Austin REALTORS® Host Summit to Address Housing Gap for Minorities
Inspired by a national report on challenges faced by African Americans in the housing market, the 9,500-member Austin Board of REALTORS® formulated a plan to do something about it in their own back yard. They began by securing a Diversity Grant from NAR to host a two-day conference to which they...
Knoxville REALTORS® Shape Local Sign Ordinance Into One That Makes Sense for All
The 3,400-member Knoxville Area Association of REALTORS® (KAAR) decided it needed some help when the city began revising its local sign ordinance. The proposal wasn’t looking pretty for the real estate community when they turned to NAR’s Land Use Initiative for valuable legal review and...
Oklahoma REALTORS® Beat Back Onerous “Abandoned Property” Ordinance
When Oklahoma City passed an “abandoned property” ordinance last November subjecting certain vacant properties to registration requirements, mandated fees, and municipal inspections, the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS® thought the city had gotten too big for its britches. OAR used NAR’s...
Grand Junction [CO] REALTORS® Hit a Home Run with RPAC Fundraiser
The 541-member Grand Junction Area Association of REALTORS® (GJARA) in western Colorado put baseball and a fundraising grant together to raise $15,200 for RPAC – all in one night! GJARA booked a sky box at Grand Junction’s new baseball stadium, which hosts the rookie league for the Colorado...
Austin (TX) REALTORS® Begin Process to Refresh High-Profile Waterfront Area
The Austin Board of REALTORS® took its experience in helping to re-write Austin’s outdated land-use development code to the next level by setting the stage for development of a near-downtown waterfront area. With a $15,000 Smart Growth Grant from NAR, the 9,500-member board sponsored a...
Wisconsin REALTORS® Win Bipartisan Support to Pass Landmark Property Tax Relief Bill
Wisconsin's notoriously high property tax rate had long been a thorn in the side of the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA. This past legislative session, with the help of polling services from NAR, the 13,500-member association did something about it. By winning bipartisan support in a...
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...
REALTORS® in MD & LA Put Halt on Using Eminent Domain to Seize Underwater Mortgages
REALTORS® 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...
Michigan REALTORS®–Placemaking Pioneers–Show How a Little TLC Goes a Long Way
After two years, the 'Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper' placemaking challenge launched by the Michigan Association of REALTORS® (MAR) is proving that little things make a big...
Kansas REALTORS® Get State’s 99-year-old Real Estate Transfer Tax Repealed
The real estate transfer tax had been on the books in Kansas for nearly a century, and it was showing no signs of budging. But the 7,600-member Kansas Association of REALTORS® decided enough was enough and set off on a mission to educate state legislators about the discriminatory nature of the...