Building a Culture of Preparedness, By The Numbers, Success Stories, and More View e-mail in browser July 9, 2020 Building a Culture of Preparedness No one could have prepared for what 2020 has had in store for us to date. However, it is important REALTORS proactively prepare for the upcoming Hurricane season. With market activity returning to full swing, potential new customers will likely have questions when looking at homes and property locations in flood-prone areas. That’s why NAR has worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on a suite of flood resources to help you advise your clients. READ MORE By The Numbers 13-16 The November dates of the virtual 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo. Previously scheduled to be held in New Orleans, this year’s conference will be transitioned to a fully virtual format in light of ongoing health and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual format will allow NAR’s full organizational governance processes to proceed as normal during the conference. In addition, the conference will include relevant speakers, energizing live-streamed content, networking opportunities and an industry expo. LEARN MORE 400+ The number of organizations from across the country, inlcuding the National Association of REALTORS®, participating in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Equality of Opportunity initiative. NAR is part of this broad national effort to examine economic inequality in America. This group of business and policy leaders has assembled to advance economic inclusion and highlight a number of potential data-driven solutions that promote equal opportunity. LEARN MORE 55 Number of hard-to-count cities where the U.S. Census Bureau states that the self-response rate for households to date is low in comparison to the population numbers based from the 2010 census. These cities also have census participation rates that are below the current national response rate of 61.8%, and could potentially miss out on future funding and needed support, because of an inaccurate population count. Is your city on the list? Join NAR in promoting the importance of the Census and it’s impact on state and local communities. LEARN MORE The REALTOR® Party At Work 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 on REALTORParty.realtor. Beloved Park Was Defaced, Then Revived with NAR Grant Due to the damage of public spaces that occurred separate from the peaceful protests nationwide, real estate pros are leading the charge to help clean up vandalized areas in our local communities. NAR’s new Community Rebuilding Grant provides grant money to REALTOR® associations to help with the revitalization effort. READ MORE Delaware REALTORS® Lobby State to Spare Summer Rental Season from Extended Pandemic Shutdown Facing an extension of restrictions on out-of-state visitors and short-term rentals as the all-important summer beach season approached, Delaware REALTORS® engaged their governor and other elected officials in problem-solving discussions. A five-part Call for Action through the Advocacy Everywhere program helped get the message through. READ More Huntsville Area REALTORS® Deflect Steep Increase in Impact Fees on New Housing Construction REALTORS® responded in force to a Call for Action letting elected officials in Madison, Ala., know that raising impact fees on new developments would price their middle-class clients out of the housing market. The Mayor and City Council heard them loud and clear, and are finding other revenue sources to support city services.. READ More Howard County REALTORS® Contest Closing Fee Increases in Trying Times The last thing that property owners and prospective buyers in Howard County, Md., needed was a steep increase in recordation and transfer taxes – but that’s what the County Council was proposing. With help from the REALTOR® Party, a REALTOR® Champion, mobilized advocacy messages that were sent by nearly 30% of its membership. As a result, the Howard County Association of REALTORS® successfully advocated for the governing body to reconsider. READ More Resources & Opportunities Expanding Housing Opportunity – A Toolkit for REALTORS® and Associations A newly updated collection of guides and resources designed to help REALTORS® and Associations conduct activities to address affordability challenges in the communities they serve is now available. Rich in ideas and resources, this toolkit was designed to be a reference and working companion to those addressing housing affordability in their communities LEARN MORE Save Time, Money and Stay Safe with Members TeleHealth Access virtual healthcare for only $7/month (a 50% savings). Through Members TeleHealthSM, NAR members receive 24/7/365 access to MDLIVE, a network of over 2,300 US state licensed and board-certified physicians who are professionally trained to provide non-emergency medical treatment through smartphone, tablet, or computer. LEARN MORE New Coronavirus Consumer Guides Available in English and Spanish Download and customize the Protect Your Investment and Protect You Credit brochures with your clients. These resources will help homeowners who are facing financial challenges due to the Coronavirus pandemic and offer advice when working with trusted professionals like REALTORS® and financial counselors. LEARN MORE On Common Ground: Reinventing How Communities Work in the Age of COVID-19 REALTORS® stand ready to play a pivotal role in helping communities rebuild and recover as states and localities work towards getting to a new normal after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special issue of On Common Ground, take a deeper dive into the evolution of homeownership post-pandemic; what nonprofits and local governments are doing to help preserve homeownership; and how local governments are re-tooling public spaces to accommodate social distancing. LEARN MORE Stay up to Date with NAR’s Coronavirus Resources & Information NAR is providing guidance to help REALTORS® respond to COVID-19 – commonly referred to as coronavirus – and its impact on the real estate industry and real estate transactions. Any updates from NAR and its response to the coronavirus emergency will be collected on nar.realtor/coronavirus. LEARN MORE Take Advantage of the Right Tools, Right Now In this uncertain time, NAR is re-activating the Right Tools, Right Now program to make a sweeping selection of resources available for free or at reduced cost. Find offerings on finance, technology, skills building toolkits, and more to help your business. LEARN MORE Join the REALTOR® Party Online Are you posting, liking, tweeting or pinning? So is the REALTOR® Party.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram to get the latest news, information and resources.

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 300 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 August 13, 2020. 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