REALTORS® Call on Congress; Underwater Owners Need a Break; Las Vegas Bets on Diversity View e-mail in browser May 14, 2015 REALTOR® PARTY | for REALTORS® | RPAC | for ASSOCIATIONS       From the Nation’s Capital   Over 50? Our Housing Preferences Change REALTORS® from across American personally brought the REALTOR Party messages to their members of Congress this week as they gathered in Washington for the 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.  They emphasized the value of real estate to the economy, the need for safe and affordable paths to homeownership and more.  Take a look at their talking points.  READ MORE   By The Numbers   5 Million Families Number of families who live in an underwater home (where the mortgage amount is greater than current value). NAR is urging Congress to extend mortgage debt tax relief that expired at the end of last year so these homeowners are not forced to pay income tax on mortgage debt forgiven or cancelled by a lender in a loan modification or when the home is sold. READ MORE   240,00 Borrowers Number of creditworthy borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure or distress in the past decade and would be able to re-enter the market today if lending standards were reverted to historically sound levels. NAR Research recently analyzed the situations of 9.3 million formerly distressed homeowners, many of whom re-entered the market or could in the near future. READ MORE   $29 Billion Cost of patent trolls to the U.S. economy last year.  A new video produced by NAR discusses how patent trolls threaten unsuspecting REALTORS® and other business owners with patent infringement lawsuits unless they agree to pay a licensing fee for using everyday business products like a scanner copier or online mapping tool.  WATCH VIDEO   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.   South Bend (IN) REALTORS® Lead Way Bringing New Life to Local Hispanic Neighborhood The 495-member Greater South Bend-Mishawaka Association of REALTORS® took the lead in breathing new life into a largely Hispanic local neighborhood with a Smart Growth Grant.  The Better Block Event they hosted transformed an under-used area into a new streetscape with bike lanes, wider sidewalks, landscaping and lighting, setting the stage for future improvements… REad More   Salt Lake Board Works With Transit Authority to Get Cars Off the Road and People Onto Public Transit Air quality is a big concern in the Wasatch Front region of north-central Utah, and the Salt Lake Board of REALTORS took steps to help clear the air. The 6,700-member board used a Game Changer Grant and funds of their own to sponsor the Utah Transit Authority’s RideClear Program, which helped to get more than 14,000 cars off the road and 25,000 people onto public transportation. REad More   Las Vegas REALTORS® Grow New Leaders Across Ethnic Lines The Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® not only embraces cultural differences, but it’s actually doing something to grow future leaders from diverse backgrounds. The 11,700-member association is drawing local minority real estate partners to their successful Leadership Training Series.  As a result, many of them have gone on to become association committee chairs, and a few have seats on the Board of Directors. REad More   Resources & Opportunities   No Matter Where You Are -- Stay on Top of Highlights at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings Whether you’re in DC participating in the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo or at home running your business, follow the meeting highlights at “Legislative Live.” CHECK IT OUT   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. DOWNLOAD   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 June 11, 2015. If you missed a previous edition check out the REALTOR® Party News Archive. 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