Flood Insurance, Tax Reform Top Issues as Realtors® Head to Washington

Real Estate Weekly News

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Real Estate Weekly News -- Nearly 9,000 Realtors® and industry guests are descending upon Washington this week to address regulators and members of Congress on key industry issues, including national flood insurance, tax reform and sustainable homeownership.

Realtor® members will visit U.S. House and Senate offices to urge Congress to pass a multiyear reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program before it expires on September 30. Additionally, Realtors® are seeking to protect sustainable homeownership by advocating for responsible reform of the secondary mortgage market, prohibiting the use of mortgage guarantee fees for any purposes other than credit-risk management and improving consumer protections for energy efficiency improvement loans.

Realtors® will also be reminding legislators that while Realtors® support tax reform, it cannot happen by diminishing the real estate tax provisions that are an essential component of a vibrant housing market and key driver of the economy.

During the meeting, attendees will also be participating in a series of on-site visits with regulatory agency staff at the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"With a new president and Congress in office, it's vitally important for regulators and policymakers in Washington to hear from the nation's Realtors® about issues affecting their businesses, communities and clients," said National Association of Realtors® President William E. Brown, a Realtor® from Alamo, California and founder of Investment Properties, a division of his family real estate business. "Robust commercial markets and helping more Americans achieve the dream of homeownership are things we believe strongly in protecting, which is why we are here this week engaging with our senators and representatives and making our voices heard."