A Successful 2023 Washington REALTORS® Legislative Day

Washington Realtors® met with Legislators January 19th to seek support for bills that increase housing supply and protect consumers. I lead meetings with 4 Legislators or their staff in the 30th and 47th districts, and with our explanations of personal experiences, we were able to help Legislators understand the importance of the proposed legislation!

After our first meeting; such a great group to represent the 30th district!

Our second meeting.

The Capitol building and campus were full of our blue “Welcome Home” scarves all afternoon. As we approached staff to check-in, we were told “we can see you’re Realtors!”

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Help Make Housing the Focus of the 2023 WA Legislative Session

Now that the 2023 Legislative Session has officially begun, Washington Realtors® need your help to make this session the one where Legislators make housing policy a priority!

Please take a few minutes to send a pre-written message to let your Legislators know that Housing Inventory must be a top issue for the 2023 session – it’s very quick and easy! Contact me with any questions.

Click here to TAKE ACTION: https://www.votervoice.net/NAR/1/Campaigns/99612/Respond

Washington REALTORS® Legislative Day January 19, 2023

I’m excited to be preparing to head to our capitol building in Olympia next week to meet with Legislators in the districts I own my home and real estate office in, as well as others. REALTORS® will be advocating for homeownership, more housing, and to improve consumer protections.

To preview our Legislative Priorities for 2023, visit: https://warealtor.org/about-us/contact-us/news-media/blogdetails/articles/2023/01/04/washington-realtors—2023-legislative-priorities

For more details and/or to participate, feel free to contact me!

Legislative Candidate Interviews for WA District 47

I’m proud to be participating in interviews for Seattle King County Realtors endorsements funded by the Realtors Political Action Committee (RPAC), of which I voluntarily serve as a Trustee.

RPAC advocates to and endorses those that protect the business of REALTORS®, and homeownership and private property rights on the national, state and local levels.

Feel free to contact me for lists of our candidate endorsements in Seattle-King County, Tacoma-Pierce County and/or Spokane and the surrounding areas. I will be happy to share lists of those that understand and acknowledge the importance real estate plays in our communities, support REALTOR® issues, and that are committed to working with us on housing issues as public policymakers.

If you’re a REALTOR® and interested in investing in RPAC, please contact me! Your support is vital in resolving the current housing crisis.

REMINDER: Ballots are due today!

To find out where Seattle-King County candidates stand on issues affecting homeownership, you may review the Seattle-King County REALTOR® Voting Guide: https://www.nwrealtor.com/advocacy/voting-guide

To view a list of Tacoma-Pierce County candidates that received endorsements from the Tacoma-Pierce County REALTORS®: https://tpcar.org/tpcar-2021-general-election…

For the list of Spokane Association of REALTORS® endorsed candidates: https://www.spokanerealtor.com/2021election-update

Feel free to reach out to me for information about REALTOR® endorsed candidates in other areas. I’ll be happy to help you support candidates that support homeownership!

The Washington REALTORS® had some big wins this week!

The Washington REALTORS® advocates for REALTORS® and their clients, and we had some big wins this week! ALL real estate sales will be exempt from the new capital gains tax, and the bill for rent control died. Contact me if you have questions about the government affairs that affect your real estate goals; I’ll be happy to help!

Washington REALTORS® Legislative Day 2021

REALTORS around the state of Washington, including myself, will be meeting with our legislators today to discuss housing solutions for 2021: how to make housing available and affordable, and to erase out-dated racial covenants.

For information about our efforts: MyNeighborWa.com

Trick or Treat! How to adapt your home for candy-seekers this Halloween

If you’re participating in the spookiest holiday this year, a few adjustments can make for a safer Halloween.

Like many holidays and celebrations in 2020, Halloween is sure to look different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who plan on doling out candy for their neighborhood ghosts and goblins, consider these ideas for a safer way to accommodate trick-or-treaters.

Arrange candy outside

The CDC is recommending “one-way trick-or-treating” this year for those still partaking in Halloween. Rather than having children ring the doorbell, arrange candy outside in advance for curbside pick-up. This way, children can visit your house for treats in a contact-free manner.

Instead of the traditional candy bowl, consider filling small bags with a few pieces of candy and lining them up on the front steps or driveway. These Halloween goodie bags mean you can stay inside the house and trick-or-treaters avoid the germs that come with rifling through a communal bowl.

Get creative

Have extra string lying around? Create a zipline – perfect for transporting contact-free confections – from your front door to the sidewalk. Or, if you love a good engineering challenge, encourage neighbors to a friendly competition to see who can build the most creative system for delivering candy.

Put out hand sanitizer

If accessible, place a hand sanitizer bottle with a pump-top outside to encourage neighbors to clean their hands in passing.

If your house won’t be participating in trick or treating this year, you can still enjoy the holiday by:

• Decorating the house’s exterior with creepy, crawly and festive décor.
• Carving or painting pumpkins.
• Watching scary movies.
• Enjoying Halloween treats, like pudding “dirt” cups, candy corn and, of course, your favorite pieces of candy.

Candidate Interviews for State Legislative Positions within King County

As a member of the Seattle King County REALTORS® Government Affairs Committee and a REALTOR® Political Action Committee major investor, I’m very happy to be participating in candidate interviews for state legislative positions within south King County. We get to know the candidates better, their top legislative issues and discuss where they stand on the following issues important to home owners, sellers, landlords, tenants and REALTORS®:

• Growth Management Act
• State Capital Gains Tax
• Rent Control and Tenant Protections
• Real Estate Excise Tax
• Homelessness
• Point of Sale Mandates

Interviewers help decide if the candidate should receive the REALTORS’ endorsement and funding from RPAC. The Seattle King County REALTORS® offers a Voting Guide for the public and REALTORS® to make informed decisions about which candidates will support housing opportunities and vibrant communities. Please reach out to me for more information and/or if you have any questions!

Great News for the Real Estate Industry in WA

On Saturday, March 28th, in cooperation with Washington Realtors, Governor Inslee agreed to certain modifications to the Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order for the real estate industry.  Due to the fact that the vast majority of real estate brokers are abiding by the Order, several of the original restrictions on in-person activities have been revised – provided that strict protocols for social distancing are implemented.

The protocols that must be followed for the permitted in-person activities include:

• In-person activities must be by appointment only
• No more than two people, including the broker, may be at the property at any one time
• Those two persons must strictly follow social distancing guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) by remaining at least six feet apart at all times.

The revisions to the Order are limited to allow the following in-person activities, provided the above protocols are followed:

• Previews and showings of listings by appointment only
• Listing presentations, photography, and creating virtual tours for new listings [Note: professional photographers are not considered “essential,” thus all photos must be taken by the broker or seller]
• Inspections for pending transactions
• Appraisals for pending transactions
• Buyer “walk-throughs” for pending transactions prior to closing
• Providing keys to buyers at closing

The Order strictly prohibits all other real estate brokerage services that are not conducted remotely from the broker’s home. Also, please note that staging and moving services are not considered essential and also remain prohibited by the Order.

Source: NWMLS 3/28/20