Realtors seek to advance key housing issues in Washington
Fighting for all current and prospective American home and property owners, more than 8,500 Realtors stormed Washington, D.C., this week to urge action on various real estate issues during the 2015 Realtor Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Realtors from Arkansas joined fellow Realtors from every corner of the country to attend the meetings and visit lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Realtor attendees, all members of the National Association of Realtors, focused on several major issues pertaining to both residential and commercial real estate during the legislative meetings. Of top importance were opening access to safe and affordable credit for qualified buyers and protecting real-estate-related tax policies, both of which are vital to the growth of homeownership and, therefore, the national economy.
“It is crucial that our lawmakers understand the serious issues that face the real estate industry,” said Jonathan Moore, 2015 president of the Arkansas Realtors Association.
“Realtors lead the way in advocating for home and property owners in their communities, and we showed this week we can do the same here in our nation’s capital with our elected officials,” he said. “Investing in policies [that are] good for homeowners and property owners not only strengthens our communities and helps families build stable futures, but also drives a strong economy.”
While Arkansas Realtors were in Washington, they met with Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman and Reps. Rick Crawford, French Hill, Bruce Westerman and Steve Womack to influence public-policy decisions that will directly affect consumers’ ability to buy, sell and own real estate. These legislators were urged to preserve current real-estate-related tax policies and to extend the recently expired Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act, which prevents distressed homeowners from receiving excessive income-tax bills on forgiven homeloan debt.
Other pressing matters included patent reform, the creation of nationwide data security standards, and the passage of the Mortgage Choice Act to end discrimination against affiliated lenders.
“Congress is set to take up legislation on several issues in which consumers and Realtors have a real stake, so it is very important our elected officials know the impact they have on our communities and nation as a whole,” Moore said. “Through the strength of the Realtor Party, we have made known where we stand on key issues that affect homebuyers, sellers and investors right here in Arkansas.”
Du r ing the weeklong conference, Realtors participated in sessions with a variety of industry experts and government officials, who discussed many of the critical housing, mortgage-finance and real estate investment issues facing real estate today.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro provided a housing-industry outlook to meeting attendees and referenced credit availability as the biggest hurdle to homeownership.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray discussed changes to loan-closing procedures and documents, stating that the new mortgage rules are in place to educate and empower buyers to “know before they owe.”
In addition, Realtors heard from political strategists Donna Brazile and Ed Gillespie, who shared their perceptions on how social media and the 24-hour news cycle impact congressional priorities and play a
Realtors lead the way in advocating for home and property owners in their communities, and we showed this week that we can do the same here in our nation’s capital with our elected officials.” — Jonathan Moore, president Arkansas Realtors Association
role in the political gridlock in Washington.
Ryan O’Hara, CEO of Move Inc., spoke about the year ahead for realtor.com and unveiled a visual rebranding of NAR’s official listing site, which includes a new advertising campaign.
Attendees also heard from senior staff of the Federal Aviation Administration Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office about drone technology, and from NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who shared residential and commercial real estate market and economic outlooks.
In addition to the informational legislative sessions, more than 100 exhibitors showcased the newest real estate products and services for the industry during the trade expo, giving Realtors a chance to explore the latest industry innovations and get up to date on how new products are transforming the real estate business.
House to House is distributed by the Arkansas Realtors Association. For more information about homeownership in Arkansas, visit www.ArkansasRealtors.com.