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nar update: National Association of Realtors® Issues Brief: Mortgage Interest Deduction, GSE Loan Limits & National Flood Insurance - 08/12/11 07:40 PM
This is the most recent Issues Brief issued by NAR. In one page summaries it outlines the major talking points the Association is following for in-district meetings with our Congresspeople. They're on vacation right now you know, exhausted from the crippling mano a mano over the debt ceiling. Will Rogers used to say "The only difference between death and taxes is that death don't get any worse every time Congress meets."
The next 100 days or less is critical to housing. Both higher conforming loan limits and the National Flood Insurance Program are scheduled to expire on September 30. the NFIP … (2 comments)

nar update: At the NAR - Economic Update w/ Dr's Yun & Zandi - 05/13/10 04:52 PM
This morning we heard from Dr Lawrence Yun (NAR Chief Economist) and Dr. Mark Zandi (Moody's Economy.com) with their financial outlook for the rest of 2010 and beyond. I try never to miss this program as I always find the info interesting - if not always the most accurate.
Now I know there are some of you who are not enamored of Dr. Yun's talks and consider him to be an NAR stooge - but the fact is he has recently been named by USA Today as one of the nations top 10 economic advisors and Dr. Zandi is one spot … (7 comments)

nar update: Realtors® Can Help Haiti. - 01/22/10 02:05 PM
 
This is a re-post of a news release from NAR.
I’ve received numerous calls during the past week, asking how REALTORS® can support the relief efforts in Haiti. Later today, I will be sending an e-mail to all members with information on our efforts, but I thought it was also worth posting here, in case you miss my e-mail.
First, NAR has partnered with Lowe’s to make two sizable donations related to the relief efforts. For more information on that, please read our news release. http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2010/01/donate_relief Additionally, we have once again opened the REALTORS® Relief Foundation to accept donations … (5 comments)

nar update: More HVCC Problems - Fraud up 46% over last year? How can that be? - 11/16/09 12:24 AM
My rant on the NAR program "HVCC Problems? Not According to the Government", stirred up quite a response from Realtors on AR, just as it did with Realtors at the NAR program. Nobody - NOBODY but the government and the people making money off the program think HVCC is working. It's not working for appraisers, it's not working for Realtors and MOST IMPORTANTLY IT'S NOT WORKING FOR THE PUBLIC - OUR CLIENTS, whom it was supposed to protect. One might almost think Andrew Cuomo was getting some kind of payback for this because in terms of a workable program, this one … (60 comments)

nar update: At the NAR. No More 2nd Appraisals for FHA! Comm. Stevens Speaks out. - 11/14/09 06:37 PM
Lots of good events going on at NAR. I'll let you know what we did at the Land Use, Property Rights and Environment Committee yesterday and comment on our Government Affairs Directors meeting this morning as well as the very entertinaing and enlightening Legislative Forum featuring Bill Press and Mike Murphy. But today at noon we spent 'An Hour with the FHA Commissioner'. 
It's amazing the difference it makes when you have somebody in a position of authority who actually knows what they're doing as opposed to putting a bunch of bureaucrats and political hacks in charge. Commissioner and Under-Secretary of … (0 comments)

nar update: At the NAR. Dr. Yun Prognosticates on Housing Recovery. - 11/14/09 12:48 AM
I always enjoy listening in when our Chief Economist Lawrence Yun prognosticates. Dr Yun has developed a little sense of humor during the past few years, and while not nearly as eloquent or entertaining as David Lareah in his heyday, Yun is able to translate the numbers to his audience much better than 3 or 4 years ago - even though the numbers aren't nearly as entertaining. And he's believable. He was recently named one of the countrys 10 most trusted economists by USA Today. I'll take trust over entertainment any day. 
According to Dr. Yun this morning, aided by the … (2 comments)

nar update: At the NAR. HVCC Problems? Not according to the Government. - 11/13/09 11:04 PM
One of the seminars I attended today at NAR was entitled 'Managing the Risks and Opportunities of the New Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC)."
Let me say at the outset, I sat through the whole friggin thing and didn't note any opportunities - unless you count aggravation as an opportunity.  No shortage of risks, however.
NAR did a great job staging this - they had a panel in place that included spokesholes from FHFA, FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and an AMC. Oh, and they had two Realtors sitting in for balance. In my humble opinion, if I had … (47 comments)

nar update: NAR President Clarifies 'Energy Star' Bill Position to GAD's - 07/23/09 08:58 PM
Today at the GAD (Government Affairs Directors) Institute in Charleston SC, we had the opportunity to speak with NAR President Charles McMillan both during a luncheon meeting and later at an intimate reception hosted by President McMillan at Charleston's historic Riviera Ballroom. Personable and unassuming as always, McMillan was quick to praise the efforts of GAD's and the successful lobbying efforts we have conducted at a local, state and national level. The practice of real estate would be a far more difficult challenge for practitioners if not for the  lobbying efforts of NAR's Jerry Giovaniello, state lobbyists like California's Alex Creel … (3 comments)

nar update: NAR Real Estate Summit - Dr. Alan Greenspan - 05/19/09 05:17 PM
Unless you've been under a rock for the past 20+ years, you know exactly who Dr. Alan Greenspan is, or was. Among a list of accomplishments, he was Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006 starting under Ronald Reagan and serving (or being served by) a succession of Presidents until his retirement as the housing market started to crash down around his ears. Like me, you've probably heartily agreed with him at times and vehemently disagreed with him at others. But regardless of your take on him, it's impressive to see him in person and a tribute to NAR … (2 comments)

nar update: NAR - Redefining Win, Lose & Draw - 02/23/09 12:55 PM
Let me begin by saying I like our NAR President Charles McMillan. I think he's a good guy, he works hard for us and he truly believes in the Realtor Party. Having said that I must beg to differ with some of the recent utterings from the national office regarding Realtors 'success' with the recent stimulus bill. 
In his most recent update, posted immediately before this one, he refers to the major gains by Realtors in the bill:
Dear Fellow REALTOR®,

For nearly four months, NAR has been working to deliver to you and to our nation a comprehensive … (29 comments)

nar update: NAR / Stimulus Spinmeisters - 02/13/09 05:28 PM
I know many of you were disappointed by the recent results (as far as they are known) with the massive Obama Stimulus Package for a number of reason (see Lenn's excellent posts on the details). Of particular concern to Realtors was the push by NAR & CAR for us to contact our legislators and encourage them to vote for this measure when many of us felt it was not in either our best interest or the best interest of our country. The carrot often mentioned was the inclusion of the $15,000 home buyer tax credit that was widely anticipated to jump-start … (44 comments)

nar update: NAR - Dr. Yun on Housing through the Recession - 11/18/08 08:22 PM
11-18 nar & dr yun This may be my last NAR update on the 2008 Conference and Expo. While there has been a lot of posts on the technology aspects of the show, the pluses and/or minuses or the expo, the social networking and the AR party (which I unfortunately missed), I have been trying to bring you updates on some of the business and governance aspects of the conference. And no NAR conference would be complete without a sit-down with our Chief Economist, Dr. Lawrence Yun and a few hundred of our closest friends. This year Dr. Yun shared the … (3 comments)

nar update: NAR Update - Checkerboard Land Use Patterns - 11/18/08 03:20 PM
11-18 checkerboard land use Back on November 8, I passed along some information regarding the Land Use, Property Rights & Environment Committee meetings in Orlando. It provided information on several of the items we discussed including the Global Climate Change PAG report, Expansion of the Clean Water Act jurisdiction and the Dept. of Homeland Security Border Fence Issue. An issue I was totally unaware of, sadly so because I have been a lifelong resident of Western States, is the issue of Checkerboard Land Use. Dating back to the 19th century, the Federal government granted railroad companies every other square mile of … (3 comments)

nar update: NAR's Four Point Housing Stimulus Plan - 11/10/08 03:35 PM
11-10 BOD & stimulus plan In my ongoing effort to bring you more from the business side of the 2008 NAR Conference & Expo,  today was the Board of Directors Meeting. It was an epic event spanning more than four hours in spite of the fact that there were no items of controversy on the agenda. I'll write another post on the meeting in general as there were some interesting announcement but the item that generated the most discussion today was NAR's Four Point Housing Stimulus Plan. In an effort to be more inclusive of commercial Realtors, there were proposed amendments … (4 comments)

nar update: NAR - Election Results w/ Joe Scarborough & Mike Barnicle - 11/09/08 08:47 PM
11-9 scarborough & barnicle In an effort to bring you more from the governance side of the NAR Conference & Expo, I attended a very entertaining session featuring the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC Joe Scarborough and columnist & commentator Mike Barnicle titled 'Election Results and the 111th Congress: Legislative & Political Forum.' You can view my other NAR Updates here: NAR - Land Use, Property Rights & Environment Committee NAR - Regulatory Issues Forum As stated before, this will not be an exhaustive reporting of the forum but a highlight of their views, some entertaining quotes and my commentary. … (7 comments)

nar update: NAR - Land Use, Property Rights & Environment Committee - 11/09/08 11:01 AM
1-8 land use In my effort to bring you more of the 'business' side of the NAR Conference, today I'll update you on some of the issues discussed at the Land Use, Property Rights & Environment Committee meeting. I enjoy serving on this committee because it goes to the heart of what real estate is about - 'under all is the land'. Our commitment as an organization to the preservation of individual private property rights is nowhere more in evidence than during some of the issues that come before this committee. Again while there numerous issues before the committee, I'm going … (0 comments)

nar update: NAR Policy on Board Jurisdiction - What's YOUR take? - 06/09/08 06:46 PM
6-9 NAR board of choice Whew - it's been a busy few weeks. First back to DC for NAR's mid-year Legislative Meetings then up to Sacramento last week for our California Association Legislative Days. Both series were chock full of great content, long days and too much good food. I'm back for awhile now but the meetings have left me with a few questions. I'll be posting an issue here from time to time to see how the rest of you feel starting with this one - It was a hot topic of discussion in our region and state leading up to … (1 comments)

nar update: You're Either At The Table - Or On The Menu. - 05/22/08 06:28 PM
5-22 at the table You're either at the table or on the menu
Many of you have heard me make that statement at one time or anther over the past few years regarding participation in the political process. I know a lot of you could care less about politics but the fact of the matter is, you have to be engaged today or you’ll be out of business tomorrow.
Members of the largest trade association political action group in the country, the National Association of Realtors held our mid-year Legislative Meetings in Washington DC last week. In addition to all … (3 comments)