NAIHP Lobbying Illegally?

NAIHP Lobbying for Others Without Authority?

NAIHP's website clearly states that the organization is "Comprised of all housing industry professionals, NAIHP is strictly a legislative and regulatory organization, leaving education and other such issues to trade associations with individual interests," more than implying that they consider themselves to be speaking for all "housing industry professionals."

NAIHP, Marc Savitt's brainchild, is a so called "grassroots" organization, but it is likely that a small group of renegades are doing the not so new trick of attempting to create the impression on the internet of being a really big organization - while in reality it's only a few people trying to exert influence on a process way above their paygrade. 

Their real truth notwithstanding, if the NAIHP - the so called National Association of Independent Housing Professionals - were attempting to generate email communications to the Capitol, that would be totally legitimate. The internet is a great place to build astro-turf campaigns. 

The problem is that Marc Savitt is doing more than that. He's meeting with staff and maybe with elected officials, as evidenced by his own online reports, asking them to sponsor legislation and advocating for policy positions. That may or may not require that he and his organization be registered to lobby if they have a large enough membership and budget to be required to do so.

If the NAIHP isn't large enough to be required to register with the U.S. House and Senate, then everyone involved in real estate issues should be aware that the NAIHP doesn't really represent "all housing industry professionals." Maybe it will some day, but for now....it just doesn't.

Marc Savitt's NAIHP Too Small to Represent All of Real Estate?

Recently I asked a couple of very simple questions: Are Marc Savitt and NAIHP - the so called National Association of Independent Housing Professionals - registered to lobby Congress? If so, are they really suited to represent the entire real estate profession as they imply on their website? I'm paraphrasing, but those are essentially my questions.

Since posting those questions, I've been belittled and attacked personally by Marc Savitt and accused of all sorts of things. Sadly, those kinds of tactics are very similar to the rumors I'd heard about Marc Savitt from other places and that prompted me to raise those questions in the first place.

I would also like to know if Savitt is working with the National Association of Realtors? If not, shouldn't he be?

What policy positions is Marc Savitt pushing at the Capitol? If he claims to represent the real estate profession, shouldn't we know what he's pushing? Did the NAIHP coordinate or just charge ahead?

I'm coming to the conclusion that NAIHP and Marc Savitt don't have to register to lobby with the House and Senate because the group has no real budget and its membership is tiny. That, apparently, would exempt them from having to register to lobby.  If that's the case, then I would hope that folks on the Hill would know not to listen to NAIHP during the debate on Financial Reform.

Hopefully, Members of Congress, the Senate, and their staff will ignore the amateurish antics of Marc Savitt and the so called National Association of Independent Housing Professionals. We can only hope. The stakes are too high. 

~ John

NAIHP Lobbying Illegally - Misrepresenting Real Estate Pros?

Below is the information from the NAIHP which clearly indicates they are doing grassroots activism and probably getting in the way of the great work the Realtors, Homebuilders and others are doing. Are they registered? I'm working on finding that out. If you know, please let me know. 


Legislative Issues

Today’s housing industry is facing unprecedented challenges. New rules, regulations and laws, often created by a rush to judgment, are harming housing professionals, consumers, the market and the overall economy. NAIHP has identified several areas of concern and will be aggressively combating these issues. Below are some of those issues:

HVCC Update:  April 14, 2010

NAIHP's Rally and Lobby Day was successful. While members visited the offices of their representatives, leadership met with Rep. Travis Childers, who pledged to work with us to nullify HVCC. Rep. Childers revealed his plans for including the Childers/Miller/Bachman/Manzuello amendment in the appropriate bill. We also met with the offices of three U.S. Senators. Additional meetings are scheduled within the coming days.

Federal Reserve Board Meeting:  April 13, 2010

NAIHP met with the Federal Reserve Board to discuss the FRB's proposed rule on loan originator compensation. The scheduled 30 minute meeting lasted almost 90 minutes, but failed to produce any positive results. NAIHP is currently working with legal advisers to discuss "options." Watch for additional updates.

March 5, 2010

NAIHP President Marc Savitt and VP Ian Coates, met with the office of Senator Tim Johnson, (D-SD). The meeting centered around NAIHP's HVCC Proposal and their overall "Main Street Solution." The Proposal, developed in cooperation with Brokers, Realtors and Appraisers, enhances existing language in HR 4173, which passed the House of Representatives in December 2009. The Senate is currently working on their version of this legislation.

Marc Savitt of NAIHP Lobbying Illegally?

I'm hearing that Marc Savitt, the founder of the so called National Association of Independent Housing Professionals (NAIHP), is attempting to strong arm Members of Congress on both sides of the Capitol without a legal lobby registration. Members of the National Association of Realtors, Homebuilders and other prominent professional associations are being undercut by his tactics. With major financial reform legislation on the table, this is not the time to have a renegade and unregistered lobbyist stalking Banking Committee members and claiming to represent the entire real estate profession.