Welcome to the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS
® (MAR) Government Affairs webpage. On this page you can read about Legislative and Regulatory issues, make a contribution to RPAC, and visit the MAR and NAR Legislative Action centers.
Contact MAR staff to obtain more information on any issue or to find out how you can help with MAR's Government Affairs initiatives.
Click here for the electronic version of MAR's 2011-12 Legislative Priorities.
Please
login here to view MAR position papers and testimony submitted on specific issues.
REALTOR® Member Value has been demonstrated recently in government affairs. MAR members and professional staff are proud to have lobbied succesfully for these important issues:
| Defeat of energy scoring on homes |
$300 to $700 in fees per transaction |
| Defeat of local sign fees |
$25 per listing |
| Defeat of environmental disclosure |
$250 per transaction |
| Defeat of transfer taxes on home sales |
1 percent fee per transaction |
| Defeat of sales tax on services |
prevented 6.25% tax on all commisions |
| Defeat of proposed entrance of banks into real estate |
fair competition was preserved |
| Protection of federal morgage interest deduction |
approx. $3,000 per homeowner |
| Defeat of lead inspection mandate |
$250 per transaction |
| Protected affordable housing initiative 40B |
new listings from housing production |
| Defeat of Rent Control |
REALTORS® saved millions |
| Defeat of home rental tax |
protecting rental business for REALTORS® |
| Rewrite of Worcester Vacant Property Ordinance |
protected REALTORS® from $300 fines for code violations |
| Homebuyer Tax Credit |
resulted in increased transactions to revitalize the housing market |
The complete list of MAR's 2009 legislative victories is available
right here.
Your REALTOR® dues also help to ensure your representation on legal issues affecting you and your clients. Recent successes include Quinlan v. Clasby, a case for which MAR filed an amicus
brief in support of a broker who succeeded in confirming a very important legal standard that has helped brokers defend themselves against innumerable Chapter 93A claims over the years.
MAR also filed amicus briefs in two related and very important real estate cases; Urman v. South Boston Savings Bank and Underwood v. Risman which reaffirmed that there is no liability under Chapter 93A for nondisclosure of defect unless the seller or broker has actual knowledge of the defect.
In the case of Kelly v. Marx, the SJC adopted the position advocated by the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® in the amicus “friend of the court” brief. In its ruling, the SJC held that the reasonableness of a liquidated damages provision should be evaluated based upon the circumstances at the time the contract was made and that the “second look” doctrine advocated by the Appeals Court in its decision should be rejected.