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| This is the Metro South Association of Realtors(r). I am on the left in fourth row next to railing. Altogether, there were over 750 Realtors(r). |
Did you know that thanks to Realtors(r), the Association was instrumental in having HB 872 passed that provides a mechanism to track the sale of metals? The bill provides that if someone sells copper (or other metals) they must either have a license as an HVAC contractor or must show a receipt for a new HVAC system (thus necessitating the disposal of the old system). There is still more work to do. We are asking our area legislators to fund the bill - we need the budget to have an appropriation for $150,000 to be able to track the sales of these metals. Stand up and be heard. Let your legislators know this is important.
As homeowners (and owners of more than one rental property), we have had units stolen three times - that's a lot. Who wants to go through the hastle of having a stolen hvac unit replaced?
As a Realtor(r), I have had my share of stolen pipes and hvac units to deal with on vacant homes that were vandalized. So, get behind this measure and let your representative know how important it is to fund the bill so it can work as intended.
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| water heater closet smashed to find pipes |
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| copper pipes cut off water heater |
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| Wall adjacent to bath damaged to get a skinny pipe out of the wall |
There is another bill coming up relating to solar panels and who has the right to install solar panels and whether someone's desire to install the panels trumps HOA covenants and ownership. By ownership, I mean, should a tenant have the ability to install panels without the owner's consent. The way the bill is currently written, it trumps private property rights.
It was a great day and filled with information.
We learned from the Speaker of the House that there were 218,000 jobs created last year in the private sector. Also, the Port of Savannah will be widened and deepened allowing bigger ships to be serviced at that port. This will definitely boost the importance of this Port in the South. Stacie Abrahms, the House Minority Leader, stated that we are a "Business Friendly State", but that we Realtors(r) make it a Family Friendly State.
Lastly, we heard from NAR's Chief Economist, Lawrence Yung, that homeownership is at an all time low. We need to get out and educate people as to the benefits of home ownership. That was echoed by one of our representatives. In this particular corner of Clayton County, the representative stated that many people don't know the steps to take to buy a home. Homeownership is important for many reasons. One fact that Mr. Yung brought out is that the net worth of homeowners vs. renters is approximately $200,000 for homeowners vs $4,000 for renters.
We also learned that of all the real estate transactions done last year (2013), 86% were done by real estate practitioners who are proud to call themselves Realtors(r). As your South Metro Atlanta Realtor(r), I would be happy to help you with seller and buyer representation. Call me, I'm here to help. There are no stupid questions. If I don't know, I will find out.
