Local Political Coordinators (LPCs)
are NEAR members who serve as stewards in their municipality on emerging issues
impacting real estate, homeowners, and private property rights. Those
experienced in civic life and novices alike are both welcome, with training and
support offered.
Why
me?
Civic engagement is good for business!
- When you’re knowledgeable about what is going on in town you’ll add to your credibility as a REALTOR®. You can give a buyer the inside scoop on improvements to the local park, where a new bike trail is going in, or how a new zoning bylaw will allow them to build an accessory dwelling unit.
- If your listing agent forgot to schedule that fire inspection, you can keep your buyer on track to close by tapping into relationships you’ve built with the fire inspector and inside the town hall.
- Get referrals from movers and shakers in your town.
What do I need to do?
- Become familiar with your community and stay informed of municipal news.
- ‘Like’ your community’s Facebook page, sign up for their e-newsletter, and create a Google alert.
- Build relationships within municipal government.
- Network at community events.
- When an issue arises, alert the Program Liaison.
- Use Issue Assessment worksheet to get issues specifics, assess the impact, and determine its viability.
- When asked by the Program Liaison, take action, such as speaking to elected officials or testifying at a hearing. (Your liaison will provide you with “talking points” and training.)
How does it work?
- Once you join the LPC Program, you’ll be assigned a liaison, who will provide you with training materials, worksheets, and cheat sheets to make integrating the program into your busy schedule as easy as possible – OR – you may take the training on your own and be assigned a liaison after completing the training.
- You’ll be asked to take certain information-gather steps, as outlined above. Once you get the details to your liaison, NEAR leadership will determine its position with consultation from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® government affairs staff. They may decide to stay neutral, support, oppose, or suggest amendments to the proposal.
- Sometimes they’ll handle the issue Administratively, but occasionally you may be asked to testify or contact decision-makers. The Association will provide you with everything you need to be successful.