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You care about your home. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® cares about homeownership. To help you become the best, most responsible homeowner you aspire to be, we want to provide you with free information and tools you can use to make smart and timely decisions about your home.

From time to time, we may reach out to you to help us support legislation and/or policies that may have an impact on you, the homeowner. You can choose to join our cause. Or you can choose not to. Regardless, your privacy is safe with us.

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Author Profiles

Matt Dornic

Matthew Dornic is a writer, reporter and senior media relations specialist from Washington D.C. Dornic works at the intersection of policy and press as a director in Quinn Gillespie & Associates' (QGA) strategic communications practice. In addition to his role at QGA, Matthew is a contributing editor for mediabistro's FishbowlDC blog and a real estate, nightlife, and arts columnist for DC magazine. At only 30 years old, Dornic is a three-time home owner who currently lives in a historic two-bedroom home in the heart of Georgetown with his three rescue dogs—Chloe, Corbin and Cooper. For more information or to contact this contributor, click here.

BY THIS AUTHOR

Stop the Madness of Congress’ Flood Insurance Déjà Vu

Congress is set to temporarily extend the National Flood Insurance Program instead of adopting a long-term resolution to this vital program. Read More

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Might Housing Be the Issue that Decides Who Wins the Presidency?

Candidates be warned: Voters may make housing the make-or-break issue of the 2012 presidential election. Read More

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Congress, No More Economic Burdens; Leave Mortgage Deduction Alone

Senate committee continues to debate mortgage interest deduction when it should be looking for other ways to recharge the housing sector. Read More

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Conference a Big Step to Elevate Housing in Our Fight for Economy

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More Than Refis Needed to Fix Housing Market, Economy

Last week in his address to Congress, President Obama unveiled a $447 billion plan to create jobs and help stimulate the nation’s struggling economy. But the issue squarely at the heart of America’s economic woes — housing — was mostly absent from the president’s speech. The proposed package instead relied heavily on targeted tax cuts, infrastructure spending, new job training assistance, and a $50 billion extension of unemployment benefits. Read More

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Mortgage Interest Deduction Future Murky in Super Committee

Unless you slept through the month of July, you probably picked up on the federal debt ceiling debate that dominated headlines. Although much of the press and punditry subsided after the White House and Congressional leaders reached a resolution, the legislation signed by President Obama on Aug. 2 did little to settle the deficit dispute. Read More

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Is This a Joke? FHA Loan Limits Set to Fall, Down Payments to Rise

Batten down the hatches, because the U.S. housing market is headed straight into another storm. That’s because limits for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans are set to shrink significantly on Oct. 1, 2011, and the only people who can steer this ship to safety are off enjoying a long summer holiday. Read More

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Robert and Karen Feldt now carry NFIP insurance

Congress: Stop Playing Chicken with National Flood Insurance Deadline

Last week, after the highly-publicized debt ceiling debate ended (for now), Congress blew out of Washington and began an early August recess. But for many Americans, the sound of crickets on Capitol Hill is cause for alarm. Read More

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Kucinich Q&A: 20% Downpayment Would Keep Qualified Home Buyers on Sidelines

In an exclusive interview with HouseLogic, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) explains why he joined a housing industry coalition in opposing a federal regulatory proposal, known as the qualified residential mortgage, that would require home buyers to make a 20% downpayment to purchase a home. Read More

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Help Stop the 20% Minimum Downpayment Rule

If regulators get their way, many qualified home buyers may be shut out of the market very soon. Home owners and sellers will see their property values take a hit, too: Fewer buyers mean lower home values. Read More

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Capitol building

Americans Bullish on Home Ownership Despite Economy, So Why Won’t Washington Listen?

If you’re worried about the future of home ownership in America, you have good reason. The nation’s economy is struggling. But it’s not just the rising unemployment rate (up to 9.2% in June 2011) that’s deferring home ownership for many. Some outlandish proposals on Capitol Hill are also weighing heavily on the hearts and minds of home owners, sellers, and potential buyers. Read More

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Home for sale

Home Ownership Under Assault: 4 Issues Threaten Housing Market Recovery

Whether you’re an owner, buyer, seller, or hope to own a home one day, it’s important to understand how the decisions made on Capitol Hill today will affect you tomorrow. Lawmakers are aiming proposed regulations right at your home. Read More

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Couple meeting with loan officer

FHA-Backed Loans Make Sense; It’s Congress’ Whims that are Nonsensical

Does your credit score fall below the 640 to 650 range? If so, good luck getting a home mortgage or refinance through traditional lending channels. Since the housing market crashed in 2008, lenders have tightened their belts and turned away borrowers who have less-than-perfect credit scores or low downpayments. Luckily for you, if you’re looking to buy or refi, the local bank isn’t your last resort for a home loan. Read More

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Fannie Mae building exterior

‘Extreme’ Changes to Fannie, Freddie Could Wallop Your Wallet

If you’ve taken out a home mortgage — whether to buy or refinance — you may not realize it, but Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, known as government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), were behind the scenes helping to keep your interest rate payments lower than they might otherwise have been. So why do some on Capitol Hill want to eliminate Fannie and Freddie and make it harder for you to buy a home? Read More

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House for sale

Shotgun Plan for Lending Industry Woes Disincentive to Home Ownership

New government safeguards may protect investors—but at what cost to you? Proposed regulations would cripple your ability to buy and sell a home and cause property values to plunge. Read More

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U.S. home owners pay 80-90% of all fed. income tax collected

Home Owners Have a Good Reason to Hide: Uncle Sam Wants More

Former Senator Russell B. Long famously described the concept of tax reform as “Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!” Assuming Long’s analogy accurately describes America’s take on taxes, one can’t help but wonder: Who is that poor sap hiding in the bushes? Read More

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