Some gals have all the luck! Sure enough, at the Association Executive Institute in San Diego this spring, Lady Luck rewarded two participants who had generously invested in the REALTORĀ® Political Action Committee ā by simply participating in the drawing. The stakes were high (the prizes were iPad minis!) but both winners graciously point out that the chance of winning a nifty techno-gadget was not the incentive. Lauren Hansen, CEO of IRES, the MLS serving northern Colorado, and Carol Heins, AE for the Mid-Fairfield County Association in Connecticut, became Major Investors as a result of their investments during the sweepstakes....
Illinois REALTORSĀ® Show that Cross-Cultural Business Savvy Matters
As industries across the board are āgoing global,ā the Illinois Association of REALTORSĀ® (IAR) knows that real estate is no different. IAR doesnāt just recognize such trends, it helps its members stay ahead of them. For the past four years, the 41,000-member association has been using $5,000 Diversity Grants from NAR to help host a series of Multicultural Summits, equipping its members with an introduction to doing business in the global market, as well as a better understanding of cultural diversity, and serving international clients within their own local markets. The summits also have sparked member interest in serving on...
Santa Fe REALTORSĀ® Launch Broad Effort to Elect Property Rights Candidates to Public Office
When the mayor of Santa Fe announced that he would not be running for re-election, the 750-member Santa Fe Association of REALTORSĀ® (SFAR) recognized an opportunity. Not only would this be a prime moment to affect change in its city leadership, but it also signaled a chance to take its involvement in local government affairs to the next level. The first thing it did was to call on NARās Campaign Services division to help host a Candidate Training Program, which will be held on Aug. 10 in Santa Fe. SFAR, along with the local Homebuilders Association and the Chamber of...
Beverly Hills/Los Angeles REALTORSĀ® Help Elect Champion to City Council
The 6,000-member Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of REALTORSĀ® (BHGLAAR) was fairly certain that five of the six candidates it was supporting for the Los Angeles City Council, would easily win this yearās election. But one of those REALTORĀ® Champions, Mitch OāFarrell, was up against some stiff competition. The BHGLAAR leaders turned to NARās Campaign Services office for help. That help came in the form of cracker-jack field teams in āNeighbors for Mitchā t-shirts that went door-to-door asking thousands of voters to put their faith in Mitch OāFarrell. In addition, NAR funded telephone calls to voting households, and BHGLAAR contributed...
Virginia REALTORSĀ® Keep Their Champion in State General Assembly
Delegate Rosalyn Dance (D-Petersburg) is a long-time friend to REALTORSĀ® in the Virginia General Assembly, where she has served since 2005. So, when Dance was challenged in the Democratic primary this spring, she found the support of the 29,000-member Virginia Association of REALTORSĀ® behind her. VAR, as well as the local Southside Virginia and Richmond Associations had already committed a total of $4,000 in RPAC funds to her campaign, when VAR staff called NAR for additional backing. NARās seasoned campaign consultants put together a plan worth just over $20,000 that included live polling calls, personalized āget out the voteā robo-calls,...
Virginia Association Backs 17 REALTORĀ® Champions ā 16 Win!
In the fall of 2013, with the help of grants and services from NARās Campaign Services Division, the Virginia Association of REALTORSĀ® got involved in 17 statewide elections, including the gubernatorial race -- winning all but one. The 24,000-member association put their resources behind both Democrats and Republicans ā all of them candidates who support issues important to the real estate industry.
Texas REALTORSĀ® & Hispanic Real Estate Professionals Find the Fight for the American Dream is One to Build On ā Together!
The 83,000-member Texas Association of REALTORSĀ® (TAR) has a long, proud history of embracing the ethnic diversity within the state, but they decided to take it one step further and capitalize on it. In mid-August 2013, TAR invited the Texas chapters of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals to join them for a summit to focus on affordable housing and other advocacy goals the two groups have in common. With a $5,000 Diversity Grant from NAR, they found that the fight for the American Dream is one they can build on ā together!
Missouri REALTORSĀ® Use Power of Polling to Stop Tax Threat to Real Estate
For the second year in a row, the Missouri REALTORSĀ® (MR) blocked a deep-pocketed individual from advancing his plan to eliminate the state income tax. The burden for filling the revenue void would likely have fallen on real estate sales and services, which would have hit MRās 18,000 members square in the pocketbook, not to mention shut many home buyers and investors out of the market.
REALTORSĀ® in MD & LA Put Halt on Using Eminent Domain to Seize Underwater Mortgages
REALTORSĀ® in Maryland and Louisiana ran successful issue campaigns to stop local governments from using their power of eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages. The Maryland Association got a two-year moratorium on the practice while the state legislature studies the issue. The Louisiana Association got an all-out ban on the practice. These successful campaigns follow on the heels of NARās adoption of a policy strongly opposing use of eminent domain for this purpose.
Oklahoma REALTORSĀ® Beat Back Onerous āAbandoned Propertyā Ordinance
When Oklahoma City passed an āabandoned propertyā ordinance last November subjecting certain vacant properties to registration requirements, mandated fees, and municipal inspections, the Oklahoma Association of REALTORSĀ® thought the city had gotten too big for its britches. OAR used NARās polling services, along with a $95,000 Issues Mobilization Grant, to put together an aggressive campaign to convince the Oklahoma state house to pass legislation eliminating fee-based property registries. It worked! The Protect Property Rights Act was overwhelmingly passed and signed into law by the governor this spring.