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Congratulations to our DCAR members appointed to 2022 NAR committees!

We are proud to share the list of DCAR members who have been appointed to NAR committees for 2022. Congratulations to all of you!

Do you aspire to be a national real estate leader? You can start by getting involved in your state REALTOR® association… and now is the perfect time. Starting Nov. 11, you can apply to serve on DCAR’s Public Policy Committee! It’s a great way to hone your leadership skills and increase your knowledge of legislative issues and association functions. In doing so, you set a course for further involvement in DCAR and opportunities to serve as a state-level director, officer or in a role at the national level.

 

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We are honored to announce the candidates for our 2022 DCAR Board of Directors! In compliance with Article IX, Section 1 of our District of Columbia Association of REALTORS® (DCAR) bylaws, the DCAR Nominating Committee has nominated the following individuals to offices on the 2022 board, as indicated, subject to their election by the membership.

The election will be held during our DCAR Annual Meeting and Installation on Wednesday, December 15 at 6 p.m. Registration details are coming soon.

 

SLATE OF OFFICERS AS PRESENTED BY THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Officers

  • President-elect: Anthony Mancuso, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
  • Secretary: Stacey Barton, RLAH Real Estate
  • Treasurer: Colin Johnson, RLAH Real Estate

At-large directors up for election, two-year term:

(three to be elected)

  • April Contee, EXQ Real Estate
  • Jean Poitevien, AFREM Services
  • Bonnie Roberts-Burke, RLAH Real Estate

NAR director

  • Dianah Shaw, Power Consulting & Real Estate

RETURNING BOARD MEMBERS

Officers:

  • Immediate past president: Frederic Bates, eXp Realty, LLC
  • President: Thomas Daley, Keller Williams Capital Properties

Directors completing their current two-year term:

  • Andrea Fleming, Keller Williams Capital Properties
  • Jennifer Frewer, Keller Williams Capital Properties
  • Sam Medvene, Century 21 Redwood Realty
  • Margaret “Ansa” Tyrus, Re/MAX Allegiance

Presidential appointees (2): To be determined

Public Policy Committee chair: To be determined

NAR director: Christopher Suranna, RLAH Real Estate

GCAAR president: Harrison Beacher, Keller Williams Capital Properties

Chief executive officer (ex-officio): Scott Reiter

ADDITIONAL BOARD NOMINATIONS

Additional candidates for these offices can be nominated by a petition signed by at least 5% of DCAR’s REALTOR® members and emailed to Scott Reiter, sreiter@dcrealtors.org. Petitions must be received by Friday, November 26, 2021.

Thank you in advance for your participation in our upcoming election!

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The 2021 District of Columbia Association of REALTORS®’ REALTOR® of the Year is Kymber Lovett-Menkiti. She served as DCAR’s 2020 president and has been a DCAR board member since 2017. She is president of Keller Williams Capital Properties (KWCP) in Washington, D.C. and is also the regional director of Keller Williams for the Maryland/D.C. region.

Prior to her roles within KWCP and the Keller Williams MDC Region, Kymber was the president of sales for The Menkiti Group. Under Kymber’s leadership, The Menkiti Group sales team assisted over 2,000 first-time homebuyers and has brokered the sale of over $1B in residential real estate. In 2018, Kymber was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 Honoree.

Kymber previously served as Rookie Committee chair for the Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS® (GCAAR) and she was the 2011 GCAAR Rookie of the Year. In 2018, she was appointed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to serve on the District of Columbia Arts Commission, where she continues to serve. In 2020, she was named to Mayor Bowser’s Re-Open Task Force.

She is the board chair for the Capital Properties/Menkiti Group (CPMG) Foundation and is a board member of Step Afrika and Crittenton Services of Greater Washington. Kymber is a graduate of James Madison University and Bryn Mawr College. She is a proud Ward 4 resident with her husband and four sons.

Congratulations, Kymber!

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Are you looking to be more successful? In this exclusive virtual presentation, New York Times bestselling author Shawn Achor will discuss his research about how happiness, optimism and social connection are the fuel that yield higher success rates. Learn how to incorporate Shawn’s formula for success to unlock your potential and create a more positive and rewarding environment in your personal and professional life. Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., for this free event!

 

About Shawn

After spending twelve years at Harvard University, Shawn Achor has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. His research on mindset made the cover of Harvard Business Review, his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with over 13 million views, and his lecture airing on PBS has been seen by millions. Shawn has lectured or worked with over a third of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as the NFL, the NBA, the Pentagon and the White House. Shawn is the author of New York Times best-selling books The Happiness Advantage (2010) and Big Potential (2018). He has now lectured in more than 50 countries speaking to CEOs in China, doctors in Dubai, schoolchildren in South Africa, and farmers in Zimbabwe. His Happiness Advantage training is one of the largest and most successful positive psychology corporate training programs in the world.

Shawn’s research has been published in the top psychology journal for work he did at UBS in partnership with Yale University to transform how stress impacts the body, and he recently did a two-hour interview with Oprah at her house to discuss his mission to bring positive psychology to the world.

 

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D.C. officials announced last week that more than $143 million, or 70 percent, of the $200 million federal rent relief money had been dispersed to D.C. residents. Under federal guidelines, D.C. was at risk of losing the funds if enough weren’t distributed before the end of September.

The results are a solid win for DCAR members. Since StayDC’s rollout, DCAR has promoted the valuable resource available to small housing providers and tenants. DCAR members have participated in the program and helped to educate their fellow community members about the application process. DCAR’s outreach, along with that of city officials and other organizations, has ensured much-needed funds are reaching those in the District who need help and ensured that we don’t lose pivotal federal dollars in D.C.

Information about D.C.’s eviction moratorium, including a timeline of when the rollbacks will occur, is available on DCAR’s Small Housing Provider page.

If you are a small housing provider and need help making ends meet, or if you know someone who’s behind on rent and utility bills, help is available through the STAYDC program. Call 833-4-STAYDC (78-2932) or visit stay.dc.gov.

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Are you looking for an opportunity to leverage your leadership abilities and make a positive impact on the REALTOR® community in the District of Columbia?

DCAR is now accepting applications for six open, elected positions available on our 2022 DCAR Board of Directors. The DCAR board is a diverse group of talented individuals that guides the District of Columbia state association to serve in the best interest of its members.

As a member of the Board of Directors, you can help shape the direction of DCAR, be an influential voice for the association and advocate to protect and enhance the industry and your D.C. community.

There are six positions available on the 2022 board:

  • President-elect (1-year term)
  • Secretary (1-year term)
  • Treasurer (2-year term)
  • Three at-large directors (2-year term)

The deadline to apply is Friday, September 12 at 5 p.m.! 

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DCAR Speaker Series: Inclusionary Zoning with Gene Bulmash, Program Manager for the Department of Housing and Community Development

Thursday, Sept. 9, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.

The District of Columbia is using an array of tools to meet the city’s housing affordability challenge – including inclusionary zoning (IZ), which has received a lot of attention during the past year. Several zoning cases, which have been proposed and adopted, have re-shaped IZ to help increase the District’s affordable housing production. There are already many questions out there about how IZ works—now with the upgrades, it’s key for REALTORS® to stay ahead of the curve.

Join us virtually on Thursday, Sept. 9, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. as we hear D.C.’s inclusionary zoning program manager, Gene Bulmash, discuss how IZ is influencing D.C.’s housing supply. Come with your questions!

About the speaker: A recovering lawyer now working to produce and preserve affordable housing in Washington, D.C., Gene Bulmash manages the District of Columbia’s Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) affordable housing program. The program is producing about 200 new, safe, clean, amenity-rich affordable homes each year and has produced about 1,300 homes to date. Gene also manages the District’s affordable dwelling unit (ADU) program, which created approximately another 1,700 affordable homes, mostly from land dispositions or Zoning Commission cases.

Prior to joining DC’s Department of Housing and Community Development, Gene practiced real estate, municipal and corporate law for over 20 years in Chicago, London, DC and Singapore. He worked for small and large firms, including managing his own firm and represented individuals, small and large corporations and governments.

Gene received his law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago after receiving his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois and passing the CPA exam.

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On August 3, the D.C. Council held the final vote on the FY22 budget. The final step is passage of the Budget Support Act, the statutory piece of the budget, on Aug. 10. Key highlights include:

  • An income tax increase on higher-income individuals.
  • $24 million to help low-income first-time homebuyers with down payment and closing cost assistance​.
  • Breaking up DCRA into a construction-oriented Department of Buildings and a consumer-oriented Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.
  • $6.1 million for additional violence prevention programs.
  • $5 million for new Metropolitan Police Department recruits and cadets. (Mayor Bowser asked for $11 mil in police hires, but directed $6.1 million to violence prevention).
  • Providing housing for over 3,500 residents facing homelessness. (Which will be funded through the new tax increase on $250,000+).
  • $50 million in public housing repairs.
  • Pilot funding for the Generating Affordability in Neighborhoods (GAIN) Act, to allow for conversion of unaffordable housing into affordable housing using funded covenants.

Along with other business organizations, DCAR advocated that the Council carefully review this increase before proceeding, as it was added in at the last minute. DCAR believes that more thought and consideration should be given to this topic, and that the Tax Revision Commission would be the appropriate venue.

DCAR and GCAAR members have asked what remedies are on the table. While Mayor Bowser, who is against the increase, cannot line-item veto the tax, she can use her mayoral veto on the entire budget. However, this is unlikely as the Council would plausibly override the veto.

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Nominations for the District of Columbia Association of REALTORS®’ REALTOR® of the Year Award are now open!

Earning this distinction from your state-level association is an incredible honor, one that will make you stand out among your colleagues – not to mention with potential clients!

Who can be nominated?

Nominees must be primary DCAR members who have clearly provided continuous, dedicated service to enhance the quality of the profession.

How can I apply?

Complete the application and email it, along with one color head shot of each applicant, to contact@dcrealtors.org. Please note that head shots must be in .jpeg format at a minimum of 300 dpi resolution.

The deadline for submission is Friday, August 27 at 5 p.m. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Think the award should have your name on it? Or do you know of someone else who fits the bill? Apply now! Winners will be announced in the fall.

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When the Housing Committee of the D.C. City Council attempted to pass a raft of rent control legislation at the end of 2020, DCAR pushed back with a Call for Action that prompted nearly 300 messages from REALTOR® members and the public, ultimately sparing property owners from further restrictions for the time being. Read the full story.