1-Stop Shop: Government Resources

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1-STOP SHOP: GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

The DC government is a complicated beast, to be sure, but we’re here to help. Across our new website, we have a number of resources that aim to help you find the government information you need, or, when appropriate, to put you in contact with various government representatives.

For starters, make sure you head over to our quick-hitting explainer on the ins and outs of the DC government. It has information on how the actual system works, who is in charge of what, as well as some agencies and services that would be relevant to REALTORS®, homeowners, renters and others. You can find that guide here.

There are 13 DC Councilmembers — one for each of the city’s eight wards, four at-large Councilmembers that are voted upon by the entirety of the District and the Chairman, who is also elected by the city as opposed to a particular ward or subset — and along with the mayor, they are the primary governmental body for the city. They craft legislation, debate it, amend it, pass it and work to fund it.

If you ever need to get in touch with one of your Councilmembers, whether it be your ward Councilmember or an at-large Councilmember, you can find their contact information here. Sometimes, DCAR will appeal to its members to reach out to their Councilmembers regarding a particular piece of legislation or a specific issue at hand.

Moving away from the governmental bodies, there are many important resources we have on our website that can be useful to you on a day-to-day basis. For example, if you’re looking to purchase a home, our guide of homeownership programs in the District has a great deal of information that you’ll want to peruse. Many of those, such as the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP), are government-backed programs that would not exist without the work of the Council.

And if you need information on zoning regulations, historic districts and more, our compilation of useful links will be helpful.

If there is anything else you need that you can’t find on our website, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at contact@dcrealtors.org. We’re always willing to help!

A Day of Significant Importance: A Review of DCAR’s 2016 Advocacy Day

Posted by & filed under For Homebuyers & Renters, For Policymakers & Media, For REALTORS.

DC REALTORS® Left a Clear Message of Cooperation

Since 2014 DCAR has visited the DC Council at the John A. Wilson Building to work with our council members. Our third visit covered transfer and recordation taxes and modernizing TOPA. Our goal for this year’s Advocacy Day involved sending the message to the Council that the value of home ownership is boundless. As people settle their roots in the District, families can flourish, schools would improve, and businesses may thrive in a stable ecosystem anchored by a healthy housing sector. Your State Association also wanted to convey our desire to continue working together in 2017 to increase homeownership, improve the rental market for everyone involved. Additionally, we nailed down the importance of recordation and transfer tax relief to future DC homeowners and cut through regulatory hurdles.

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Realtors® Learn How to Navigate Financing Programs in DC

Posted by & filed under For Homebuyers & Renters, For REALTORS.

Home ownership is never beyond reach when buyers have the tools necessary for financial assistance.

Dreams Are Possible

Homeownership is one of the best ways to build wealth and equity. Most importantly, it facilitates the mobility families need to move up or down the housing spectrum depending on their needs. The prospect of owning a home is not some far-off fantasy. That is especially true when there are so many assistance options available. Today families of many different economic backgrounds can own a home, and DCAR brought in the experts to show our members what programs are available.

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DC REALTOR 2016 Election Guide

Posted by & filed under For REALTORS.

DCAR Encourages Each of its Nearly 3,000 Members to Vote Early or On Election Day for the 2016 General Election

Voters started lining up at One Judiciary Square on October 22nd to make their vote count in the 2016 General Election. Over 7,000 votes have been tallied for an election that holds tremendous weight on the world stage. Even DC itself could make history in the statehood fight. Read more »

DCAR Speaker Series Recap – The State of DC’s Environment

Posted by & filed under For Homebuyers & Renters, For REALTORS.

This month’s Speaker Series covered the perils of mold, radon and lead contamination.

Mold, radon and lead contamination can often hide in plain sight, and there are ways to protect your homes. This month’s Speaker Series had all the information our members needed. If you couldn’t make it, we’ve provided resources for you. DCAR hosted the District’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) to talk about what our members can do to protect their homes and listings from the negative effects of lead, mold, and radon. Read more »

Legislative Alert – Public Hearings Set For New Rental Bills

Posted by & filed under For REALTORS.

DC Rent Update

Public Hearings Scheduled For October 19

Recently, the DC Council passed a rental late fee bill that we successfully amended on a number of fronts. The legislation caps late fees at 5% or less and standardizes a five-day ‘grace period.’ DCAR worked with Councilmember Anita Bonds (I-At Large) on both issues to scale the framework to levels that are acceptable to the REALTOR® community. Now DCAR is active on a new set of rental bills. Read more »

2017 DCAR Committee Applications Are Live

Posted by & filed under For REALTORS.

Are you into policy and communications? Apply today to serve on a DCAR Committee.

Apply Today For DCAR’s Public Policy and Communications Committees

Act Now: Click here to complete your application today. Read further for detailed committee information.

This is your chance to become an influential leader for your State REALTOR® Association. You have seen our advocacy efforts on issues like TOPA, Recordation and Transfer Taxes, and regulatory reform. This email will show you how to get involved in improving DC’s real estate policies.

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Mercury (and Housing) Rising

Posted by & filed under For REALTORS.

The Numbers Pointed Upwards All Summer – Here’s Our Take

Gimme Shelter! – That’s the phrase homebuyers were telling their REALTORS® all season long. With temperatures shattering all-time records, the DC housing market followed the trend. Of course, this newsletter features our summer market breakdown.

The only thing beating the temperature outside was the heat of DC’s real estate market. Notably, Cleveland Park and Anacostia show promising numbers. Otherwise, price appreciation shows a steady and healthy increase District-wide. Conversely, inventory dropped a few points, but the June market still showed higher stock than in 2015. Read more »

Help Us Help Our Neighbors

Posted by & filed under For REALTORS.

WV-Flood-BW

Storm of the Century: Residents in several West Virginia Counties remain in perilous conditions as a state of emergency continues after floods ravaged the area in June. Massive rainfall on June 23 killed 24 people along with endangering countless lives, destroying homes and businesses, and damaging vital infrastructure. In the initial days of the floods, 44 of West Virginia’s 55 counties were under a state of emergency according to a Reuters report. Read more »