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Housing Rally Draws Hundreds to State Capitol in Atlanta
More than 200 home builders, remodelers and Realtors® gathered on the steps of Georgia’s state capitol in Atlanta on Aug. 27 for a rally to demonstrate support for home buying provisions in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act enacted at the end of July in Washington, D.C.
The event was organized by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association (GAHBA) in partnership with the Atlanta Board of Realtors®.
“We had a super turnout,” said David Ellis, executive vice president of the HBA. “The rally was covered by the The Atlanta Journal Constitution and all the local television stations, and even a few radio stations came out and did on-the-spot interviews.”
Invited speaker Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) told the crowd that the legislation provides an unprecedented opportunity for home buyers and he explained how it will stimulate housing and restore confidence in the financial markets.
With a nearly 30-year background in real estate, Isakson was an enthusiastic sponsor of the housing bill. As a real estate agent during the housing slump of the early 1970s, he saw first-hand the positive impact of a tax credit for home buyers similar to the $7,500 incentive included in this summer’s stimulus package.
Quoted in a front page story in the business section of The Atlanta Journal Consitution, Roger Tutterow, a professor of economics at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., told the housing supporters, “This is the kind of stimulus package that will jump-start the middle-income market.” To read the article, click here.
Scott Simpson, Atlanta Board of Realtors® president, and Steve Palmer, president of the GAHBA, also spoke at the rally.
Ellis said that the event provided a great return on the association’s investment. By partnering with the Realtors® and leveraging the relationships they’ve established with local media, local builders were able to convey a “buy now” message and information about the tax credit to a large population of potential home buyers for a relatively small cost.
“What was really cool as well was that the members that attended loved it, and it showed them their association is out there doing something to help them,” he added.
NAHB has created a set of resources to help members and affiliated home builders associations promote the tax credit to consumers. For more information on the Myth Buster tax credit resources, e-mail NAHB Public Affairs or call 800-368-5242 x8447.
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