NAR Applauds VA Announcement of Home Loan Benefit Changes

Louisiana REALTORS® • June 12, 2024

NAR President Kevin Sears issued the following statement on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in response to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announcement of a "Buyer-Broker Agent Temporary Local Variance Circular":


"The VA's home loan guaranty is the only program that explicitly bans buyers from directly paying for professional real estate representation. We applaud the VA for revising this policy and allowing veterans and active-duty service members the same advantages as other buyers in a competitive real estate market. 


"NAR launched an all-hands advocacy effort on this issue, including working with Congress and the relevant VA Committees, meeting with the VA, collaborating with industry partners, and holding hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill during the Realtors® Legislative Meetings in May.


"We look forward to continuing this conversation, and our 1.5 million members stand ready to support the VA in whatever way possible to protect the brave men and women who serve this country and ensure they are given the equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream of homeownership."


Background

The VA announced a temporary policy allowing VA buyers to compensate their buyer broker directly while determining when a formal rulemaking process is necessary. NAR will continue to monitor and provide updates as they occur. The VA home loan guaranty program is a vital homeownership tool that provides veterans with a centralized, affordable, and accessible method of purchasing homes as a benefit they earned for their service to our nation. Under previous VA policies, veterans using the home loan benefit were prohibited from compensating their professional representative directly. This policy put VA buyers at a disadvantage in situations where offers of compensation are not offered from a seller, potentially forcing them to forego professional representation, choose a different loan product, or exit the market entirely. 



To read more on NAR advocacy efforts around this, please revisit the letter sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs on March 27, 2024

Consumer Guide Update: Seller Handoff Checklist

By Louisiana REALTORS® • July 16, 2026
NAR is sharing its latest consumer guide, Seller Handoff Checklist . Sellers can create a smooth transition for the new owners using the new one-page guide. It offers a handy checklist of information and resources that sellers can pass along—from appliance manuals to paint colors to garbage pickup schedules—as well as suggestions for goodwill gestures that will help buyers feel they made a great purchasing decision. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Seller Handoff Checklist Defining Home Buying Needs vs. Wants  10 Tips For Unpacking Smartly After A Move UPDATED: Multiple Listing Services Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their home buying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. Check out the next consumer guide on condominium insurance.

National Association of REALTORS® Survey Finds Americans Value Neighborhood Walkability

By Louisiana REALTORS® • July 14, 2026
NAR Community and Transportation Preference Survey reinforces need for housing choices and shows support for community design to easily access daily destinations.

21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

By Louisiana REALTORS® • July 14, 2026
New Blueprint for Housing: What the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Means for Louisiana Real Estate
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