NCAR Leaders Explain Assessment, Dues Increase
The decision by the NC Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors on June 10, 2008, to approve a one-time assessment on all members was the culmination of months of consideration and debate, says 2008 President Wendell Bullard.
“We knew that this was a difficult time for our members given the current state of the real estate market,” says Bullard. “That the 160 members of our Board of Directors voted nearly unanimously for the assessment speaks to just how strongly they believe in the immediate need to properly solidify our Issues Mobilization Fund.”
Here’s how the process played out:
- Following the Inaugural Meetings in Durham in mid-January, and with the Board of Directors’ knowledge, Bullard appointed a Presidential Advisory Group to study how to most effectively build a strong financial base for the IM Fund. This 13-member PAG was chaired by Lou Baldwin of Winston-Salem and made up of members statewide.
- The PAG met twice – on Feb. 20 and March 19 – in Greensboro. On May 2, its recommendations, including an immediate one-time $50 assessment and a $25 dues increase beginning with the 2009 billing cycle, were made to NCAR’s Executive Committee.
- On May 2, the Executive Committee adopted the recommendations and sent them to the Board of Directors with two additions, chief among them this: That a ceiling of $10 million be established for the IM Fund. At such time the balance reaches $10 million, annual dues will be reduced by $25 and reinstated only if and when the IM Fund balance falls below $5 million.
- Between May 2 and June 10, members of the PAG and NCAR leaders met with numerous local associations and their volunteer leaders to discuss these measures and solicit input. Further, three formal meetings were held – the first in Washington, D.C. during the NAR Mid-Year Meetings; the second a conference call on May 27; and the third a webinar on June 5 (the telecast is still available on www.ncrealtors.org by visiting NC REALTORS TV).
- From feedback received during these meetings from members, a recommendation was adopted to allow members to defer paying the one-time assessment until 2009. Members choosing to defer payment will pay a one-time assessment of $70. If paid before Sept. 30, 2008, the assessment is $50.
- On June 10 during NCAR’s annual Legislative Meetings, the Board of Directors overwhelmingly voted to approve the assessment and dues increase.
“This was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one,” says 2008 President-Elect Sandra O’Connor. “Our members understand the need for our association to protect private property rights as charged in the REALTOR® Code of Ethics.
Adds Bullard: We’ve successfully fought the transfer tax battle 20 times thus far, but that’s just on one issue. There are 100 counties in North Carolina, and you never know when your county might need the resources of the Issues Mobilization Fund.”
Lastly, both Bullard and O’Connor believe that members receive outstanding value for their dues. In 2009, including the dues increase and full assessment, REALTORS® will pay a maximum of $200.
“When you examine all that members receive,” says O’Connor, “such as access to forms and software, our legal hotline, risk management services, Partners Program, educational and professional programs, our publications and website, and our presence within the halls of the state legislature, that’s an amazing return for your dues dollars.”
Related Posts
- N.C. Existing Home Sales Remain Consistent
- Residents Join Local Elected Officials, Business Leaders For Ribbon-Cutting To Celebrate Opening At Springfield Gardens Apartments
- Charlotte Housing Authority Rated A High Performer In Section Eight Assessment By HUD For The Fourth Consecutive Year
- Horticultural Asset Management Announces Wildfire Preparedness Program
- LendingTree Gathers Industry Leaders to Promote the Consumer Experience During a Turbulent Market
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
I don’t agree with a lot of the policies dictated by the NAR, the NCAR or the local BOR here in the Triangle but I need access to the local MLS to facilitate my business, for this reason I am required to be a member of all three organizations. I personal have chosen to be an independent broker/owner to avoid all the baggage associated with being connected to a larger entity and provide my clients the best value in residential real estate. I do not feel the need to be a “Realtor” to accomplish this….I am a “real estate professional”.
To deny me access to the Triangle MLS because I choose not to contribute to the NCAR’s war fund is just an example of the reasons I try to dissociate myself as much as I can from this association.
NCAR…..Hands off of my business practices and my money and keep your political opinions’ to yourselves and only through RPAC.
They (the NCAR) researched their desires only with those they “had in their pockets” or those that would support their position. Had they polled their membership, (remember them, the ones who put you in office?) they would have found the majority DID NOT support this. If they truly had the support of their membership, the assessment would have been voluntary and there would have been no need to threaten to end it’s agent’s careers if they didn’t support their extortion efforts. Further, once they rammed this scam down the throats of their membership, anyone who questioned their actions were deemed to be ignorant and uninformed.
And to take credit for citizens striking down a transfer tax in 20 counties, is mis-leading, something the NCAR seems to do real well. Truth is, NC citizens don’t typically go to polls and vote to raise their own taxes and the referenda would have easily been shot down without the NCAR’s assistance. This was really about how to get a huge amount of money legally out of the coffers of the NCAR and use the results of the votes to justify raising more funds from it’s members-not to protect property rights, but to finance the political aspirations of a few.
Find out more at http://ncarnow.info