Pamela Krieter

Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® (MORe) decided to challenge the Calumet City ordinance because one of our roles is to advocate on behalf of the rights of property owners. Specifically, we believe that we must work to protect the right of property owners to buy and sell their property without undue burden. Our hope is that our association – and REALTORS® generally – can work cooperatively with local municipal officials to ensure that local ordinances respect property owners’ rights as well as serve the public interest. We are disappointed that the homeowner’s legal fees were not reimbursed, because we believe she acted in good faith at all stages of trying to sell her property. Because the courts did not rule on the actual legality of the ordinance, we are concerned that other sellers could face the same prospect of being deprived of their rights to sell their property. We will continue to monitor this type of situation in Calumet City and other communities to ensure that property owners’ rights are upheld. We encourage property owners and REALTORS® to let us know when a regulation is enacted that may infringe on the rights of the property owner. And, we would like for elected leaders and municipal officials to know that MORe is a resource when they are considering ordinances and regulations that relate to property owners.