http://www.realtor.org/midyear.nsf/pages/homepage

http://www.realtor.org/fedistrk.nsf/pages/wk04142008?OpenDocument#report_4_04_14_2008

http://sa.mcmillin.com/

Carver Communications - Index

Carver Communications - 5.15.05 - Index

On May 12th, leadership members
of the San Antonio Board of REALTORS®
(SABOR) traveled to Washington, DC to
take part in the National Association of
REALTORS’ (NAR) Midyear Legislative
Meetings. Meetings were scheduled to be
held with our Congressmen, Senators and
their staff to discuss 2008 housing issues.
Key issues or “Talking Points”
included discussion on the Housing
Assistance Tax Act of 2008. This legislation
would provide a temporary tax credit
to give buyers incentive to enter the housing
market. FHA modernization; GSE
reform; the reauthorization of flood insurance
legislation, which expires on
September 30th, 2008; and small business
health care legislation were discussed.
In addition to Congressional
appointments, attendees will participate in
NAR meetings and educational venues
throughout the week. Go to NAR’s website,
http://www.realtor.org/midyear.nsf/pages/
homepage to read more.
By Robyn Locke,
Director of Political and Community Affairs
NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings In DC
NAR Joins Senators to
Introduce the Small Business
Health Options Program
Recently, NAR joined Senators
Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Blanche Lincoln
(D-Ark.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and
Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) as they introduced
S. 2795, the Small Business Health
Options Program (SHOP). President-elect
Charles McMillan spoke at the press conference
where the legislation was introduced
to offer NAR's support. As proposed,
SHOP would offer tax incentives to encourage
states to reform group insurance markets
and make health insurance premiums
for small businesses and the self-employed
more affordable. It would also develop a
nationwide insurance small business purchasing
pool that would still be subject to
state insurance regulation to protect those
who choose to participate. NAR research
indicates that one in four of NAR members
do not have health care insurance and for
most REALTORS the reason is cost. NAR
supports the program as a solid first step
toward reforming the U.S. health care mar-
May 15, 2008 REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE 7
ket for small businesses and independent
contractors such as REALTORS.
NAR Raises Concerns about
Fannie And Freddie Policies
NAR President Dick Gaylord wrote
letters to Fannie Mae CEO Dan Mudd and
Freddie Mac CEO Dick Syron to raise serious
concerns about a range of Fannie and
Freddie policies that, taken as a whole, are
hurting the entire national economy, not
just the housing and mortgage markets.
REALTORS® think there has been an
overreaction by the GSEs and others in the
housing finance industry that, even in the
short term and certainly in the long term,
will cause harm to the organizations
involved by delaying recovery of the housing
and mortgage markets. Many small
individual policy decisions designed to
keep the enterprises financially sound,
when layered one upon another, have created
major impediments to healthy mortgage
and housing markets.
The letters address three main areas
of concern:
1. A wide variety of higher fees and
other underwriting standards that make
mortgages much less affordable.
2. Policies reducing maximum
loan-to-value ratios (LTVs) by five percentage
points for homes in declining markets.
3. Extremely tight underwriting
standards for jumbo conforming loans
authorized by the Economic Stimulus Act.
To read more, please log onto:
http://www.realtor.org/fedistrk.nsf/pages/w
k04142008?OpenDocument#report_4_04_
14_2008
If you were wondering
who Candy
Carver would capture
with her camera
when she
dropped by SABOR
for the TREPAC
meeting, this time it
was Sue Trautner of
RE/MAX North San
Antonio, Tom
Patterson of North
Loop Realty, Inc.,
and Dwight Hale of
RE/MAX Associates.