Federal Paycheck Protection Program is extended through August 8
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The United States Congress last week cleared legislation extending the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), popular with REALTORS®, and President Trump signed the measure over the weekend.
Created by the CARES Act in March, PPP offers forgivable loans for small businesses to pay expenses and keep workers on the payroll. Loans are also available to independent contractors.
The subsidies come as federal loans, but those loans can be forgiven if businesses use at least 60 percent of the funds for payroll.
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Preparedness Plans are now required to be in place
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In accordance with Minnesota’s “Stay Safe” phase of the COVID-19 pandemic all businesses, including real estate brokerages, are required to adopt a Preparedness Plan.
In addition, information shared by Minnesota Realtors
®
in a webinar today that addresses preparedness planning can be found
here
in the pre-recorded webinars section.
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SPAAR partners with area Associations to assist Minneapolis, Saint Paul and surrounding communities
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SPAAR continues to work in collaboration with Minnesota Realtors® and Minneapolis Area REALTORS® in response to the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
In doing so, SPAAR is sharing opportunities for members who are interested to volunteer in short, medium and long-term rebuilding efforts. In addition, there are resources listed to educate about racial injustice in our communities, information about how to donate goods or funds as well as how to engage in actions that bring about necessary change.
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Last week to apply for a seat on the 2021 SPAAR Board of Directors
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Have you ever thought about getting involved in the Board of Directors at the Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS®?
SPAAR's 2020 Nominating Committee is looking to fill three director positions for 2021. The position is a three-year term and directors are asked to make attendance a priority for all Board meetings, which typically occur once a month.
SPAAR is also accepting applications for its three officer positions: treasurer, president-elect and president.
What are benefits of serving as a director or officer of SPAAR?
As a Board Member you'll have:
- Opportunities to both learn from and teach others
- Direct involvement in decisions that impact the Association
- A broader professional network of members as well as community and civic leaders
- New experiences that develop professional and personal skills
- Social opportunities that often lead to lasting friendships
All candidates must have been a member of the Association for one year prior to the date of the nomination and must be a REALTOR® member in good standing with no ethics violations within the past year.
If you are interested in applying for a Board position,
complete the application form here
on or before
Friday, July 10, 2020. Questions? Contact Tracey Douglas at tdouglas@spaar.com.
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REALTORS® Charitable Foundation announces 2020 grant recipients
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SPAAR’s REALTORS® Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its grants totaling $100,000 to further its mission of building better communities. These designated funds of the annual grant program are evaluated based on one or more focus areas including advocacy, community engagement, professional development and communications, also known as the four pillars of SPAAR, intended to help create Better Agents and Better Communities.
The 2020 grant recipients are:
- University of Minnesota and its Mapping Prejudice Project in partnership with SPAAR’s Diversity Committee. Mapping Prejudice will receive $50,000.
- Housing First Minnesota Foundation, and its North St. Paul Project that will result in a transitional living residence for homeless Veteran families and individuals. Housing First Minnesota Foundation will receive $25,000.
- Safe Summer Nights, Inc., a program that supports food and supplies for events that bring the St. Paul police together with the communities they serve, including individuals and families in need of a meal. Safe Summer Nights will receive $25,000.
Congratulations to Mapping Prejudice, Housing First Minnesota Foundation and Safe Summer Nights!
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Will there be a complete housing sales recovery by year-end?
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Currently, the number of showings across the country is equal to or exceeding showings on the same date a year ago, according to the ShowingTime Index, as reported in an article by Steve Murray in Real Trends. When the ShowingTime Index started trending up in most markets in early April, it rightly predicted the strong return of written contracts that have taken place since mid-April.
During the end of March and early April, written contracts predicted a substantial decline in closed sales for late April and May. The level of closings in the period from mid-May through the end of June will be off from where they were a year ago by a smaller amount than any forecasters thought just a month ago. If the Spring surge continues for another month, July and August may be down about the same level.
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Weekly safety tips as provided by SPAAR and its members
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SPAARky says:
With the summer season upon us, many Minnesotans are headed outside to be on the lake or river and in the pool, enjoying time with family and friends.
As everyone prepares to spend time in the water, it's important to practice water safety. Now is a great time to take a few minutes to
review safe water practices
and the multitude of resources available to you through the Red Cross.
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What is your #1 safety tip to share?
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Please share your safety tip and provide your name and email by sending an email to Jennifer at jkovacich@spaar.com. Member safety tips will be shared in future issues of eNews. Thank you to all who have submitted one or more safety tips. Keep them coming!
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Saint Paul Tenant Protections (SAFE) Ordinance update
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Saint Paul’s SAFE Ordinance will be voted on by the City Council at its meeting on Wednesday. The proposed ordinance was sponsored by four councilmembers. Many nonprofits and community organizations have voiced support for the ordinance. SPAAR has advocated for amendments to the ordinance because of likely impacts on property rights. SPAAR Advocacy staff has lobbied councilmembers to consider impacts on property investment and effects on availability of rental units.
At the July 1 City Council meeting, the Saint Paul City Council voted to amend the Tenant Protections Ordinance to include all rental properties into the Advance Notice of Sale definition, which already included multiple-family rental housing buildings “where at least twenty (20) percent of the units rent for an amount that is affordable at no more than thirty (30) percent of income to households at or below eighty (80) percent of area median income".
If passed, the effective date for the amended ordinance will be March 1, 2021.
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SPAAR serving on committee for Rice Street Visioning Study
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SPAAR is serving on the Economic Development and Transportation Committee for the Rice Street Visioning Study. The vision of the Alliance is to make the area a safe, engaging and inviting neighborhood center. SPAAR is serving as a member and advisor on matters that are of interest to Realtors® in the community such as grant allocation, development updates and increase in efficient transportation.
Rice Street is a mixed-use corridor, which means it blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional and entertainment uses into one space.
New resources are available with an in-depth look at the people, neighborhoods, history, culture, businesses and jobs along Rice Street
;
click here to learn more
about the primary users of the area, which will provide a better understanding of the people using Rice Street and their needs.
To learn more about SPAAR’s involvement, contact Becky Wegscheid at
bwegscheid@spaar.com
or Joe McKinley at jmckinley@spaar.com.
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Housing Market Statistics
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Get up-to-date housing market information here. SPAAR provides four different types of reports so you can offer your clients the most accurate housing data available. Click below to see how the market is doing:
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Follow SPAAR on social media today
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Join SPAAR's Facebook group for members only
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Check out the SPAAR Facebook page created specifically for members
here
.
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We welcome your photos!
SPAAR's New Member Orientation (NMO) has moved online during this time of COVID-19.
If you've taken part in a virtual NMO session and have a picture of yourself in class, please email it to Luke Fleck at lfleck@spaar.com. Thank you and welcome to SPAAR!
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