Your resource for all things Real Estate. Including Legal, Agent & Broker, and Property Rights Issues.
Resources and updates on NAR’s settlement agreement related to broker commissions.
Whether you’re a new agent or an experienced broker you have access to a wide array of resources designed to help you succeed in today's market.
Including home buying and selling, commercial, international, NAR member information, and technology. Use the data to improve your business through knowledge of the latest trends and statistics.
Get the latest top line research, news, and popular reports. National, regional, and metro-market level housing statistics where data is available. Research on a wide range of topics of interest to real estate practitioners. Access recent presentations from NAR economists and researchers. Affordability, economic, and buyer & seller profile data for areas in which you live and work. Analysis of commercial market sectors and commercial-focused issues and trends. Representing Your Industry
Now more than ever, it is critical for REALTORS® across America to come together and speak with one voice.
Advancing Your Career
NAR and its affiliated Institutes, Societies, and Councils offer a wide selection of real estate training options.
Continuing education and specialty knowledge can help boost your salary and client base. Fulfill your COE training requirement with free courses for new and existing members. Meet the continuing education (CE) requirement in state(s) where you hold a license.Acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate specialties, awarded by NAR and its affiliates.
Offering research services and thousands of print and digital resources. Empowers REALTORS® to evaluate, enhance and showcase their highest levels of professionalism. Academic opportunities for certificates, associates, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. News & Events
Stay current on industry issues with daily news from NAR. Network with other professionals, attend a seminar, and keep up with industry trends through events hosted by NAR.
Official news releases from NAR. Advancing best practices, bringing insight to trends, and providing timely decision-making tools. Commentary from NAR experts on technology, staging, placemaking, and real estate trends. Stay informed on the most important real estate business news and business specialty updates.
America's largest trade association, representing 1.5 million+ members, including NAR's institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Your resource for all things Real Estate. Including Legal, Agent & Broker, and Property Rights Issues.
Real Estate Topics Resources and updates on NAR’s settlement agreement related to broker commissions. MembershipWhether you’re a new agent or an experienced broker you have access to a wide array of resources designed to help you succeed in today's market.
Providing Membership Value Bringing you savings and unique offers on products and services just for REALTORS®. Complete listing of state and local associations, MLSs, members, and more. As a member, you are the voice for NAR – it is your association and it exists to help you succeed. Only members of NAR can call themselves a REALTOR®. Learn how to properly use the logo and terms. Review your membership preferences and Code of Ethics training status. Research & StatisticsIncluding home buying and selling, commercial, international, NAR member information, and technology. Use the data to improve your business through knowledge of the latest trends and statistics.
Market Behavior Get the latest top line research, news, and popular reports. National, regional, and metro-market level housing statistics where data is available. Research on a wide range of topics of interest to real estate practitioners. Access recent presentations from NAR economists and researchers. Affordability, economic, and buyer & seller profile data for areas in which you live and work. Analysis of commercial market sectors and commercial-focused issues and trends. NAR is widely considered one of the most effective advocacy organizations in the country. Representing Your Industry From its building located steps away from the U.S. Capitol, NAR advocates for you. Promoting the election of pro-REALTOR® candidates across the United States. Resources to foster and harness the grassroots strength of the REALTOR® Party. A powerful alliance working to protect and promote homeownership and property investment.Now more than ever, it is critical for REALTORS® across America to come together and speak with one voice.
NAR and its affiliated Institutes, Societies, and Councils offer a wide selection of real estate training options.
Advancing Your Career Continuing education and specialty knowledge can help boost your salary and client base. Fulfill your COE training requirement with free courses for new and existing members. Meet the continuing education (CE) requirement in state(s) where you hold a license.Acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate specialties, awarded by NAR and its affiliates.
Offering research services and thousands of print and digital resources. Empowers REALTORS® to evaluate, enhance and showcase their highest levels of professionalism. Academic opportunities for certificates, associates, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. News & EventsStay current on industry issues with daily news from NAR. Network with other professionals, attend a seminar, and keep up with industry trends through events hosted by NAR.
News & Events Official news releases from NAR. Advancing best practices, bringing insight to trends, and providing timely decision-making tools. Commentary from NAR experts on technology, staging, placemaking, and real estate trends. Stay informed on the most important real estate business news and business specialty updates.America's largest trade association, representing 1.5 million+ members, including NAR's institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Who We Are National, state & local leadership, staff directories, leadership opportunities, and more. Founded as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges in 1908. NAR’s operating values, long-term goals, and DEI strategic plan. Code of Ethics, NAR's Constitution & Bylaws, and model bylaws for state & local associations. Member recognition and special funding, including the REALTORS® Relief Foundation. Browse by Section
Though they provide a basic necessity for modern living, power lines are not always welcome in neighborhoods. Aside from the lack of visual appeal, many are worried about the high level of electricity surging so close to their homes, specifically EMF (Electric & Magnetic Fields) exposure. Radiation is one the highest levels of EMF frequencies, while power lines fall somewhere lower than a computer, and much lower than a cell phone or wireless internet.
For the reasons mentioned above, there are concerns that living too close to large power lines may reduce the property value of your home. Data is somewhat hard to come by because the issue is very much a personal preference. Often, homes where the power lines would be enough of a visual nuisance to cause a problem have a pristine ocean/mountain/lake view.
The rise of extreme weather events in the last decade has catapulted power lines into the world of many homeowners, especially after forest fires, unusual deep freezes, and unprecedented flooding have wreaked havoc on the power grid like never before. Burying power is already underway, and will most likely increase in the future.
See References for more information.
NAR Library & Archives has already done the research for you. References (formerly Field Guides) offer links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of perspectives. EBSCO articles ( E ) are available only to NAR members and require the member's nar.realtor login.
Electric and Magnetic Fields from Power Lines (United States Environmental Protection Agency, Jul. 24, 2023)
“Electric and magnetic fields, also known as electromagnetic fields (EMF), consist of waves of electric and magnetic energy moving together. These energy fields surround us all the time. Scientific studies have not clearly shown whether exposure to EMF increases cancer risk. A few studies have connected EMF and health effects, but they have not been able to be repeated. This means that they are inconclusive. Scientists continue to conduct research on the issue.”
Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer (National Cancer Institute, May 30, 2022)
“Although a study in 1979 pointed to a possible association between living near electric power lines and childhood leukemia (15), more recent studies have had mixed findings (16–24). Most of these studies did not find an association or found one only for those children who lived in homes with very high levels of magnetic fields, which are present in few residences.”
“Newport Beach, California is investing millions of dollars to remove unsightly power lines in an effort to boost its already sky-high property values. The city tapped the municipal market for roughly $26 million this week to bury the lines in two sections of the beach-side town, which will “enhance neighborhood aesthetics, safety, and reliability” according to bond documents.”
Most homebuyers do not find power lines aesthetically pleasing, especially if they are in a location that would otherwise have a pristine ocean, river, or forest view. While this personal preference does tend to lower property values, another major factor in the power line debate concerns health. Concerns over EMFs (Electro Magnetic Frequencies or Electric and Magnetic Fields) have not been proven by the WHO or EPA, and are immeasurable once you are more than 500 feet away.
“In this writer’s experience, the key issue is the impact of the HVETL on the balance of the property not required for it. Estimating impact requires an evaluation of the facts and circumstances of each project. A commercial property owner facing the construction of a new or augmented HVETL over its property should be proactive and retain the experts necessary to gather data and to research the issues.”
“Hawaiian Electric Company released a statement on Sunday night in response to Maui county’s lawsuit blaming the utility for failing to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions. Hawaiian Electric called that complaint “factually and legally irresponsible” and said its power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours when the second blaze started.”
As “extreme weather events” become more common, the aging infrastructure system of the United States will be put to the test. According to a study conducted by researchers at Princeton University’s Engineering School, “strategically burying just 5 percent of power lines could reduce the number of residents affected by hurricane and heat wave-related outages by half. Specifically, lines near main distribution points would need to be buried. “
“Making the undergrounding of all lines a standard practice, the study showed, would result in rate increases of 80% to 125%. “Installing underground is best done as an area is being developed,” Ryan says. “This is less expensive than converting later from overhead to underground.” An individual homeowner or business in an area full of above-ground power lines has little to gain by switching, both LCEC’s Ryan and FPL’s Gaddis said, because those below- and above-ground lines come from the same power source. But if an entire neighborhood of homeowners agrees to pay, it could lessen the length of future power outages.”
As a member benefit, the following resources and more are available for loan through the NAR Library. Items will be mailed directly to you or made available for pickup at the REALTOR® Building in Chicago.
Have an idea for a real estate topic? Send us your suggestions.
The inclusion of links on this page does not imply endorsement by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR makes no representations about whether the content of any external sites which may be linked in this page complies with state or federal laws or regulations or with applicable NAR policies. These links are provided for your convenience only and you rely on them at your own risk.
