When the Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS® needs to get information in front of the residents, consumers, and voters in the area it serves, it has a tried-and-true method: producing a special editorial supplement in two widely read regional magazines. Last year, in an effort to persuade elected officials in local jurisdictions to develop homebuyer initiatives like down payment assistance programs, it reached readers again by partnering with the magazines. The resulting ‘Demystifying the Homebuying Process’ campaign was made possible by a Consumer Advocacy Outreach Grant from the REALTOR® Party.
Jamie McMillen, ACAR’s Vice President of Government Affairs, explains that the effort had two goals: to provide a high-level overview of the road to homeownership, and to generate public support for local government creating an assistance-mechanism for those struggling to save for a down payment. “There are plenty of federal and state programs, but they are tied to an income threshold,” she says. “Thanks to a study we commissioned in 2020 that was supported by NAR, we know that there’s a growing segment of people in our region making more than that threshold, but still unable to save for a house in a timely, meaningful way. And, of course, it’s not just a down payment: they’ll need money for closing costs, and, often, they’ll need more for repairs. We’re trying to motivate local governments to come up with tools to break down these very real barriers. It’s a complex and challenging task, so our message in the magazines was: let your elected officials know you’d appreciate this kind of assistance, and until we can find a formula to implement, share, and replicate, here are some programs that can help.”
The engaging 8-page special supplements appeared in the popular “Best of” edition of Cleveland Magazine and in Akron Life (combined readership of more than 300,000 and 59,000 followers on Instagram.) Having worked together on several such projects, says McMillen, the REALTORS® and Great Lakes Publishing have developed a smooth and productive working relationship. “They understand our advocacy goals, and what we’re trying to do for the community, and that makes each campaign even easier.” The magazine inserts, she notes, have the added benefit of being a nice, polished leave-behind for meetings with clients, partners, and officials.
This time around, the publisher’s copywriter interviewed four REALTOR® members, each familiar with a different kind of barrier to the homebuying process. In the insert, they explain their role as REALTORS® and discuss various assistance programs available. “Our aim was to showcase the value of the REALTOR®,” says McMillen, “and show that we do this every day: it’s not without challenges, but it can be done.”
The outreach is clearly helping the association to tell its story and increase homeownership in northeastern Ohio, states McMillen. “I love the REALTOR® Party’s programs, and the more we do, the more I see how the results can work together to support our goals. In this case, five years ago, we received a grant for an economic analysis of Akron that revealed that more than half its residents were housing cost burdened and were therefore unable to save for a downpayment; that information, in turn, has been supporting the outreach advocacy we do with grants from a different REALTOR® Party program – like these editorial inserts.”
To learn more about how the Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS® is working to reach consumers with information about the homebuying process and helpful resources, contact Jamie McMillen, VP, Government Affairs, at jmcmillen@akronclevelandrealtors.com or 216.525.4834. To see the association’s latest magazine insert, visit: https://issuu.com/greatlakespublishing/docs/acar2023?fr=sMGNiYTYzMDMzMTk
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