If you’re not a fan of Realtors and politicos, this might be a good week to steer clear of the nation’s capital. The Realtors are descending into the swamp to push their legislative priorities this week during the 2018 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.
More than 9,000 Realtors® and guests will attend this year’s conference, which kicked off yesterday and runs through Saturday, May 20.
“As real estate professionals and Realtors®, our day-to-day business is influenced by the decisions made by our policymakers, and what happens on Capitol Hill matters tremendously to the real estate industry, our livelihood and the existing and future property owners we serve,” said NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a sixth-generation Realtor®from Columbia, Missouri and CEO of RE/MAX Boone Realty. “That’s why NAR concentrates tremendous effort advocating for federal, state and local policy initiatives and why so many Realtors® are here in Washington this week, focusing Congress’s attention on the issues that bear significant weight on our industry.”
This year, Realtors® are advocating support for several important legislative initiatives, including strong net neutrality protections to ensure the internet is open and competitive for consumers and businesses; renewing and strengthening the long-term viability of the National Flood Insurance Program; indexing home ownership tax incentives for future inflation and permanently extending the tax exclusion on mortgage debt forgiveness; and adopting sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in the Fair Housing Act.
