ATTENTION THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ON AUTO-PAY FOR YOUR MONTHLY MLS FEES:

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1 Jackson County Office: 629 Franquette Street, Medford, Oregon Josephine County Office: 900 SE 8 th Street Ste 100, Grants Pass, OR Phone: (541) Website: roguevalleyrealtors.org May 31, 2016 We know this is a long letter, but this packet contains very important information about the annual dues billing, so please make sure to read it in its entirety. Yes, it s that time of year again. Annual dues invoice(s) for will arrive in your this Friday, June 3 rd. The REALTOR Dues are $ and include: $ National Association of REALTORS ; $ Oregon Association of REALTORS ; and $ Rogue Valley Association of REALTORS. The OAR portion of the dues increased by $ Please see the enclosed flyer for more information. The invoice will also show a $50.00 additional voluntary PAC investment for a total amount of $ The invoices will be ed directly to each of you (unless you have let us know previously that you prefer a hard copy via US Mail). If you do not receive an with your dues invoice by Monday, June 6 th, please contact us. Annual Dues payments in full can be made online by clicking on the link in the you ll receive on Friday or by logging in at and clicking on Make a Payment in the top left menu bar. If payment is made online, the first screen shows the entire amount, including the additional voluntary PAC amount, then the second screen gives you the opportunity to either increase or decrease the PAC amount. If payment is NOT made online, the following should be submitted to the RVAR office either in person or via US Mail: 1. a printed copy of the invoice (link to it will be in the ) and 2. the payment (cash, check made payable to RVAR, or a credit/debit card if sending by mail a card authorization is attached for your convenience) If you want to use the installment payment option, you must contact the RVAR office to be set up on the installment payment option. You can make the payment with any acceptable payment type (credit or debit card, check, or cash), but it has to be done through the RVAR office, so that we can make adjustments to your record and keep the system from automatically charging you the $50.00 reinstatement fee on July 16 th. The installment option is three equal payments of $ with the first payment due by July 1 st ; the second payment is due September 15 th ; and the final payment is due December 15 th. Each payment includes a $10.00 installment fee. ATTENTION THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ON AUTO-PAY FOR YOUR MONTHLY MLS FEES: If you are set up on auto-pay for your monthly MLS fees or miscellaneous RVAR charges, please note that authorization to charge your card does not apply to annual dues and if you want your annual dues charged to the card on file, YOU MUST CONTACT US and let us know. All dues are due and payable on or before July 1, Payment in full or the first installment payment MUST be received by July 15, 2016, or you will be subject to suspension (RVAR Bylaws, Article X, Section 4) and a $50.00 reinstatement fee. If you are not planning to renew your membership, it is very important that you submit a Member Change Form by July 15 th. If you do not submit the form and you later choose to reactivate your membership, we are required to charge you a full year s dues no matter when you reactivate. If you submit the form and later choose to reactivate your membership, we are able to pro-rate the dues from the time you reactivate. The same suspension and reinstatement fee rule will also apply if the second and third installment payments (due 9/15 & 12/15 respectively) are not paid by the grace period deadlines dates (September 30 th and December 30 th ). If you have any questions, please contact us ( or info@roguevalleyrealtors.org). Your RVAR/SOMLS Staff

2 Stronger Together RPAC is now 14,000 times MORE POWERFUL Bigger, better, faster, stronger the new REALTORS Political Action Committee now has the power of over 14,000 members behind it. A force to be reckoned with! RPAC supports REALTOR -friendly candidates at the local, state, and national levels who will fight for the real estate industry and private property rights for you and your clients. Those political allies then help us to do critical things like:» Protect the Oregon Mortgage Interest Deduction» Continue to defend the ban on transfer taxes» Prevent taxes on services» Make our land use system more accessible to every Oregonian There are real threats to our industry in every legislative session. This stable source of funding will allow us to effectively compete with other well-funded political organizations with opposing legislative objectives. We truly are STRONGER TOGETHER. Thank you for your support!

3 Protecting your piece of Oregon. FAQ: 2016 Dues Increase Summary The Board of Directors approved a $50 dues increase that will become effective January 1, The $50 increase will be initially dedicated to bolstering our advocacy for the years to come. The $50 will go to the REALTORS Political Action Committee. By default, the $50 will go to RPAC but you have the option to choose to redirect the funds to the OAR Issues Mobilization Fund or the HOME Foundation by sending an to redirect@oregonrealtors.org with your choice once you have paid your bill. RPAC will now start each two-year election cycle with approximately $1 million (counting additional investments, including major investors). This will help OAR to compete with other well-funded political organizations that most often have opposing legislative goals. This initiative ensures equitable support for advocacy across our membership. Why are you increasing dues for RPAC and why now? It is becoming more expensive to be effective in the political arena. As a result of several recent US Supreme Court decisions, money is increasingly important to political success at all levels federal, state, and local. Other Oregon interest groups and PACs are upping the ante by raising and spending millions of dollars on elections and issues. We have identified multiple special interest groups that have resources well in excess of our current capacity. These same special interest groups have routinely introduced ballot measures and bills at the legislature that would impact housing markets and reduce Oregon s Mortgage Interest Deduction. A number of tax proposals that could directly and adversely affect REALTORS and real estate are also already under discussion for the 2016 election year. We need a significantly larger, stable source of additional funding to continue protecting REALTORS clients and the real estate industry with the election and support of REALTOR -friendly legislators. Why are you doing this in the form of a dues increase? RPAC will now start each year with nearly $400,000 for state level candidates, based on 2016 budgeted membership levels of 14,500 full dues paying members and after the local/national split of funds raised. Add that to the $100,000 $200,000 in additional funds we anticipate generating each year from major investors and other investments. This will give OAR approximately $1 million each two-year election cycle which is a sizeable amount that will help us to effectively compete with other well-funded political organizations that most often have opposing legislative goals. In addition, increasing our RPAC portfolio through a dues allocation is a matter of fairness. In the past, fewer than 30% of members have carried the burden of building RPAC s strength, while 100% have benefited. This initiative ensures equitable support for advocacy across our membership. What if I don t want to contribute to the REALTORS Political Action Committee? The $50 dues increase amount is mandatory, but you can redirect your $50 to the Issues Mobilization Fund, which is the fund we use for issue campaigns such as Ballot Measure 79 (banning real estate transfer taxes), or our HOME Foundation, which raises money for affordable housing projects.

4 What if I already invest in RPAC with my local association? You may continue to do so. Remember that 35% of all RPAC funds collected go back to the local associations to use in local campaigns. This increase means even more funding at the local level, which is a good thing! You only donate to Republicans/Democrats. Shouldn t you donate based on the candidate, not the party? RPAC is designed to promote the election of pro- REALTOR candidates regardless of party affiliation. We are the REALTOR Party. We give money to those who understand and support private property rights, real property ownership, strong communities, and a vibrant business environment. We are bipartisan and our contributions reflect our mission. Won t this initiative reduce the number and amount of major investors? We don t think so. Major investors already go above and beyond to support their profession and the industry. They understand the importance of RPAC and likely will continue to invest at a high level. Is this legal? Yes. This model of RPAC billing has been pioneered by several other state REALTOR Associations and it has been very successful in generating more revenue for the PAC and more equitably distributing the investments across the entire membership instead of a few. Didn t you just recently raise dues? No. The last dues increase was effective 4 years ago, in Won t this action put an extra accounting burden on my local association? No. In fact, it makes for easier and faster accounting of PAC contributions. The Local Association Executives support this method of accounting. Won t we lose members if we raise dues? We may lose some members, but based on the experience of other states who have done this, it would be negligible. We lose members every year due to Brokers leaving the business to retire or due to lack of success. If you currently make an annual RPAC investment of $50 or more, this proposed dues increase will not affect you at all. If you would like to contribute more than $50, please give us a call. I don t believe in giving money to political candidates. We consider RPAC contributions to be investments. You are investing in your business and committing to preserve the future of our industry. We re sure you have insurance on your car, home, and business office. Bad legislation passed by Congress, the state legislature, or city council could be just as catastrophic financially as the loss of any of your possessions by fire, theft, or storm. RPAC helps elect officials at the national, state, and local levels who support the free enterprise system and private property rights. I already contribute to political candidates on my own. You can still contribute directly to the candidates of your choice. The dollars you invest in RPAC are pooled with thousands of other investments to support candidates who understand the issues that affect our business. Our ultimate goal is to position RPAC as one of the largest and most influential political advocacy organizations in the state. With your support now, we will be one step closer. Who can I talk to? If you have questions about the 2016 dues increase, RPAC allocation, or redirect you can call the following toll-free number for response. OAR strives to clarify any confusion about the dues increase and will be happy to discuss any issue with you

5 Annual Dues Tax Deductibility and Membership Info A portion of your state dues are allocated for political purposes and are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. Contributions to RPAC are voluntary. The National Association of REALTORS and its state and local associations will not favor or disadvantage any member because of the amount contributed or decision not to contribute. You may refuse to contribute without reprisal. For annual contributions of $1,000 or more, 30% of your contribution will be used to support federal candidates and is charged against your federal limits under 52 U.S.C ORS may provide for a credit against state taxes of up to $50 per individual or $100 per joint return for contributions to political committees. You may choose to redirect $50 of your dues allocated for political purposes to the Oregon Association of REALTORS Issues Mobilization Fund or the Oregon Association of REALTORS HOME Foundation by ing redirect@oregonrealtors.org and specifying your choice. If you have any further questions or concerns, please call The approved policy of the RVAR Board of Directors is that "Requests for dues refunds will not be granted." All dues are due and payable on or before July 1, Payment in full or the first installment payment MUST be received by July 15, 2016, or the unpaid member will be subject to suspension (RVAR Bylaws, Article X, Section 4) and a $50.00 reinstatement fee. If a member is suspended for non-payment and later reactivates, the full-year dues must be paid along with other required reactivation fees regardless of when in the year the reactivation occurs. If a member submits a Member Change Form advising of the inactivation and later reactivates, only pro-rated dues will be charged along with other required reactivation fees. If the unpaid individual is still licensed with the firm as of August 1, 2016, the Designated REALTOR will be billed for the non-member licensee ($ per non-member licensee) per NAR s dues billing formula. The same suspension and reinstatement fee rule and non-member fee potential will also apply if the second and third installment payments (due 9/15 & 12/15 respectively) are not paid by the grace period deadlines dates (September 30th and December 30th). Amounts charged to Designated REALTORS for non-member licensees will be sent to the DR on a separate statement after August 1st (and/or November 1st and/or January 1st if the licensee is on the installment plan and misses a payment). Dues payments are non-deductible as charitable contributions. A portion of such payments may, however, be deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense. $50.00 national, $93.00 state, and $20.00 local ($ total) political/lobbying expenses are not tax deductible. The national dues portion includes a $35.00 mandatory assessment by the National Association of REALTORS of all REALTORS to fund a nationwide public awareness campaign that includes TV network and cable ads highlighting the value a REALTOR brings to a transaction and stressing the importance of using a REALTOR. The entire $35.00 portion of NAR dues related to public awareness qualifies as deductible dues. All REALTORS are required to complete a REALTOR Code of Ethics course every four years. Failure to complete the course during the applicable period will result in suspension until course completion, regardless of the status of dues payment. Suspension of services includes all local association, MLS, state association, and national association services. The current 4-year cycle is January 1, 2013, thru December 31, 2016, so if you have not yet taken Code of Ethics for this cycle you only have a few months left to do so.

6 ANNUAL DUES CREDIT/DEBIT CARD AUTHORIZATION Name: Office Contact Phone and/or FULL PAYMENT: $ PLUS ADDITIONAL PAC $ Other $ INSTALLMENTS: $ on this card first installment only All three installments ($ by July 1 st, $ September 15 th, and $ December 15 th ) PLUS PAC $ Other $ Every installment This time only CARD INFO: Card Type: Visa Mastercard American Express Discover Card on file (if checked skip to Office Use section below) Card Number: Exp Date: Name on Card: Same as above VCode: (3-digit # on back of card) OR Billing Address (Street/PO Box & Zip): Signature (if in person): For office use only: Staff initials If via phone or fax: Date and time of call or fax received If via Date and time sent & address sent from