Local Government InformationPolicy Issues
Advocacy & Engagement
One of the most important missions of the Cape Fear REALTORS ® is to be an advocate for our members, their clients, and the communities we serve. Each year, the CFR Board revises and adopts a Public Policy Statement that outlines the key policy issues that we focus on as priorities for our members.
Cape Fear REALTORS® and its nearly 3,000 members serve as the “Voice of Real Estate” in New Hanover, Duplin, Sampson, Scotland, and most of Pender counties, by working at the state and local level to advocate for policies that directly impact the membership and the communities where they live and work.
REALTORS® play a critical role in the most significant investment most property owners will make. As such, Cape Fear REALTORS® supports efforts to protect the rights of property owners, to promote the availability and affordability of housing, and to provide resources to guarantee every individual has the right to share in the “American Dream”.
Cape Fear REALTORS® also encourages and develops opportunities to involve REALTORS® in community involvement through action, education, and community service.
Cape Fear REALTORS® pledges our support in providing solutions to challenges facing our state and our community and believes in the following principles:
- Protect Property Owners – The United States and North Carolina Constitutions recognize and protect the natural right to own property. REALTORS® hold steadfast that private property rights are a foundation upon which our nation was born and are central to the free-market economy.
- Promote Housing Availability and Affordability – essential to our system of values is homeownership, the cornerstone of the American Dream. We believe that every citizen should have access to safe, affordable housing, whether it is in an urban, suburban, or rural setting.
- Ensure Economic Vitality – A strong, healthy economy sustains the communities in which we live and work. It results from steady and strategic residential, commercial, and industrial growth. Economic vitality spurs new opportunities, creates jobs, increases the tax base, and invigorates communities.
- Build Better Communities Sensibly – Communities flourish when commonsense guidelines are followed, ensuring a high quality of life at a reasonable cost. We encourage broad-based taxation to support education and infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, etc.) that accommodate quality residential, commercial and industrial growth in an environmentally sensitive manner.
- Embrace Community Values – We believe that leading a happy, healthy, and prosperous life begins at home. It is not only how we conduct ourselves, but also how we treat family, friends, and neighbors. As REALTORS® we are committed serving the community as leaders in government and service organizations and through service projects such as REALTOR® Action Day
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iiii | Land Use Planning The topic of land use planning is not one that is unique to the Cape Fear Area. What makes the issue uniquely challenging particularly in New Hanover County is the lack of scarcity of developable land and what makes it challenging in all the counties in the region is the tremendous rate of growth in population. The paper includes:
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iiii | Affordable Housing Housing affordability is not a unique issue for coastal North Carolina. Communities across the country are working to make the American dream within reach for its residents. Cape Fear REALTORS® strongly supports the concept and provision of affordable housing for all income levels and calls on every community to address and provide equitable housing solutions for its residents. The paper includes:
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