IN A SHOW OF SUPPORT for the real estate industry, three NVAR members – Mary Bowen, Malia Tarasek and Michelle Doherty – signed the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Realtors® Political Action Committee (RPAC) Pledge this past November.

The YPN RPAC Pledge, established by the National Association of Realtors®, is a nonbinding commitment for YPN members to invest $10,000 in RPAC over the next 10 years – “10 for 10.” The goal of RPAC is to raise money to ensure that issues facing the industry are heard and protected by elected officials.  Funds are used to support candidates based only on their support of Realtor® priorities, as well as to support or oppose specific issues.

Doherty, a Realtor® with The Mike Webb Team at RE/MAX Allegiance, expressed the relevance of RPAC during recent tax reform debates, where proposed legislation posed potentially devastating consequences for the industry. Doherty is the 2018 YPN vice chair and wants to get more young people involved.

“There’s power in numbers, and RPAC is such a powerful entity to get behind and support,” Doherty said. “They are looking out for not only us but for our clients as well.”

Bowen, 2018 YPN chair and managing broker with Long & Foster Real Estate in Arlington, has been in the real estate business for more than 10 years. When she became more involved with NVAR, she learned of RPAC’s instrumental role in the Realtor® community.

“It is important for Realtors® to know that not only is it our goal to help people buy and sell, but we must continue to protect buyer and seller tax breaks and security so we can show our clients what the value of homeownership is all about,” Bowen said.

Tarasek was the 2017 YPN co-chair and is currently a Realtor® and team leader at Keller Williams Capital Properties. Although she stumbled into real estate, she can’t imagine ever leaving this career, which is why she believes it is so important to invest in RPAC.

“I’m a homeowner myself,” Tarasek said. “I didn’t want the things that help me as a homeowner to be taken away. It helps me on a personal level and it betters my business.”

Bowen, Tarasek and Doherty all said that becoming leaders within NVAR enabled them to quickly learn the value of investing in RPAC. By signing the pledge, they hold each other accountable and lead by example.

“Talk to me, Malia, Mary and other investors and hear why everyone should give,” Doherty said. “Everyone should have the opportunity to buy a home, and it’s important [that] we educate our Realtors® about what RPAC does.”