Governmental Affairs Committee

The Governmental Affairs Committee is made up of a diverse coalition of Association members who meet quarterly and work with staff to develop the Legislative Packet. Issues ranging from the real estate transaction to long-range planning efforts are discussed in depth. This document guides the Association’s advocacy work and is informed by the professional experience and expertise of the committee’s members. Members serve two-year terms and RAR members are encouraged to apply during the committee application process each fall.

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Annual Legislative Packet

Below are policy issues that passed due to the support of RPAC endorsed candidates:

The REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) is a political action committee designed to promote the interests of REALTORS®. RPAC works with elected officials on the local and state level to advance policies that improve the community’s quality of life, protect private property rights, and help REALTORS® maintain and expand their businesses. In addition, RPAC supports pro-REALTOR® candidates who understand and support these kinds of policies. The platform of each individual candidate, rather than party label, determines who RPAC supports.

Funding for RPAC comes from the voluntary contributions of REALTORS®. These are not members’ dues; this is money given freely by REALTORS® in recognition of how legislation and policy measures impact their profession and livelihood. Click to invest today!

Enables first time homebuyers to set aside up to $50,000 toward the closing costs on a new home. The earnings on those funds are free from Virginia state taxes forever.

Cash proffers are a one time, per-home fee paid by the builder; however, this fee is ultimately passed onto the buyer. In Hanover, Goochland, and Chesterfield Counties, RPAC secured reduced proffer amounts. In the City of Richmond, RPAC successfully eliminated an attempt to introduce a cash proffer system.

When relying on information from a public source, such as tax records, the REALTOR® cannot be held liable if the information is found to be incorrect.

Though it has been in existence since 1913, the Mortgage Interested Deduction (MID) has become rather controversial in recent years. RPAC works to protect this remarkably effective tool that facilitates homeownership.

Everyone knows the quality of a school system has a huge effect on property values and is often the first thing a prospective buyer asks about, even if they don’t have kids. RPAC assisted Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield in securing crucial revenue streams to support our students.

Allows single family residential property owners to receive a seven year tax abatement for rehabilitating or renovating an older home, thus improving the overall quality of housing stock in Henrico.