NAR: Association Executives: Sharing Services to Make Housing Opportunities

April Program Spotlight: Shared Housing Opportunity Programs

This month’s Shared Service spotlight focuses on creative ways state and local REALTOR associations are working together and with housing agencies and municipalities to create housing opportunities in their communities.


"One of my greatest hopes is that REALTORS® will make a lasting difference in bringing better housing choices to the American people." -- Cathy Whatley, NAR President

Listen to NAR president Cathy Whatley speak about Shared Services. Click on the link below:

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Sharing Services to Make Housing Opportunities

It takes a village to shelter the needy. That’s what Realtor associations across the country are finding out as they join forces with community groups, municipalities, builders, and housing agencies to create housing opportunities for homeless and working Americans.

In Nashville a unique housing opportunities initiative has been created involving the Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS, the Mayor's Office of Affordable Housing, the Metropolitan Development & Housing Agency, the Nashville Housing Fund, the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity, and Fannie Mae.

The Housing Opportunities Initiative will soon be launching a community awareness campaign about the benefits and availability of affordable homeownership in Nashville. The campaign will help link citizens with Metro government and area non-profit agencies that provide down payment assistance as well as other programs that prepare first-time buyers for homeownership. A total of over 750 spots on 14 different radio stations are included in the campaign, which will feature radio ads in both English and Spanish languages beginning this month (Fair Housing Month) and continuing into June (National Homeownership Month).

"As Realtors, we are finding there are affordable homeownership opportunities available in many Nashville neighborhoods," said John Gifford, GNAR president. "We want Nashville residents looking to buy a home to be able to find the assistance they need. We also want the community to understand how beneficial homeownership is to Nashville; how it allows our teachers, firemen, police officers and many others to live closer to work or, if they desire, near the same neighborhoods where they grew up. Increased home ownership has also been proven to build better neighborhoods.ö

We are fortunate to have so many outstanding public and non-profit agencies joining together with us in this Housing Opportunities Initiative, continued Gifford. ôWorking together through this Housing Opportunities Initiative, we will make our efforts even more successful."

"I want to applaud the Realtors as well as MDHA, the Nashville Housing Fund and Habitat for joining with my Office of Affordable Housing to make the public more aware of the benefits of affordable homeownership," said Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell. "Working together we can also help make everyone aware of the assistance that is available in Nashville for those seeking the American Dream."

In Northern California, more then 22 REALTOR Associations are coming together May 7, at the Pleasanton Hilton, in Pleasanton, Calif. to share their expertise on creating housing opportunity. They are joined by the League of California Cities and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Emerging Markets to achieve three main goals: First, to promote housing opportunities and choices for all levels of affordability; Second to assist in providing attainable housing for the work force in our communities through advocating for assistance programs and develop of more multi-level housing; and Third, to educate members and the public about the positive outcome of providing a balance of housing choices in a community; and improving communications between all stakeholders.

This second annual Housing Opportunity Summit, larger and more expansive in scope then last year’s, is to bring togetherall the stakeholders, both private and public that play a role in the development and placement of citizens into affordable, safe, well designed housing. Information sharing sessions will focus on the connection of each stakeholder and ways to work together for positive change.

“There will be a general assembly at the beginning of the summit to discuss what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done since last year’s summit,” says Tricia Thomas, EVP of the Bay East Association of REALTORS, Calif. “We will then divide into smaller groups for panel presentations and facilitated discussions on specific topics relating to housing.”

More then just information sharing, the Summit aims to create a workable blueprint for creating housing opportunity in Northern California. AEs attending from other parts of the country will walk away with a models of how they can launch a summit and find partners in their community to share the responsibility of creating affordable housing, says Thomas.

In Rhode Island, The Rhode Island Association of Realtors® recognized that for practitioners to be effectively involved in low-income home sales, they needed a greater understanding of the obstacles that low-income homebuyers face. This need spurred the association to partner with the Rhode Island office of Housing and Urban Development to create an education and designation program called Community Awareness in Real Estate, or CARE.

“We approached the Rhode Island office of Housing and Urban Development to help us develop a program that would educate Realtors® to better serve low-income homeseekers,” says Susan Arnold, Rhode Island Association’s chief executive officer.

CARE’s mission is to teach Realtors® through out the state how to work with low-income and minority home seekers. The curriculum focuses on unique financing opportunities, credit counseling, diversity training, fair housing, buyer agency, and tips for helping homeowners prevent foreclosure.

“When we first approached HUD, we sensed that they didn’t think real estate practitioners really cared about serving this segment of the community,” says Arnold. “But as we began working on the curriculum together, they realized our passion for getting people into homes.”

Now HUD promotes CARE designees on a practitioner referral list provided to community organizations, posted on community Web sites, and promoted at homebuyer fairs throughout the state. HUD also uses practitioners to teach “How to Work with a Realtor®” classes.

“It’s been a boost in business for the program graduates,” says Arnold. “As one graduate said, this boom market isn’t going to stick around forever.”

Graduating in 2002, the first CARE class consisted of eight practitioners from all corners of the state, each of whom successfully completed 27 hours of classroom training. The next CARE class is scheduled to start this spring, and enrollment has grown to 35 practitioners.

Whether it’s education, community action, or public awareness, Housing Opportunity is every association’s challenge. With partners, the challenge can become a success story.