The Advocacy Role

Nothing is static; change is inevitable. Legislative composition changes, legal battles emerge, economic conditions vary — and, as we know from Hurricane Katrina’s disastrous consequences, even the weather can affect the real estate industry. MAR's role as REALTOR® Advocate takes more knowledge, planning, setting high standards and auspicious goals. It requires hyper-vigilance to minutia yet staying focused on "the big picture". It necessitates the flexibility to change directions as challenges emerge while ensuring adherence to sound strategies already established. It takes long-range forecasting and speedy reaction to the unexpected.

MAR's Mission Statement, in part, states "MAR is the recognized public policy and legal advocate for private property rights and for the real estate industry." The recognized public policy and legal advocate. Whew. In view of our continuously changing world, that's quite a tall order!

It so happens, we're up to the challenge.

Webster's defines advocates as someone who "supports or urges by argument; recommends publicity." Synonyms include "champion," and "expounder." We argue publicity for REALTORS® - before legislature, Congress, in committees, in the newspaper, the Michigan REALTOR®, The Advocate and other publications. We champion the cause of REALTORS®; we expound on the reasons when and where needed.

So, how do we do this? Well, aside from nurturing a growing cooperative effort with NAR, in having Michigan's own Pat Vredevoogd as NAR's new First Vice President, in having a strong presence at the Mid-Year meetings with new Federal Political Coordinators, and in developing a strength-in-numbers position with the Great Lakes Caucus, we have a knowledgable, active, and vocal Public Policy staff. Two exceptionally strong MAR advocate components, also, are the Public Policy and RPAC Committees.

The MAR Public Policy Committee was formed to develop viable public policy and legal advocacy positions based upon what is in the best interest of MAR members through objective evaluation of impact and value, assessment of the likelihood of success, and other factors specific to the topic at hand. They also initiate action on proposed legislative topics, issue Calls to Action and conduct polls.

The committee develops a yearly Statement of Public Policy for the Delegate Body to adopt that lays out the issues it deems most significant to follow and act upon when appropriate. Each Statement establishes issue criteria, provides MAR's position, and authorizes action by MAR's Public Policy team.

The Public Policy Committee provides this amount of specificity for a wide range of issues affecting the REALTOR® community, from tax issues to regulation to land use to housing policies and everything in between. Membership on this prestigious committee is highly regarded and it attracts many of the most knowledgeable and motivated of our REALTOR® members who take their advocacy role extraordinarily seriously.

The MAR Public Policy Committee is the largest in size. They are the issues determiners. The RPAC Committee, however, decides how we distribute our political money - putting our PAC money where our principles are. Talk about two powerful forces for the industry!

Michigan's RPAC is the REALTOR® advocate by protecting the rights of private property owners through intensive lobbying, issues mobilization, and supporting REALTOR®-friendly legislators. RPAC has been highly effective at thwarting legislation and burdensome regulations that would negatively affect REALTORS®. They fought successfully to halt conversation and impact fees, stopped proposed transfer fees, and defeated attempts to pass a construction transfer tax. RPAC created the Real Estate Enforcement Fund to allow the Attorney General's office to go after unlicensed real estate activity. And these are just some of the many Michigan successes.

On the national level, they are instrumental in protecting the mortgage interest deduction and successfully fought against changes in RESPA that would have proven costly to REALTORS®. Keeping large banks out of real estate is an ongoing battle that RPAC is determined to win.

With its strong track record of triumph, RPAC has established itself to be the voice of REALTORS® in state and national government and in protecting private property rights. In fact, an RPAC contribution is the REALTORS® paramount protection in the industry - the best bang for the buck. Why? As I said earlier, it's hyper-vigilance to the minutia...speedy reaction to the unforeseen...flexibility to change directions as challenges emerge - all the areas in which RPAC has proven itself a champion force, the true REALTOR® Advocate.

No matter what the challenge, REALTORS® and the real estate industry have strong advocates within MAR. Your challenge is our challenge. Your problem is our problem. What affects you, affects us. MAR will continue to work to ensure that your voice is heard and we will prevail!

"MAR is a recognized public policy and legal advocate for private property rights and for the real estate industry."

We stand by that.