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Call for Action – Virginia REALTORS® 2019 General Assembly Agenda

About 20% of Virginia REALTORS® have had to make the unfortunate decision to go without health insurance because of the high costs and limited options available to them. Many others have plans that place a high financial burden on their families.

Several bills in the Virginia General Assembly could help address that problem by more coverage options that could possibly save you money.

Tell you state senators and delegates to support these commonsense health insurance solutions. https://bit.ly/2Dz4dFR

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Register to Vote

October 15th is the deadline to register to vote in the upcoming November General Election.  While more than 88 percent of Virginia REALTORS® are registered to vote, we can do better.  If you’re not registered to vote or you’ve moved and need to update your registration, the deadline is approaching.

 

Eligible residents can visit vote.virginia.gov and register online with the Virginia Department of Elections.  You can also check your registration status, find out information on absentee voting, and learn about what items will appear on your November 6th ballot.

 

Our goal is to have 100% of our members registered and at their polling place on Election Day. Register today so you can vote for candidates who support REALTOR® issues and policies that protect your business, community, and the rights of private property owners.

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Call for Action – National Flood Insurance

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will expire on July 31, denying necessary insurance coverage to homeowners and buyers in more than 20,000 communities nationwide. Congress must act now to reform and extend the NFIP.

 

NAR Supports:

  • Reauthorizing and gradually strengthening the NFIP so it is sustainable over the long run;
  • Encouraging the development of private market options to offer comparable flood insurance coverage at lower cost than NFIP;
  • Providing federal assistance to high-risk property owners, including guaranteed loans, grants and buyouts in order to build to higher standards and keep insurance rates affordable;
  • Provide fair flood insurance rates that better reflect the property’s flood risk;
  • Improving flood map accuracy, so fewer property owners have to file expensive appeals.

 

Click here to take action

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A CALL-TO-ACTION FOR VETERANS’ HOUSING ON THE PENINSULA

memorial-dayNAR’s realtor.com reported on May 25th that despite our gratitude for the almost 25 million U.S. veterans for their service, America has not done a stellar job of making sure they’re properly housed. http://www.realtor.com/news/memorial-day-housing-news/ .

According to the advocacy group Veterans Inc., more than 300,000 veterans are living on the streets or in shelters each night, and nearly 33% of homeless men in this country are veterans.

So, here is some good news: New developments around the country are being designed for veterans or adding veteran-friendly homes to the area. More builders and companies are offering housing assistance for vets, too. For Memorial Day, realtor.com rounded up the best of the good news.

  • The Los Angeles Times reports on Blue Butterfly Village, a project that will house 73 veterans and their families. It’s “one of the first housing projects in the country that focuses on female veterans facing homelessness.”
  • Late last week, the mayor of Madison TN, laid the last beam at Patriot Place, a 34-unit apartment complex aimed at vets, reports the Tennessean.
  • In mid-June, Veterans Manor will open in Green Bay, WI, according to the local ABC station. It will have 50 one-bedroom apartments as well as a community center and fitness room.
  • Officials broke ground at the Arizona Fisher House late last week. The facility “will provide free temporary housing to families of eligible veterans and military service members who are being treated at the Tucson VA or any other medical facility in Tucson,” according to Commercial Property Executive.
  • The Marmion Apartments in the L.A. neighborhood of Cypress Park, will house 24 homeless veterans and 24 low-income families. The project broke ground on May 14. According to EGP News, there are almost 3,000 homeless vets in L.A.

Here on the Peninsula, we are rich in military history and we have one of the largest populations of veterans in the country. A veterans-housing development or adding a veterans housing component to a development makes sense.

The question is how we do it.

And this is where you as a VPAR could be part of the solution. Do you know a builder who might be willing to work toward a veterans housing community? Do you know a lender who would be willing to be part of the team?

If you and other VPAR members can form and be part of the project team, VPAR can assist by working with local governments in the region and with the Commonwealth to make sure that the public policy components are in place, or can be put into place. We can work create public awareness and build media interest in the project, too.

Let’s put our capable resources and our strong member connections to work to bring additional veterans housing to the Peninsula.

We owe our veterans so much. Our vast local housing community can repay a small part of the debt that we owe them by thinking big when it comes to erasing veterans homelessness and providing housing opportunities for our service men and women. As one special soldier was fond of saying, “GO BIG OR GO HOME,” let us help them find their homes.

Susan S. Gaston
The Gaston Group, LLC
A Virginia-Based Government Relations and Public Affairs Firm
susan@gastongroup.com