{"id":6900,"date":"2017-11-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/nar-vows-pushback-on-tax-reform\/"},"modified":"2017-11-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T00:00:00","slug":"nar-vows-pushback-on-tax-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/nar-vows-pushback-on-tax-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"NAR Vows Pushback on Tax Reform"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cThe bottom line is removing tax incentives means fewer home buyers and lower home values,\u201d Iona Harrison, chair of NAR\u2019s Federal Taxation Committee, said of the House GOP tax plan at the REALTORS\u00ae Conference & Expo welcoming ceremony Thursday.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Tax reform was the buzzword of the day as 20,000 attendees descended on Chicago to kick off the 2017 REALTORS\u00ae Conference & Expo on Thursday. During NAR 360, the official welcoming ceremony of the conference, leaders of the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae promised a strong and swift response to the House GOP tax plan released earlier in the day, which puts homeownership tax incentives in peril. \u201cThe proposal being debated is a clear and present danger to our businesses, to homeownership, and to our communities,\u201d Kevin Sears, NAR\u2019s vice president of government affairs, said at the event.<\/p>\n

NAR has issued a call to action asking members to warn their congressional representatives about the threats the tax proposal poses to the real estate<\/a> industry. NAR President-elect Elizabeth Mendenhall said issues such as tax reform lend more urgency to the mission of the REALTOR\u00ae Party. In that vein, Mendenhall and newly appointed NAR CEO Bob Goldberg announced that a presidential advisory group tasked with reviewing the successes of the REALTOR\u00ae Party recommends expanding its budget. \u201cIn many ways, the REALTOR\u00ae Party is our lifeline,\u201d Mendenhall said. \u201cWith issues like tax reform looming, not only in our nation\u2019s capital but in state capitals across the country, it\u2019s time to up our ante in issue and candidate advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such an increase in power is necessary to hold lawmakers accountable for how their decisions affect real estate, said Iona Harrison, chair of NAR\u2019s Federal Taxation Committee. Harrison, who has testified on behalf of NAR on Capitol Hill regarding tax reform and homeownership, said an analysis by the committee showed that under the GOP tax proposal, homeowner households with $50,000 to $200,000 in annual income would pay $815 more in taxes per year. Coupled with the proposed elimination of other itemized deductions, the tax plan could spur a housing<\/a> downturn if enacted. \u201cThe bottom line is removing tax incentives means fewer home buyers and lower home values,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica cannot afford another housing crash,\u201d Sears added.<\/p>\n

Brown Winds Down; Goldberg Gears Up
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In a video message played during NAR 360, NAR President William E. Brown said his recovery from a double lung transplant is progressing well, though he was unable to travel to Chicago for the conference.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Earlier during the welcoming ceremony, NAR President William E. Brown told REALTORS\u00ae in a video message that their hard work inspires him through his own recent struggles. Brown, who underwent a double lung transplant, was recovering at home in California and unable to travel to the conference. \u201cThe surgery was successful, and I\u2019m getting stronger every day,\u201d he said in the video. \u201cAnd even though 2017 has proved to be challenging, this has also been a year of opportunity. There is a lot to be proud of\u2014especially, the incredible work REALTORS\u00ae have undertaken in support of our associations, our colleagues, our communities, and our industry. \u2026 On a personal note, I want to thank all of you. The opportunity to serve as NAR president and to help move our industry forward has powered me through personal hardship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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NAR CEO Bob Goldberg and 2017 President-Elect Elizabeth Mendenhall discussed their vision for the future of the association, including new intiatives to further open up the lines of communication between staff and members.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

While Brown capped his presidential term with a sentimental speech, Goldberg, who took over as NAR CEO in August, laid out his vision for the association\u2019s future. Of utmost importance, he noted, is to tear down the perception of an \u201civory tower\u201d at the association and focus more on member outreach and communication. \u201cWe must listen more and talk less,\u201d Goldberg said of NAR. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason we have two ears and one mouth. I\u2019ve seen a lot of the incredible work this association has done in support of REALTORS\u00ae and property ownership. But I\u2019ve also seen that not all of our members know or understand our value proposition\u2014and we\u2019ve got to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goldberg announced several new initiatives to further align NAR with members\u2019 needs. These include assigning senior association staff as points of contact for each NAR region, requiring all association staff to do \u201cREALTOR\u00ae ride-alongs\u201d and brokerage visits, and expanding the Member\u2019s Edge and Broker\u2019s Edge programs to connect real estate communities with association resources in a more personal environment. He also said that \u201cin an age of disruption, NAR must disrupt back,\u201d but that the association\u2019s focus should not be on creating new innovations. Instead, NAR will focus more on partnering with technology companies who create innovative products, he said.<\/p>\n

Stinton: \u2018I Wish You the Very Best\u2019
\u00a0<\/h4>\n

In a commemoration of retired CEO Dale Stinton\u2019s service to NAR\u2014which spans 36 years, including 12 at the helm of the association\u2014he was remembered for steering the organization through the housing crash, creating the Realtors<\/a> Property Resource\u00ae, and working with Move Inc. to ensure that realtor<\/a>.com\u00ae remains member-centric. \u201cI\u2019ve worked with 36 presidents and 15 treasurers, and every one of them is an icon to me,\u201d Stinton told attendees. \u00a0<\/p>\n

He revealed that during his time as CEO, he spoke to the NAR Board of Directors only five times regarding special proposals because \u201cit\u2019s not our place; it\u2019s the members\u2019 place\u201d to work with the board. He reiterated his faith in Goldberg and the Leadership Team to steer NAR on a new course. \u201cWe have a very bright future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish you the very best. God bless you and what you represent, God bless NAR, and God bless the USA.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Graham Wood<\/a>, REALTOR\u00ae Magazine<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Realtors <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe bottom line is removing tax incentives means fewer home buyers and lower home values,\u201d Iona … NAR Vows Pushback on Tax Reform<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[518,480,1403,12908,543,627,617,344,1007,41,818,84,1429,479,15282,1262],"class_list":["post-6900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opportunities-in-new-markets","tag-america","tag-broker","tag-buy","tag-home","tag-home-buying-guide","tag-homeowners","tag-house","tag-housing","tag-owners","tag-property","tag-real","tag-real-estate","tag-real-estate-industry","tag-realtor","tag-ross","tag-taxes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/11_3_17_TaxReform3.jpg?fit=600%2C399&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}