Most governmental issues of importance to real estate brokers and agents are regulated at the state government level. While the number of issues that could affect real estate or REALTORS® is infinite and constantly changing, there is a small number of core issues that are perennially issues of concern to our industry. NAR, through use of a consultant, tracks and analyzes these core issues, such as the law of Agency, License Reciprocity, and Seller Disclosure requirements. The analysis, presented in this interactive, searchable database, permits the user to make comparisons among different state approaches to an issue and includes citations of the particular state law addressing each issue.

Access the State Issues Tracker

The Core Real Estate Issues, which are updated on a yearly basis, are:

• Affinity Marketing and After-the-Fact Referral Fees
• Appraisal Management Companies
• Broker Lien Laws
• Development Impact Fees
• Foreclosure
• Greenhouse Gas, Climate Change, Energy
• Home Inspectors
• Lending Application Disclosures and Escrow Requirements
• License Reciprocity
• Licensing Requirements and Maintenance
• Minimum Service Laws
• Private Transfer Fees
• Real Estate Agency
• Real Estate Transfer Taxes
• Sales Tax on Services
• Seller Disclosure (Property Conditions)
• State RESPA Laws
• Sex Offender Notification (Megan's Law)
• Tenancies-in-Common
• Water Rights

The two Emerging Issues, which are updated on a monthly basis, are:

• Appraisal Management Companies
• Private Transfer Fees

New Private Transfer Fee White Paper

The issue of private transfer fees is a new development in property law, but one that REALTORS® need to be aware of. Private Transfer Fees—Potential For Trouble, Problems for The Future? is a white paper completed for NAR by Frank C. Aiello, Assistant Professor, Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Vicki C. Krueger, Senior Research Manager, Legal Research Center, Inc. It provides an overview of the issues surrounding private transfer fees and a description of how the various states are addressing this new development.

NAR Smart Growth Quarterly Report

Also, to view the latest laws in the 50 states regarding Smart Growth Issues, please see the most recent NAR Smart Growth e-News Quarterly Report.