This Year, Be an Advocacy Superstar

In most parts of the country, 2019 is a local election year. You may want to think of the NAR meetings as the unofficial kickoff for your campaign program. Although national issues such as flood insurance gain a lot of headlines, the actions taken by your local municipalities can have a major impact on real estate and our members’ business practices. Local communities are facing issues including rent control, restrictive zoning, and even more sign ordinances.

Candidate forums and one-on-one interviews are effective ways to meet with and evaluate current and future lawmakers, but they take time to organize. Please do not be intimidated if advocacy has not been your main strength as an AE. We must all recognize our responsibility to have at least a functioning knowledge of the REALTOR® role in shaping national, state, and local policies. Thankfully, there is a wealth of information at State & Local Advocacy to help refine what you are doing or help get you started.

RPAC celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and you’ll hear a lot about it in D.C. This presents a great opportunity to build a fundraising program around the half-century that REALTORS® have put their money where their advocacy is. In my state, we have learned that the best way to raise RPAC investments is to highlight the fun in fundraising. In 1969, 50 years ago, man first walked on the moon and Woodstock would become a happening, not just a sleepy town in New York. There’s got to be some good fodder there for creative, fun, and most importantly, lucrative events!

There’s a saying that goes: “If real estate is your passion, politics is your business.” This must apply to the entire AE community just as it does to every REALTOR®. Let’s use the RPAC 50th as a springboard for revitalizing our political might.