REALTORSĀ®Ā in Delaware were unfairly subjected to business licensing fees at the municipal level, as well as by the state. Using research to determine how much revenue was at stake, the state association took the results to the legislature via Advocacy Everywhere and face-to-face advocacy. HB 235 was signed into law in July 2019, eliminating municipal licensing for REALTORSĀ®.
Florida REALTORSĀ® Use Game Changer Grant and Market Enthusiasm to Help Welcome Republican National Convention to Tampa Bay
REALTORSĀ® are not shy about capitalizing on opportunity, and the Florida REALTORSĀ® were no different when they found out that the Republican National Convention would be held in their own back yard. The 115,000-member association used a $25,000 NAR Game Changer grant, along with funds of their own, to help welcome the 60,000 delegates, guests, media and elected officials to the Tampa Bay Area. By co-sponsoring a welcome video, as well as a four-day, live web TV broadcast showcasing life and economic opportunity across the state, Florida REALTORSĀ® put marketplace opportunities and homeownership front and center. Association leaders agreed that...
Santa Fe REALTORSĀ® Help Bring New Life ā and Housing ā to āTiredā Commercial Area
Thanks to a Smart Growth Grant from NAR, the Santa Fe Association of REALTORSĀ® (SFAR) is boosting the re-development of a dated and underutilized commercial corridor. Santa Fe REALTORSĀ® could see potential in the mile-and-a-quarter stretch anchored by the Santa Fe University of Art and Design at one end and a hospital at the other end and decided to do something about bringing it to life. SFAR commissioned a Housing Advocacy Study that proposes a vibrant new design for the area -- including up to one thousand housing units. In February 2012, the Santa Fe City Council embraced the plan...
Two Chicago-Area REALTORĀ® Associations Host Housing Expo and Trolley Tour with Housing Opportunity Grant
The City of Aurora, on the west side of Chicago, has been lauded as a highly livable city. It has a strong down-payment assistance program, and plenty of affordable housing -- yet a high percentage of the employees working in Aurora commute from elsewhere. The 15,000-member Mainstreet Organization of REALTORSĀ® and the 1,500-member REALTORĀ® Association of the Fox Valley partnered with the city and local lending institutions to get the word out.
St. Charles County (MO) Association Turns Evening of Fun and Games into Serious RPAC Receipts
Itās not every day that the president of the St. Charles County Association of REALTORSĀ® gets hoisted 15 feet off the ground in the basket of a boom-truck. But thatās what happened September 12, 2012 when the 14,000-member association, launched its annual RPAC fundraising event with a much-anticipated Golf Ball Drop. Members had paid $5 apiece for the 330 marked balls that were dumped overboard. The member whose winning ball landed nearest the target got a prize. A lively auction, dinner and games rounded out the event, which raised more than $18,000 and added nine Major Investors and 11 Major...
Hopkinsville-Christian & Todd County REALTORSĀ® (KY) Showcase Homeownership as a Win-Win for Employers and Employees
Out in western Kentucky, the small but resourceful Hopkinsville-Christian and Todd County Association of REALTORSĀ® understands that the American Dream of homeownership may be a win-win for employers and employees, but that sometimes dreams need a helping hand.
Sun Valley REALTORSĀ® Use Issues Mobilization Grant To Bring More Flights and Business to Local Resort Market
Ever since the world's first chairlift was installed at the Sun Valley Resort in the 1930s, the local economy of this idyllic resort community has been chiefly dependent on visitors. A number of these tourists will become second home owners at the highest end of the market.
TriCity Association (Kennowick, WA) Hosts Candidate Training ā And Then Elects a REALTORĀ® Champion to Public Office
Leaders at the 700-member TriCity Association of REALTORSĀ® in southeastern Washington State immediately saw the potential of hosting NARās new Candidate Training Academy ā and began ambitiously recruiting participants. Soon after the well-received session, they put their new knowledge, RPAC support and plenty of enthusiasm behind one of their own ā a commercial REALTORĀ® running for Port Commissioner. He beat three opponents in the primary and went on to win the general election!
Virginia REALTORSĀ® Emphasize Link Between Good Schools and Good Communities
Raising awareness about the link between good schools and good communities ā and how to strengthen both ā was the focus of a day-long forum called āConnecting the Dots Between Where Kids Live and Where They Learn." The 29,500-member Virginia Association of REALTORSĀ® used a Housing Opportunity Grant to co-sponsor the day-long forum where 200 attendees explored ways to improve school performance, which in turn, increases housing desirability and values.