The Two-minuTe guide To The
Virginia Homeowners Alliance
This is imporTanT. Take two minutes to understand the Virginia Homeowners Alliance. It’s a major VAR initiative launching this month, and its goal is to increase the influence of REALTORS® in the realm of public policy.
30 seconds: What’s in it for you
We want to get all of Virginia’s REALTORS® on board, and we think you’ll be glad you came. Here’s why. 1. It’s an incredible tool for keeping in touch with current and past clients. What do you think they’d prefer, another refrigerator magnet or recipe, or timely, useful information about a proposed new regulation or tax increase in their neighborhood? 2. Adding those homeowner voices to our own means we can better advocate for policies in the state and local legislatures — and that makes it easier for you to buy and sell homes. 3. It’s a great way to build your career. It can help you get to know the legislators on the state, local, and national levels whose votes can affect your livelihood. And those better connections and more experience are things that will pay you back over and over. 4. You’re giving your clients access to a great (and free) resource for insight and information on a wide variety of topics, ranging from home maintenance tips to the political issues affecting their communities. It’s a great long-term investment.
www.VAREAlTOR.COM
30 seconds: What it is
The Virginia Homeowners Alliance is a free service provided by REALTORS® to homeowners (and future homeowners) that offers insight and information on a wide variety of topics. We believe that REALTORS® are in the perfect position to engage homeowners and serve as a trusted, reliable source of information on most things related to home ownership, from maintenance tips to the political issues affecting their communities. In exchange, we hope to get them more involved in shaping public policy in their neighborhoods, because REALTOR® and homeowner concerns are often the same: building strong communities, keeping taxes low and making it easier to buy and sell homes in Virginia. We give them practical information, and they lend us their voice. Everyone wins.
26 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
30 seconds: What we want from you
We don’t want your money. We want your voice. We want you to tell your clients about the Virginia Homeowners Alliance and get them to sign up (it’s free) at VAHomeownersAlliance.com. Then they’ll be able to get truckloads of information on maintaining and improving their biggest investment, and on which local issues are affecting them, whether they knew it or not. That’s it. To help you get the word out, we’ve developed materials that you’ll be able to give your clients. And yes, they’re free. We have handouts and other “snail mail,” plus email templates that you only have to drop your signature onto. We have logos for your Web site, and we have a lot more planned. Look for it all in the coming weeks.
30 seconds: Prizes and incentives
How about a Caribbean vacation? Really. Everyone loves incentives, and here’s yours (we call it REALTOR® Rewards): For every five homeowners you sign up, you’ll be entered into a quarterly drawing for all kinds of stuff, from free gasoline and Starbucks gift cards to a few Nintendo Wiis and a couple of iPods here and there. There are also plane tickets, and, of course, one grand prize: a Caribbean vacation for two. Details will be coming soon. The Virginia Homeowners Alliance is one of VAR’s biggest undertakings in the past decade. We’re committed to the long term success of this project, and we hope to bring you — and your clients — on board. There’s a lot for all of us to gain. ●
28 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
www.VAREAlTOR.COM