The Word From D.C.: CFPB Restructuring

NAR’s 754-member Board of Directors met on May 20 to set the association’s policy on an array of vital issues to strengthen the real estate industry and keep communities strong.

“I wanted people to try to stay away from politics as we debated it.”
—Anthony Lamacchia, chair of NAR’s Dodd-Frank CFPB work group, on its recommendation to restructure the federal agency.

NAR Wants New Structure for Consumer Watchdog

Homeowners and home buyers have an advocate that’s looking out for their financial interests in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but the agency should be overseen by a five-person commission rather than by a single director. That was the position taken by NAR’s board of directors during a vote at its May 20 meeting in Washington, D.C. The issue will be important this year as Congress is likely to consider legislation to overhaul, or even abolish, the agency, and REALTORS® will be able to weigh in on what a restructured agency should look like to do the most effective job. The action is one of several the board took in preparation for a busy and consequential year in public policy affecting real estate. Read more on the board’s decisions and how they help REALTORS®.  

The International Housing Market in the U.S.

Immigration policy may be a hot-button issue, but there’s no debate about whether increasing residency opportunities for foreign nationals is good for the real estate market, says Alex Nowrasteh, immigration policy analyst with the Cato Institute. Learn what the data suggests about prospects for the U.S housing market.

Get In on Infrastructure

One campaign promise from 2016 sparked broad interest on both sides of the aisle: President Donald Trump’s pledge to invest $1 trillion in American infrastructure.  “In this area, we can be bipartisan,” said Brian Pallasch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Learn how improving infrastructure leads to increased real estate investment and how real estate pros can be part of the conversation.

Atlanta broker-owner Amy McCoy (in white jacket) holds forth on the power of authentic marketing.

The Most Meaningful (yet Overlooked) Way to Connect With Clients

An Atlanta broker-owner with a purple pixie haircut walks the talk when it comes to making authentic connections that power her business.

FEMA’s Own Cleanup

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is dedicated to overhauling the way the National Flood Insurance Program interacts with policyholders, FEMA officials told a group of REALTORS® who visited the agency Friday. FEMA’s Customer Experience Office is two years into a five-year effort to improve customer service that includes modernizing the way the agency rates a property’s risk of being flooded, making it easier for people to file and follow up on claims, and creating policies that more closely resemble other types of insurance, said deputy director Chelsea D’Angona.

Class Acts

REALTOR® University honored its fourth class of graduates at a commencement ceremony last Friday. The 14 graduates, who represent nine states and Canada, focused their studies on areas including commercial real estate investment, appraisal and valuation services, and sales and marketing. The university, which is the only accredited institution of higher education focused exclusively on real estate, provides students with practical experience that they can directly apply to their real estate businesses.  A total of 48 students have graduated from RU since 2014. “It’s certainly given me opportunities that I didn’t know were there before,” said Deborah T. Carter, a broker with Suburban Realty Professionals in Princeton, N.J., who received her degree in residential real estate sales, marketing, and management. “When I tell my clients that I have this degree, they will be way more likely to jump with me.”  

—REALTOR® Magazine