Columbus (OH) Board’s Campaign Wins Respect of City Council, But Not Enough Votes to Elect REALTOR® Champion
“We may have lost the race,” says Government Affairs Director Gavin Blair of the Columbus Board of REALTORS®, “but we are in a much stronger position now than before we ran it.” The November 2011 election presented an opportunity to try to add a REALTOR® -friendly member to the Columbus...
Arcadia (CA) REALTORS® Put Facebook to Work in City Council Election Victory
John Wuo, the Arcadia Association of REALTORS® champion, was a candidate who seemed to have it all: a successful and well-rounded business career; a thriving real estate office; a list of impressive board memberships and volunteer activities longer than his arm; two terms on the Arcadia City...
Kansas REALTORS® Save Mortgage Interest Deduction for State’s Itemizers
Late in the spring of 2012, in a heated and hard-fought legislative session rivaling any political intrigue that happens in Washington, the citizens of Kansas retained their ability to claim itemized tax deductions on their state tax returns, most notably their Mortgage Interest Deductions. The...
Ada County (ID) REALTORS® Bring Housing Opportunities to Life in Idaho
The 3,000-member Ada County Association of REALTORS® (ACAR) first used an NAR Ira Gribin Grant to develop a three-pronged housing assistance program it called Welcome Home Idaho -- providing down payment assistance for working families; zero-percent loans to help with fees and interest; and...
Hilton Head (SC) REALTORS® Partner With Mayor for Balanced Land Management
In the lovely resort town of Hilton Head, South Carolina, the natural environment is carefully protected, and the built environment is subject to strict regulations. But its low-key commercial areas were in need of polishing. The 850-member Hilton Head Area Association of REALTORS® worked with the...
Marin Association’s Housing Turnover Index Proves Worthy of NAR Game Changer Grant
The lobbying strategy of the Marin Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reflects Benjamin Franklin’s advice that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Four years ago, MAR initiated a lobbying campaign to advocate fair and equitable alternatives to onerous point-of-sale retrofit mandates....
Southern Maryland REALTORS® Partner With Local College to Boost Financial Literacy
The 1,400-member Southern Maryland Association of Realtors® (SMAR) received a $5,000 NAR Housing Opportunity Program Grant to partner with the College of Southern Maryland to present Money Smart. This free event offered sound financial advice in tough economic times. Industry experts presented...
Missoula REALTORS® Work with Mayor to Promote Workforce Housing
Land is at a premium in Missoula, Montana, which is situated in a picturesque valley at the convergence of five mountain ranges. This stunning topography imposes natural limits on development options for housing – or anything else. It also means that workers who cannot afford to live in the city...
Washington State REALTORS® Score Victory in Edmonds Mayor’s Race
Seven months before the recent mayoral race in Edmonds, Washington, the REALTOR® candidate was trailing by about 11 points in the polls. Reaching out to NAR’s Campaign Services Department, the state association developed a plan and secured the support they needed. REALTOR® Champion Dave...
Michigan REALTORS® Create “Sense of Place” in Workforce Housing
When the Michigan Association of REALTORS® (MAR) received an Ira Gribin grant from NAR a few years back, it funded a statewide initiative to study the benefits of placemaking in workforce housing. “As REALTORS®, we have been all about land use planning for a long time, but now we clearly need...