NAR President Steve Brown was at the White House recently to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Federal Housing Administration. Just as REALTORS® were key to the creation of FHA in 1934, REALTORS® are key players in keeping the agency strong today. During the visit, REALTORS® celebrated FHA's successes, shared what they see as the greatest challenges and opportunities FHA faces today,...
The housing market is starting to show some improvement after a slow start to the year, but home sales likely will still likely be shy of 2013 numbers, according to Fannie Mae’s June 2014 Economic Outlook, released this week. "Home price improvements have contributed to consumers’ household wealth, but overall growth in the housing market pulled back in the first quarter, with major...
Student loan debt is a growing concern for REALTORS®, because of its impact on household formation. What is NAR doing to address the issue of growing student debt? NAR's 2014 President, Steve Brown explains in his latest video. Original post here. ...
NAR Government Affairs has been closely monitoring the implementation of rules by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). As part of the implementation of the Qualified Mortgage (QM) regulations, CFPB included in the 3% cap on fees and points, amounts paid to affiliate title companies and insurance escrows when there is an affiliate involved in the transaction. Unaffiliated charges...
The National Association of REALTORS® just released the Home Buyers & Sellers Generational Trends report. Read the highlights and see the report below. Highlights Gen Y comprises the largest share of home buyers at 31 percent, followed by Gen X at 30 percent, and both Younger (16 percent) and Older Boomers (14 percent) at 30 percent. The Silent Generation has the smallest share of...
Sine Die! Wednesday, May 7, the final gavel came down on the second session of the 69th General Assembly. In total, 621 bills were introduced. CAR tracked 66 bills this year and took a position on 32 of them. As we are busy preparing for the 2014 elections, many are noting the bipartisan nature of a large majority of the bills...
In September 2013, the Wildfire Insurance and Forest Health Task Force issued an 80 page report to Governor Hickenlooper outlining concerns and recommendations regarding how to best protect citizens who live in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), and protect Colorado’s landscape, which is a critical element of the State’s economic health. Their findings also brought to light related issues of water...
As of May 1, 2014, all buyers of older properties (“pre-FIRM”) will see a premium rate reduction under the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014. Instead of jumping to “full cost” for flood insurance, buyers will assume the seller’s Oct-2013 rate for a pre-FIRM property. NAR prevailed upon FEMA to implement this provision seven months early. FEMA also extended the rate relief...
Five Colorado REALTORS® will be inducted into the NAR RPAC Hall of Fame in May during the 2014 REALTOR® Party Convention and Trade Expo. They will be honored for their commitment to RPAC and their investment of over $25,000 during their career as REALTORS®. Kit Cowperthwaite A former lawyer, Kit left a long-time practice in 1993 to begin a full-time career as a REALTOR®. He quickly became involved, serving...
Efforts to simplify the nation’s tax code sounds like a simple enough idea. It sounds like good news until you read through Michigan Congressman Dave Camp’s Tax Plan and see that the proposed ideas will hit homeowners the hardest. The proposals behind the Tax Reform Act of 2014 promises to provide a big financial blow to first-time home buyers, homeowners who have seen large gains in...