To call 2020 a tumultuous year would be an understatement. Earlier this year, our entire industry was faced with an unprecedented crisis, and our association came together to get real estate moving again. Statewide, members sent more than 12,000 letters and made more than 24,000 phone calls to the Governor in support of HB 2412, a bill that was introduced by PAR Past President Todd Polinchock. Thanks to your efforts, and to the around-the-clock lobbying from PAR, we got in-person real estate services resumed. Pennsylvania was the last state to make real estate essential, but it would have taken longer without your efforts.
With all that said, we are not out of the woods yet. Although we are all glad to be back at work, we are still facing several issues now or in the very near future. The COVID crisis never went away for those who are still waiting weeks for the real estate commission to activate – or reactivate – their license. It never went away for the landlord and tenant who are facing a 10+ months backlog of overdue rent, as our State and Federal Governments ordered eviction mandates without a way to pay for or ease us out of it. Even after we can safely put away the masks and get rid of the colored phases, we will be dealing with the ramifications of this pandemic for a while longer.
COVID is not the only issue we have been dealing with throughout 2020 that is all but guaranteed to continue into 2021. Housing inventory remains at an all-time low, and our low new housing construction numbers over the past few years have been exacerbated by the pandemic and by rising lumber costs. We have been leading those discussions here Berks County and organizing meetings with municipal planners, County leadership, and developers to find ways to incentivize new home construction (or at least, not get in the way of it).
Development within the City of Reading could be another source of housing growth. A recent study by consultants for Reading’s Downtown Improvement District showed that nearly 2/3rds of downtown properties are tax exempt, many because they are owned by redevelopment authorities or by the City itself. These properties not only represent missed tax revenue for the City as it fights to exit Act 47, but they also represent missed opportunities for economic development and for new housing options. This year, we successfully pushed for zoning changes to legalize studio apartments in Reading’s downtown core, but all the zoning changes in the world won’t help until these properties are put into the hands of developers who know what to do with them.
As 2020 has proven time and again, it matters who we put into office. I am sure that the word “election” is the last thing anyone wants to hear when talking about the end of this year. But elections happen every year, not every 4 years. If you live in a township with a property transfer inspection ordinance, run for office and get it repealed. If you are unhappy with the decisions made by your local school board, or disappointed with the overall district performance, run for school board director. The people we put on local boards and councils in "off-election" years hold tremendous influence over the future of their communities and the local real estate market. As REALTORS®, your clients trust you because you have the market knowledge required to represent them better than they could represent themselves. How is that any different than what we ask our elected officials to do?