Buying a Home Means Investing in Your Community - nwitimes.com

According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), bothhome owners and renters agree that home ownership benefitsindividuals and families, strengthens our communities and isintegral to our nation's economy. Realtors Years of research demonstrate the direct correlation betweenhome ownership and educational achievement, and the statisticsprove that students of home owners score better on standardizedacademic tests and graduate at a significantly higher rate fromboth high school and college. Studies also indicate that home owners are happier and healthierthan non-owners. Further, since they have a financial stake intheir home and neighborhood, they are more in-tune to crimeprevention. For the same reason, home owners are more likely to repair orimprove their homes than renters. Along with enhancing theirpersonal homes and ultimately their communities, home owners alsotend to have a greater overall sense of civic pride and higherlevel of involvement in local affairs. Perhaps that's why 85% of sellers were assisted by a real estateagent and 79% of buyers purchased their home through a real estateagent or broker, according to a recent report compiled by theNational Association of Realtors® (NAR). When you consider that a Real Estate transaction often involvesone of the biggest financial investments many of us will ever makein our lifetime, it's difficult to imagine how we could possiblyacquire all of the knowledge needed to successfully navigate such acomplicated transaction. Especially when it's not something we doeveryday like professional Realtors®. With approximately 2,000 members engaged in all facets of thereal estate industry, GNIAR is one of about 1,415 local boardsacross the country. Along with serving the professional needs ofits membership, GNIAR works to protect the rights of localhomeowners by recommending and promoting legislation thatsafeguards and advances their interests. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.