TeleHealth to REALTORS® at No Cost
LOUISIANA REALTORS • April 2, 2020
CHICAGO (April 2, 2020) – The National Association of Realtors® announced that it will be expanding access to Members TeleHealthSM at no cost to its members for those who register before April 15. The program comes as part of NAR’s larger ‘Right Tools, Right Now’ initiative – relaunched on March 27
– which is making numerous valuable resources available to the association’s 1.4 million members at reduced or no cost.
Learn More About This Program
“While the nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 crisis, we are doing everything we can to ensure our members and their families can stay safe, healthy and secure,” said NAR CEO Bob Goldberg. “After launching ‘Right Tools, Right Now’ last week, we promised to closely monitor the effects of this pandemic and update the initiative as needed. I’m pleased to announce today the addition of Members TeleHealthSM, a long-term REALTOR Benefits® partner offering, to the RTRN toolkit.”
Members TeleHealthSM provides around-the-clock access to non-emergency healthcare from more than 2,300 board-certified U.S. physicians. Common issues addressed through telemedicine include allergies, asthma, rashes, joint aches, flu and nausea, among others.
Beginning today, NAR is funding two months of services for members who currently lack access to telemedicine and enroll in this program by April 15. Recognizing that the opportunity will likely draw significant interest from its members, NAR has also negotiated a discounted rate for those who wish to retain coverage following the two month, no-cost period.
“As we continue to solicit input from our members regarding COVID-19’s impact on their lives and businesses, NAR is grateful to be able to offer expanded access to potentially lifesaving telemedicine services,” said NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, CA. “Medical professionals are urging Americans who are sick to stay home, and telemedicine is playing a critical role protecting our communities and our health care workers. We continue to encourage members to limit their exposure and decrease the chance of spreading illnesses to others.”
Through RTRN, which was initially launched during the financial crisis in 2009, Realtors® can also access webinars with tips for managing finances in uncertain times; educational resources to build or hone professional skills; and a free copy of the widely-used Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, among other business-critical resources.
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This week, the Legislature remained in high gear, and several items relevant to Louisiana’s real estate market moved into focus. The biggest headline for our industry this week was HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert , our wholesaling/consumer-protection bill, was slated to be heard on the House floor, however was bumped due to floor congestion and out-of-order bills. It is now expected to be reset for next Tuesday. This bill remains one of the clearest “market integrity” efforts on the board with clearer rules for non-traditional transactions, stronger transparency and better consumer protections. We also continued substantive policy work behind the scenes. We are actively engaging with Rep. Carver on a vacant land disclosure bill he has authored, and we appreciate that he is welcoming our input and guidance as the language is refined. Our goal is straightforward: ensure any vacant land disclosure framework is practical, reduces confusion and avoids unintentionally shifting liability or enforcement burdens onto real estate professionals. In addition, we were pleased to deepen our relationships at the Capitol this week. We had the privilege of hosting a lunch for the Governor’s Office, enjoyed meeting Governor Landry’s team, and look forward to working with them in a constructive, solutions-oriented manner as the session continues. Finally, Rep. Hebert also filed an additional measure that aligns with our legislative agenda and speaks directly to transaction risk management: HB 1027 , which would limit liability for licensed real estate appraisers in situations involving smoke and carbon monoxide detector compliance. The current law already provides that real estate agents are not liable for a seller’s failure to comply with Louisiana’s detector requirements in one- or two-family dwellings. HB 1027 would extend that same liability protection to licensed appraisers by amending R.S. 40:1581(F). This is a clean, common-sense clarification that helps prevent appraisers from being pulled into compliance disputes that properly belong with the seller’s statutory obligations. Next week, committees are scheduled to hear multiple bills relevant to real estate, including measures involving construction and roofing standards (often tied to insurance and mitigation), property rights/expropriation, and property tax and adjudicated property issues that can influence housing supply and neighborhood reinvestment. We will stay closely engaged and will flag any bills or amendments that materially affect transactions, homeownership costs or private property rights. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
Louisiana REALTORS® is compiling a cookbook of Louisiana flavor with a REALTOR® heart in support of the REALTORS® Relief Foundation . And we have two ways for you to get involved: Join us in contributing your favorite recipe using this online form. If you want to include a picture with your recipe, send to info@larealtors.org and reference recipe title in email subject. Or share your creativity by designing the cover artwork for the cookbook. A small committee will review all entries and choose one to print on the cover. Stay tuned for more details on when you can grab your own copy of the cookbook! Cover artwork and recipes are due by April 17th.
Week three of the Regular Session kept real estate issues in the conversation, even as lawmakers continued to focus heavily on workforce, tax and insurance policy. On the property tax front, measures to reshape assessments and exemptions, including proposals for a new blight rehabilitation exemption and additional relief for seniors, remain parked in the House Ways and Means Committee as stakeholders work through fiscal and local government concerns. These bills matter because they will influence long-term carrying costs, redevelopment incentives and how tax burdens are shared across residential and commercial property. Homestead related legislation, including parish level authority to increase the exemption amount, is also in the queue, signaling that the broader structure of Louisiana’s homestead system is officially on the table, not just the dollar figure. For homeowners and buyers, this debate goes directly to affordability. For local governments, it raises revenue stability and service delivery questions. There also has been movement on several identical pieces of legislation that would instruct parish assessors to develop a process for homeowners to permanently register for the homestead exemption for the duration that they own and live on the property. We are actively tracking legislation that will directly shape how investor activity and non-traditional transactions are recognized and regulated in Louisiana’s real estate market. This includes HB 468 by Troy Hebert , a key component of the Louisiana REALTORS® legislative package that targets the wholesale of residential real estate, which was heard in the House Commerce Committee on Monday. The bill is currently positioned for a floor vote early next week. As drafted, HB 468 represents a major step in the right direction for consumer protection in Louisiana, advancing needed guardrails through potential disclosure, registration, and practice standards that could redefine how assignment contracts and “off-market” transactions intersect with licensed brokerage activity. In parallel, HB 292 by Delisha Boyd passed the House on final reading, 86-3, and is on its way to the Senate. Together, these measures represent a coordinated policy effort to bring greater structure and transparency to emerging transaction models, while preserving the integrity of the traditional brokerage framework. Finally, the broader policy backdrop remains important: the Governor continues to push income tax changes and cost of living relief, while business and industry groups are prioritizing insurance, workforce and energy — each a key driver of long run housing demand and investment. As these debates evolve, we’ll keep you updated on what moves, what stalls and what it all means for your clients, your pipeline and private property rights across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
