Improving Credit Access, New Drone Rules, and Get Fair Housing Materials View e-mail in browser April 9, 2015 REALTOR® PARTY | for REALTORS® | RPAC | for ASSOCIATIONS     From the Nation’s Capital   NAR President Polychron and HUD Secretary Castro Discuss Credit Access for Today’s Homebuyers Changing the way credit scores are computed could help millions of people to become homeowners, agreed NAR President Chris Polychron and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro in a meeting last week.  The two spoke at a Credit Access Symposium held at NAR’s Washington office. READ MORE   By The Numbers   $49.12 Average amount invested per person in the REALTORS® Political Action Committee so far this year.  Through March, RPAC has 265,311 individual investors – almost 44,000 more than the same time last year.  Check the RPAC Fundraiser Tracker to see how your state is doing. RUN REPORTS   30644 Number to text to sign up for REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts.  Text the word REALTOR to 30644 to get on the list to be among the first to know about Calls for Action!  Or click on this link to sign up online. READ MORE   39 Companies Number of companies the Federal Aviation Administration has excused from its ban on drones. After NAR strongly urged the agency to let real estate companies use drones in marketing property, the FAA announced it would be relaxing the rules in the near future. NAR’s latest “Hot Topic Alert” looks into the use and regulation of drones and what the FAA’s new rules will mean for real estate SIGN IN/Download   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.   Wilmington (NC) REALTORS® Stand Up for Home Owners to Defeat Proposed Vacation Rental Ordinance When the town of Kure Beach, NC attempted to overhaul the zoning ordinance governing vacation rentals, the 1,850-member Wilmington Regional Association of REALTORS® tapped into NAR’s Land Use Initiative to prepare a convincing argument against it.  That, and a strong showing of REALTORS® at the planning commission meeting, convinced the town to drop the onerous proposal… REad More   Worcester (MA) REALTORS® Use Placemaking Grant to Restore Local Veterans’ Memorial Triggering a Surge of Civic Pride A 65-year-old granite eagle monument to honor veterans had become an eyesore from years of neglect, and the 1,500-member Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS® decided to do something about it.  They put an NAR placemaking grant to work, along with elbow grease from their members and other volunteers, to restore the monument and grounds, triggering a surge of local civic pride in the process… REad More   San Diego REALTORS® Open New Doors to Housing Opportunities for Under-served Populations The 12,100-member Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® (GSDAR) is bringing access to the American dream of home ownership to all: one under-served population at a time.  From veterans, to minorities, to foreclosure victims who are attempting to re-enter the market, the San Diego REALTORS® have been there to help… REad More     Resources & Opportunities   Download 2015 Fair Housing Materials Take it beyond the transaction.  Help make fair housing a reality for everyone.  Commemorate and celebrate the 47th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act next month with a poster, proclamation, publication and more. READ MORE   Develop Effective Affordable Housing Messages the Easy Way Learn a five-step process for developing concise, audience-targeted messages on affordable and sustainable housing at the Affordable Housing Messaging Workshop, May 12, 1:30-3:30pm, during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. READ MORE/SIGN UP   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 15.4M PDF. READ MORE   Check out the “Spaces to Places” Blog Plazas, walkways, sidewalks, gardens, roofless buildings – all places to gather and enjoy – and candidates for Placemaking Projects. Learn about it all at NAR’s “Spaces to Places” Blog. READ MORE   Stock Up on Your Summer REALTOR® Party Essentials Order REALTOR® Party t-shirts, sunglasses, beverage napkins, coffee cups, fans, bumper stickers, Vote/Act/Invest pins and balloons and more from the REALTOR® Team Store. SHOP NOW     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 May 14, 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. NAR maintains a separate email system to communicate our national news and programs. If you would like to manage those subscriptions and optin/optout of those communications please click here to login to Realtor.org.