(Nov. 11, 2021) The Nantucket Association of Real Estate Brokers will vote next week on whether to help fund efforts to finally bring legislation to create a real-estate transfer fee to the governor’s desk.
The transfer fee, which would be used to fund affordable-housing efforts, has been the subject of a 15-year legislative journey. Ironically, the biggest opponent of the bill has always been the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.
“They are very much against this,” said Tucker Holland, the town’s housing specialist. “We are hoping that NAREB will show the state association does not speak for local real-estate associations, by voting to help fund this effort.”
Laura Silber, coordinator of the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, said in her role as a community organizer she has found that local real-estate agents understand the needs of their communities in ways that national and state organizations do not.
“There is support on the local level from real-estate people, because they live in these communities and see their friends leaving and see things changing,” she said.
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