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Bicameral - Literally, “two chambers;” in a legislative body, having two houses (as
in the House of Representatives and the Senate comprising the U.S.
Congress).
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Dear ,
House Passes “Housing Opportunity Through
Modernization Act” (HR 3700)
The
U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to advance legislation that will
expand opportunities for homeownership. H.R. 3700, the "Housing
Opportunity Through Modernization Act," includes a number of initiatives
that have strong support from the National Association of Realtors®, who hailed
the vote as important progress for home buyers and sellers. For more on the
issue, click
here.
WOTUS
Override Vote Fails
Last week saw significant activity related to the Waters of the U.S. rule,
also known as WOTUS. On January 20, the Senate attempted to override the
President’s veto on the Resolution of Disapproval that was passed by
Congress. This resolution would have prohibited the EPA from implementing
the WOTUS rule. The Senate’s efforts to override the veto were
unsuccessful. A successful veto override requires a supermajority (67
votes) of the Senate and there were insufficient Democrats to vote yes in this
case. This regulatory stay, while important, is temporary. NAR has
opposed this rule from its inception and will continue to push for a legislative
solution to determine which waters are considered to be under federal
jurisdiction and which are not.
Survey: Home Buyers Increasingly
Interested in One-Stop Shopping
NAR recently commissioned a survey by Harris Poll on consumer preferences for real
estate services. Originally conducted in 2008, and again in 2010, this third
survey evaluates any changes in home buyer preferences especially given the
improvement in the economy over the past several years. Surveying over 1,100
recent and future home buyers online in September 2015, NAR discovered that
usage of and interest in “one-stop shopping” has substantially increased. Fifty
percent of recent buyers used one source to procure home-buying services,
compared to 29 percent in 2008. Benefits of “one-stop shopping” noted by
home buyers included:
- Saving money when firms offer discounted prices (81
percent)
- Having the ability to compare rates across a variety
of providers (75 percent)
- Making the home-buying process more efficient and
manageable (74 percent)
To learn more about the survey findings, click
here.
VIDEO: NAR Forecasts Modest Increase in Home Sales in 2016
Following the housing market's best year in nearly a decade, existing-home
sales are forecasted to expand in 2016 at a more moderate pace as pent-up buyer
demand combats affordability pressures and meager economic growth, according to
NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun in a newly-released video on his 2016
housing market expectations. In the NAR-published video, Yun discusses his
expectations for the U.S. economy and housing market in 2016 and points to
pent-up demand, sustained job growth and improving inventory conditions as his
reasons for an expected gain (from 2015) in new and existing-home sales.
Despite his forecasted increase in sales, Yun cites rising mortgage rates, home
prices still outpacing wages and shaky global economic conditions as headwinds
that will likely hold back a stronger pace of sales. (Read
more)
RPAC Training Webinar Recording
In case you missed it, the recording of the RPAC training webinar is now available online. Thanks to the many of you who
joined. It is important that all FPCs internalize the information that was put forth
on this webinar as we head into the 2016 election cycle. If you
have any questions, you can always contact me at vgivens@realtors.org or 202-383-1021
Access
the Webinar Recording Here
Reminder: May
Meeting Registration Opening Soon
Registration for May Meetings will be opening on Wednesday, February 17th. The lottery for housing is already open if you
would like to try and stay at one of the headquarter hotels. You can access
the lottery here. Be sure to register for the meetings early, especially if
you would like to secure a room in the FPC room block at The
Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel. You will be able to book a room within this block upon registration. Important dates to keep in mind as you make
your travel plans are the following:
May 10 - FPC Roundtable (1:30/2pm-3:30pm estimated
time)
May 11 - FPC Reception (6pm-9pm)
May 10/11 - FPC VIP Lounge (12pm-5pm (W) & 9am-5pm (TH))
More details on the basic conference agenda schedule
can be found here.
Meritorious
Service Award Process and Deadline
This is a reminder that NAR is now
accepting nominations for the 2015 Meritorious Service Award. The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 22, 2016. Each
year, NAR recognizes two outstanding Federal Political Coordinators for their
exceptional service to the National Association of REALTORS® with
this esteemed award. These recipients will be the best of the best of our
FPCs, those who truly believe in and advocate on behalf of the REALTOR®
Party. Recipients
meet a rigorous set of criteria that set them apart from other FPCs. To
see a list of criteria for the MSA award click
here.
The
Meritorious Service Award nomination form can be accessed ONLINE through the REALTOR Action Center. For more information about the
MSA award and process, please contact Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org.
FPC Spotlight
FPCs continue to do good work and impress. This week, a couple folks in Massachusets in particular are worth highlighting. Congrats to Mr. Paul Yorkis, FPC for Joe Kennedy, who was installed as
President Elect of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors this year. Also, Mrs. Rita Coffey , FPC to Congressman Bill Keating, received a distinguished
award at MAR a few months ago recognizing her outstanding achievment in helping the Association achieve its
objectives of increased access to home ownership and the preservation of
private property rights. Great work team!
**FPC Weekly Newsletters are now online!