SHAHEEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS HOLD ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON STATE'S HOUSING MARKET, EFFORTS TO HELP HOMEOWNERS
(Bedford, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined a roundtable discussion with members of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors (NHAR) this afternoon to discuss the current state of the New Hampshire real estate market and its impact on the New Hampshire economy. Shaheen joined NHAR members for a discussion of concerns and priorities in the New Hampshire real estate market and her efforts in Washington to support the housing market and affordable housing.
“While we have seen improvements in New Hampshire’s housing market, we must do more to continue to improve the housing recovery and address the issues of an evolving real estate market,” Shaheen said. “The housing market is directly tied to our state’s economic growth and success, so we have to continue to work to get the housing market and the economy back to where it needs to be and support homeownership for people in New Hampshire.”
"We appreciate the Senator's continued support of real estate related programs such as the Mortgage Debt Relief Act and the National Flood Insurance Program," said Bill Weidacher, past president of NHAR who hosted the event at Keller-Williams Realty Metropolitan in Bedford. "Senator Shaheen has assisted New Hampshire homeowners who couldn't close because of unaffordable flood insurance rates, or a short sale transaction that was held up because of the uncertainty surrounding the taxation of forgiven mortgage debt. Her meeting with us today further affirmed her continued understanding of the significance of the real estate industry on the economy at large, and we thank her for her leadership."
Senator Shaheen’s office has helped assist more than 1,200 Granite State families with issues related to their home mortgages including short sale assistance, stopping foreclosures and assistance obtaining mortgage modifications.
As of May, new listings for single family homes in New Hampshire increased 9 percent and new listings for condo properties increased by 9.1 percent. Median sale prices have also risen in New Hampshire and nationwide. Shaheen has been a strong supporter of efforts to promote the housing industry and successfully fought to extend the first-time homebuyers tax credit her first year in office. Shaheen is also a co-sponsor of the Commercial Real Estate and Economic Development (CREED) Act which gives businesses access to long-term, fixed-rate loans to help them purchase assets for expansion, thereby boosting economic growth and job creation.
