Scott Louser uses RPR to educate the North Dakota House of Representatives

Scott Louser has been very involved in real estate for the past 17 years. From serving as the 2005 President of the North Dakota Association of REALTORS®, to being the 2012 Vice President and Liaison of Government Affairs for NAR, Scott has seen his fair share of technology and initiatives. What makes Scott unique is that he is also a member of the House of Representatives in North Dakota. He represents District 5 and is up for reelection this year, which makes knowing his constituency and their issues paramount.

The Challenge

North Dakota is a state unlike any other; they do not have voter registration. Not knowing exactly who the voters are in a district in North Dakota affects not only elections, but can impact the debate of a bill. For example, when the legislature is debating a bill that affects homeownership, oftentimes they are doing so without truly knowing who the voters are. Do they own homes, or are they renters? What is their economic status? What is their education level? Without knowing this, it can be harder for legislators to anticipate how a particular bill will affect their district.

The Result

Because Scott is not only a legislator, but a REALTOR® as well, he can leverage RPR's data and reports to help him and his colleagues understand their district. Created for Associations and their volunteer staff, such as FPC's, the RPR Dashboard reports offer a window into demographics and consumer behavior in an area. With the RPR Dashboard, Scott can create Federal and Local Economic Reports at a state, district or even more local level like city council, mayor or school district race. The data provided in these reports "is something that's going to be valuable where politics hits home the most, all the way up to the congressional level," says Scott.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Local Economic Reports is the REALTOR® branding that each report can be customized with. "We can take our member benefit and provide that to a legislator and do so with our REALTOR® brand and really reinforce that REALTOR® image with Congress and the State Legislature." Through these reports, REALTORS® are reinforcing their relevance to the industry.

"We beat everyone else to the punch with these reports. You will not find this anywhere else."

To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.