Kansas Buyers Save at the Closing Table, By The Numbers, Success Stories and more. View e-mail in browser July 10, 2014 REALTOR® PARTY | for REALTORS® | RPAC | for ASSOCIATIONS     By The Numbers   $268 Amount saved at the closing table by the average Kansas homebuyer due to the Kansas Association of REALTORS®’ successful campaign to repeal the state real estate transfer tax.  Kansas became the 15th state to ban real estate transfer taxes, but the first to ever to repeal such a tax… REad More   5 Million Number of new Hispanic households expected by 2020, according to the 2013 State of Hispanic Homeownership Report.  As the fastest growing segment of the population, Hispanics represent a significant portion of the 12-14 million new households expected by 2020.  NAR offers state and local associations a number of diversity and fair housing programs to help REALTORS® understand and do business in this booming market segment… REad More   22 Number of REALTOR® Champions who won in Maryland’s primary elections on June 24th.  Of the 26 Maryland candidates supported in local elections (from city councils to county commissioners to state legislators), 22 of them won, including a Prince George’s Clerk of the Court.  The Maryland Association of REALTORS® put NAR’s Campaign Resources together with their own to coordinate this exceptional win rate.  Find out more about REALTOR® Party Campaign Resources… REad More   13 Number of American Colonies that formed the beginning of our nation 238 years ago this month with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Did you remember that as you raised the flag, fired up the grill and watched the fireworks last week?  NAR President Steve Brown reflects on how REALTORS® work every day to promote what our founding fathers envisioned for this country… 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.   Kansas REALTORS® Get State’s 99-year-old Transfer Tax Repealed The 7,600-member Kansas Association of REALTORS® decided enough was enough and set off on a campaign to remove a century old real estate transfer tax from the books. With an Issues Mobilization Grant from NAR, combined with funds of its own and the support of the banking industry, they educated state lawmakers on the discriminatory nature of the tax.  On the last day of the legislative session a bill to repeal the law was passed, saving the average Kansas homebuyer $268 at the closing table… REad More   Loveland-Berthoud (CO) REALTORS Put the Fun in RPAC Fundraising with Chili Cook-off The Loveland-Berthoud Association of REALTORS® (LBAR) in northern Colorado may be small, but its 370 members understand the importance of supporting RPAC.  The Chili Cook-off and Live Auction they hosted this year with an RPAC Grant helped them raise a whopping $7,321 – and they had a lot of fun in the process. REad More   Michigan REALTORS®--Placemaking Pioneers--Show How a Little TLC Goes a Long Way The 'Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper' placemaking challenge launched two years ago by the Michigan Association of REALTORS® (MAR) is proving that little things make a big difference.  Bolstered by a Smart Growth Action Grant from NAR, the state association challenged its local associations to devise site-specific projects to revitalize neighborhoods.  From installing walking path signage, to creating a community book exchange, to supporting a mobile garden, REALTORS across the state are putting the state’s micro placemaking grants to work. REad More   Resources & Opportunities   Download the REALTOR® Party Mobile App – and Use It! Where will you be when the next REALTOR® Call for Action is launched?  Chances are you WON’T be at your desk, but you WILL have your cell phone.  If you’ve got the REALTOR® Party app, you can respond right away.  Get it by texting the word “app” to 30644 or search for "NAR Action Center" on the iTunes Store or Google Play Store. Download it today.  But don’t just get it – login and use it! DOWNLOAD   Get Your REALTOR® Party On! 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. READ MORE   It’s All in the Resource Guide Check out the 2014 REALTOR® Party Association Resource Guide for brief descriptions of all the REALTOR® Party resources and info on how to get them. DOWNLOAD   Get the Placemaking Guide Find out how to make your community a better place to live and work by transforming public spaces into vibra nt community places – and help increase property values, too!  NAR’s Placemaking Guide is filled with ideas and resources. DOWNLOAD     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 August 14, 2014. 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.