Realogy Urges Congressional Leaders to Take Action on Key Issues Affecting Housing Market

CEO Richard A. Smith Says Priority Is to Delay Pending Income Tax Increases

PARSIPPANY, NJ--(Marketwire - September 15, 2010) - Realogy Corporation, the largest provider of real estate and relocation services in the United States, today announced that it is urging Congress to take immediate action on a number of pressing issues with serious ramifications for the housing market in general, and specifically for the millions of Americans who are homeowners, potential homebuyers and/or home sellers. Earlier today Realogy delivered letters to key Congressional leaders including Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Minority Leader John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, among others.

First and foremost, Realogy president and chief executive officer Richard A. Smith called upon Congressional leaders to delay the income tax increases scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2011. Smith also added Realogy's strong support to the positions taken by the National Association of Realtors regarding the following three topics: making permanent the current FHA and GSE mortgage loan limits, which are set to decrease on Dec. 31, 2010; passing FHA reform; and reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program, which will otherwise expire Sept. 30, 2010.

"Unless they are substantially postponed, the pending income tax increases in January will likely delay any recovery in housing," said Smith. "It stands to reason that if you reduce the spendable income of individuals and small businesses then there will be less money flowing into the overall economy and the housing market, which would not help homebuyers or sellers. Generally, it is counterintuitive to think that higher taxes in an already fragile economic environment will lead to a more robust economy.

"From a real estate perspective, higher tax rates on individuals earning $200,000 or more and families earning $250,000 or more stand to have a decidedly negative impact on the move-up homebuyer segment," added Smith. "Mortgage loan underwriting standards are already very stringent, and increasing the highest tax bracket rate by 13% will make it even more challenging for move-up buyers to qualify for loans. Without an active move-up market, housing will not fully recover and neither will the economy."

A recent op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal by Steven Gjerstad and 2002 Nobel laureate Vernon L. Smith shared their research and empirical evidence from the past 14 prior U.S. recessions showing that economic recovery has always been preceded by a recovery in the housing sector. Specifically, data going back to the Great Depression shows that the recovery of new residential construction has preceded recovery in every other sector of the economy by a large margin. Clearly, consumer investment in residential real estate leads the way and drives increased consumer spending in durable goods and investments.

"History also has proven that the move-up homebuyer is critical to a sustained recovery in housing," said Smith. "If the impending tax increases stall the move-up buyer segment of the housing market, which is likely, that outcome also will have a negative impact on first-time homebuyers. In many regards, the housing market works like a ladder. The first rung of the ladder is the first-time buyer. For the market to operate efficiently, the first-time buyer at some point moves up a rung, leaving open an entry-level home and allowing the seller of the home they just purchased to move to their next home. Any break in this natural progression can create stagnation and inventory imbalances. If the government goes through with these income tax increases, it could effectively keep millions of credit-worthy homebuyers on the sidelines. With such significant amounts of disposable income being taken out of their pockets through higher marginal tax rates, people will logically delay spending on real estate, consumer goods and investments. Clearly, that would not be a good outcome." In addition, Realogy joins with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in making the following three requests for action by Congress:

"Each of these issues is significant on their own, but without immediate action taken by Congress, they will collectively pose a serious threat to the recovery of the housing market, which comprises approximately 20 percent of GDP," said Smith. "We are making Realogy's voice heard on behalf of the 3,800 U.S. franchisees that have affiliated their independently owned and operated businesses with our respective brand networks -- Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, CENTURY 21, Coldwell Banker, Coldwell Banker Commercial, ERA and Sotheby's International Realty -- as well as NRT, our company-owned brokerage. Collectively, our franchise affiliates and company-owned brokerage represent approximately 200,000 real estate sales professionals in more than 7,000 offices throughout the United States."

About Realogy Corporation

Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services, has a diversified business model that includes real estate franchising, brokerage, relocation and title services. Realogy's world-renowned brands and business units include Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate, CENTURY 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, The Corcoran Group®, ERA®, Sotheby's International Realty®, NRT LLC, Cartus and Title Resource Group. Collectively, Realogy's franchise systems have approximately 14,400 offices and 264,000 sales associates doing business in 99 countries around the world. Headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., Realogy is owned by affiliates of Apollo Management, L.P., a leading private equity and capital markets investor.

About Anywhere Brands

Realogy's company-owned real estate brokerage, is the largest residential brokerage company in the United States, operates under several of Realogy's brands and also provides related residential real estate services.

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