NAR Grants Support Local Affordable Housing Initiatives

WASHINGTON, DC - May 20, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The National Association of Realtors^® has awarded $49,050 to 16 local and state Realtor^® associations through the Housing Opportunity Fund grants program. The grants help local and state Realtor^® associations promote and expand affordable housing opportunities in their communities.

“Realtors^® build communities and are leaders in creating housing opportunities,” said NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth. “Grants from NAR’s Housing Opportunity Fund help provide state and local Realtor^® associations with additional resources and support to advance housing opportunities and make a real difference in their communities.”

NAR’s Housing Opportunity Fund was established in 2006 and supports a wide range of housing opportunity activities. Grants of up to $5,000 are awarded twice per year – in April and October. Since the program’s inception, more than 100 grants totaling over a quarter of a million dollars have been awarded.

Grants can be used to fund a variety of activities, including housing symposia; home buyer education or housing fairs; counseling and financial literacy efforts; down payment or closing cost financial assistance programs; public opinion surveys; and Realtor^® affordable housing education.

The following Realtor^® associations have received the most recent Housing Opportunity Fund grants:

Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors^® (Post Falls, Idaho): $4,650 to host a housing forum to find solutions to workforce housing issues in the resort community.

Fort Smith Board of Realtors^® (Fort Smith, Ark.): $5,000 to support a homeownership opportunity media campaign and a series of homeownership fairs with the area’s largest employers.

Greater Boston Real Estate Board/Greater Boston Association of Realtors^® (Boston): $5,000 to hold a series of home buyer fairs to find homeowners for foreclosed and bank-owned properties.

Greater Nashville Association of Realtors^® (Nashville, Tenn.): $2,500 toward a housing fair in partnership with the mayor’s office, which will be open to the public and promoted to municipal employees and teachers.

Greensboro Regional Realtors^® Association (Greensboro, N.C.): $2,500 to fund an affordable housing program that promotes pre- and post-purchase literacy, including Individual Development Accounts for home buyers.

Maryland Association of Realtors^® (Annapolis, Md.): $2,500 to support homeownership fairs and events for several local Realtor^® associations.

Navarre Area Board of Realtors^® (Navarre, Fla.): $3,000 to host an event to attract military families into the community.

New Orleans Metropolitan Realtors^®Association (Metairie, La.): $1,500 to host a community housing fair.

Ocala/Marion City Association of Realtors^® (Ocala, Fla.): $1,400 to forge partnerships and hold an informational event for potential home buyers.

Park City Board of Realtors^® (Park City, Utah): $2,500 to support a housing education program for the public including seminars and printed materials.

Peoria Area Association of Realtors^® (Peoria, Ill.): $2,500 to host a seminar for potential home buyers on the new tax credit and other home buying incentives.

Realtor^® Association of Greater Fort Meyers and the Beach (Fort Myers, Fla.): $5,000 to support home buyer training and accreditation for Realtor^® members.

Realtor^® Association of Greater Miami & the Beaches (Miami): $5,000 to hold education seminars about how changes to condominium bylaws can help condominiums comply with the new FHA and Fannie Mae guidelines and increase mortgage options for potential buyers.

Realtors^® Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh): $2,500 to fund regional educational meetings for Realtors^® and the public regarding housing opportunities in southwestern Pennsylvania.

San Diego Association of Realtors^® (San Diego): $1,000 to sponsor a free Home Clinic for first-time home buyers, in partnership with local nonprofits.

San Mateo County Association of Realtors^® (San Mateo, Calif.): $2,500 to host a regional educational housing expo about first-time home buying, investing, senior housing issues and foreclosure prevention.

For additional information on NAR’s Housing Opportunity Fund or to download an application, visit www.realtor.org/housingopportunity. Applications for the next round of grants are due October 2, 2009.

To help state Realtor^® associations or their housing foundations address the growing need for affordable workforce housing, NAR also provides funds of $50,000 or more through the Ira Gribin Workforce Housing Grants. Since its inception, the program has awarded $730,000 in grants for a variety of workforce housing programs. The program only runs during a two-year period, 2009-2010; applications and additional information are available at www.realtor.org/iragribingrant.

Tagged as: Affordable Housing

 

 

 

USGBC - U.S. Green Building Council

HUD - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

NAR - National Association of REALTOR

RealtyTrac

FHFA - Federal Housing Finance Agency

Freddie Mac

MBA - Mortgage Bankers Association