Do you hear the engine revving? The NAR Home Ownership Matters Bus Tour is taking off for Atlanta this weekend to kick off the second leg of our bus tour. From Atlanta, we’ll travel the U.S. discussing the value of home ownership with the media, REALTORS® and consumers until we roll into the Annual Conference in Anaheim, November 11 – 14th.
I can’t express to you enough how vital it is that we continue to sound the message that Home Ownership Matters “to people, to communities and to America.” I’ve been working in real estate for over 25 years. Never have I seen the confluence of challenges that REALTORS® have faced in the last three years.
Our clients are having a hard time getting loans. Lenders aren’t giving us a yay or nay on a short sale. The National Flood Insurance Program is set to expire on September 30th. That’s going to start holding up closings this month (so please answer the Call for Action!).
The challenges are plentiful. One way to ensure that we get the help we need to create a safe, well-functioning, healthy real estate market is to start talking. That’s why the Home Ownership Matters bus tour is designed to talk to local leaders, prospective home buyers and the media about how best to protect our industry so all responsible Americans have the opportunity to buy into the dream of home ownership.
During the last leg of the bus tour in March, we reached 27.3 million consumers through media coverage. That would have cost us $3.95 million if we had to pay for it.
Thousands of consumers came out to our bus tour events to learn more about the value of home ownership. We saw a 350 percent increase in weekly visits on our Home Ownership Matters Facebook page. Five thousand additional people visited HouseLogic.com. Two thousand members attended REALTOR® Town Halls and bus tour events in 13 states.
I can’t wait to see the progress we’ll make on this leg of the tour this summer and fall. We’ll be in Atlanta on July 16, at Atlantic Station from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please come out and visit with us. Tell your clients to come out as well. They just might leave with a Lowe’s gift card in hand.
Check Realtor.org/BusTour for more information and future bus tour stops.
The future of our industry rests in our hands. I’m glad we’re getting back on the road to start talking! – Vince Malta, 2011 NAR Vice President and Liaison to Government Affairs
I’ve lived my whole life by the Missouri River in Columbia, Missouri. Whenever I return from out of town, I see the beautiful river, and I know I’m home.
In June, the Missouri River flooded causing residents in four states to run for cover. Today, 4,000 homeowners in North Dakota are grieving the loss and damage to their homes from the Souris River flooding.
Right now, Congress is debating whether to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which expires on September 30th. Markets in many areas will come to a complete standstill unless this program gets reauthorized.
This is the tenth time in three years NFIP has been set to expire. NAR fully supports reauthorizing NFIP for five years. It’s time we stop the band-aid approach and give it a long-term extension.
We’ve posted a Call for Action on RealtorActionCenter.com telling Congress to act now to reauthorize this program before it expires. As you watch the footage of flooding victims on television and wonder how you can help, this is what you can do: Answer the Call to Action and flood members of Congress with letters on this issue.
North Dakota REALTOR® Greg Larson’s message about the floods affecting his property really hit home.
Do you know what happens every time the NFIP deadline nears? Lenders stall closings, adding more uncertainty to our already tentative marketplace. Maintaining available and affordable flood insurance for all Americans is vital to keeping the market running smoothly.
While many think flood insurance is just for beach property, 98 percent of homes covered by NFIP are actually inland. Check out some other myths and facts about flood insurance here. I think one of the most important points is that NFIP doesn’t spend taxpayer dollars. It actually makes money for the government by charging interest.
This is a nationwide issue, and it requires a nationwide response. Please take two minutes and answer the Call for Action. When you do, you’ll be standing up for consumers all over the country who need flood insurance to close on their American Dream. – Elizabeth Mendenhall, 2011 NAR Vice President and Liaison to Committees.
REALTORS® banned them in Arizona, Montana and in my home-state of Missouri. Now we’re taking the state transfer tax battle down south, to ban transfer taxes in Louisiana.
As a passionate anti-transfer tax advocate, I was happy to help Louisiana REALTORS® kick off their campaign last week at the Louisiana REALTOR® Action Spring Conference. The goal is to get this issue on the ballot in November so Louisianans can decide to do away with these taxes that add zero value to our industry and put home ownership further out of reach for middle-income Americans.
State transfer taxes are taxes paid to the state when property changes hands. NAR is officially opposed to these taxes that essentially “double tax” home owners who already pay property taxes.
Right now 36 states plus the District of Columbia impose these taxes on residents. I’m proud Louisiana is being proactive and working to ban them before they get on the books.
NAR is supporting Louisiana’s campaign through the Issues Mobilization Program. The dues increase passed by the NAR Board of Directors at the Midyear Meetings in May will help strengthen this program so more associations can launch and win campaigns like these.
Good luck, Louisiana! NAR is on your side as you create a strong real estate future in the Pelican State. – Elizabeth Mendenhall, 2011 NAR Vice President and Liaison to Committees
