Government Policy, Real Estate and You! with Liz Recchia

Pinal County and City of Eloy Housing Demand Survey has found its way to many types of people and organizations.  Economic development Directors at various cities and towns, city managers, state legislators, business organizations and chambers of commerce. And WeSERV members who have in turn sent it to those they know.

A couple of weeks ago New York Times journalist Peter Goodman was in the Phoenix area and met with several WeSERV members. He too had seen a copy of the WeSERV housing demand survey.

I have asked myself several times over the past 5 years why we aren’t seeing wage earner housing being built? And after several conversations, now I know at least part of the answer.

Now, let’s move onto two recently passed laws at the State Capitol. 

HB 2785 – primary; identification, canvass, recounts, ballots

SB 1285 – local candidates, petitions, electronic signatures

April 11th  WeSERV Government Affairs is pleased to bring you a three hour CE event with CAP (Central Arizona Project)  covering water in Maricopa county and Pinal county through the CAP system in the first two hours, and in hour three we will be learning about local water and the SRP system from two of WeSERV’s members who have worked in the water world for ADWR and other water providers. Join Nancy LaMascus, Lisa Swanson and me on April 11th at WeSERV Peoria from 9am to 12 noon. You can register for this event at weserv.realtor. 

Please let me know if you would like to be part of one or more candidate interview workgroups. We begin interviewing candidates in May and finish in late June. You can email me or my assistant Krys at weservgad@weserv.realtor.

Our next Government Affairs Committee meeting will be April 3rd at the WeSERV Chandler office also known as Avion Center. Join us at 10:30am in person or over zoom. Don’t forget to register so we know to expect you. 

Song Credits:

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Hobbs signed HB 2785 on February 9th. This bill moved up the Arizona 2024 Primary Election to July 30th. As a result, candidate filing periods have moved up one week.

To learn more about the March 19th Presidential Preference election and what you as a voter need to do in order to vote in either the Democratic or Republican election, go to my blogpost of February 13th.

For voters, the voter registration deadline is July 1st for the July 30th Primary, and October 7th for the November 5th General election.

If you are a member of WeSERV, I encourage you to join one of the WeSERV Government Affairs Candidate Interview Workgroups. email me at weservgad@weserv.realtor. Check the interview calendar.

Each May NAR conducts its Mid-Year Legislative meetings in Washington, D.C. This year, the Legislative meetings will be held from May 4-9th. Registration is open, so register now and book a hotel room before they are gone.

Each Spring Arizona REALTORS Association holds its Spring Conference. This year it is being held at Wild Horse Pass. Registration is open and I encourage  you to register quickly as spaces fill up. The AR Spring Conference will be held from March 26th to March 28th.

WeSERV GAD: Advocating for private property rights, the right to private contract and YOUR business!

Song Credits:          

WEPA Song: Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song: Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WeSERV Pinal County & City of Eloy Housing Demand Survey 2024

Everyone seems to agree, housing demand still outstrips housing availability and housing affordability is still almost non-existent. But, what housing are we speaking about and for whom?

WeSERV has been advocating for increased housing product, rental and purchase, focused on wage earners with gross incomes between $45,000/year and $95,000/year for several years.  Low income households have federal, state and local government housing assistance programs and housing product. High income earners can afford the cost of high rental rates and purchase homes priced at $400,000 and above. 2023, WeSERV released its housing study

The Web of Housing Solutions

WeSERV Pinal County and City of Eloy Housing Demand Survey 2024

Executive Summary – WeSERV Housing Demand Survey 2024

Candidate Interviews 2024:

If you are a member of WeSERV, REALTOR or Affiliate, and would like to participate in candidate interviews, please let me know by emailing the Government Affairs Department at weservgad@weserv.realtor. The Government Affairs Calendar including candidate interviews is available at www.weservgad.org.

Song Credits:          

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candidate Interview Workgroup – Open to all WeSERV members. Email Government Affairs if you would like to volunteer: weservgad@weserv.realtor.

Corporate Transparency Act: Mandatory filing of beneficial interest to FinCen (Financial Criminal Enforcement Network) every year beginning on January 1, 2024. Patrick McQueen at Medalist Legal provides email updates. Beneficial Ownership Reporting Form – FAQs – Small Business Booklet.

City of Eloy & Pinal County Housing Demand Survey 2024

The 2024 GAD Calendar of Events may be found at www.weservgad.org.

Song Credits:          

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 12th 2023 I was able to sit down for a short conversation with newly appointed Dept of Real Estate Commissioner Susan Nicolson. This conversation was held at the West Valley office of WeSERV in Peoria with a group of REALTOR® members as part of the WeSERV West Valley Fall Conference 2023.

DRE has now posted a link to the WeSERV Water Worksheet: Questions You Should Ask BEFORE Purchasing or Renting a Property in Arizona.

Topics we discussed included:

• Physical and Process Changes
• The WeSERV Water Worksheet
• Changes to CE Classes
• Form Changes
• Deed Fraud
• Human Trafficking and Vacant Houses
• DRE Auditing of PMCs when there is a Conflict with DOR
• Proposed Tools for PMCs
• What the Next Two Years Look Like for DRE

I want to thank Commissioner Nicolson for joining us at WeSERV Peoria for this quick, informational and engaging conversation. Watch the DRE as the department moves forward with the initiatives discussed in this conversation.

WeSERV GAD: Advocating for private property rights, the right to private contract and YOUR Business!

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 31st the state legislature sent SB 1102 to the Governor’s desk. The Governor signed the bill on August 1st. If you live, work or travel through Maricopa County, then this bill is important to you. SB 1102 is the long awaited legislation to allow the Prop 400 extension onto the Maricopa County ballot.

WeSERV is fortunate to cover areas that include military bases. Luke AFB is in the West Valley of Maricopa County and Ft. Huachuca is in Sierra Vista in Cochise County. You can read both of our BAH reports at www.weservgad.org. Click on Local News.

The DOR is offering monthly PMC trainings with the next series on September 11th, 12th and 13th from 1pm to 2:30pm. These are live, virtual trainings so you may ask questions and interact with DOR personnel. You must register to receive the event link.

Assessment of housing needs in your city, town or county, begin with the General Plan. If you are interested in general plans being update, here are a few across the WeSERV jurisdiction happening now:

Santa Cruz County – Three plans are being updated. The Rio Rico Vitality Master Plan, the Housing Strategy and the Tourism Sector plan.

Pinal County – subdivision & infrastructure design

Maricopa County – The White Tank Grand Ave area in Sun City West

Casa Grande – 2030 General Plan and Land Use

Mesa – Several key planning documents are being updated for the Tomorrow’s plan

Tempe – Updating Tempe Tomorrow General Plan 2050

Goodyear – Updating the Goodyear General Plan 2035

Avondale – Updating the General Plan 2040

MAG Interactive Land Use Map

To help you get an idea of how someone goes from dirt to a finished house or other building, WeSERV Government Affairs is hosting a day long event on September 13th at our Peoria office.

Below the Ground and Up: From Dirt to Ribbon Cutting will feature investors, developers, city officials, legal experts, DRE officials, and property inspection tips. You will learn from experts the process and considerations of building from entitlement to costs to financing, and how people decide to take the chance that their vision will be rewarded with people buying or renting their real estate offering.

 We open the doors at 8:30am with our first presenter beginning at 9am. This event is free to WeSERV members and has been approved by Az DRE for 6 CEUs. 3 CE in disclosure and 3 CE in Legal Issues. You must register to attend this in person event since we have limited seating available. Read more about this event at www.weservgad.org. click on GAD Events.

WeSERV is hosting its first annual memorial golf tournament in honor of WeSERV Vide President of Government Affairs, Matt Ortega on September 25th at Dobson Ranch Golf course in Mesa. Learn more about this event with the goal of raising funds for an ASU Endowment through Real Wishes Foundation at weserv.realtor.

Song Credits:           

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 1st 2023, Governor Hobbs signed SB 1131, a bill supported and influenced by Arizona REALTORS®. SB 1131 exempts residential rentals from the locally established TPT (transaction privilege tax). The bill become effective in January 1, 2025.

The Arizona REALTORS Caucus is scheduled for August 24th, 2023 at the Arizona Biltmore from 1pm to 8pm.  WeSERV discusses and presents AR with member concerns brought forward at the WeSERV Government Affairs meeting and Pre-meeting. On the July 18th podcast of Government Policy, Real Estate and YOU!, I outlined some concerns for members consideration. Bring your thoughts and suggestions to our meeting and pre-meeting discussion group.

Water continues to be a discussion here in Arizona and next year we will see statewide water policy discussions from the Governor’s water authority as well as the state legislature and local government. Now is a good time to acquaint yourself with the basics of Arizona Water, water policy and water resources. Go to www.weservgad.org. Click on Task Force Flyers to find two helpful resources created with you and your clients in mind.

Water in Arizona – Is My Property in an AMA or INA

Water in Arizona – Questions You Should Ask BEFORE Purchasing or Renting a Property in Arizona

Every year WeSERV Government Affairs provides Ft. Huachuca and Luke AFB with customized BAH reports. BAH is the basic housing allowance the military provided their active duty members. While it was intended to help with utilities and other needs, it is being used by active duty to pay a part of the rent. Increasingly all of the BAH money is going toward rent. WeSERV provides market data for each community surrounding the base, and provides an additional letter with context to the market, costs of construction and other concerns related to providing housing and housing costs. If you work with active duty military at either Ft. Huachuca or Luke AFB, please let me know. Your personal experiences and those of your clients are important to the WeSERV BAH reports.

August 9th Government Affairs meeting and pre-meeting discussion group. Our focus is on topics to bring forward at the AR Caucus, but we will also have updates from our City Liaisons, our STR task Force and our New Home Build Task Force. These meetings are free to all WeSERV members. You may register to attend in person or via zoom by going to weservgad.org. Our August 9th meeting will be held at our Chandler office also known as Avion Center.

On September 11th through the 14th , WeSERV is hosting its Fall 2023 Conference at our Peoria office concluding with a real estate expo at the Marriott Renaissance on September 14th.

On September 12th I will be discussing with DRE Commissioner Nicolson changes in statute, changes in commissioner’s rules and issues the DRE commissioner is currently addressing. This discussion is the first of the day from 9am to 10am and has been approved for 1 CE in Commissioner’s Standards by the DRE.

On September 13th from 8:30am to 5pm, WeSERV Peoria will host a day long GAD CE event: Below the Ground and Up: From Dirt to Ribbon Cutting. This event is free to WeSERV members and has been approved for 6 CE by the DRE. 3 CE in Disclosure and 3 CE in legal issues.

You may register for the WeSERV conference at weserv.realtor. Join us for the day, days or part of a day that fits into your schedule. The conference is free to all WeSERV members.

WeSERV GAD: Advocating for Private Property Rights, the Right to Private Contract and YOUR Business!

Song Credits:          

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Property Managers and their rental property owners continue to experience TPT issues with the Department of Revenue. WeSERV continues to speak directly with DOR to help members find solutions.

The only entities tied to TPT who are not participating are the local governments who levy and receive TPT funds. WeSERV is asking local governments to create a staff position dedicated to helping PMCs and other businesses correct TPT problems at DOR. If you would like to help WeSERV advocate to local government within our jurisdiction to create a staff position dedicated to helping PMCs, rental property owners and business collect and submit TPT, while helping to correct DOR and TPT errors on behalf of taxpayers, please let WeSERV Government Affairs know by emailing us at weservgad@weserv.realtor. 

DOR/PMC live stream workshop schedule and registration page.

Each August Arizona REALTORS holds its caucus. This is a free event for REALTORS and will be held at the Arizona Biltmore on August 24th. You must register to attend. You may register at the Arizona REALTORS Caucus registration page.

Our goal for the August 9th meetings is to discuss and create a bullet point list of issues to be presented to AR at the Caucus. Most important, we would like suggestions for solutions to identified issues. 

Register to attend the Government Affairs pre-meeting discussion group on Aug 9th from 9:30am to 10:30am and the Government Affairs committee meeting on Aug. 9th from 10:30am to 12 noon. Both meetings will be in person at our Chandler office, Avion Center, and online over zoom.

And finally, don’t forget we have three active task forces at this time. Our Water Issues Task Force, our New build home task force and our STR (short term rental) task force. If you would like to become a member of one of these task forces, please let Krys or I know.

Song Credits:

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City of Maricopa Sign Ordinance

If you live or work in the City of Maricopa, you know the updated sign ordinance regarding temporary signs has been a discussion since last Fall. On June 20th, the city council voted to approve the most recent changes. You may see the illustration of the visual triangle on the weservgad.org blogpost: City of Maricopa Updated Temporary Sign Ordinance Effective July 20, 2023. In that blogpost you will find links to the ordinance and the code of ordinances.

Water in Arizona – A New Water Worksheet

The WeSERV Government Affairs Water Issues Task Force has released Water in Arizona – Questions You should ask BEFORE purchasing or renting a property in Arizona. This one page worksheet flyer is designed for members and their clients in commercial, residential and agriculture real estate, to help clients determine for themselves if a parcel of land has water rights, the extent and use of the water, and guide clients to create their own water portfolio if the land use demands that.

Deed Fraud

Deed Fraud, it’s real and on the rise in Arizona. The problem is, it is difficult to detect and licensees have few tools to help in the detection of deed fraud. The American Land Title Association (ALTA) has released a useful reference sheet for consumers and real estate licensees showcasing red flags and suggested actions to be taken.  

Douglas AMA

By now most people in Douglas and Cochise County know about the newly formed Douglas AMA. The important thing to remember is that the new AMA is larger than the old INA, so property owners need to check their parcel to see if it is included in the new AMA. The ADWR (Az Dept of water resources) is holding a public hearing on June 28th at 4pm to discuss and receive public input on the goal of the new AMA.

ADOR – Az Department of Revenue

The Arizona Department of Revenue (DOR) hosts free, live virtual training sessions for property managers and property owners. You can find links to register and the dates monthly at www.weservgad.org , in the Government Affairs newsletter released monthly and in the WeSERV flipbook.

OMB Rules

The President’s Office of Management and Budget has release rules dramatically affecting the ability to actually use those federal grant dollars. In February 2023, the OMB published rules for construction and rehab of projects using federal funds or assistance. By the way, HUD has declared federally backed home loans like FHA, VA, Fannie Mae and USDA constitute federal assistance, so homebuyers with government backed loans are affected by the new rules. The rules under Build America, Buy America state there is a preference for U.S. manufactured materials in construction of infrastructure when federal finance assistance is used. 

AR Caucus – Arizona REALTORS Caucus Day will be August 24th – Register Here

I hope to see you at our August 9th government affairs orientation and committee meetings. 

WeSERV GAD: Advocating for private property rights, the right to private contract and YOUR business!

Song Credits:

WEPA Song Credits: “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

 WERQ Song Credits: “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, housing is rising in price, and here are some of the reasons.

Interest Rates and Credit

Increased interest rates for both builders and their customers are helping to increase overall housing prices, both rental and purchase product. Tightening credit conditions over the past four months continue. Since last December lenders have increased interest rates for land acquisition loans, land development loans and single family construction loans. Multifamily lenders have shown similar behaviour. 

Lenders are adding points to the base interest rate of the loan in all categories. Leading to the increased effective interest rates which includes both the base interest rate and the points.

Multifamily builders have experienced significant cost increases due to materials delays. Concrete, Asphalt, Gypsum, and other products necessary to complete buildings have been in short supply creating significant construction delays. WeSERV is aware of multifamily buildings with delays of several months due to missing water pumps, unavailable concrete, unavailable asphalt and lumber. Labor and Material shortages continue to plague the building industry. With that shortage comes increased prices for materials. 

In the Infrastructure and Jobs Act of 2021, there is a provision to “Buy America” preference when building the nation’s infrastructure. OMB, the Office of Management and Budget, recently released the first phase of its construction rules and has begun implementing them. The OMB rules apply to any federally funded (in part or in whole) infrastructure project, including housing. The OMB has issued standards for all manufacturing processes and a list of products considered construction materials. Examples of these materials are glass, lumber, and drywall.

Our next government affairs orientation and committee meeting are on June 7th. The orientation will be from 9:30am to 10:30am at our Peoria office. The government affairs meeting will be immediately following at 10:30am.

You may attend these meetings in person or via zoom. Go to weservgad.org or to weserv.realtor to register to attend in person or via zoom.

WeSERV GAD: Advocating for private property rights, the right to private contract and YOUR business!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices