Tuesday was a busy day at the Fall Business Meetings in Oak Brook as members were involved in both closed committee meetings and open forums, including the new Broker Engagement Forum and Luncheon.

The Broker Engagement Forum kicked off with Laurie Murphy, IDFPR Director of Division of Real Estate, who spoke about a number of topics, including new IDFPR resources on the horizon for REALTORS® and increases in the percentage of real estate licenses during the last year. “I’m glad to see the real estate profession is growing, and hopefully, we’ll continue to see this trend,” she said.

In another segment, Katie Johnson, NAR General Counsel and Chief Member Experience Officer, and Betsy Urbance, Illinois REALTORS® General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Services, spoke about a number of issues, including pending national lawsuits and the January 2023 change in Illinois law making “source of income” a protected class.

Mike Ford, NAR REALTORS® Relief Foundation President, thanked Illinois REALTORS® for their generous support of natural disaster victims through the foundation, and he urged them to continue that tradition. Ford presented Michael D. Oldenettel, Ed Neaves and CEO Jeff Baker with special recognition for their support, presenting each with framed, wooden replicas of the American flag inscribed with the words: “Thank you for your continued support of the REALTORS® Relief Foundation.”

Manager of State Government Affairs Jim Clayton gave a brief report on the association’s mission to eliminate bias in property valuation, NAR Political Representative Patrick Wohl provided some national political analysis as a preview of the November elections and Business Issues Forum Chair Brian Kwilosz and Vice Chair Jayme Ahlden Fay reviewed marketing dos and don’ts to help brokers protect their businesses.

Director of Professional Standards Becky Carraher and Ethics and Legal Services Manager Mindie Nesch led members through an analysis of several hypothetical Code of Ethics complaints during a Professional Standards Interactive session, while the Finance Committee held a closed meeting.

Tonight, at the Inaugural Gala and REEF Benefit, 2023 Illinois REALTORS® President Michael Gobber will be installed, along with 2023 President-elect Matt Silver, 2023 Treasurer Tommy Choi and the incoming 2023 committee members.

Activity began Monday with closed meetings.