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NAR Joins Nation in Celebrating National Homeownership Month in June
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Date: June 04, 2007
To help celebrate National Homeownership Month, NAR is providing REALTORS® with a wealth of resources and tools that support homeownership and strong communities.
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WASHINGTON, June 04, 2007 - As
the nation’s leading advocate for homeownership, the National
Association of Realtors® understands the value and joy of owning a
home. This month, as the nation celebrates National Homeownership
Month, NAR and state and local Realtor® associations across the county
will do their part to help raise awareness of homeownership and
encourage more Americans to consider the benefits of owning their own
home.
President George W. Bush declared June as National
Homeownership Month in 2002, with the goal of increasing minority
homeownership in America by 5.5 million households by the end of the
decade. To help celebrate National Homeownership Month this year, NAR
is providing Realtors® with a wealth of resources and tools that
support homeownership and strong communities. The information is
available at www.realtor.org/homeownership.
“Realtors®
don’t just sell homes, they build communities, and we are committed to
making homeownership a reality for those who strive to achieve it,”
said NAR President Pat V. Combs, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and vice
president of Coldwell Banker-AJS-Schmidt. “NAR is encouraging local
Realtor® associations and their members to work together to plan events
and get involved in activities that promote homeownership and help
create stronger, more vibrant communities.”
Though
homeownership has generally increased among most minorities over the
past three years, there is still a disparity between ownership levels
for different groups. The homeownership rate for African American
households during the fourth quarter of 2006 was 48.2 percent, while
Hispanic households were at 49.5 percent. The homeownership rate for
Asian, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders was 60 percent. By
comparison, 76 percent of non-Hispanic whites were homeowners in the
same period.
NAR advances homeownership and housing
opportunities for minority and first-time buyers through a number of
programs. In 2002, NAR established a Housing Opportunity Program, with
the mission of providing Realtors® with tools, training, grants and the
information they need to promote housing opportunities in their
community. The program encourages local Realtor® associations to create
housing opportunity initiatives aimed directly at helping consumers
gain access to affordable housing. Today, nearly 600 state and local
associations have programs in place.
Through its diversity
initiatives, NAR provides its members with a broad range of programs to
serve people of all cultures and actively recruits and educates agents
to reach out to people from all backgrounds. NAR’s “At Home with
Diversity” training educates Realtors® about being sensitive to and
aggressive in meeting the homeownership needs of a diverse society. NAR
also awards grants up to $5,000 twice a year to state and local
Realtor® associations to help fund diversity activities.
Homeownership
strengthens communities, and NAR’s Smart Growth program helps Realtors®
make their communities even better through smart growth initiatives.
These initiatives include grants for state and local Realtor®
associations as well as information and resources to help these
associations and their members make important connections, influence
legislation and develop partnerships in the community to encourage
smart growth.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice
for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing
more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the
residential and commercial real estate industries.
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