INTERNET EXCLUSIVE: Bill Parsley, Virginia Pappafotis and Candy Joyce of  the Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS in Murfreesboro, Tennessee  joined nearly 22,000 Realtors from across the country to meet with industry experts, lawmakers and federal officials at the 2013 REALTORS Conference and Expo held in San Francisco, November 8-11.

 “As the leading advocate for homeownership and real estate issues, Realtors are engaged on important legislative and regulatory issues that could impact the industry over the coming year, and we are working hard to ensure that our voices are heard on important housing and industry issues,” said Parsley, 2013 President of MTAR. “During the week, Realtors advocated solutions for important issues facing home buyers, sellers and investors, such as affordable flood insurance rates, ongoing residential and commercial lending challenges, and the potential impacts of pending legislation and recent regulatory developments.”

This year’s conference theme, “Rise to New Heights”, encouraged Realtors to face current market challenges head-on and insist that policymakers keep housing first on the nation’s public policy agenda. Panelists and speakers included Federal Housing Administration Commissioner Carol Galante, Ginnie Mae President Ted Tozer, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Senior Economist John Krainer, Wells Fargo Home Loans President Mike Heid, Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson, Bank of America’s Home Loan Sales Executive Matt Vernon, JPMorgan Chase Mortgage Banking CEO Kevin Watters, and former FHA Commissioners Brian Montgomery and John C. Weicher.

Throughout the week, Realtors participated in forums, classes and workshops; the resources, information and skills they gathered there will help them positively influence their local communities and engage local leaders. Most importantly, the new knowledge gleaned by Realtors who attended the conference helps them more effectively serve their home buyer, seller and investor clients.

During the conference, Steve Brown, a Realtor from Dayton, Ohio, was installed as the 2014 NAR president. Brown said 2014 would be an important year for real estate.

 “The time is now for Realtors to engage on all fronts. While the national housing market is showing signs of a durable recovery, some critical housing industry issues must be addressed before a full recovery can take place,” he said. “In 2014, Realtors will continue to urge lawmakers to preserve property and homeownership tax policies as they consider federal tax reform.”