Author: Charles Tassell

As you may recall, the Affordable Homeownership Access Act (HR 3464) seeks to provide working families with another access point to the home buying process by providing relief to individuals and small businesses so that they can sell their homes directly to a buyer without the fees associated with being a mortgage originator. We have been encouraging our members to reach out to their Congressmen to ask for their support on this important piece of legislation.  As partner in the SFC, National REIA looks forward to continuing our work with them in helping to move this bipartisan bill forward in…

(Crestview Hills, KY)  The National Real Estate Investors Association issued the following statement on the Biden Administration’s recent announcement regarding renters and housing providers. The recent White House announcement regarding renters and housing providers is the largest overreach in recent history. It is an agenda driven effort meant to organize, unionize and politicize one-third of American residents.  The effort is really addressing symptoms caused by federal policy and ignores centuries of state oversight of basic housing provider and renter laws, not to mention the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. National REIA supports safe, quality and affordable housing and represents…

Rental Emergency Assistance funding came through in the December 2020 Stimulus Bill and will result in $25 billion being made available to residents who are behind on rent and utilities for Covid-19 related reasons.  The funds are distributed like a block grant, to states, territories and substantial counties and municipalities, as well as specific Native American Housing Authorities. Irrespective of previous income, if a resident lost their job due to Covid-19 and remained unemployed for 90 days or more, they can seek these funds for up to 12 months of arrearage and potentially, an additional 3 months, if needed.  Grantees…

As property owners and managers, we often encounter less than productive members of society.  Without ascribing excuses or blame, some of these people truly need help, and would gladly make use of it.  Rather than playing social worker, many property owners/managers will refer those in need to various social service agencies, and have long term relationships with those agencies.  These organizations often provide short-term benefits, helping residents overcome a financial bump in the road, which might otherwise spiral into a de facto landlord loan (late rent & payment plan) or an eviction.  A few however, provide long term support in…

Highlights from the Stimulus Bill of 12/20 Senator Portman (R-OH) worked hard to get a deal done on additional COVID-19 relief, and was a key negotiator on housing related issues, especially the Emergency Rental Assistance, detailed below.  The bill passed with only a handful of Senators and several Congressmen opposing it.  The bipartisan package authorizes a second round of PPP loans for the hardest hit small businesses, additional unemployment benefits, support for health care providers, additional funding for vaccine development and distribution, funding for testing and tracing, and funding for a litany of smaller programs. The $25 Billion will be…

The September 4th Nationwide Eviction Moratorium launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an absolute over-reach and in direct contrast to the state-by-state and county-by-county approach of the Trump Administration and at direct odds to the successful prevention techniques being utilized throughout the country. Additionally, for the federal government to weigh-in with such a heavy hand on state level issues, and is essentially interfere with contract agreements between individuals is seemingly unconstitutional on its face. Please let your Federal House and Senate Representatives, the President, Vice President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services know that…

Congress Missed a Chance to Protect Rentals. We Can’t Let it Happen Again! by Charles Tassell, COO, National REIA All of us at National REIA hope you and your families are well. The COVID-19 outbreak is an enormous challenge to our communities and our nation. While Congress enacted far-reaching measures in response to the crisis, more needs to be done. Congress needs to pass additional relief measures for the rental housing industry and address a number of concerns in the recently passed CARES Act! Take action by contacting your Member of Congress and demand they protect the rental community! Specifically,…

Congress Needs to Help Renters & Property Owners Recover from COVID-19 by Charles Tassell, COO, National REIA The Coronavirus (Covid-19) is dominating the headlines, news, and in many cases the fears and concerns of many!  Congress has passed two bills addressing various aspects of the impact of Covid-19.  The first was an $8 billion plan to reinforce Health Care organizations and ensure funds were available for necessary logistics.  The second passed just days ago, referred to as Phase II, implemented new tax credit programs for family and medical leave for small businesses, among other things.  Phase III is under way…

Steve Moore of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity said “Trump economist Kevin Hassett was right — “Thanks to the booming economy, Trump’s tax cuts are well on the way to paying for themselves. The Laffer Curve is at work!”  Below is his latest Wall Street Journal piece debunking the liberal myth that the Tax Cut and Jobs Act is blowing up the deficit.  The following commentary appeared in the Wall Street Journal on 9/19/18. The Corporate Tax Cut Is Paying for Itself Faster-than-expected growth has produced a revenue windfall. Kevin Hassett, chairman of President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, caused a brouhaha…

Tax Reform Was Passed, Signed & Delivered Congress Says It’s a Christmas Gift for us….But, is it? by Charles Tassell As there has been a great deal of hype on all sides of tax reform, let’s see if we can dig into the issues with more light and less heat.  Hopefully you find this helpful and instructive on items that will no doubt have lasting ramifications and unintentional consequences for many years.  The summary: The reforms should be good for real estate, with tax advantages for pass-through entities improving.  Before making decisions based on tax reform, please be sure to…