Though the jobs and housing markets are booming in the northern Alabama region served by the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS®, its school district has been seriously overburdened. With help from the REALTOR® Party, the local REALTORS® backed a successful ballot initiative to pay for essential construction and renovations with a full-on get-out-the-vote campaign.
Congress Clears Coronavirus Rescue Bill Filled with REALTOR® Benefits
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic $2.2 trillion COVID-19 rescue package Friday, sending it to President Trump for his signature. The bill contains numerous benefits for REALTORS® that NAR fought hard for during the past three weeks, including unemployment eligibility for the self-employed and independent contractors; unprecedented aid for small businesses; and a delay in business payroll tax payments. NAR has compiled a comprehensive guide to all benefits for REALTORS® and their customers found in this legislation. “This bill will go a long way to help people through these next weeks until the economy can open up again,”...
Maui REALTORS® Staves Off Threat to Short-Term Rental Permits
It’s easy for a community to blame an affordable housing crunch on short-term vacation rentals, but on Maui, the local REALTOR® association has rebutted each argument of the Planning Department with diligently collected data. With a Call for Action, it also drew hundreds of concerned residents to a planning meeting – in visible and vocal support of the permits.
Schuylkill REALTORS® Rehab Park, Launch REALTORS® Political Career
The REALTORS® of the Schuylkill County Board used a Placemaking Grant to bring a local playground swinging back to life. The REALTOR® who spearheaded the project, having learned the workings of the Borough Council in the proposal process, was appointed to replace an outgoing Council member, and is now serving a second term as an indispensable public servant – and the only woman on the local governing body.
Code Enforcement – A Tool for Preventing Vacancy and Abandonment Webinar
Code enforcement will be a critical tool to prevent vacancy and abandonment. While federal, state, and local governments have moratoriums on foreclosures and evictions, eventually those payments will become due. Property conditions may get worse as owners defer needed maintenance and lending institutions change their practices.
Austin REALTORS® Help Neighboring Pflugerville Residents to Keep Property Taxes Low
Just north of Austin, the City Council of Pflugerville, Texas, was proposing to approve a property tax rate representing a 7% increase in revenue. The Austin Board of REALTORS®, recognizing that homeowners should not have to shoulder the additional tax burden during times of such economic stress and uncertainty, got the message through to Pflugerville’s elected officials with help from the Advocacy Everywhere program.
Louisiana REALTORS® Advocate for Keeping Eviction Records a Matter of Public Record
When a state Senate bill threatened to seal all eviction records this fall, the Louisiana REALTORS® issued a last-minute Call for Action via Advocacy Everywhere. Despite the timing, and the global pandemic, and the heavy weather plaguing the state, members rallied and contacted their legislators. The response had the desired effect.
Houston Association of REALTORS® Tackles Issues of Diversity and Inclusion
The Houston Association of REALTORS® responded to heightened racial tensions felt across the country this summer by convening a Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, which is producing compelling programming to raise awareness among its membership. The efforts are supported in part by the REALTOR® Party.
Bridge Association of REALTORS® Keeps Transfer Tax from Soaring with Compelling Campaign
In the City of Piedmont, California, the real property transfer tax was poised to become the highest in the state unless residents mobilized to vote down a proposed increase. The Bridge Association of REALTORS® leveraged an Issues Mobilization grant from the REALTOR® Party to defeat the measure at the ballot box and spare property owners the added burden.