RISMEDIA, May 5 – More than 8,500 Realtors will be in Washington, D.C., next week to take their legislative concerns to Congress, to find out more about the real estate boom and to tour the National Association of Realtors new building.

Realtors coming to NAR’s six-day Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo will attend a series of political forums on federal issues which will provide members with insights and information regarding important legislative and regulatory issues facing the industry.

Chief among their concerns is the real estate market outlook—that is, will the real estate boom, which has buoyed the economy for the past five years, continue? Realtors also will want to impress upon their congressional leaders the importance of passing legislation that would allow small businesses to enroll in the same kind of health care plans enjoyed by large corporations and unions.

Key legislators, federal agency representatives and top industry executives will address attendees at this year’s meetings on issues that impact real estate. Of special interest to Realtors is how proposed reforms to mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will affect the real estate boom and their businesses, and programs to increase minority home ownership.

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 11-12, members and guests will have opportunities to tour the new NAR headquarters building, at 500 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.

Some key events include:

The Regulatory Issues Forum, Tuesday, May 10, 9:30–11 a.m., at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, will focus on proposed reforms of government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and their impact on the real estate industry. Several experts, including Kent Colton, principal of K. Colton, LLC, and fellow of the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies, and Richard K. Green, professor of real estate and finance, George Washington University, will review the proposed regulatory reforms and their possible effects.

The Land Use, Property Rights and Environment Forum, Tuesday, May 10, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m., at the Omni Shoreham Hotel will feature Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), chair of the House Resources Committee (invited), and Assistant Secretary Craig Manson, of the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Service, Department of Interior; Keiran Suckling, senior policy analyst, Center for Biological Diversity, and Jim Sims, executive director, Partnership for the West. Speakers will focus on the Endangered Species Act – current status of the act, how it works to protect species, and proposals to reform the act to make it more protective of both species and property rights.

At the Equal Opportunity-Cultural Diversity Forum, Tuesday, May 10, 1-3 p.m., Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, corporate leaders will speak frankly about their views for the future and whether diversity may be corporate America’s greatest strength. Invited speakers include Luke Visconti, founder of Diversity Inc.; Jose Menendez, director of emerging markets for Stewart Title Co., and corporate representatives from Hewlett Packard and Marriott.

The Legislative & Political Forum, Tuesday, May 10, 7:30–9 a.m., Marriot Wardman Park Hotel, is a two-part event. The first will focus on Small Business Health Plan (HR 525 and S 406) legislation, one of NAR’s top priorities to address the health concerns of the significant number of NAR members and other small businesspersons who are uninsured due to high costs. The second part will feature an insider’s perspective of the congressional political landscape. Invited speakers include Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.), speaking on small business health plans; Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-New York), speaking on the political landscape; and Reps. Sam Johnson (R-Tex) and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), minority whip of the House of Representatives.

During the first part of the Economic Issues and Residential Real Estate Business Trends Forum, Thursday, May 12, 8–10 a.m., Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, NAR’s Chief Economist David Lereah will discuss recent trends in the economy, with emphasis on the roles of job growth, consumer spending and interest rates on the prospects for the continued expansion of the real estate boom. In the second part, a panel of experts including international real estate executive and author Stefan Swanepoel will discuss industry trends, including the evolution of new business models, the role of the Internet and electronic commerce, as well as factors important for real estate agents to be successful in the future.

The Economic Issues and Commercial Business Real Estate Trends Forum will take place Thursday, May 12, 1-3 p.m., at the Omni Shoreham. In the first part of the meeting, NAR’s Chief Economist David Lereah will provide a review and forecast of each sector of the commercial real estate market on a national basis. Later, a panel of experts will provide an in-depth analysis of tenants-in-common issues from the commercial perspective. The panel will include Lereah; Richard W. Brown, CCIM, senior vice president, Scheer Partners; Daniel S. Rosefelt, JD, CPA, 1031Law.com; and Robert M. White Jr., CRE, president, Real Capital Analytics.

The Realtors Real Estate Related Services Forum, on Thursday, May 12, 1–3 p.m., Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, will focus on issues arising from activities of real estate firms in mortgage lending markets. Speakers are Brian Chappelle, partner, Potomac Partners and consultant for America’s Mortgage Cooperative; Scott Stern, chief executive officer, Lenders One, a St. Louis, Mo., mortgage cooperative; and Ron McGuire, vice president, Tucker Mortgage Co.

The Housing Opportunities Workshop on Thursday, May 12, 3 – 5 p.m., at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, with the theme “Maximizing Business Opportunities through Counseling Partnerships,” will provide an overview of how educating and counseling consumers will result in more qualified homebuyers, helping turn prospective buyers into real ones, and assisting consumers enter the first rung of the homeownership ladder. The session will be presented by Cora Fulmore, president of the Mortgage and Credit Center, Orlando, Fla.

The International Forum, Friday, Friday, May 13, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., will feature business planning for international real estate, with a presentation by CIPS instructor Ed Hatch on business planning and an overview of global real estate markets by NAR Chief Economist David Lereah.

The Center for REALTOR Technology, Thursday, May 12, 1–3 p.m., will present a briefing, “Information Security – It’s Everyone’s Business,” at which a panel of information security specialists will provide an overview of the REALTOR Secure program.

The NAR Board of Directors convenes on Saturday, May 14, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

The 2005 HOPE Awards: The HOPE Awards (Home Ownership Participation for Everyone), which are awarded every other year, recognizes up to seven organizations and individuals who are making outstanding contributions to the cause of increasing minority homeownership. Rep. Michael Honda (D-Calif.) will deliver the keynote luncheon address honoring the 2005 winners at noon on Tuesday, May 10, at the National Press Club. That will be followed by panel discussions of the winners and their programs conducted at a symposium moderated by nationally syndicated real estate columnist Ken Harney at 1:15 p.m. The Gala will take place that evening at the National Building Museum beginning at 6:30 p.m. and hosted bys Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for the PBS daily news program, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

The Realtors Trade Expo is located in Marriott Wardman Park Hotel and will showcase new ideas about products and services to increase productivity. Exhibits from 210 companies in 30,500 square feet of displays will show the newest real estate products and services, ranging from Personal Digital Assistants to lead generation systems, Internet prospecting solutions, Multiple Listing System providers, 360-degree virtual tours, technology and financial services.

Expo hours are Wednesday, May 11, from 10 a.m.-6.p.m.; Thursday, May 12, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Friday, May 13, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: editorial@rismedia.com