mortgage payment on the $4 million building
in December 2013.
IAR Headquarters Timeline:
August 5, 2004
Earnest money to hold lot ($25,000)
Oct. 14, 2004
Worked with Steckel Parker Architects
Jan. 30, 2005
Purchased lot
Feb. 7, 2005
Retained Melotte-Morse-Leonatti as
architectural firm
July 12, 2005
Committee approved sketch of building with
a few updates
Aug. 2, 2005
Springfield Historic Sites Commission
approves drawing
Oct. 6, 2005
Groundbreaking ceremony
5. License Law Manual, 22,700
Oct. 11, 2005
Sent out bids to contractors
6. Seller Disclosure, 21,600
Dec. 5, 2005
Signed acceptance of BRH bid
7. Radon Disclosure Form, 13,250
Dec. 6, 2005
Signed a lease with IAR Plaza Inc. and IAR
8. Getting It Sold - Your Resource for Staging Curb
Appeal and Selling Success, 12,850
Dec. 15, 2005
Signed loan documents with Geneva for $4
million
February 2006
Began construction
June 2007
Moved in
July 2007
Began to pay the Geneva note payable off
Dec. 31, 2013
Made final payment on the Geneva loan
Top items requested from the
REALTOR® store in 2013:
1. Federal Lead Paint Pamphlet, 81,350
2. Radon Testing Guidelines Pamphlet, 37,250
3. Broker Option 1: 75-hour Pre-License Topics Home
Study, 26,400
4. The Consumer’s Guide to Real Estate Agency in
Illinois, 26,150
9. Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Your Home,
11,900
10. Fair Housing, A Seller’s Guide, 8,700
2013 IAR Annual Report
5
Awards
Vranas named REALTOR of the Year
®
John Vranas, CPM, owner of Vranas Ventures Inc.,
a property management company in Chicago, was
named the 2013 Illinois REALTOR® of the Year by
the Illinois Association of REALTORS®. Vranas
began his real estate career in 1978 and earned
his broker license in 1984. Vranas is a member
and past president of the Chicago Association of
REALTORS® and was named Chicago REALTOR®
of the Year in 2004. In 2006, Vranas received
IAR’s Distinguished Service Award, which honors
individuals who have made outstanding contributions
and service to the Illinois Association of REALTORS® and their local communities.
“John is a devoted REALTOR® and leader who has spent much of
his career giving back to improve the real estate industry and also his
greater community,” said Michael D. Oldenettel, CRS, GRI, president
of the Illinois Association of REALTORS®. “His commitment to political
advocacy and furthering the REALTOR® cause has been felt at the local,
state and national association levels.”
Perlow honored for political involvement
Gerald N. Perlow, CPM, CRB, GRI, MAI, senior
consultant with Property Valuation Services
in the Chicago area, was honored with IAR’s
Political Involvement Award. Perlow has
been a REALTOR®, appraiser and property
management consultant in the Chicagoland
area and nationally for more than 30 years.
He is a past president of the Chicago Board of
REALTORS® (now the Chicago Association
of REALTORS®) and the Illinois Association
of REALTORS® in 1991. Perlow was named
Chicago REALTOR® of the Year in 1987 and Illinois
REALTOR® of the Year in 1994.
“Jerry passionately believes in and advocates for
the values of the REALTOR® organization, and he has
consistently conveyed the position of the association to
the many key leaders that he’s developed contacts with
throughout the years,” said Michael D. Oldenettel, CRS,
GRI, president of the Illinois Association of REALTORS®.
“He has met with governors. He has taken our
message to many powerful people who might not
share our view and yet he does it in a very
diplomatic way.”
6
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Distinguished Service
Awards
Sue Miller is a longtime REALTOR® and
educator who holds the GRI, CRS, ABR,
LTG, PMN, SFR and ePro designations.
She was honored for her more than 30
years of service to the profession. Miller
has been a director and president for
her local association, served as a federal
political coordinator, and has served on
more than 30 committees for the state
association. She’s a managing broker at
Coldwell Banker Honig-Bell in
McHenry, Ill.
Al Suguitan, CAE, the association
executive for the Greater Gateway
Association of REALTORS®, was
honored for more than 40 years
of service. He served as a state
Real Estate Commissioner, is a
member of the REALTORS®
Political Action Committee
Hall of Fame and has led
the state association’s
association executive
committee.
Each year, the outgoing association president
recognizes individuals who have worked tirelessly on
behalf of the organization’s members. At the board
meeting at the 2013 Fall Conference in St. Charles,
IAR President Michael D. Oldenettel celebrated the
work of five people with Presidential Medallions.
Wayne Edwards,
CAE, retired with
33 years of service
to IAR, where
he was director
of professional
development.
Edwards oversaw
the association’s
education outreach
efforts, and was
responsible for IAR events.
Charlie Heitbrink,
a longtime
Jacksonville, Ill.,
REALTOR® with
RE/MAX Results
Plus, Inc. He served
on the Illinois Real
Estate Commission
for 11 years.
Jean Crosby, CRB,
CRS, GRI was
honored for chairing
the association’s
Nominating
Committee. Crosby
is owner/partner at
Prudential Crosby
Starck REALTORS®
in Rockford.
Deena Zimmerman,
was recognized for her
work with the IAR
Young Professionals
Network, which
provides training
and networking
opportunities for
REALTORS® who
are newer to the
profession. The state’s
YPN chapter was recognized as the best
state program in the country by the
National Association of REALTORS®.
She’s with Jameson Commercial Real
Estate in Chicago.
Lynn Madison was
honored for her
work with RPAC.
She was 2011 IAR
REALTOR® of
the Year and is
nationally known
for her work in real
estate education.
2013 IAR Annual Report
7
Timeline 2013
January
IAR held its annual
Public Policy meetings
in East Peoria. At the
event, John Vranas,
CPM, owner of Vranas
Ventures, Inc. in
Chicago, was named
REALTOR® of the Year
and Gerald N. Perlow,
senior consultant with
Property Valuation
Services in the Chicago
area, was named the
recipient of the IAR
Political Involvement
Award.
IAR launched the
year-long “Lunch
and Learn”
webinar series
for members,
offering tips
and strategies
on marketing,
technology
and business
ideas.
8
February
RVOICE unveiled
a new advocacy
brochure,
REALTOR®
Community
Activist Toolkit, to
help members get
involved and learn
how to become
local “watchdogs” in their
communities.
March
IAR offered
convenient
educational
webinars for
members to earn
CE in time for the
April 30, 2013,
managing broker
license renewal
deadline. Courses
were available in
an interactive,
online format and
at the Springfield
headquarters.
April
Hundreds
of Illinois
REALTORS®
attended
the Capitol
Conference
in Springfield.
The second
annual Illinois
Housing Leaders
Conference
featured special
guests, Gov.
Pat Quinn and
Attorney General
Lisa Madigan.
The Multicultural
Summit was held
in Oak Brook and
focused on real
estate opportunities
in the Caribbean
and South Africa.
Nearly 100
REALTORS®
attended the oneday event that
included speaker
presentations on
Grenada, Jamaica,
South Africa and
a keynote address
from Julius L.
Cartwright,
president and CEO
of the National
Association of Real
Estate Brokers.
May
REALTORS® from
Illinois traveled to
Midyear meetings
in Washington,
D.C., where they
met with Illinois’
congressional
representatives.
During the
National
Association of
REALTORS®
Board of Directors
meetings, Illinois
REALTOR® John
C. Kmiecik was
elected Region 7
vice president.
IAR held its
annual Spring
Conference &
Expo in Collinsville
and featured
sessions and CE
with Doug Devitre,
Dr. Tom Hill,
Lynn Madison,
Mark Barker and
an update from
IDFPR. Industry
vendors took part
in an Expo at the
Gateway Center.
June
The Illinois Young
Professionals
Network (YPN)
collected donations
to raise money for
Homes for Our
Troops, a not-forprofit that builds
homes for disabled
veterans.
IAR released its
2013 Legislative
Scorecard
highlighting 14 of
the association’s
most notable
legislative victories
from the spring
session of the
Illinois General
Assembly.
2013
www.illinoisrealtor.org
#PowerofR
July
IAR debuted a
video and website,
Nosprinklermandate.com, opposing a statewide fire
sprinkler mandate
pursued by the
State Fire Marshal’s
office. Ultimately
defeated, the mandate would have
cost Illinois home
owners millions
by requiring fire
sprinklers in new
residential construction and older
apartments and
condos.
The IAR Consumer
Help Line/Ombudsman Service
opened to help
resolve disputes
and answer questions related to real
estate transactions.
This free service
allows consumers
and REALTORS®
to tap the expertise
of experienced real
estate professionals, or ombudsmen,
who have been
trained in problem
solving.
August
IAR launched the
Let’s Talk Real
Estate with Illinois’
Congressional
meeting series.
The events allow
REALTORS®
to meet face-toface with their
Congressional
representative
and talk about
issues affecting the
industry.
The #PowerofR
was chosen as the
theme and hashtag
for the IAR Fall
Conference &
Expo and the
upcoming year.
The hashtag later
goes national
when the National
Association of
REALTORS®
chooses to use the
hashtag to spotlight
REALTOR®
advocacy.
September
IAR’s Hydraulic
Fracturing Task
Force met to
study the potential impact of
hydraulic fracturing “fracking”
on property and
the real estate
industry.
A golf outing held in St.
Charles raises
money for the
Real Estate Educational Foundation (REEF).
Since 2000,
REEF has awarded $412,300 in
scholarships.
October
The IAR Fall
Conference &
Expo are held in
St. Charles. With
the theme Power of
R, attendees heard
presentations on
new technology,
business strategies
and a look at
housing and the
economy. Phil
Chiles, ABR,
CRS, GRI, SRES,
is installed as
2014 association
president.
Nearly 100
people attended
a REbarcamp,
powered by Illinois
YPN and held
in conjunction
with IAR Fall
Conference. During
the unstructured
“unconference”
attendees shared
ideas on everything
from technology
trends to
professionalism.
November
When tornadoes
devastated many
communities
across Illinois,
the REALTOR®
family mobilized,
raising more
than $200,000
and donating
supplies for the
victims. IAR
partnered with two
organizations to
accept donations:
IAR Tornado Relief
and REALTORS®
Relief Foundation.
IAR offered two
fast-track options the IAR Proficiency
Exam and the
GRI Course I
Equivalency
Program - to help
members earn
credit for GRI
Course I and be
ready for Course
II in December in
Itasca.
December
2014 IAR President Phil Chiles
presided over the
first IAR Town Hall
Meeting webinar
and discusses issues
and items that will
be addressed in
the upcoming IAR
Board of Directors meeting. The
online webinar is
recorded for all
IAR members to
view.
IAR launched
1,000 Points of
Light Ambassador Campaign
aimed at boosting RPAC
participation
by recruiting 1,000
ambassadors
to encourage more
$20 “fair
share”
contributors.
2013 IAR Annual Report
9
Governmental Affairs
Each year IAR lobbyists track hundreds of bills to make sure they don’t hurt
REALTORS® or consumers. Here’s a look at some of the more notable efforts in
the 2012-2013 General Assembly.
Bills that became law
IAR often provides needed insight for
lawmakers who are crafting legislation. Here
are a few examples of bills that bore input from
REALTORS®.
License Act Cleanup: Senate Bill 1655 received unanimous
approval in both chambers. This bill makes clarifying and clean-up
changes to the Real Estate License Act. Of note, the changes will
allow a person holding a managing broker’s license to exchange that
license for a broker’s license. (PUBLIC ACT 98-531, effective August
23, 2013).
Erroneous Homestead Exemptions: After two years of legislative
wrangling, an agreement was negotiated on Senate Bill 41, which
deals with erroneous homestead exemptions in Cook County. This
bill treats a property taxpayer, who simply failed to pro-actively
determine and notify the Assessor of their ineligibility, in a much
fairer way than what was initially introduced. The amended bill
also enhances the information provided to property taxpayers
to ensure that the property owner claims only those exemptions
for which they are qualified and contains an amnesty period for
this year and going forward as part of the assessment notice.
(PUBLIC ACT 98-93, effective July 16, 2013)
State permits for real estate signs: House Bill 2764 dealt
with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the
overreaching regulations of on-premise and real estate
for sale or lease signs was unanimously approved in both
chambers. This bill ensures that REALTORS® will not be
subject to State permitting and fees for signs advertising
the sale or lease of property along highways. (PUBLIC
ACT 98-56, effective July 5, 2013)
Community Association Manager License
Changes: House Bill 595 was approved only after
the amendment requested by the IAR was attached.
The amendment cleaned up several technical
flaws, and exempts Managing Brokers from the
additional 10-hour course requirement for the
new “supervising” Community Association
Manager license. (PUBLIC ACT 98-365,
effective January 1, 2014)
10
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Other action of interest
Among the bills that can be beneficial are some
that would hurt REALTORS® and their clients.
RELA Funds: IAR lobbyists ensured that no bills
were advanced that raided the Real Estate License
Administration Fund (RELAF) for funding other
State programs or other licensed professions.
Crime-Free/Landlord Licensing: IAR stopped
Senate Bill 1155 which would have granted all
counties and municipalities the authority to issue
licenses for landlords to rent property, mandate safety
training and require background checks. A similar
measure, House Bill 2437 was not called by the
sponsor.
Retainage bill: The House Judiciary Committee,
once again, overwhelmingly defeated legislation to
require commercial real estate developers to include
certain provisions regarding “retainage” in their
agreements with contractors. House Bill 1227 would
have required developers to place retainage funds
in an escrow account with interest accruing to the
contractor.
Freedom of information: House Bill 2326, sought
to amend the Freedom of Information Act. This
bill, opposed by IAR, and would have altered the
definition of “commercial purpose” and changed
the procedure for requesting public records and
potentially greatly increased the costs. The sponsor
did not call this bill for a final vote.
Compliance liens: House Bill 2937, which sought
to grant additional powers for local governments
to collect on liens for property maintenance and
nuisance clean-up by putting the charges on the
owner’s property tax bill was stopped again this year.
Private property rights: House Bill 3262 was
stopped this year after IAR objected to language that
would have removed the requirement for a Public
Water District to get the consent of a private property
owner to place pipes or conduits in an easement
originally granted for highway purposes.
Lake County surcharge: Senate Bill 1244 which
would have authorized Lake County only to establish
an affordable housing trust fund and to impose
another fee on property owners without voter
approval, was defeated. IAR has opposed this bill
since 2010, even as the amount of the fee has been
adjusted downward.
Calls for Action
Calls for Action are an important way to quickly
mobilize IAR members to lobby on a particular
legislative issue. In 2013, IAR issued six Calls for
Action and members responded by sending
thousands of emails to their local legislators.
In 2013, IAR issued six Calls for Action:
•
SB 1155 & SB 1244 - A joint Call for Action urging
a NO vote on bills regulating municipal landlord
licensing and creating an additional fee on recorded
documents in Lake County. (Committee Vote) -
1,993 member emails sent
•
SB 1244 (House Floor Vote) - 1,484 member
emails sent
•
SB 1244 (Senate Floor Vote) - 1,503 member
emails sent
•
SB 41 - Urging support for a compromise erroneous
homestead exemption bill for Cook County (Senate
Floor Vote) - 1,736 member emails sent
•
Fire Sprinkler Rules (JCAR) - 3,174 member emails sent
•
Watershed Management Ordinance (MWRD) - 4,608
member emails sent
NAR’s Broker
Involvement Program
NAR’s Broker Involvement Program (BIP) gives enrolled
broker-owners and managing brokers a quick and effective
tool for rallying their agents on critical legislative issues.
Let’s Talk Real Estate
with Members of
Congress
Illinois is a leading state when it comes to participation
and is one of only six states to have reached 20,000
enrollment in the program. In 2013 there were 5,329
active brokers and 28,513 Illinois agents enrolled in
the program.
In 2013, IAR began a series of conversations with
Illinois’ Congressional delegation called “Let’s
Talk Real Estate.” IAR held seven events in 2013
and is continuing the series in 2014.
In 2013, REALTORS® met with:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart, 12th District
U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, 8th District
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, 16th District
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, 13th District
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, 7th District
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, 11th District
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, 10th District
2013 IAR Annual Report
11
Text:
V ICE
Throughout the state, IAR’s team of advocates works at the local level to
protect members’ interests. RVOICE (formerly known as the Advocacy
Program) enables the Government Affairs team to use every possible strategy
to best represent REALTORS® in the public policy arena.
Illinois Association of REALTORS® Advocacy Program
Outlines:
Here are some examples
of the resources that are
available to us when we
fight on your behalf with
governmental proposals:
•
Grassroots mobilization of property
owners and voters
• Legal analyses of proposed ordinances
and regulations
• Public opinion surveys
• Grassroots mobilization of REALTORS®
Here is a summary of
notable RVOICE lobbying
activities in 2013:
In Monee, a legally questionable real
estate transfer stamp policy was rescinded.
The policy had the effect of giving the
municipality the power to hold up real
estate transfers.
A stormwater management
ordinance that primarily affected
redevelopment of non-residential
properties in suburban Cook County
was amended to minimize costs for
those who redevelop property and
must conform with stormwater
detention rules.
An ordinance regulating
residential rentals for less
than 30 days narrowly
passed in Evanston. After
receiving feedback from
local REALTORS®, the
city agreed to four key
exemptions.
REALTOR®
advocacy in
Chicago helped
produce a
12
www.illinoisrealtor.org
more equitable bedbug ordinance. The
ordinance affects rental properties.
A proposed commercial lease tax
was blocked in Deerfield.
Proposals for sprinkler mandates in
new single-family home construction
were blocked in:
• Will County (unincorporated)
• Several municipalities in the
A proposal in Harvard which
would have permitted voters to create
a designated “overlay” district in
which single-family homes would be
prohibited from being rented out was
stopped.
•
•
Quad Cities area
North Barrington
Peoria County (unincorporated)
An onerous sprinkler retro-fit
requirement (affecting non-residential
properties) was significantly scaled back
in Oak Park.
Proposals that would have required
licensure of owners and agents of
residential rental properties were
blocked. Licensure puts the cities
in a larger regulatory role. More
reasonable policies that require
registration of properties were
enacted with considerable input from
local REALTORS® and landlords.
Registration enables the municipalities
to have a point-of-contact for those
responsible for property maintenance
and other issues. This happened in:
• Freeport
• Skokie
• Highwood
• Highland Park
• Rockford
REALTORS® in Peoria County
worked to develop a sensible policy on
septic systems that does not interfere
with real estate transactions.
Impact fee ordinances were revised
in McHenry County, Woodstock and
Crystal Lake. The revisions will bring
the fee amounts in line to reflect actual
land values.
RVOICE led the push to ensure that
an occupancy permit ordinance being
discussed in the Village of Godfrey
allows for the easy selling and renting
of property.
A home rule referendum was
defeated in South Chicago Heights.
In Joliet, the concept of a pointof-sale home inspection (for possible
connections to the sanitary sewer
system) was shelved.
When Belleville passed a “crimefree” housing ordinance, REALTORS®
worked to make sure the fees were
kept low and the requirements were
reasonable.
Realtor
Party
®
Skylights Launched: Online Way for
Members to Stay in Touch on Local
Issues
ilskylights.com
IAR Uses NAR Funds for Municipal
Races in 2013
In 2013, resources were made available to IAR through
the NAR’s “My REALTOR® Party Program” which
allowed IAR to provide additional support to candidates in
the form of direct mail and robo calls to voters in key races
in the April Municipal Elections.
Candidates were selected based on their strong support
of REALTOR® positions on local issues. The candidate
support was determined by an Independent Expenditure
Political Action Committee of IAR. This activity was
done independently of the candidate and his/her campaign
and without any coordination with the campaign or
the candidate. Nineteen candidates received IE support.
Thirteen of the 19 IE-supported candidates won their races
(68 percent win rate).
In May 2013, IAR presented
a first-of-its-kind database
(www.ilskylights.com ) which
allows members to:
• Get constant updates on the
local issues that affect IAR’s
41,000 members and property
owners in Illinois.
• See which state legislative
and Congressional districts you live in.
IAR worked with its partner, SGS Inc. to
develop the system. The concept won a “Game
Changer” Award from the National Association
of REALTORS®, recognizing the database’s
ability to quickly and efficiently deliver
information about IAR’s role in protecting
real property rights.
Illinois Association of REALTORS® Advocacy Program
2013 IAR Annual Report
13
RPAC
Illinois REALTORS® shattered goals set by the National Association of
REALTORS® for the REALTORS® Political Action Committee in 2013. IAR’s
members met and exceeded goals for the total amount raised, President’s
Circle and Major Investors.
$934,906 44
President’s Circle
members in 2013
Total raised in 2013
Amount
Raised
Contributors
President’s
Circle
Major
Investors
Auction
Stickhorse
Derby
2013 NAR
Goal
2013
$524,491
$934,906 (178%)
26%
22%
30
44 (143%)
303
321 (106%)
--
$84,553
--
$25, 539
14 Major Investor Dinners
107 New Major Investors for a total
investment of
$127,109
Hall of Fame
These individuals have been recognized as among the top
investors in the country to RPAC, with at least $25,000
in lifetime contributions.
The six inductees will have their names included on the
Wall of Fame at IAR’s Springfield headquarters.
Local Association/Boards
of the Year
Division i: Logan County Board of REALTORS®
Division ii: Decatur Association of REALTORS®
Division iii: Bloomington-Normal Association
Daniel W. Bock
I Mac Boyd
Ginger Downs
of REALTORS®
Division iv: Peoria Area Association
of REALTORS®
Division v: North Shore-Barrington
Association of REALTORS®
14
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Jim Kinney
Frank Wehrstein
Stan Sieron
Greg St. Aubin
Legal
IAR Legal Hotline
Legal Webinars
Questions about license law, in particular
involving property management, continued
to be a hot topic on the IAR Legal Hotline
in 2013. The top 10 most popular
question categories for the year were:
IAR continued to offer monthly Legal Webinars on
timely topics:
TOP
10
1. License law: scope, 341 calls and emails
2. Contracts to purchase property, 328 calls and emails
3. Agency, 241 calls and emails
4. License law: Business practice, 237 calls and emails
5. Escrow accounts, 191 calls and emails
6. Advertising, 186 calls and emails
7. Disclosure defects, 170 calls and emails
8. Fair housing, 120 calls and emails
9. Commission disputes, 102 calls and emails
10. Leases, 97 calls and emails
Ombudsman Program
The biggest issues have been disclosures, lack of
communication, property management issues and
advertising.
•
Wrap it Up...And Start Anew
•
Your Questions and Cook County Fair Housing,
Revisited
•
E&O Insurance...What is Covered...Or Not?
•
Commercial Issues and Disclosures - the Sequel
•
Disclosures...Revisited; Plus Updates on Cook County
Fair Housing Ordinance, etc.
•
Your Legal Questions Answered
•
#What’sTrendingLegally
•
Competitive Practices and Independent Decision Making
•
Scope of the brokerage license and potential
consequences for crossing the line
•
New Fair Housing Rule
•
Who’s My (Sponsoring) Broker or Which Team Am
I On?
•
License Law Compliance Issues
Through 12/31/13:
55 Requests filed; 38 were successfully resolved.
15 IAR-trained Ombudsmen.
In 2013, IAR also began producing short legal
videos for members including:
•
Notice to Tenants in Foreclosure and Auction
Situations, 232 views
•
Overview of Updates to Illinois Community
Association Managers,
164 views
•
•
Checking Brokerage Status and RELA,
119 views
Affordable Care, 105 views
2013 IAR Annual Report
15
Professional Development
Attendance at IAR events
IAR holds a myriad of conferences and training opportunities for
members each year. Here’s a look at 2013 attendance figures:
216
386
Illinois Housing
Conference,
Springfield
38
I A R
AE Workshop,
BloomingtonNormal
88
IAR Capitol
Conference,
Springfield
IAR Multicultural
Summit,
Oak Brook
644
1,260
IAR Spring
Conference &
Expo, Collinsville
IAR Fall
Conference &
Expo, St. Charles
REEF Scholarships
In 2013, the Illinois Real Estate
Educational Foundation (REEF)
awarded $47,000 in academic
scholarships and $21,500 in
training and continuing education
scholarship awards.
REEF awarded ...
1 Academic Scholarship
1 Morgan L. Fitch Scholarship
1 Thomas F. Seay Scholarship
4 Richard D. Wiegers Scholarships
38 James Kinney Scholarships
29 Illinois Minority Real Estate Scholarships
4 Robert Cook Scholarships
1 Rich Port Scholarship
1 Past Presidents Scholarship
16
www.illinoisrealtor.org
REEF sponsored a successful golf outing at
the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles to
raise money for REALTOR® scholarships.
GRI Graduates
Anywhere On-Line Proctoring
was announced last year at the IAR Fall
Conference. The first exams were scheduled in
November. It has been a popular addition to
the IAR Licensing & Training Center.
Webinars
In 2013, IAR made it easier than ever
to get your educational requirements
by offering an interactive webinar
series:
Pre-License - 4 webinars
June 21-22: 16 participants
August 22-23: 31 participants
October 29-30: 35 participants
November 19-20: 27 participants
Course II - 57
Course III - 56
GRAD - 108
Lunch and Learn Webinars
In 2013, IAR produced a monthly series of free, educational webinars
featuring some of the industry’s top trainers offering tips and tools on
everything from marketing to technology:
• Office Anywhere: How you can use free services to enhance
your ability to sell and market,
with G. William James
Post-License - 1 webinar
September 17-18: 19 participants
Instructor Development Webinars:
July 31: 6 participants
August 24: 7 participants
• Screen to Screen Selling: How to sell without being
physically present, with Doug Devitre
Managing Broker Pre-License
Webinar
July 23-24: 7 participants
Broker Management CE Webinars
March 8-9
April 3-4
March 18-19
April 26-27
March 27-28
July 1-2
Webinar Topics:
• Broker Pre-license Applied Real
Estate Principles
• Managing Broker Pre-license
Applied Management &
Supervision
• Instructor Development Workshop
• Broker Post License Applied Real
Estate Practices
• The Listing Presentation that Works Every Time,
with Greg Herder
• Top Ten Social Media Tips,
with Matthew Ferrara
• Maximize your Marketing Opportunities with
Strategies that Make More Sales,
with Terri Murphy
• Steps to building greater business value,
with John Reyes
The webinars are archived at
www.illinoisrealtor.org/Proseries
2013 IAR Annual Report
17
Communications
Websites
iarbuzz.org
IAR maintains multiple websites...
Illinoisrealtor.org
GO
GO
The association’s main website has
information for all of IAR’s programs,
links to news releases and housing
market data.
IAR’s blog provided more daily
industry news and advocacy
updates to its more than 680
subscribers with 440 blog
posts in 2013.
WhyIBuy.org
In 2013: 752,968 page views,
GO
IAR’s quarterly magazine reached the
association’s 41,000 members and
was available in print and online. In
2013, Illinois REALTOR® printed
four issues including three theme
issues on Open Houses, Industry
Professionalism and Niche Markets.
229,868 visits and 126,628 new
visits The number of people visiting the
website with iPads grew to 17,846 while
those using iPhones reached 19,530
Top pages sought by visitors included: Find
a REALTOR® and the license lookup page.
Also popular were education pages related
to pre-license, broker pre-license and prelicense classes
YourIllinoisHome.com
GO
Other IAR publications:
IAR maintains this website which
tracks state consumer demographics regarding home purchases.
In 2013, the site had 2,138 page
views, 942 visits and 721 new visits.
Social Media
IAR’s social media presence grew in 2013...
IAR’s consumer-oriented website
offers information about the
buying and selling a home, data
and the benefits of working with a
REALTOR®.
In 2013, the site logged 23,979 page
views and 15,189 visits, of which
13,310 were new visitors to the site.
18
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Illinois REALTOR®
nearly 9,800 followers to IAR’s
@ILREALTOR Twitter account
more than 5,600 likes on
Facebook
2,171 members in our
LinkedIn group and company
page
•
•
•
Illinois REALTOR® Weekly
Connection
D.R. Legal News
State Capitol Report
In 2013, IAR increased the number of informative videos it produced for both
members and consumers.
Top 2013 Videos:
1
3
REALTORS® in Action:
Fixing SB 41, 513 views
2
IAR Legal Webinars: Notice to
Tenants in Foreclosure, 226 views
4
Stop the Sprinkler Mandate
in Illinois, 426 views
Overview of Updates to Illinois
Community Association
Management Law, 172 views
Lights, Camera...Action!
Video is an increasingly important tool for communicating with members. IAR built a
video studio at the association’s headquarters in Springfield in 2013. The space lets the
Communications Department better control light and sound during recording, and allows ample
room to set up backdrops and sets.
The association also invested in the necessary video editing software and camera equipment to help bring the
association’s messages to its members. Among features recorded in the studio was an overview on Skylights,
information on how to help tornado victims and the first of a monthly series of video reports on the housing market.
IAR MarketStats
Infographics
In 2013, IAR launched an
infographic series on the
housing market. The IAR
MarketStats infographics
are a new way for IAR and
members to share with
consumers information
and trends on Illinois real
estate data, financing and
homeownership.
2013 IAR Annual Report
19
Information Technology
RAMCO
IAR officially signed a contract
with RAMCO to begin work on
moving the member database from
an iSeries DB2 platform to the
Microsoft Dynamics-based RAMCO Association Membership
System. Much of 2013 was spent making preparations to our
data and training users on the new system. IAR plans to go live
with RAMCO in August 2014.
IAR Education Exam Grading/
Notification System
IAR continued to improve the quality of the grading
and notification system that allows some of our IAR
school branches to scan in student exams and send
them to IAR for grading and result notifications
via email and text message. We’ve had great feedback from
students who receive a text message, often within an hour of
taking the exam.
Server\Firewall Upgrades
We were able to reduce the amount of physical
servers in our server room by adding bigger and
better servers that would run multiple virtual
servers. The firewall was upgraded as well and has
added the benefit of a built-in wireless controller,
which allows us to secure the staff WiFi and still allow guest
WiFi logins.
Phone System Upgrade
IAR upgraded its phone system to Shoretel. The
quality of calls increased and it gave us the ability to
forward calls to our mobile phones.
Security Cameras
IAR upgraded old security cameras and added a
few new ones in and around REALTOR® Plaza,
including the parking lots surrounding the IAR
building. The video surveillance software was
upgraded for improved performance and better user
experience.
20
www.illinoisrealtor.org
Illinois Association of REALTORS®
522 S. Fifth Street
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 529-2600
www.facebook.com/Illinois
AssociationofREALTORS
twitter.com/IlREALTOR
web: www.illinoisrealtor.org
e-mail: IARaccess@iar.org
blog: www.IARbuzz.com