Texas

Austin REALTORS® Leverages Multiple REALTOR® Party Grants in Support of Missing Middle Housing

With strong support from Austin REALTORS®, in 2023, the City of Austin approved the Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment (HOME) Resolution, initiating code amendments to reduce the minimum lot size to 2,500 square feet or less and allow for up to three residential dwelling units per lot. Backed by a…...

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Texas REALTORS® Helps Defeat HOA Section 8 Ban

Texas REALTORS® led the way in convincing the state legislature to prohibit Home Owners Associations from barring rentals to Section 8 tenants. The new law is an assertion of the rights of owners to rent to voucher recipients – and anyone else they choose to. It also highlights the importance…...

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Leveraging Study of Local Homestead Tax Exemption Policies, San Antonio Board of REALTORS® Brings About Dual Tax Relief for Homeowners

The National Association of REALTORS®’ recent Housing Affordability Study inspired the San Antonio Board to commission one of its own on a local level, with help from an Issues Mobilization Grant from the REALTOR® Party. It used the resulting analysis of area Homestead Tax Exemption policies to convince city and…...

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Texas REALTORS® Tackle Texas-Sized Property-Tax Information Campaign, Educating Consumers and Encouraging Advocacy

Texas REALTORS® has been working to reform the state’s historically complicated property tax system for decades, but once the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act was passed in 2019, someone needed to inform and educate the public about the changes. The REALTORS® were ready, and a pair of Consumer…...

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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....

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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…...

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Collin County REALTORS® Promote Census in the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Region

To maximize local participation in the 2020 Census, the Collin County Association of REALTORS® tapped into the astonishing language skills of its new Global Diversity Committee: the result, a brief video statement on the association website, appears in 26 languages, encouraging understanding and participation in the all-important head-count....

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Texas REALTORS® Achieve Tax Reform for Texas Property Owners

In Texas, where there’s no state income tax or a state-levied property tax, it’s the tax bills from your county, your municipality, your school district, and various other special districts that’ll get you. Texas REALTORS® have been battling the ‘Hidden Property Tax’ inherent in the system for years, and this…...

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Post-Hurricane Harvey, Houston REALTORS® are focused on Flood Impact – and How to Keep it from Happening Again

One year to the day after Hurricane Harvey hit Harris County, Texas, citizens were called to the polls to vote on the region’s largest bond proposal ever: $2.5 billion for flood-control projects and flood mitigation. The measure passed with 85% support; the Houston REALTORS® helped get out the vote....

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Houston Association Gathers and Shares Hurricane Harvey Recovery Resources with Multicultural Associations

Using a Diversity Initiative Grant, The Houston Association of REALTORS® put together a program for members, including the multicultural real estate associations in town, providing information on topics from mold remediation to tax relief to dealing with the emotional aftermath. Grocery story gift cards and a positive housing market outlook…...

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