FRONT LINES: Washington Report

Special report: NAR’s January Meetings

REALTORS® forceful at key time

From keeping banks out of real estate to enabling small businesses like real estate brokerages to offer competitive health insurance, the legislative battles of 2006 can be won if REALTORS® build on their grassroots strength, Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) told politically active NAR members at a four-day meeting the association held for them in January.

Thanks in part to NAR’s input into legislation that would allow associations and other groups to band together to offer affordable options, Congress is making progress crafting a health insurance bill that can be widely supported, something Davis said he greatly favors.

REALTORS® can also make a difference on broad domestic policy matters as lawmakers gear up for national elections this year, analysts at the meetings said.

Both Republican and Democratic polls show an appetite among voters for change at the federal level, a trend which favors Democrats, in part because of concern about the economy, rising fuel prices, and the Washington corruption scandals. But Democrats are having trouble rallying support because voters don’t see them as a strong alternative to Republicans, noted Neil Newhouse, a consultant who has worked on Republican campaigns.

In this volatile political climate, the role of politically involved people is significant. “This is the year you can have major impact by supporting candidates who support your agenda,” said Newhouse. “[Your involvement is] much more critical than in presidential election years 2004 and 2008.”
For more on policy and political matters, visit the NAR Action Center (www.naractioncenter.com).

Practitioner value recognized

The role of real estate practitioners in home sale transactions continues to strengthen, according to the 2005 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers released in late January.

Even with the rise of the Internet in home searches—77 percent of buyers now search online, up from 2 percent in 1995—the share of buyers working with practitioners continues to be strong, standing at 90 percent of buyers.

At the same time, the share of FSBOs continues to drop, standing at 13 percent of sellers, down from 14 percent in the 2004 profile. Almost 40 percent of FSBO deals involved “closely held” transactions in which sellers already knew the buyers.

The profile is based on almost 8,000 responses from a survey of households who bought a home between August 2004 and July 2005.

MORE ONLINE
2005 NAR Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers
The Great Profile: NAR's Look at Today's Homebuyers and Sellers

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