If there is one deliverable at NAHREP that stands out above the rest, it is leadership development. Knowing that every year NAHREP “graduates” 60+ chapter presidents who have managed a board, organized events, and improved their presentation skills, gives me a great sense of pride. During our short tenure, NAHREP has produced some of the most impressive leaders in the market today. Our current national president, Leo Pareja, is at the top of that list. Leo possesses a rare combination of analytical skills, work ethic and people skills. He can sit down and talk shop with any top Realtor® and also share a cigar with the CEO of a major financial institution. He is the consummate entrepreneur and is nicely positioned to put a dent in the universe in the coming years. NAHREP hosts its annual Leadership Academy next year in Washington, DC in February. All of NAHREP’s top leaders will be in attendance.
The usual solutions will not solve the current housing affordability crisis. Any solution that does not begin and end with a sustainable plan to radically increase housing supply is just noise. The barriers to increasing housing supply are complex and require the crucial cooperation of both public and private sectors, and more education.
It has been long understood that a nation of stakeholders makes for a strong union, and for that reason, closing the minority homeownership gap has been a goal and a topic of discussion for decades.
Between 2008 and 2012, more than six million people lost their homes to foreclosure, property values lost almost 40%, and non-distressed home sales fell to all-time lows. It was, without question, the worst real estate market since the great depression. Not surprisingly, the historic dip in the market was followed by a decade-long bull market, the likes of which we have never seen before. Residential real estate is a cyclical market. The...