Missouri REALTORS® are no stranger to the threat of sales tax on services. With the help of a REALTOR® Party Issues Mobilization Grant and coalition support, the 20,000-member association is ambitiously attempting to amend the state constitution to ban a sales tax on services. By appealing to the general public,…...
Massachusetts REALTORS® Energize to Fight Energy Audit
Massachusetts has been the single most energy-efficient state in the country for the past five years. But when a bill in the state legislature threatened to require an energy audit to produce an energy score for all houses being listed for sale, the 24,000-member Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® leapt to…...
AL REALTORS® Defeat Flat Tax and Increased Fees with Alabama Homes Matter Campaign
Going into its 2015 session, the Alabama legislature was facing a serious budget shortfall. Using a significant Issues Mobilization Grant, the Alabama Association of REALTORS® (AAR) was able to keep threats to organized real estate and property rights at bay, but long-term solutions were still nowhere in sight. When the…...
Kansas REALTORS® Use Issues Mobilization to Prevent Local Property Tax Increases
The REALTOR® Party’s Issues Mobilization Grant provides financial assistance to state and local REALTOR® Associations to support effective advocacy campaigns on public policy issues that affect REALTOR® interests. The Kansas Association of REALTORS® is just one example of how an association has used this program to successfully stave off local…...
The Experienced San Fran REALTORS® Defeat Mission Moratorium
The San Francisco Association of REALTORS® sought the support of NAR, its state association and coalition partners as it geared up for its second Issues Mobilization campaign to ensure defeat against a proposed 30-month moratorium on new housing development in the Mission District, where housing inventory is low, and in…...
Everything is Bigger in Texas, Including Efforts to Pass Proposition 1
The Texas Association of REALTORS® pulled all the stops to ensure that Proposition 1 would pass. The ballot measure amended the state constitution, increasing the homestead exemption and banning real estate transfer tax on all real estate sales. The Issues Mobilization Program, targeted outreach and a comprehensive website helped the…...
Pinellas (FL) REALTORS® Draw the Line on Historical Housing Designations
Pinellas County Florida holds the most flood insurance policies in the U.S. When proposed ordinance changes would have made it significantly easier for homes to be designated as “historic” and potentially increased the cost of property insurance, including flood insurance, and property upgrades, the 6,000-member Pinellas REALTOR® Organization (PRO) took…...
Advocacy and Teamwork Help Minnesota Association Protect Mortgage Interest Deduction
When a $4 billion budget deficit made the mortgage interest deduction a target, the Minnesota Association of REALTORS® faced an uphill battle. But through the Minnesota Home Matters campaign, the 17,000-member association used key partnerships, coalition-building and an effective independent expenditure campaign to garner statewide support to change proposed legislation…...