Illinois REALTORS® is kicking off a successful year by executing on our strategy to make housing issues the No. 1 priority in the state! As we’ve previously reported, we were successful in getting Gov. JB Pritzker to adopt several pillars of our housing agenda as part of his BUILD plan for 2026. Now, in bipartisan fashion, the REALTORS® have accomplished the goal of getting the other side of the aisle to prioritize housing.

This week, our legislative team met with top Republican leaders in the Senate to discuss the housing crisis, along with solutions that need to be implemented to address these concerns. Among the problems discussed, we pointed to high property taxes and high insurance rates as being some of the reasons for the housing challenges we are experiencing in the state. The next day, the Senate Republicans held a press conference promoting their own housing solutions that tackled some of the issues we had discussed with them. In that press conference, they used many of our talking points and statistics to promote their newly proposed agenda.

This bipartisan cooperation highlights the strong influence Illinois REALTORS® possesses in the state to promote agendas that protect our members and property owners. We look forward to getting these goals over the finish line this year!