One of the most subservient organizations to the federal government has had enough of government regulations and is fighting back. The National Association of Home Builders has gone along with the myriad of government programs that lined the pockets of the connected and delayed the recovery of the housing industry for the past 5 years.

Now they have finally seemed to recognize that the government intrusion into the housing industry has created a crisis and home construction, a vital part of our economy, will not recover until the American families see some relief from the rampant increase in government regulation.

PRESS RELEASE:

WASHINGTON, May 11 – Despite the fact that Americans overwhelmingly support homeownership, legislative and regulatory proposals now under consideration would greatly harm home owners, home buyers, the housing market and the nation’s economy. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has launched a new website, www.ProtectHomeownership.com, to bring attention to the threats to homeownership and inspire the public to take action to protect it.

“American families aspire to homeownership because they know that it promotes stability and is critical in creating wealth and providing upward mobility and financial security for families. Equally important, homeownership supports the economy by creating jobs,” said NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg, a home builder from Gainesville, Fla. “Government policies that negatively impact families’ ability to own a home would be devastating for home owners, the housing market and the nation’s economy.”

Tax, legislative and regulatory policies currently under consideration would scale back or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction and make mortgages and small business loans unaffordable and even more difficult to obtain. ProtectHomesownership.com explains some of these threats and documents homeownership’s importance to individual households and to local, state and national economies through an FAQ, poll data, economic analysis and reports.

The site also provides multiple ways for the public to take positive action to protect this very important aspect of American life. These include an online petition urging policymakers to keep housing a national priority, information about how to participate in homeownership rallies that are being held in a number of communities in 2012, and links to social media communities on Facebook.com/ProtectHomeownership and Twitter.com/4Homeownership.

“New home construction spurs productivity, creates jobs for millions of Americans and generates revenues for all levels of government,” said Rutenberg. “This website will help educate the public about the imminent threats to the American Dream of homeownership and empower them to make sure their voices are heard.”

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Real Estate Blogging is Dying – Fast

by Tom Royce on April 7, 2012


Coming from the guy who “went” by the name of the real estate blogger, I am calling this game…

Real Estate Blogging is dying, fast.

If you want to learn more, contact me on Twitter – @tomroyce or call me at 770-755-1503.

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NAR Sales Data Continues to be Wrong

by Tom Royce on February 22, 2012


An open letter to the National Association of Realtors members from one of our readers.

Dear REALTORS,

With their latest press release, it seems that the National Association of REALTORS has completely given up being a credible source of housing data.  Therefore, I would strongly advise against using any of their data or information that they disseminate from their offices.  And I would definitely not cut and paste their propaganda into anything you send out to clients and customers via blogs, Facebook or any other social media platform.  It will almost certainly turn out to be incorrect if not completely fabricated.

The press release claims that sales have increase 4.3% in January.  This might be true but that is highly unlikely.  Why do I say that?  Because last month they reported sales increased 5% in their initial press release.  However, this was actually not the case as they readjusted the number for December during the current month to actually show a decrease in December sales of .5%.  So either they are massaging the numbers to tell the story they want to tell or they are incompetent.  I will go with the former.

So don’t be surprise in March when they report February sales and adjust January down., there is a chance the number you are quoting today will be absolutely incorrect.  And it is funny but it always seems to be adjusted down.  That is how a propaganda machine works.  One direction.  Late last year they had to adjust sales for 4 entire years worth of data.  The adjustment was 14% down.  No surprise there.  What was the reason the data was so wrong for so long?  Drift.  That is what Lawrence Yun, Chief Spin Doctor for the NAR called it.  Another WTF moment.

The NAR can no longer be trusted by us.  It is therefore our responsibility to report the correct numbers for our individual markets.  And we should do so with honesty and integrity.  No spin.  No propaganda.  No Drift.  It is well known by everyone that each real estate market has its own characteristics.  Real estate is truly local.  I am of the belief that reporting any national numbers for real estate sales is confusing at best and destructive at worst.  But until the leadership of NAR is changed and propaganda is no longer tolerated, we must fight to maintain our credibility despite the actions of NAR.

Tony Arko
President, Dulles Area Association of REALTORS
Un-Proud NAR member since 2004

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Want To Buy The Empire State Building?

This is not something that will only be asked by native New Yorkers to the rubes visiting from out of town. Instead, Empire State Realty Trust, owners of the Empire State Building have announced it will take the company public. Yes, you too can own the most iconic building in Manhattan. Empire State Realty Trust, owners [...]

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Sh*t Real Estate Agent Say

The meme has hit the real estate world, courtesy of Brian Copeland and Maura Neill the folks at RETSO.   See home many real estate memes you can find…

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Real Estate Investor Conference – BiggerPockets Style

Are you ready for a real estate investment conference that is not on big sell and spam fest? Are you tired of every speaker from the stage pitching their product instead of teaching you? Well, your conference has arrived. Josh Dorkin and the crew over at BiggerPockets is putting on a truly amazing conference on [...]

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New Home Sales Remain Anemic in 2011

The new home sales data was released and the results are less than stellar. For 2011, there were only 302,000 new home sold nationwide. For perspective, in the South the numbers were the lowest since 1966, and that is the good news. In both the Northeast and the West, sales were the worst in recorded [...]

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House Windows Melting A Toyota Prius

Typically when you think of a battle between a house and a Prius, you add a dose of a drunk driver and a garage and you are done… But not today. It looks like that super efficient windows are reflecting so much energy onto a car parked in Southern California that it is melting the [...]

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Top 10 States With Highest Down Payment

When buying a home, one of the key components is the down payment. Back a few years ago when the housing bubble was hitting it’s peak, there were no money down loans floated out there, but those are ancient history. Now you need hard money to make the loan. Lending Tree commissioned a study and [...]

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When Should A Real Estate Professional Tell Someone To Walk Away From Their Mortgage?

As real estate professionals, your goal is a healthy and vibrant real estate marketplace. Lots of selling and buying of homes is a good thing, as is a healthy credit report and sufficient cash on hand by your buyers and large amounts of home equity with your sellers. But if the last few years has taught us [...]

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