March GAAR President Update: Member Representation, Policy Changes, and Realtor Fund Grant Applications Opening

In his March update, Chris Venegas, 2026 President of the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS®, shared exciting updates that will propel GAAR through the coming year.

Venegas announced the launch of the new Government Affairs Committee and thanked the Government Affairs Taskforce in laying the groundwork for the committee. The full scope of the committee, as well as its inaugural chair and members will be announced soon.

The GAAR Staff Guide also received several updates, including the addition of two nationally observed holidays, Juneteenth and Veteran's Day, as well as a floating holiday that staff can use to observe a cultural or religious holiday that may not be nationally recognized, such as Indigenous Peoples' Day or Ash Wednesday.

A new round of policy updates is also underway as part of GAAR's ongoing commitment to strong governance and organizational excellence. Those updates are currently being reviewed and refined, and they will be under consideration in the coming month.

Lastly, Venegas announced that registration for the annual Golf Tournament will be opening on April 1st, as well the applications for the $45,000 Realtor Fund Grant.