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I Feel Privileged to Work on CanTree Year After Year

As a Sacramento REALTOR®, I feel privileged to work on CanTree year after year. I was recently asked why I do so. My inspiration goes back to the first Saturday after Thanksgiving 1994.

A group from our office had committed to The Salvation Army can drive at a local grocery store. It was crisp at 7:00 am to say least. But undaunted we put up our signs, rang the bells and greeted folks as they passed us in the parking lot. We were hopeful we would collect enough food not to embarrass ourselves.

Within the first 15 minutes a gentleman came back out of the store with a bag full of cans. As he placed the bag in our cart he said, “The Salvation Army helped my Mother put food on the table when my father was killed at Pearl Harbor. They really were the only thing we knew we could depend on”. Our group was taken aback, but we composed ourselves and continued ringing our bells.

In the next few minutes another man placed a few cans of yams in the cart. “When I got back from Viet Nam I got addicted and tried to kill myself. The Salvation Army is the reason I am alive. I could not have made it without them.” Once again we were stunned with an unsolicited personal story.

Continue reading: I Feel Privileged to Work on CanTree Year After Year

2009 NAR Public Policy Accomplishments

For 2009, NAR’s primary public policy goal was to focus on efforts that stimulate, stabilize and strengthen real estate markets across the nation while also protecting the business interests of members. As we near the end of 2009, NAR has made significant progress on both the legislative and regulatory fronts. The successes highlighted below represent a small portion of the activity conducted on behalf of REALTORS® in 2009.

As we look ahead to 2010, NAR will continue to advocate policy initiatives that benefit REALTORS® and consumers in the residential and commercial real estate industry.

Protecting REALTORS®’ Business Interest and Activities
Banks in Real Estate – After 8 years of continuous struggle to convince Congress that real estate is not financial in nature and banks should not be allowed in the real estate brokerage business, NAR achieved its objective. On March 11, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, H.R. 1105, was signed into law, and with it a declaration that, going forward, neither real estate brokerage or real estate management can be classified as a financial activity.

Home Valuation Code of Conduct – Citing a lack of guidance from the GSEs, among other things, NAR is calling for an 18 month moratorium. Staff from both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac met with the Appraisal Committee at NAR’s 2009 Midyear Meetings. The conversation focused on the implementation of HVCC. With the Code set to expire in November 2010, NAR supports an amendment to H.R. 3126 that will effectively sunset HVCC.

Continue reading: 2009 NAR Public Policy Accomplishments