It’s the kind of “problem” that most cities wouldn’t mind having: companies like Amazon, IKEA and Mars Candy opening or expanding facilities within city limits. Joliet, Illinois is experiencing impressive job growth, and is seeking to convert commuters and renters into local homeowners with a new down payment assistance program,…...
Greater Piedmont REALTORS® Offer Valuable Resource for Future Land Use and Growth
The 650-member Greater Piedmont Area Association of REALTORS® found a way to be a valuable unbiased resource when Culpeper County, one of the five counties it serves, was beginning the arduous task of updating its most important land use, transportation and resource utilization document. Using a Housing Opportunity Grant, the…...
Rogue Valley Association (OR) Turns to Radio to Voice Housing Opportunities
The Rogue Valley Association of REALTORS® in southwestern Oregon had already raised more than $100,000 for homebuyer-assistance grants. Now it needed a way to get the word out. Radio was the answer! An NAR Housing Opportunity Grant enabled the 1,000-member association to sponsor a popular local radio show and tell…...
Virginia REALTORS® Emphasize Link Between Good Schools and Good Communities
Raising awareness about the link between good schools and good communities – and how to strengthen both – was the focus of a day-long forum called “Connecting the Dots Between Where Kids Live and Where They Learn." The 29,500-member Virginia Association of REALTORS® used a Housing Opportunity Grant to co-sponsor…...
Santa Fe REALTORS® Produce Affordable Housing Guide as Resource for Policymakers, Housing Providers & Public
The 690-member Santa Fe Association of REALTORS® (SFAR) wanted to help the city and housing providers make wise decisions about affordable housing in their area, where pricey second homes are the norm and many workers commute from surrounding areas. Using a $5,000 Housing Opportunity Grant, SFAR produced the 2013 Affordable…...
Two Chicago-Area REALTOR® 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 REALTORS®…...
Ada County (ID) Association Makes Strides in Employer-Assisted Housing
No one ever said it would be quick or easy. But the Ada County Association of REALTORS® (ACAR) stuck to its conviction that focusing on workforce housing is good for everyone in a community. The 3,000-member association is finally beginning to see results from its years of diligent Employer Assisted…...
Gaston (NC) REALTORS®: Small Association Thinks Big in Putting Housing Opportunity Grant to Work
When the economy crashed in Gaston County, NC, it crashed hard. Unemployment grew and the housing market suffered. As conditions began to improve last year, the 270-member Gaston County Association of REALTORS® decided to help the public understand the opportunities to be had in their recovering market by hosting a…...