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A month after gathering to protest the lack of opportunities for real estate agents around National Harbor, several Prince George's County agents are organized and prepared with a plan to beef up their business.
Prince George's Real Estate Agents for Change's purpose is to monitor, support and encourage legislation pertaining to the real estate industry, ensure brokers are certified and ready to build, and keep businesses informed about real estate interests. The 10-member group met Tuesday before a crowd of more than 50 people at Prince George's Community College in Largo.
"We need to start physically supporting legislation and become proactive. Our legislators can't be alone anymore," said Ruth C. Wright, the organization's founder and president of The Wright Realtor in Mitchellville. She pledged no more vacant hearing rooms.
The group's goals include improving the system to convert people living in subsidized Section 8 rental housing into homeowners; establishing equity investment programs that allow owners and brokers to split profits if an owner holds off on selling for a while; eliminating recordation and transfer taxes for home-buying teachers who have master's degrees; providing housing benefits to county police officers; educating people on the foreclosure process; instituting a moderately priced dwelling unit program; and having the county launch the state's House Keys 4 Employees program in which government employers and the state match a portion of home costs for first-time buyers.
"We're not reinventing the wheel here. The wheel is already working; it's just not working in Prince George's," said Carl Allen of Murrell Inc., who created the plan with the help of five Howard University business graduate students. Allen emphasized that many of the programs listed in the plan are already running in Montgomery County.
The group has created several committees, including a political action group, a group to identify and list local real estate opportunities and a group concentrating on foreclosures and short sales.
Del. Aisha N. Braveboy (D-Dist. 25) of Mitchellville is also working with the group and other legislators on a bill requiring at least 25 percent minority business participation for any project receiving public financing subject to state approval.
