State Candidate Questionnaire

Name

Office Sought

Party Affiliation

District

Cell Phone Number

Email Address

Occupation

Home Street Address/City/State/Zip

Name of Candidate Committee

Campaign Office Street Address/City/State/Zip

Campaign Website

Campaign Manager

Campaign Treasurer

Previous Public Office Held

Previous Public Office Sought

How many volunteers are actively involved right now in your campaign?

If you have a primary, how much do you anticipate spending in the primary election? How much do you anticipate spending in the general election?

As of your last campaign filing, how much has your campaign raised and how much cash does your campaign have on hand?

List endorsements from other organizations you have received to date:

How much will/have you personally contributed to your campaign?

Would you welcome financial support and/or endorsement of the REALTORS Association (RPAC)? If yes, do you have a maximum amount (other than established limits) that you will accept from any single contributor or PAC?

Are any of your family, friends, or business associates REALTOR® members? If yes, what are the names of your top three go-to REALTOR® professionals?

Describe the history and current status of your electoral contest and your campaign.

Why should REALTORS support you?

1. If elected, or re-elected, what will be your top priorities?

2. Michigan continues to face a significant housing shortage. Recent estimates indicate the state needs more than 115,000 additional housing units to meet demand. Limited housing supply contributes to rising home prices, higher rents, reduced affordability, and fewer opportunities for families to enter the housing market. Local zoning regulations can significantly affect the cost and availability of housing. In many communities, restrictive zoning policies limit housing types, density, and development flexibility, which can increase construction costs and reduce housing supply. Do you believe Michigan should pursue reasonable statewide zoning reforms to encourage housing development and reduce local obstacles to housing? How would you balance local authority with the need to increase housing supply statewide?

3. As housing affordability challenges continue, there are legislative proposals aimed at placing additional mandates on housing providers and landlords. Examples include restrictions on tenant screening tools such as credit checks or criminal background checks, capping necessary fees, creating eviction restrictions. These mandates do not create new housing and significantly impact a property owners’ ability operate, especially mom and pop landlords with few properties. Do you believe that the Michigan’s housing shortage can be solved by these mandates?

4. Rent control policies place government limits on the amount a housing provider can charge for rent. Economists widely agree that Rent Control reduces the quantity and quality of available housing, especially in the supply of low to midrange units. Since the 1980s, Michigan law has prohibited local rent control ordinances. What is your opinion on rent control?

5. Proposal A of 1994 significantly changed Michigan’s property tax system by capping annual increases in taxable value at the rate of inflation or 5 percent, whichever is lower. When a property is sold, the taxable value is “uncapped,” and the new owner pays taxes based on the current market value of the property. This is commonly referred to as the “pop-up tax.” This system effects buyers that face a large property tax increase once their new property is uncapped, and effects sellers as a disincentive to move because of their current lower property tax bill. What are your thoughts on Proposal A? Do you support any changes to the state’s property tax structure, such as pop-up relief?

6. There are current discussions in Lansing regarding expanding Michigan’s sales tax to include “luxury” services. Do you support expanding the sales tax to services? Do you believe that residential and commercial real estate services are necessities or luxuries?

7. LARA administers licenses for more than 60,000 real estate brokers, salespersons, and appraisers in Michigan. As a regulated industry, REALTORS® regularly engage with the Department on licensing issues to protect consumers and maintain professional standards. Do you believe professional licensing provides value to consumers and the marketplace, or do you believe it creates barriers to entry for workers in Michigan?

8. Michigan’s real estate professionals primarily operate as independent contractors. Independent contractor status allows REALTORS® to operate their own businesses, build their own brands, and maintain flexible schedules. Current licensing law recognizes the relationship between a broker and a salesperson as an independent contractor relationship with supervision requirements. Legislation has been introduced at both the state and federal level to create new tests to determine whether workers should be classified as employees or independent contractors. Do you support legislation that changes how independent contractor status is determined? If so, should exceptions exist for industries such as real estate?

9. Short-term rentals have existed in Michigan for generations and allow property owners to make a little income, own second homes, and support tourism throughout the state. In recent years, some local governments have used zoning ordinances to ban or severely restrict short-term rentals. Should local governments be allowed to use zoning to ban the rental of a residential property on a short-term basis (less than 28 days)? Do you support a statewide framework that: 1) protects property owners’ ability to rent 2) allow for registration and local enforcement of health and safety regulations 3) Creates tax parity between short-term rentals and traditional lodging facilities?

10. Michigan currently requires the Seller Disclosure Form in most residential transactions. This form allows sellers to communicate known conditions of the property to buyers before a sale. Michigan REALTORS® support the use of this form along with voluntary professional inspections negotiated between buyers and sellers. Government-mandated inspections and testing can add significant costs and delays to a transaction and may even prevent the transfer of property. Would you support or oppose government-mandated inspections at the time a home is sold for items such as energy efficiency or lead paint, that would potentially prevent the transfer of property based on a property’s condition? of a well or septic system?

11. Michigan remains the only state in the nation without a statewide septic code and water quality is an important issue. Across the state, REALTORS® and the public deal with a variety of local septic ordinances. There is no uniformity in inspections, definition of failure, or enforcement. Some local ordinances rely solely on inspections at the time of sale or transfer, which can hamper buyers and sellers. Further, point of sale only inspects those properties that transfer ownership, ignoring those that have had the same owner for many years. In addition, new alternative technologies are available in the market that produce cleaner output and allow for more dense development. Local governments have been slow to approve these technologies despite their proven success. Would you support or oppose the creation of a statewide septic code to create uniformity in regulation of septic systems including statewide approval of alternative septic systems?