Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS�
Precisely e-Newsletter
January 12, 2015
GRAR 2015 Major Sponsors
FMlogo

      
In This Issue: 
AssociationUpdatesAssociation Updates
GRAR's FRIDAY HOURS CONTINUING THROUGH MARCH 27
Through Friday, March 27, GRAR will open on Fridays at 9:30 AM in order for staff to cross train and work on specific association projects.  Please note - if you have previously scheduled meetings or classes here on a Friday morning, those will be held as scheduled

REMINDER: UPDATE TOWN AND COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES FOR 2015

Please be sure to update your listings accordingly:
  • Town & County: Jan. 1 - Dec. 31
  • Villages: June 1 - May 31
  • City of Rochester and City Schools: July 1 - June 30
  • Suburbs: July 1 - June 30  (Available Sept. 1)
DUES DEDUCTABILITY INFORMATION FOR 2014 TAXES
  • For the 2014 dues year, a fee of $120 per NAR Member has been assessed. NAR computes 37 percent or $44 to be non-deductible for the member's income tax due to NAR's lobbying efforts. $76 may be deducted. Please note that the entire $35 Public Awareness Campaign special assessment qualifies as fully deductible.
  • For the 2014 dues year, a fee of $90 per NYSAR Member has been assessed. NYSAR computes $12 to be non-deductible for the member's income tax due to NYSAR's lobbying efforts.  NYSAR dues include an $8.00 special assessment dedicated to the Legal Action Fund and the Issues Mobilization fund. $77 may be deducted.
  • For the 2014 dues year, Members may claim 100% of their 'MLS Participant Fee' ($430) and 97% of their 'GRAR Dues' ($268) as a business expense; 3% of the 'GRAR Dues' (or $8 for most members) is non-deductible for income tax purposes due to GRAR's lobbying efforts.
NOTE - Political contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes.
 Find more information from NYSAR at this link.

UPDATE YOUR MEMBER RECORD
Happy new year from GRAR!  Now is the time to double check your records with GRAR including updating your mailing preference (Home or Office) so your dues postcard makes it to the right place.  The easiest way to get there is to log into our membership management system on grar.org - click here. This is also a good time to check your auto-pay setting for your dues (note - those that sign up for auto-pay will be sent a reminder to let them know when their credit card will be charged). Avoid late fees and having to watch the calendar to pay your dues with auto-pay. 
Once logged in:

1.    Third menu item is Auto- Pay Setup -   Did you sign up for auto-pay last year?  If so, you are still signed up this year.  If you are not sure, want to sign up, need to change credit cards and/or extend your expiration date, this is where you can do all of these things.
2.    Fourth menu item is View/Update Personal Information - here you can update your mailing preferences, email address and phone numbers on file at GRAR (that feeds into MLS).

ACCUSTAT REPORT: January 2015
Accustat is a service offered by REALTOR� Dick Beers available solely for the use of GRAR Members and is not intended for public distribution. This report does not reflect the views of the Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS�. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, please contact Dick at [email protected].
IndustryAdvocacyIndustry Advocacy
2015 RPAC FUNDRAISING & PARTICIPATION GOALS
New RPAC Fundraising Goal Policies were approved at the National Association of REALTORS Board of Directors meetings in November. As a result, RPAC of New York's fundraising goal for 2015 has been set in the amount of $778,677. The goal for 2016 will be identical since the goals are now being determined on a 2-year cycle as approved by the NAR Board of Directors. NYSAR has determined the local board goals by a simple formula of $16.10 per member based on the membership count on October 31, 2014. NYSAR is challenging GRAR members to raise $21,976.50. 

Change in Fundraising Year: The RPAC fundraising year will now run consistent with the calendar year, beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31. During this transition year, November and December 2014 will count towards the 2015 fundraising year.  In order for NYSAR to have adequate time to forward monies to NAR by the national deadline, the 2015 RPAC deadline in New York will be Friday, December 5.

OSWEGO COUNTY CALL FOR ACTION
A Call for Action has been launched to oppose an increase to the Oswego County mortgage recording tax. The Oswego County Legislature is considering a resolution that will raise the Oswego County mortgage recording tax by an additional $0.25 per $100, totaling $1.25 per $100, to record a mortgage. If approved, Oswego County will have the highest mortgage recording tax in the region.
If you live or conduct business in Oswego County, please  click here to send a letter to the Oswego County Legislature telling them to vote NO on any resolution to increase the mortgage recording tax in Oswego County.
INMEMORIAMIn Memoriam 
Peter Ezinkwo, REALTOR� At Rest ~ December 26, 2014

Greater Rochester Association of REALTORS�

3445 Winton Place, Suite 104

Rochester, NY 14623

 

585-292-5000 |  800-292-7101  |  [email protected] 

Mon. - Thu. 8:30am - 4:30pm;  Fri. 9:30am - 4:30 pm 

 

 

 Fusion/MLX/GoNYSMLS Issues: AnswerLink 888-825-5472, M-F 8:30-8:30pm & S/S 8:30am- 3:30pm
All Other Technical Support:  Tech Helpline at 866-232-1831, M-F 9am - 8pm & Sat 9am - 5pm

 

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our profile on LinkedIn