Last week, the California Association of REALTORS® visited Washington for meetings on Capitol Hill with several members of the California Congressional Delegation and Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Inside congressional offices, the National Association of REALTORS® members and state association leaders met with members of U.S. Congress and their staff, laying out the realities facing buyers, sellers and renters back home. They spoke of first-time buyers priced out of the market, workers commuting extra hours due to lack of housing near job centers, and communities eager to build but constrained by regulatory and financial barriers.
The focus of the meetings was addressing the capital gains tax and the More Homes on the Market Act, which would help stimulate housing supply by getting some movement and getting that revolving door unstuck. Though their California regions varied, their message on Capitol Hill was unified: America’s housing supply crisis demands bold, coordinated action.
“It blows my mind that we can make a difference, that we get to speak our members’ voice, tell the stories from the street, what our members are dealing with, what the homeowners that we serve are dealing with, face-to-face with the members who make the legislation that impact us on a daily basis,” CAR President Tamara Suminski said following the meetings.
The group emphasized solutions, streamlining regulations, incentivizing local development, expanding financing tools and strengthening federal programs that support housing production. They underscored the importance of bipartisan cooperation, noting that housing affordability is not a partisan issue but a national one.
“Our annual advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., is about ensuring California REALTORS® have a strong voice at the federal level. REALTORS® work with all levels of government, but it is critical that Congress hears directly from the California Association of REALTORS® on the issues that affect housing and homeownership,” Suminski added.
It was a reminder that behind every policy debate are real people, real communities and a shared goal, making the American dream of homeownership more attainable for the next generation.
