The 2019 General Assembly Session may have been considered a short session, but the body passed more bills this year than in 2018’s regular session. The Virginia REALTORS® Public Policy Committee, made up of REALTORS® from across the Commonwealth, reviewed over 200 pieces of legislation that impacted the real estate industry and homeowners. The legislation they reviewed included bills elected officials carried at our behest, bills that will chip away Virginia’s eviction rate, and bills that will hopefully provide affordable health insurance options for you and your families. First, the REALTOR® Agenda bills – bills that we asked members of the [...]

Updated January 17, 2019 The following list contains bills that the Richmond Association of REALTORS®, in conjunction with Virginia REALTORS®, have asked to be introduced. Government Affairs staff at both RAR & VR are monitoring numerous additional bills that have some impact on real estate activity and homeowners in Virginia. Staff actions are guided by the Virginia REALTORS® Public Policy Committee, which is made up of REALTORS® from across the Commonwealth. If you are interested in following the activity on the Hill, you can watch General Assembly Floor Sessions and committee meetings by visiting the General Assembly website.   Consumer Protection [...]

Monday, January 14, 2019 | 8AM - 9:30AM 8975 Three Chopt Rd., Richmond, VA 23229 Join the Richmond Association of REALTORS® in the Atrium for a Town Hall with Dr. Amy Cashwell, Henrico County Public Schools’ (HCPS) Superintendent. Coffee and light breakfast will be provided. Dr. Cashwell, members of her staff, and representatives from the Henrico School Board will be in attendance to discuss HCPS’ future, school construction, and answer any questions you might have. For more information and to RSVP, email jgehlbach@rarealtors.com.

Governor Northam unveiled Executive Order 25 at the annual Governor’s Housing Conference. The order establishes affordable housing priorities aimed at addressing Virginia’s unmet housing needs. By taking a cross-departmental approach, senior administrators in the Northam Administration will identify and implement actions enabling the development of quality, affordable housing with the goal of strengthening communities and fostering economic growth. Policy goals will encompass three primary areas: Increasing the supply of permanent supportive housing Addressing the shortage of quality affordable housing Reducing the eviction rate across the Commonwealth Partnering with subject matter experts and stakeholder groups, including state and local REALTOR® associations, are [...]

Teams Legislation (Click for more information) The legislation defines a Real Estate Team as “any individual, or business entity, who for compensation or valuable consideration is employed either directly or indirectly by, or affiliated as an independent contractor with, a real estate broker, to sell or offer to sell, or to buy or offer to buy, or to negotiate the purchase, sale or exchange of real estate […].” As of January 1, 2019, all Real Estate Teams must be registered with DPOR and have a business entity salesperson license.  This allows consumers and other members of the general public to search on-line [...]