Thank You for Taking Action to Stop Patent Trolls, Virginia REALTORS® Partner with “Homes for Our Troops” View e-mail in browser October 8, 2015 REALTOR® PARTY | for REALTORS® | RPAC | for ASSOCIATIONS       From the Nation’s Capital   Thank You for Taking Action to Stop Patent Trolls! More than 152,000 REALTORS®—16 percent of all members—responded to the REALTOR® Party’s most recent Call for Action, asking Congress to stop patent trolls and protect our industry from frivolous lawsuits. Thirty states and two territories broke through the 20 percent mark! This has been one of our most successful Calls for Action in NAR history. Check to see how your state did. READ MORE   By The Numbers   24,000 Doors Number of doors the REALTORS® of Montgomery, AL knocked on to help drum up support to re-elect their mayor, who is a champion of property rights issues. Using a REALTOR® Party Independent Expenditure Grant, along with funds of their own, the Montgomery Area Association put together a vigorous and effective campaign to help their candidate win. READ MORE   1300 Waivers Number of waivers granted so far by the Federal Aviation Administration to allow individuals and businesses to use drones for marketing purposes.  Many of these waivers have gone to real estate businesses.  In testimony before Congress last month, NAR President Chris Polychron asked for clear regulation that permits the commercial application of drones in a way that is affordable to users and safe for their communities. READ MORE   240,000 Breaks The estimated number of water main breaks in America every year, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, which gives the U.S. water supply infrastructure a “D” score. These breaks are disruptive—not only to the water supply, but to roads, buildings, and other infrastructure. “Water: An Issue Everywhere” is the title of the latest Hot Topic Alert available now from the REALTOR Action Center. READ MORE     Success Stories   Highlighted here are a few of the many REALTOR® Party success stories across the nation. These and others are cataloged in the Success Stories section of the REALTOR® Action Center.   Montgomery AL REALTORS® Knock on 24,000 Doors to Help Re-Elect Their Champion for Mayor The 1,000-member Montgomery (AL) Area Association of REALTORS® had nothing against any of the five candidates running in the mayoral election this past summer. But there was only one they knew would offer them a seat at the table where pressing budget issues and property rights decisions are concerned. In a bold and energetic ground campaign – including knocking on nearly 24,000 doors – they helped re-elect their REALTOR® Champion. REad More   Virginia REALTORS® Partner with “Homes for Our Troops” to Help Injured Veterans Get Mortgage-Free Housing One in 10 Virginia residents is a veteran or active duty service member.  When the Virginia Association’s Leadership Academy was choosing a class project, supporting veterans and Homes for Our Troops was a natural fit. Together, the Leadership Academy members and Virginia REALTORS® are raising awareness and making the American Dream come true for disabled veterans in the commonwealth. REad More   Advocacy and Teamwork Help Minnesota Association Protect Mortgage Interest Deduction When a $4 billion budget deficit made the mortgage interest deduction a target, the Minnesota Association of REALTORS® faced an uphill battle.  But through the Minnesota Home Matters campaign, the 17,000-member association used key partnerships, coalition-building and an effective independent expenditure campaign to garner statewide support to change proposed legislation and protect the deduction while creating a culture of advocacy. REad More   Resources & Opportunities   PACTion! Offers Online Auction Tool for State & Local Associations Take your RPAC auction to another level with PACTion!, a new online auction tool for state and local REALTOR® associations. This customizable platform handles online bidding and simplified check in/out stations be linked to your association’s bank account. READ More   Check Out the Voice For Real Estate Roundup! New Closing Rules are in Place; Washington State REALTORS® Win on Two Tax Battles; and NAR Testifies Before Congress on Use of Drones to Market Real Estate are among the headlines in NAR’s latest bi-weekly video roundup of news about the industry and your business. WATCH NOW   REALTOR® Party Association Resources Are All in the Guide Check out the 2015 REALTOR® Party Association Resource Guide.  Get brief descriptions of each REALTOR® Party Association Resource including grants, campaign tools, polling services, toolkits and more.  It’s all available for you to download as a PDF. DOWNLOAD   Have You Gotten Our Text Messages? More than 60,000 REALTORS® from across the country have already signed up for REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts - have you? Text REALTORS® to 30644 to sign up!  You’ll be among the first to know about NAR Calls for Action and more! CHECK IT OUT     Send us examples of how your association put NAR’s REALTOR® Party resources to work to implement a successful advocacy or community outreach program. Email your stories to: realtorparty@realtors.org See more than 100 stories documenting how REALTOR® associations around the country put REALTOR® Party Resources to work at the REALTOR® Party Success Stories page. This newsletter replaces the NAR Weekly Report for this week and the second week of every month. The REALTOR® Party News will publish next on November 12, 2015. If you missed a previous edition check out the REALTOR® Party News Archive. Headquarters: 430 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 DC Office: 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2020 | 1-800-874-6500      This message was sent to . Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop receiving this e-mail in the future, click to remove yourself from this list. 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