The Power of One

The Power of One is still available to the American people.

It's easy to think in this sea of communication overload that the voice of the average American has been lost. Guess what? Your voice still works if you never give up.

Our Broker, Jeff Fagan, observed the misfire of the HVCC as appraisal after appraisal came in low - sometimes whacked! Appraisers from heaven knows where were being sent to our area to pull comparables for communities and areas they had zero, that's right, ZERO, knowledge of.

Imagine someone coming to your personal community, you know, where you live and where the neighborhood next door or down the street (or especially a few miles away) in no way relates to your house and NO ONE would EVER use a sale from there to compare to your neighborhood. That is, no one who was familiar with the turf. Enter Appraiser Zed, hired through via the new HVCC rules, traveling a far piece, maybe 60-120 miles or more to do his/her job. Wow, appraisers must be hungry like everyone else! Travel half a state to do an appraisal where they might give up half their fee?? Sad to say, it is an unintended consequence of what was intended to be a kinder, fairer way to choose an appraiser to value a home.

Our Broker is a keen observer and a deep thinker. (I say this not only because of this but other conversations we have had.) He saw these botched appraisals threaten or quash deals just one time too many and took action. He started contacting our Congressmen and Senators. No answer. He called again. No answer. He emailed. Still no response. He called again. Nada. At this point, many people would give up and move on, but not our Jeff.

His persistence paid off when he received a phone call asking that he set up an information meeting for Congressman Stearns on a given date and time. He was able to invite a few other key people in our real estate market for the meeting. The get together was productive, the discussion passionate, and the Congressman went away with a new perspective of the issues we Realtors and Lenders are dealing with daily.

The result? Congressman Cliff Stearns is co-sponsoring H. R. 3044 - enacting an 18-month moratorium on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct.

Why? He said it was a result of the August meeting with our Broker, Jeff Fagan, and the others.

Folks, this is what the Power of One can do. YOU can make a difference! Don't just sit there, write, call, email, write, call, email your Congressmen and Senators to make your voice heard! Above all, DO NOT GIVE UP until you have personally spoken with them. They are your public servants. Let your voice be heard. And let your voice be courteous. Remember your manners. They are people, too.

This is so refreshing I just had to share it! Do you have any success stories like this? Please share!