A series of changes are coming down the pike as the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) wrapped up its three-day conference in Orlando.
As the housing market transitions to a more balanced state, a new slate of officers has been named to NAR’s leadership team following the association’s annual conference, NAR NXT, The REALTOR® Experience.
Taking over the helm of the 1.6 million member association is Kenny Parcell, who was installed as the 2023 president of NAR at the end of the conference. Touting 25 years in real estate and hailing from Spanish Fork, Utah, Parcell is the broker/owner of Equity Real Estate Utah and has served in several roles with NAR—most recently as vice president of government affairs in 2018.
Accompanying him are:
- Tracy Kasper as NAR’s 2023 president-elect
- Kevin Sears as NAR’s 2023 first vice president
- Gregory Hrabcak as NAR’s 2023 treasurer
- Margo Wheeler as NAR’s 2023 vice president of association affairs
- Pete Kopf as NAR’s 2022 vice president of advocacy
NAR’s 2023 regional vice presidents are:
- Joanne Breen, Newington, Connecticut. Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
- Ilene Horowitz, Rockaway, New Jersey. Region 2: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
- Gail Renulfi, Hockessin, Delaware. Region 3: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia
- Amy Hedgecock, High Point, North Carolina. Region 4: North Carolina, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee
- Eric Sain, West Palm Beach, Florida. Region 5: Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Gary Reggish, Novi, Michigan. Region 6: Michigan, Ohio
- Ed Neaves, Normal, Illinois. Region 7: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin
- Patty Zuzek, Lakeville, Minnesota. Region 8: Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
- Steve LaRue, Lawrence, Kansas. Region 9: Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma
- Cindi Bulla, Amarillo, Texas. Region 10: Texas, Louisiana
- Kevin Sigstad, Reno, Nevada. Region 11: Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
- Connie Fogle, Rexburg, Idaho. Region 12: Idaho, Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Washington
- Shannon L. King, Kailua, Hawaii. Region 13: Hawaii, California, Guam
Along with the leadership shift comes a mix of changes that NAR’s Board of Directors and Delegate Body adopted after back-to-back meetings Monday, capping off the conference.
Among the changes was an amendment to Article 10 of NAR’s Code of Ethics in the Standards of Practice, which replaces the term “handicap” with “disability” in corresponding NAR references to protected classes under fair housing law.
Article 10 reads:
“REALTORS® shall not deny equal professional services to any person for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity. REALTORS® shall not be parties to any plan or agreement to discriminate against a person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
REALTORS®, in their real estate employment practices, shall not discriminate against any person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The amendment was also approved by NAR’s Delegate Body and will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
Both governing parties approved an amendment to NAR’s Constitution that would change the Young Professionals Network (YPN) representative’s term on the Finance Committee from three to two years.
“Since all other members on the Young Professionals Network Advisory Board receive two-year appointments, adjusting this term creates a cohesive structure,” read an NAR statement, which pointed out that the change will also go into effect in 2023.
Directors greenlit the following changes to NAR’s Campaign and Election Rules Manual:
- Establish a process for considering the removal of an NAR officer and acting to remove an officer for reasonable cause.
- Require that all elected and appointed officers complete annual sexual harassment and diversity, equity and inclusion training before their term of office.
- Include a nepotism policy to prevent conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest.
Additional actions taken by the board of directors included:
- Adopting an MLS policy that defines “statewide data share” as delivering MLS data, including offers of compensation, through a standard technology interface (e.g., API) to all participants of MLSs that are part of a statewide sharing program.
- Approving recommendations that NAR urge industry adoption of a consistent framework for reconsidering real estate valuations.
- Approving a recommendation urging that the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) allow a broader range of education and experience alternatives for the required core curriculums for licensed residential real property appraisers and certified residential real property appraisers.
- Approving a recommendation of the Conventional Finance and Policy Committee that NAR takes a series of actions to support the development and use of down payment assistance programs to advance homeownership.
- Approving a recommendation of the Fair Housing Committee that NAR support section 701(c) of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), which permits the creation of Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCPs) to meet the credit needs of underserved borrowers and communities, and that NAR support SPCPs that meet specific criteria.
- Approving a Land Use, Property Rights and Environment Committee recommendation that NAR changes its current policy on water resources to make the policy “clearer, more proactive and broader in scope” and to allow NAR to engage in a larger number of federal water-related issues, such as conservation, storage and water planning.
- Approving a recommendation of the Global Business & Alliances Committee that NAR creates a REALTOR® Fund for Global Assistance.
- Approving the purchase of a master policy for the professional liability insurance program for NAR, its affiliates, state and local REALTOR® associations, and REALTOR® association-owned MLSs from Chubb Group for the 2023 policy year.
- Approving the purchase of a patent infringement liability policy for NAR, its affiliates, its state and local REALTOR® associations, and REALTOR® association-owned MLSs to protect those entities in the event of a patent infringement claim.
- Approving $30,000 in funding to the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS® in support of an amicus curiae brief filing supporting private property rights in a case involving short-term rentals.
- Approving changes to the Code of Ethics and Arbitration Manual to remove the board president from the process of disseminating ethics complaints, responses and appeal decisions.
- Amending Standard of Practice 3-9 of the Code of Ethics to replace “the listing broker” with “the seller” to clarify that it’s the seller, not the listing broker, who establishes terms related to the marketing and sale of the property.
While the board approved a list of proposed amendments on Monday, they passed on one, which would have formed an “association innovator program for local associations and REALTOR® association-owned and -operated MLSs.”
According to NAR, the proposal was sent back to the Association Executives Committee.
