An enthusiastic group of more than 50 Shreveport Realtors were excited and gratified that the NAR HOM bus tour stopped at the offices of the Northwest Louisiana Association of Realtors Thursday. Realtors. armed with cameras, flocked to the bus and shot pictures of each other for about an hour. Later, the program officially opened in the meeting hall of NWLA, and was emceed by President Curtis Wright, who thanked NAR for the HOM bus visit. President-elect Carolyn Grimsley spoke on the flood insurance issue; Past President Barbara Free addressed concerns about the 20 percent downpayment; Lucien Salvant of NAR provided an overview of and NAR's position on the three major issues of the downpayment, mortgage interest deduction and flood insurance. Norman Morris, chief lobbyist for the Louisiana Association of Realtors, explained the proposed amendment to the Louisiana state constitution to prohibit transfer fees. Realtors were engaged in the presentations and asked many questions during the Q&A session.  It was a productive visit. Media coverage was provided by Channel 6 and Channel 2, as well by the Shreveport Times, which also sent two business executives to attend the meeting.

The program for the stop of the Home Ownership Matters bus in Lafayette was very organized and very well attended, and the audience of more than 100 Relators was focused on the messages. Acadiana Association of Realtors President Paula Duncan emceed the program;  speakers were President-elect David Gleason, who spoke the flood insurance bill; RPAC Trustee Carol Horn, on an amendment to the state constitution to ban transfer fees; and Lucien Salvant of NAR who gave an overview and the purpose of the bus tour. Media coverage was excellent, with both local TV stations interviewing Paula on a variety of issues; an older minority couple who had just purchased a home; and Carol on the transfer fee. More coverage was supplied by the Daily Advertiser and the weekly parish business journal. The event was held outside the imposing Cajundome next to the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (know locally as "U-La-La"). Weather was a perfect late-summer Louisiana morning of bright skies, warm temps and a cooling breeze. Congrats to AE Mary Jane Bauer for putting together an informative and efficient program, and a great setting.

Realtors attending the HOM Bus Tour stop in Gulfport in beautiful sunny weatherwere thrilled by the messages the bus delivered on home ownership and were happy that NAR was carrying the messages across the country. Biloxi's WLOX TV, the dominant station on the Gulf Coast, extensively interviewed GCAR President Cindy Pritchard on the local real estate market and and how the MID, flood insurance, and loan limit issues affected south Mississippi; the station also did an in depth interview with Lucien on the national issues and the motivation for the bus tour. The Sun Herald also covered the event.

More than 200 Realtors raved over the HOM Bus at a meeting of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors in Jacksonville, Fla., Friday. Media coverage by Jacksonville TV was very good, including Channel 4 and First Coast News. NEFAR President Dane Leslie, CEO Glenn East, and NAR's Lucien Salvant were all  interviewed on the value of home ownership and the importance of the mortgage interest deduction. Realtors visited the bus in goups of three and four, picked up HOM buttons and literature, and were enthusiatic about the NAR bus tour. Realtors  also elected new officers for the year and heard the keynote address by Florida Chief Economist John Tuccillo, who told them the national and local housing recovery depended on jobs.

Over 50 Realtors from Florida state and local associations gathered at the Orlando Convention Center to make their voices heard about the importance of home ownership, especially the mortgage interest deduction. NAR 2012 Vice President DJ Snapp of Palm Beach, Fla., told the group that any reduction or elimination of the mortgage interest deduction is the same as a tax increase for the nation's 75 million home owners. The Realtors cheered Florida Association of Realtors President Patty Fitzgerald when she told them to make sure their U.S. Representatives and Senators realize how vital home ownership is to the American Dream. 

The Home Ownership Matters Tour Bus rolled into Columbia, SC today. Members of the media joined the South Carolina Association of Realtors, Central Carolina Realtors Association and the National Association of Realtors to discuss how national real estate issues could impact the lives of South Carolinians. 2011 NAR Vice President Elizabeth Mendehall, South Carolina Association of Realtors President Rusty Garrett and Central Carolina Realtors Association President Laura Derrick spoke to a crowd of over 70 about keeping housing first on the nation's policy agenda.

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The Home Ownership Matters bus stopped in Fayetteville today. Despite a somewhat overcast sky and spurts of rainfall, almost 200 people dropped by to meet members of the Fayetteville Association of Realtors, find out more about Veterans Affairs, and learn why home ownership matters. A $100 Sears gift card was raffled off every half hour. Food, music, face painting and warm smiles made this an overwhelmingly successful and informative stop on the tour!

We're having breakfast with the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors^® in Rockville, Md., and getting ready to hear from Bill Armstrong, treasurer of National Association of Realtors^®.