By John Smaby, NAR Member Mobilization Liaison
I am privileged to travel the country and have the responsibility as this year’s national Member Mobilization Liaison to engage and mobilize our members to take political action on behalf real estate. One piece of our engagement efforts is to urge brokers to participate in one of NAR’s dynamic programs – the Broker Involvement Program. It provides broker owners with a quick and effective online advocacy tool to rally their agents on critical legislative issues.
Our elected officials are making decisions that have a huge impact on the bottom line for REALTORS®. We need to keep our members alerted. Legislation or regulation could come up at any time on one or more of the critical issues facing the industry.
This program keeps our members informed, and promotes greater success with our Calls for Action to influence REALTOR®-friendly legislation.
MAR is a leader in this effort with brokers. Massachusetts Brokers, 186 of them and their 8,140 agents, helped us:
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Fight proposals to lower Fannie and Freddie conforming loan limits to $417,000 nationwide. It would have reduced loan limits in 124 counties in 21 states.
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Kept a proposal to eliminate the floor for FHA mortgages from moving forward. This proposal would have decreased limits in 257 counties in 34 states.
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Urged Congress to pass a 5-year extension of the National Flood Insurance Program, which we will continue to work to make permanent.
The more Brokers who are involved, the more powerful our REALTOR® voice is in Congress.
I am passionate about REALTOR® involvement. With our collective voice, our collective actions, and our needed financial contributions in RPAC, we grow stronger in achieving our legislative agenda. No one else is going to stand up for real estate and homeownership like NAR or brokers. No one knows more about our real estate business than our members. By voting in elections, taking action on NAR and MAR Calls for Action, and investing in the PAC, the partnership of NAR, MAR, and your local association is a powerful force for the good of real estate and our economy – Vote, Act, Invest – that is how you make your political power work for your business and for you.
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