www.harealtors.com July 11, 2018 Calendar of Events: Contact Us 7/11 12:00 Board of Directors Humboldt Association of Realtors 527 W. Wabash Avenue, Eureka, CA 95501 7/12 9:00 Northbay Tour Treats: Clear-Sighted Inspections 10:00 Angel Sub-Committee Phone: (707) 442-2978 7/13 9:00 Fortuna Tour Email: info@harealtors.com 7/16 1:00 MLS Committee Visit us on the web at www.harealtors.com 7/17 9:00 Eureka Tour Treats: Bay Pointe Mortgage 11:00 Scholarship Sub-Committee 7/18 10:30 Affiliates Committee California REALTORS : 7/19 9:00 Northbay Tour Treats: Bailey Mortgage Act NOW to avoid another shutdown of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As a REALTOR, it is vital to answer the Call -for-action from the National Association of REALTORS to urge Congress to reform and reauthorize the NFIP. 7/20 9:00 Fortuna Tour Treats: Redwood Capital Bank 7/24 9:00 Eureka Tour Treats: Advanced Security 7/25 1:30 Government Relations Committee 5:30 Member Appreciation MixerHumboldt Crabs Game 7/26 9:00 Northbay Tour Treats: Pauli-Shaw Insurance 1:00 Golf Sub-Committee 2:00 Member Services Committee 7/27 9:00 Fortuna Tour 7/31 9:00 Eureka Tour Treats: Clear-Sighted Home Inspections 8/2 9:00 Northbay Tour Treats: Advanced Security 12:00 Board of Directors 8/3 9:00 Fortuna Tour 8/7 9:00 Eureka Tour Treats: Movement Mortgage Affiliates: Interested in placing an ad in the newsletter? For info, contact Rebecca at (707) 442-2978 or email rebecca@harealtors.com Over 5 million homeowners in 22,000 communities around the country rely on the NFIP to provide flood insurance. If Congress allows a lapse in the NFIP, NAR estimates that 40,000 real estate transactions would be at stake each month the program shuts down. We cannot allow any more uncertainty in our real estate markets it is time for Congress to pass a long-term reauthorization that includes much needed reforms to support a robust and lasting NFIP. Follow this link to take action and make sure Congress reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program: www.realtorparty.realtor/ renewnfip Questions? Please contact Rian Barrett at rianb@car.org.
Northcoast Property Inspections, LLC Providing quality home inspections since 1992. Edward Rodriguez General Contractor CA. Lic# 751034 (707) 444-2326 ATTENTION!!! ALL REALTORS MUST COMPLETE 2 1/2 HOURS OF CODE OF ETHICS TRAINING BY DECEMBER 31, 2018, OR REALTOR BENEFITS WILL BE SUSPENDED. Do you have a house to put on tour? In Eureka, call the HAR office at 442-2978 BEFORE 12:00pm on Mondays for the Tuesday tour. Eureka tour meets at the HAR Office AT 527 W. Wabash on Tuesday mornings at 9:00am. In the North Bay, call Marc at Coldwell Banker Sellers in Arcata at 822-5971 BEFORE 12:00pm on Wednesday for the Thursday tour. North Bay tour meets at Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville on Thursday mornings at 9:00am. (Soon to Change Locations!!!) In Fortuna, call Laura at Coldwell Banker Six Rivers in Fortuna at 725-9376 BEFORE 12:00pm on Thursday for the Friday tour. Fortuna tour meets at Coldwell Banker Six Rivers in Fortuna on Friday mornings at 9:00am.
Welcome New Agents!!! We are hosting a Plant Tour and Escrow/Title Q&A Debbie Provolt will guide the tour and discuss Preliminary Reports. Roxanne Bennett will answer questions about Escrow. (submit questions in advance) Thursday July 12th 10AM 11:30AM At Humboldt Land Title Company 1034 Sixth Street, Eureka Please email Tiffany Nielsen at tnielsen@hltco.com to RSVP Or call (707) 443-0837 LEGAL UPDATE Presentation of Offers: Change to Code of Ethics, Standard of Practice 1-7 The C.A.R. Legal Hotline often receives calls from members, especially in busy markets, expressing frustration that they are not sure that their buyers offers were ever presented to the seller. For some time, the RPA has had a section for seller to initial rejection of the offer or for the listing agent to initial that they presented the offer to the seller. However, those were a courtesy to the buyer and selling agent and not required to be completed by any law or ethical standard. That, however, is about to change. The National Association of REALTORS, in response to the break down in the spirit of cooperation, has amended N.A.R. Code of Ethics, Standard of Practice 1-7. Effective January 1, 2019, a listing broker or agent is required to respond in writing that an offer was submitted to the seller if the cooperating broker who submitted the offer so requests. The listing broker or agent must respond in the affirmative unless the seller has provided written notification waiving the obligation to have the offer presented. C.A.R. is looking into ways for members to comply with the new Standard of Practice. Ideas under consideration include one or more of the following: New language being inserted into the RPA; Modifications to the existing Sample Letter titled, Demand That Offer Be Presented to Seller; A new form or letter specifically requesting a reply to the request that an offer be presented; Or a new form for the listing broker to respond to a selling broker s request. At this time, it is too early to tell whether these or other ideas will be adopted. C.A.R. will keep its members informed well in advance of the compliance starting date.
Spring 2018 State Director Report By: Elizabeth Campbell-Chase of RE/MAX Humboldt Realty I had the opportunity to attend the C.A.R Spring meetings this May I had a wonderful time with fellow state directors from HAR along with several Legislation Days participants. I was very impressed with the professionalism and dedication that your participating agents from Humboldt County demonstrated at the state level. Along with Legislation Day I participate in several committees and there are some upcoming changes heading in our direction. My Primary focus this year is the Local Government Forum where districts come together to discuss issues disturbing their primary areas of interest. Several items that on currently being discussed at the state level that will directly affect Humboldt County are below: SB 1469- Accessory Dwelling Units: Under current law, local jurisdictions can allow ADUs to be built by enacting a local ordinance. However, despite recent changes to state laws making its easier to build ADUs, many local governments are using overly restricted local ordinance and other loopholes in state law to deny development. Therefore we are in support of the new bill allowing a ADU units to be built with out loopholes, reduce cost from over permitting and making it clear that local government may only deny the constructions of the unit if they can prove a safely concern, 2. Coastal Commission and Sea level Rise: The California Coastal Commission (CCC) has just written a 95-page document that they entitled the Residential Adaptation Policy Guidance RAPG for short. It is a series of policies dealing with sea level rise that will lead local jurisdictions in choosing which ordinances to pass with respect to the future use of homes on the coast. There are, however, serious concerns with aspects of the RAPG that would prematurely and unnecessarily devalue, restrict, and condemn properties on the coast. The top three most significant issues are insufficient public input, premature taking of private property, and the fact that the RAPG only addresses residential structures, in a world where residential, commercial, and public works are inseparable. First, within the RAPG document itself were many references to maximum public input, yet, extraordinarily little public input has actually taken place. Prior to adoption, the CCC should notify all of the residents within its jurisdiction by mail about the RAPG and provide the website where the 95 page document can be viewed by the public. Also prior to finalizing the document, the CCC should send the RAPG to the cities and counties and ask them to each hold a minimum of two public hearings with public comment on the RAPG. A second fundamental concern with the RAPG is the underlying presumption that the restricting of private property rights automatically takes precedence over a property owner s quiet enjoyment of his or her home. A property owner should have the right to enjoy his or her property until such a point that the CCC can establish that restrictions are reasonable and necessary to protect the public s immediate interest. The governmental agency taking the property or restricting the property s use should have the burden of proof that the taking of private property is necessary at that time. Limitations should not be placed on property owners and homes should not be condemned on the basis of what might happen in 100 years, 50 years, or even 30 years. Parts of the RAPG unnecessarily restrict the rights of property owners with no tangible benefit to the public. There is no public gain from prohibiting, restricting, or disincentivizing homeowners from adding a bedroom or remodeling their kitchen. As long as the homeowner is aware that he or she cannot utilize public funds in the event of a property loss due to climate change and there is no adverse social or environmental impact, he or she should be allowed to expand, modify, or improve his or her home. The same applies to lot line adjustments. As long as there are no adverse impacts, property owners should be allowed to continue to adjust their lot lines with neighboring properties. Where sea level rise is concerned, the size and age of a structure is irrelevant. Restrictions of this nature are unnecessary, arbitrary, and should be removed from the RAPG. Continued on next page..
A third major concern is that the RAPG is being written in a vacuum, without the corresponding commercial and public works guidance documents. For the purpose of land use and planning, the three pieces - commercial, residential, and public - are inseparable. However, CCC staff has said that they intend to finalize the RAPG prior to writing the other two guidance documents. This does not make sense. The commercial and public works guidance documents should be written and analyzed together with the RAPG, prior to any of their finalization. People concerned about the premature taking, restriction, or devaluation of homes on the coast due to the RAPG should start getting involved by contacting their local elected officials council members, supervisors, and state legislators 3. The Repeal of Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act: statement in response to the proposed Affordable Housing Act, which would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act: The California Association of REALTORS understands that; however well-intentioned, rent control is nothing more than a thinly-veiled version of government-mandated price control that doesn t work. Both San Francisco and Los Angeles have rent control policies that have done little, if anything, to rein in housing and rental costs. San Francisco s current median home price is $1.6 million, and the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $3,400[i]. In Los Angeles, those numbers are $529,000 and $2,250[ii], respectively. At a time when California is struggling to build enough homes to satisfy the demands of an expanding economy and its 39 million residents, now is not the time to enact rent control, said C.A.R. President Steve White. What s more, mandating artificial prices for rental units won t fix the state s housing supply and affordability crisis. It only reduces the supply of rental properties and creates an economic hardship for low-income and disadvantaged families. The solution to this affordability problem is to expand the housing stock in California, not introduce price ceilings, Therefore we need to be ready to step up when time to both educated our clients and ourselves on the affects of rent control. This year has been a busy season for your state directors they work long hours to bring further the latest information to their associations so our members are kept up to the every changing environment of Real Estate! Thank you, Elizabeth Campbell-Chase 2018 HAR President We d like to thank Redwood Coast Energy Authority for Sponsoring the Solar PV: Technology and Valuation Class