When a referendum to bring light rail to Hampton Roads came back for another round in April 2012, the Hampton Roads REALTORSĀ® Association (HRRA) got busy ā again. The 3,300-member association had supported light rail proposals before, but this time they kicked their campaign efforts up a few notches with an Issues Mobilization Grant from NAR of $74,000, as well as additional funds for polling and direct mail pieces. In addition, the state association and HRRA kicked in their own funds, making REALTORSĀ® the single largest contributor to the cause. In the end, the referendum was carried in 90 of...
REALTORĀ® Blue Takes Over Washington, D.C.
Last week, nearly 9,000 REALTORSĀ® descended on Washington, D.C. for the 2023 REALTORSĀ® Legislative Meetings.
Indianapolis REALTORSĀ® Spearhead Expanded Public Transportation Funding
With multiple Issues Mobilization Grants, the Mid-Indianapolis Board of REALTORSĀ® led the charge to establish a fund to expand transit services in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Now that the effort has cleared the last of its legislative hurdles, a new income tax dedicated to building transport infrastructure will ensure greater economic prosperity for the region, and better quality of life for its residents.
California Association of REALTORSĀ® Leads the Charge to Update State Property Tax Legislation
Californiaās Proposition 13, a property tax limit enacted in 1978, had become a golden handcuff for many senior homeowners, leaving them āstrandedā in a home whose tax basis was too good to relinquish.Ā On Election Day 2020, voters approved Proposition 19, revising the law to address modern-day realities.Ā The state REALTORĀ® association, with help from the REALTORĀ® Party and the California Professional Firefighters, made it happen.
REALTORĀ® Party Rides into 2023
We were pleased to welcome hundreds of leaders to the REALTORĀ® Party Training Conference in Philadelphia from November 29 to December 1. Attendees committed to leadĀ efforts to Vote, Act, and Invest as we elevate our policy priorities and support REALTORĀ® champions at all levels of government.
Maryland REALTORSĀ® Successfully Oppose Sales Tax on Services
Faced with a legislative proposal that would have instituted a sales tax on services, Maryland REALTORSĀ® launched a strong opposition focused on how the measure would increase the cost of housing at each step of development, construction, and sales. In consultation with REALTORĀ® Party staff, they created a Call For Action campaign that helped to kill the bill in committee.
Pacific Southwest REALTORSĀ® Advocate for Transit-oriented Smart Growth
To help find solutions to the severe housing shortage in San Diego, the REALTORSĀ® of the Pacific Southwest joined forces with a coalition that proposed numerous Transit-Oriented Development strategies to the city. Shortly thereafter, the City Council unanimously adopted five new incentives to encourage in-fill development, especially along transit routes. A Smart Growth Action Grant from the REALTORĀ® Party helped the cause.
Huntsville REALTORSĀ® Get Out the Vote to Support School District Expansion Funding
Though the jobs and housing markets are booming in the northern Alabama region served by the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORSĀ®, its school district has been seriously overburdened. With help from the REALTORĀ® Party, the local REALTORSĀ® backed a successful ballot initiative to pay for essential construction and renovations with a full-on get-out-the-vote campaign.
State Rent Control Issue Takes National Stage
Across the country, various state and local governments are currently considering ā or debating ā legislative rent control measures. However, these efforts are misguided. They do nothing to address residential construction deterrents like imprudent local zoning measures and high land costs. What rent control policies really do is help create political battles between landlords and tenants without addressing the root of ā and possible solutions to ā Americaās housing affordability problems. In response, NAR is working to fight rent control and rent stabilization laws on both residential and commercial properties. Last year, California voters rejected a statewide measure that would...
Summit County REALTORSĀ® Use Education to Prevent Wildfires & Costly Legislative Mandates
Wildfires are a serious threat to properties in Summit County, Colorado, and so are expensive mitigation mandates that the state legislature had been poised to impose on property owners. With a REALTORĀ® Party Game Changer Grant, the Summit Association of REALTORSĀ® showed that education could be just as effective in protecting the community from fire and onerous expense.