The Threat We Face

Oregon faces budget deficits in the billions - which will no doubt be larger when the legislature convenes in January. Local governments across the state are dealing with severe budget shortfalls as well. Oregon homeowners are a tempting target for taxes on the sale and transfer of real estate. In the last few legislative sessions, there have been 10 attempts to authorize such a tax. Amending our state constitution is the only way to protect Oregon Homeowners from this unfair double tax.

Sign & Return Your Petitions ASAP!

The Oregon REALTORS® have launched a statewide petition drive to stop a NEW REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX. This unprecedented grassroots effort will only succeed with your help. By now, you should have received your petition sheet in the mail.

Please sign and return the petition as soon as possible to help stop new real estate transfer taxes! If each REALTOR® collects just ten signatures, we would qualify this measure immediately. Please do what you can – gather signatures and talk to your friends, family, colleagues and neighbors about this important measure.

Get Involved Today! If you did not receive the petition sheet or if you need more, simply email the campaign at learnmore@protectoregonhomes.com and request more! If you have any questions regarding collecting volunteer signatures visit: Frequently Asked Questions – So you want to circulate a petition?

To learn more about the campaign, visit us at www.ProtectOregonHomes.com

Share your story of how the REALTOR® Party has helped your clients, your community or your business. Get out your cameras and make a short, creative video that shows us why “Vote, Act, Invest” is important to you. You could win a $500 gift card and have your video featured at this year’s NAR Annual Conference in New Orleans this November.

Click here for all the details!

Congratulations to the following Associations/Boards who have met NAR’s Fair Share Goal:

Baker County, Lincoln County, Central Oregon, Polk County, Central Oregon Coast, Rogue Valley, Columbia Basin, Springfield, East Metro, Umatilla and Klamath. 

Each year the National Association of REALTORS® sets a “fair share” goal that we must meet. If this goal is not realized, we at the state and local levels, make up the difference to NAR out of our own member investments. This leaves less money for critical state and local races, as we have to take money out of our own pockets. October 13^th is the RPAC contribution year-end and we are over three-quarters of the way to meeting NAR’s goal.  We are getting close, but we must continue to work diligently so that we don’t have to take critical dollars away from the state again this year. Let’s continue to raise funds to support a united REALTOR® voice.   

Remember, Oregon is the only state in the country that allows you to give your investment of $50 ($100 if filing jointly) and receive that money, dollar for dollar, back from the state. That means, essentially, that the state of Oregon is investing in RPAC for you; all you have to do is take the first step. Invest today. Please take this step to protect yourself, your business and your clients.

As a member of the REALTOR^® Party, you invest in your business by giving to the REALTORS^® Political Action Committee (RPAC), and  help RPAC build the bipartisan relationships necessary at all levels of government to ensure a sound and dynamic real estate market. As members of the REALTOR® Party, we:

Vote. Vote for candidates at the local, state and national levels who support the REALTOR® Party and  make the right decisions for your profession and your customers. Register to vote here!

Act. Act when called upon to support the REALTOR® Party at the local, state and national levels. You recognize the importance of REALTORS® speaking with one voice, therefore will participate in Calls for Action, and if a broker, will join the Broker Involvement Program. Click here to join the Broker Involvement Program today!

Invest. As a member of the REALTOR® Party, you invest in your business by giving to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC), and help RPAC build the bipartisan relationships necessary at all levels of government to ensure a sound and dynamic real estate market. Invest in RPAC now!

If you have ever questioned the lobbying power of the REALTOR® Association and the effect RPAC has on our ability to do so, this is a must see!

The Senate passed the National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2010, which extends flood insurance until September 30, 2010, and will allow transactions to move forward. The bill is retroactive and covers the lapse period from June 1, 2010, to the date the extension is enacted. H.R. 5623, passed by the Senate on June 30, extended the closing deadline for the Homebuyer Tax Credit. The extension applies only to transactions that have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010, that have not yet closed.

For more information on these programs, click here!

Take Action Now!

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been shut down for 19 days! The Senate is still trying to finalize the passage of the tax package (H.R. 4213) that includes the NFIP reauthorization as well as the USDA section 502 funding for rural housing. Until this legislation is signed by the President, NFIP cannot renew or issue new flood insurance policies, consequently delaying thousands of real estate transactions. To learn more, and take action visit the REALTOR® Action Center at: www.realtoractioncenter.com

Oregon RPAC is now on Facebook and Twitter! Join the Oregon RPAC Facebook Group or request to follow us on Twitter and get the latest updates on RPAC and what is happening politically in the State of Oregon.

Are you curious about where your money goes when you invest in RPAC? Many people don’t realize that when you invest in RPAC, 35% of the money that you invest stays at the local level to support candidates in your local community. Help REALTORS® have a voice in your community and invest in RPAC!

New Call for Action: Congress Abandons Critical Housing Programs – Again

Congress failed, again, to enact extensions for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Section 502 Rural Housing Program. Consequently, thousands of transactions will come halting to a stop. REALTORS® have been urging Congress to pass a comprehensive NFIP reform bill throughout the year. Despite our collective efforts, Congress allowed the NFIP to expire on May 31, 2010.

Take Action Now! A new national Call-for-Action was released on June 1, 2010, to renew flood insurance coverage and the Section 502 Rural Housing Program.

What’s at Stake? Until Congress extends NFIP, no new or renewal flood policies can be issued. Without the flood insurance coverage provided by NFIP, thousands of residential and commercial transactions are on hold.  Congress has also abandoned the Section 502 Rural Housing Program. This program provides zero-down payment mortgages to eligible families in rural areas of the state. Lenders have stopped accepting applications for the Section 502 rural housing program, which has exhausted its funding. Given the many challenges financial and real estate markets are facing, now is not the time to create another, but avoidable, obstacle to real estate transactions.

Are you planning your local fundraising event for RPAC? If you are, let us know about it and we can post it on our events calendar! If you haven’t begun planning a local event and would like some help, contact us and we can do just that!