“If real estate is your profession, then politics is your business”.  That is a simple yet powerful statement.  For those of you who know me personally, you know that I am passionate about the Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee (TREPAC) and I am not afraid to have a conversation about politics.  For those of you who do not know me personally, allow me a moment of your time to highlight the importance of TREPAC.

I routinely hear agents say, “I hate politicians and lobbyists so I don’t want to invest in TREPAC”.  I can appreciate that feeling.  There are plenty of sleazy politicians and dirty lobbyists out there.  However, you should know that we have one of the best, most respected, most professional legislative team at the Texas Association of REALTORS.   Each legislative year, a team of REALTORS and TAR staff get together and set a positive legislative agenda. They then communicate that agenda to our elected officials through our Hill Visits and many, many meetings with legislators and their staff, affecting real change.

2012 is not a legislative year, but an election year.   We are in the throws of a heated Presidential race….you can’t turn on the television, radio or go on line without being bombarded with information on the election, and it’s only going to escalate in the coming months.  If you listen closely to these reports or tune into one of the many debates taking place, you’ll hear a lot of talk about the real estate market.   With budget shortfalls, many politicians look to the real estate market, and REALTORS, to find sources of revenue.   Texas has one of the strongest real estate markets in the nation for several reasons including carefully crafted home equity lending laws and the absence of a transfer tax on real estate transactions. Why is this?  TREPAC!

Our Association just hosted a terrific TREPAC Bowling event at Mel’s in Georgetown.  It was a fun time and every lane at Mel’s was filled with our members! It was a great time, raising over $3000 for TREPAC.  I extend sincere thanks to our TREPAC and Government Affairs committee, specifically Nicole Scott, Loretta Patschke, and Lori Higgins for a job well done.  If you missed it, there will be other great events and opportunities to invest in TREPAC this year.

However, I encourage you to invest today!  You purchase insurance for your home, belongings, automobile, and health.  Why not purchase insurance for your business? The fair share investment is only $35 per year.  That is an incredible value for the benefits you receive.  To learn more, visit www.wcaor.organd click on the “Advocacy” tab.  Investing in TREPAC gives you a positive voice to protect our business and private property rights in Texas, thus keeping our market strong.  Speak up and invest today!