Dear Alabama REALTORS®,

I hope this letter finds you and your family safe from the ongoing pandemic and prospering in one of the best real estate markets we have seen in a lifetime. I am writing to provide you several updates as we begin to close out a successful 2021.

First, thank you for allowing me to serve you this year as your President. To serve this Association has been a true honor and privilege. Before you are sworn in as President, former leaders will tell you that despite your best efforts to meticulously plan your year, there will be unexpected challenges during your tenure. This year was no different, and I appreciate every member who took time to call, email, or send me their feedback or support. This is a member driven organization, and your input is a critical part of driving this Association forward. 

By now, you have read the news of the outcome of the Association’s legal challenge to the Nationwide Eviction Moratorium in the United States Supreme Court. The Association joined the Georgia and National Associations to challenge what we believed was a sweeping government overreach and taking of private property rights from our members that placed financial hardship solely on the shoulders of mom-and-pop housing providers. The Court’s ruling affirmed that the federal government cannot seize a person’s land, their farm, their home, or their private property unlawfully and unconstitutionally without due process and just compensation afforded by the Constitution. Further, the federal government cannot block a person’s constitutional right to access the courts, to seek redress, and to defend against the federal government’s unlawful takings in the court system.  The Court’s ruling concludes in part, “It is indisputable that the public has a strong interest in combating the spread of the COVID–19 Delta variant. But our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends.” A summary of the case can be found here. The Court’s Ruling can be read here.

As an Association with a strong history and tradition of advocacy for our members, we have had many big wins through the years- but this may be one of the largest- and its impact affects every REALTOR® member in the country. We have also strongly advocated for expanded rental assistance to help both tenants and landlords through the creation and funding of Alabama’s Emergency Assistance Program. Unfortunately, the assistance has been extremely slow to reach everyone affected.  We will continue to work with all parties to make that assistance readily accessible to tenants and housing providers. 

Last week, the Association’s Board of Directors met in Montgomery for their third and final meeting of the year to conduct the business of the Association, pass the 2022 budget, consider several governance proposals, and pass a one-time special assessment of $50 per member to retire the debt on the building. A summary of the Board meeting can be found here. The one-time assessment was not an easy decision, or one taken lightly.  The building debt has been a source of discussion for several years. Our leadership team has taken a measured approach and sought input from the Board and members on how best to proceed. Retiring the building debt will put the Association in the best position possible long term to keep the Association in a healthy, stable position in the face of many unknowns in the real estate industry.

We have a beautiful building that past generations of members worked hard to plan for, to design and build a structure where our members could gather in Montgomery near the Capitol and legislature to advocate for our members and industry. And while this administration did not build or design this building, it remains our Association’s greatest physical asset, and it is our responsibility to maintain it and plan for its future upkeep and maintenance for future generations of REALTOR® members.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if we can be of assistance to you, or answer any questions you may have about any of this information. Thank you for everything you do for our Association and in your communities. God bless you and your families.
 

Warm regards,  

Slade McElroy
2021 President
Alabama Association of REALTORS®