PROView - June 2008 - (Page 2)

Chairman’s Notes Making Your Voice Heard Across the Land by Pat Ivers, Chairman of the Board As your 2008 PRO Chairman of the Board, I recently had the privilege of attending the NAR mid-year Legislative meetings in Washington, D.C. on your behalf. As a group we are facing enormous challenges and it has perhaps never been more important to join together and bring our concerns to those who govern in an effort to preserve our rights and to advocate change where change is needed. I went to our nation’s capital to make sure our Florida legislative delegates know that we stand together as we ask for their support in matters important to us. As I drove from the airport to my hotel, I couldn’t help but be in awe. The Capitol Building, the Supreme Court and the White House – all are symbols of our nation and your right to have your voice heard as part of our democracy. I reflected on the very reason I was there: to make your voice heard through the REALTOR® community, the real estate industry, and to our elected representatives. One morning I attended a Federal Priority Issues Briefing which provided all participants an overview of the main talking points we later would bring to legislators: 1. Enact housing stimulus legislation o Establish a temporary tax credit or similar tax incentive for home buyers o Modernize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) single-family program o Strengthen the safety and soundness of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Why it matters to you: A temporary tax credit can generate activity in your marketplace, thus clearing the current overload of housing inventory. FHA’s ability to serve the market has dwindled because its loan limits, down-payment 2 PINELLAS REALTOR® ORGANIZATION requirement, and limited uses have rendered the program unusable for many prospective homebuyers. Permanently increasing the FHA loan limits to appropriate levels in all parts of the country will provide homeowners and homebuyers with safe, affordable financing and help stabilize local housing markets. Making the recently approved temporary higher conforming loan limits permanent will also help bring stability to our marketplace as more moderate-income, working families nationwide would qualify for safer Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSE) loans through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Greg Armstrong, President, West Pasco Board of Realtors®, Pat Ivers, PRO Chairman, and Ann Guiberson, PRO President/CEO attending the NAR meetings in Washington, D.C. June 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PROView - June 2008

PROView - June 2008 Contents Chairman’s Notes Sustainable Lifestyles Greening the Not-So-New House Green Renovation Checklist Green Building Tips Going Green PROActive You Have 30 Seconds to Prove Your Value Marketplace Analysis Home Sales Report PRO Biz Calendar of Events & Programs New Members and Affiliates

PROView - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.