Last spring, when the City of Los Angeles proposed solving its $230 million fiscal year budget deficit by doubling the documentary transfer tax rate to $9 per $1,000 of assessed value, REALTORS® took action – fast....
REALTORS® Help Bring Light Rail to Hampton Roads, VA
When a referendum to bring light rail to Hampton Roads came back for another round in April 2012, the Hampton Roads REALTORS® Association (HRRA) got busy – 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…...
Oregon REALTORS® Pass Ballot Measure 79 and Stop Unfair, Double Taxes
The 2012 election cycle resulted in a resounding victory for 12,000-member Oregon Association of REALTORS® as voters supported the passage of Ballot Measure 79 to prohibit real estate transfer taxes. The vote was the culmination of a two-year campaign with NAR that began by collecting 164,000 signatures to qualify the…...
Maryland Association Saves Mortgage Interest Deduction
One month in to the Maryland State Legislature’s 90-day session this past winter, the Governor unveiled a proposal that would trim the state’s Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID). The 22,000-member Maryland Association of REALTORS® had to act quickly. NAR approved a $300,000 Issues Mobilization grant, which funded half the cost of…...
North Dakota Association Stands Up for Local Control in Property Tax Battle — and Wins!
The North Dakota Association of REALTORS® (NDAR,) joined an astonishing coalition of more than 80 groups to oppose a measure that would have abolished the state’s century-old property tax. That’s right, REALTORS® worked to “keep” the tax. Why? Because getting rid of the tax would have empowered the state legislature…...
Missouri and Cape Girardeau Associations Put NAR Land Use Initiative Services to Work
When the City Council of Cape Girardeau got serious about implementing an onerous rental inspection program, the 292-member Cape Girardeau County Board of REALTORS® got busy. The board worked with the Missouri Association, which in turn asked for help from NAR. Through NAR’s Land Use Initiative Program, the Cape Girardeau…...
Virgin Islands Association Takes on Historic Preservation With Issues Mobilization Grant
The price of living in paradise is occasional rough weather – and when storms the like of Hurricanes Hugo [1989] and Marilyn [1995] battered the U.S. Virgin Islands, the damage to property proved too much for owners of many of the islands’ historic homes. Over the years, the resulting abandonment…...
Twin Falls (ID) REALTORS® Succeed in Ballot Initiative: Small Board Makes a Big Difference in First-Ever Campaign
In its first-ever experiment with political involvement, the 250-member Greater Twin Falls Association of REALTORS® proved that you don’t have to be big to be effective. The city of Twin Falls needed to expand its waste water treatment plant, in order to support the growth and attract new business. With…...
Kansas REALTORS® Save Mortgage Interest Deduction for State’s Itemizers
Late in the spring of 2012, in a heated and hard-fought legislative session rivaling any political intrigue that happens in Washington, the citizens of Kansas retained their ability to claim itemized tax deductions on their state tax returns, most notably their Mortgage Interest Deductions. The 7,500-member Kansas Association of REALTORS®…...