Last week, I had the pleasure of listening to Kimberly Allard-Moccia speak at the first annual RASEM R.E.D Expo about a very important, and much to my surprise, interesting topic (as related to the subject, not the speaker!), RPAC or the REALTOR Political Action Committee.  It was EXTREMELY eye opening, and if you know Kimberly, as entertaining as it was informative and definitely worthy of sharing.

So, pre-conceived notions are a powerful thing.  Especially these days, the p-word (politics) incites almost every emotion in the book – fear, horror, hope, sleep, rage, the urge to rock in a corner with your hands over your ears singing the ‘lalalala song’. I never understood why REALTORS would have their own party.  As far as I knew, the only ‘political parties’ were Republicans, Democrats, and all the rest of those 1-2%’ers. Little did I know of the amazing things RPAC does, not only on behalf of REALTORS, but on behalf of homeowners and other industry players as well.

Three things really resonated with me in particular:

1) Did you know that RPAC is the only trade organization fighting for homeowners rights? I’m pretty sure most homeowners don’t know it either.  RPAC is tackling issues  such as ” NAR continues to educate Congress and their staff on the vital role that real estate tax provisions play in the nation’s housing markets and economy.” (2015 RPAC Legislative Accomplishments) Imagine if you couldn’t deduct your mortgage interest?!  RPAC has your back.

“NAR has worked vigilantly with Congress and regulated stakeholders to oppose a rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which vastly expands EPA authority over more bodies of water and increases EPA regulation of land uses on private property.” (2015 RPAC Legislative Accomplishments) Image you spend your life savings on your dream home by the water and suddenly you have unbearable restrictions imposed! RPAC has your back.

2) Sometimes your presence, is all it takes to support enactment of lobbying efforts.  Yep, butts in seats, hands in the air, faces in the crowd send a strong message to politicians that make and break decisions.  How easy is it to take a single day out of 365 to dedicate to being that butt, hand or face for the greater good of our industry!

3) Truthfully, some of the issues are way beyond my level of understanding in the absence of a deep dive, but there are a whole host of resources available to translate the issues into tangible, meaningful, and relatable dialect.  People will come to your house (ok, agency) to help you and your teams understand more about what the issues are, what the potential ramifications are, and what is being done to anticipate the impact of future events and decisions. How great would it be to be able to demonstrate to your clients your expertise and knowledge about how we are advocating for homeowners?!

I strongly encourage you to spend some time learning even a little bit more about the amazing efforts of RPAC.  It will give you insights in terms of how even your smallest contribution, of time or funds, can have a big impact; it will set you apart with your clients from those still rocking in the corner in terms of understanding how REALTORS act on behalf of consumers; it will give you a voice in shaping and preparing for our future, no matter where the issues and where opportunities may take us.

For more information, go to realtoractioncenter.com to learn more about  accomplishments, current challenges and issues, and ways to contribute.