Local Association News, Programs & Accomplishments

Associations Advocate for Member Safety with NAR Grants

Four REALTOR® associations were selected from 50 applications to receive grant funds from the National Association of REALTORS® to promote member safety. The Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® will use its $2,500 grant to fund several safety initiatives including classes, a member forum, a safety series in its weekly newsletter, and a series of safety videos, which will be available on its consumer-facing website. The Greater Providence Board of REALTORS®, partnering with the Northern Rhode Island Board of REALTORS® and the Rhode Island Commercial and Appraisal Board of REALTORS®, will create a three-phase personal safety, fire safety, and first aid program taught by local law and fire department officers. The Prescott Area Association of REALTORS®, Ariz., will hold a safety fair in September featuring safety training and information and a presentation by the local sheriff’s department to help members develop a safety plan using best practices. The Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®, Calif., will offer members active shooter response training, which includes how to respond to a workplace violence situation and how to create an emergency action plan. The NAR Safety Reimbursement Grant program accepts applications annually. Visit nar.realtor and search for “safety grant.”

Fact-Based Research on a Fear-Based Topic

The presence of affordable housing in Wake County, N.C., does not affect surrounding property values, a new Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® study found. “As Wake County communities look to house an increasing number of neighbors, it is important that we separate fact from fiction regarding housing issues and focus on real solutions,” says association CEO Tessa Hultz, RCE, CAE.

The commissioned study identified Habitat for Humanity–built homes as a representative sample of affordable housing and compared property pricing in subdivisions with a significant percentage of affordable housing to subdivisions without any. The study found that pricing metrics did not consistently favor either group, and that subdivisions containing a sizeable number of Habitat for Humanity homes continue to draw for-profit builders. For details, contact Casey R. Angel, caseya@rrar.com.

Indiana REALTORS® Support Habitat for Humanity

The Greater South Bend-­Mishawaka Association of REALTORS®, Ind., raised $200,000 to support Habitat for Humanity’s 2018 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, which plans to build 20 houses in Mishawaka in a single week, Aug. 26-31. Dozens of REALTOR® volunteers have already begun work constructing the walls that will be used in the construction. Over five days, future homeowners will work alongside President and Mrs. Carter and hundreds of other volunteers from Indiana and around the world.

REALTOR® Victory Over Property Transfer Tax

When Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe introduced a budget bill to secure funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that included a 10-cent increase in the local real estate transfer tax, known as the grantor’s tax, local REALTOR® associa­tions fought back. The Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS® leadership scheduled the first of several meetings with their counterparts in the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS® and the REALTOR® Association of Prince William. After much consideration, the joint position of the associations was that although REALTORS® are supportive of strengthening and improving the Metro, which is a vital component to the economic success of the area, the goal was to eliminate, or at least reduce, the proposed increase of grantor’s tax. By staying engaged with elected officials, REALTORS® negotiated the tax increase in half; however, the final bill did not include any grantor’s tax increase.