Planned diversity initiatives make good business sense. REALTOR® Associations with well-planned diversity programs create a stronger community, in particular in neighborhoods with high concentrations of foreign-born and minority residents who are moving up the socioeconomic ladder and are buying homes. Ultimately, diversity programs help to ensure the long-term health and stability of the association. Members and association leaders who reflect the demographic make-up of their communities are better positioned to serve those markets.

Questions? Contact Ryan Davis at 312-329-8692.

Housing Opportunity Grants support state and local REALTOR® Associations’ affordable housing activities. The goal of the program is to position REALTORS® as leaders in improving their communities by creating affordable housing opportunities. Review the Frequently Asked Questions for information on criteria and finding disbursement.

Questions? Email

The Land Use Initiative is a program designed to assist state and local REALTOR® Associations in their public policy advocacy of land-use issues. Upon request, NAR will provide expert analysis of the legal, planning, economic, and environment issues surrounding legislative and regulatory land-use proposals. The initiative has helped state and local REALTOR® Associations across the country deal with a variety of land-use and Smart Growth issues. NAR, through its consultant, has provided guidance and expert opinion on more than 800 different legislative and regulatory issues that affect the interest of REALTORS®.

Questions? Contact Christine Windle at 202-383-1135.

Placemaking is a way to make your community a better place to live transforming unused sites and “eyesores” into welcoming destinations accessible to everyone in a community. Placemaking can be undertaken by anyone in a community but what is often needed is someone to take the lead or initiative. Who better to so this than a REALTORS® Association, and its members, as REALTORS® are already engaged in their communities and know the neighborhoods and the properties, and are likely to know where to focus efforts to enhance a place.

Questions? Email or Hannah Dannenfelser

Smart growth is an approach to development that encourages a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, and community engagement. The Smart Growth Program offers state and local REALTOR® Associations to way to engage with government officials, community partners and the general public in planning and designing community’s future.

Ten Principles of Smart Growth
Based on the experience of communities around the nation that have used smart growth approaches to create and maintain great neighborhoods, the Smart Growth Network developed a set of ten basic principles:

1. Mix land uses
2. Take advantage of compact building design
3. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices
4. Create walkable neighborhoods
5. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place
6. Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas
7. Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities
8. Provide a variety of transportation choices
9. Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective
10. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions

Questions? Email or Hugh Morris at 202-383-1278.

The State and Local Growth Polling program offer REALTOR® Associations to conduct polling on growth-related issues in their areas. The program introduces state and local associations to NAR’s public opinion firm in order to perform a survey on the opinions of the local or state residents concerning growth. The surveys, generally of 400 registered voters living in the defined area, can be used as a powerful tool to focus the opinions of your community for local and state government officials.

NAR will pay the cost of the surveys conducted by any local or state REALTOR® Associations using this program.

Questions? Contact Hugh Morris at 202-383-1278.

Who Is THDA?

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) was created by the state legislature in 1973 to help ensure housing is available and affordable to people in every county at every income level. In pursuit of this goal, every year THDA:

• Provides home loans to thousands of homebuyers
• Allocates millions of dollars in funding to local nonprofits and municipal agencies
• Administers numerous federal housing programs at the state level

THDA is self-funded and does not receive state tax dollars. Instead, revenue from THDA’s home loan program and federal contracts cover its complete operating budget as well as the state programs and grants managed by THDA. Federal housing programs are funded by Congress.