FAAR Endorses Candidates for Public Office

Sep 4, 2025

The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® (FAAR) announces endorsements for local Board of Supervisors and City Council races on the ballot for the November 4^th general election. The endorsed candidates represent areas throughout FAAR’s service territory including the counties of Stafford and Spotsylvania, and the City of Fredericksburg.

“As active members of our local communities, REALTOR® and affiliate members of FAAR have a strong interest in this year’s elections. I am pleased with the impressive slate of candidates that FAAR has endorsed. If elected, these individuals will contribute much to our local communities by working to address issues like lack of available housing supply, traffic congestion, and infrastructure improvements,” stated FAAR’s 2025 Public Policy Committee Chair Tamar Myers-Moffatt. “FAAR strongly supports each of the candidates endorsed for public office and looks forward to working with these individuals at the local level. The real estate industry is an integral part of our local economy, and it is vital that REALTORS® help elect candidates who understand those connections and are willing to work with our industry on issues of importance.”

FAAR has endorsed the following candidates:

City of Fredericksburg
David Cropper, Realtor® (City Council, Ward 1)
Joy Crump (City Council, Ward 2)
Susanna Finn (City Council, Ward 3)
Chuck Frye (City Council, Ward 4)

Spotsylvania County
Baron Braswell (Board of Supervisors, Battlefield Distrct)
Kevin Marshall (Board of Supervisors, Berkeley District)

Stafford County
Kecia Evans (Board of Supervisors, Falmouth District)

Area median home price sets record in July

Aug 11, 2025

The regional median home price was up again in July, despite anecdotal information from area Realtors® that they are seeing a slower pace of sales. The median home price for July came in at a record setting $490,000, up 3% year-over-year compared to $473,740 last July. Units sold also surpassed last July with 543 homes changing hands this year compared to 527 in 2024, a 3% increase. Sold dollar volume was up over 11% posting nearly $298.9 million in volume, compared to $268.4 million in July of 2024.

Days on market, the time it takes from when a listing enters the market until it receives a ratified contract and is removed from active status on the multiple listing service, increased 12% up to 28 days this July compared to 25 days last year.

Inventory was up again, finishing out the month with 1,226 active listings compared to 912 last year, a more than 34% increase. New listings were up a scant 0.31% from last year with 639 homes coming on the market in July of 2024 compared to 641 this year. New pending sales were up about 1% in the last month, with 542 pending contracts compared to 538 last July.

“As we’ve seen an influx of inventory available, the conversation with my sellers has shifted,” states FAAR Board of Director Rachel Flynn. “We are discussing longer days on market to be expected and the need for flexibility and openness as we receive feedback. In addition to the already popular below $500,000 buyer pool, I’ve noticed a rise in buyer activity in the above $500,000 to $650,000 price range. With news from local lenders of a small recent rate drop and talk of lower rates to come in the cooler season, I’ve been answering more incoming questions and inquiries about whether now is the right time to buy. With inventory steady and buyers ramping up, it seems we are going to have a strong fall and winter season in our local real estate market.”

2026 REALTOR® Dues Renewal Information – How to Renew Your Membership

Aug 1, 2025

Stay connected. Renew your REALTOR® membership today!

Thank you for being a member of FAAR, where we take pride in our professional level of service and a unique sense of belonging in the community. To continue to meet our Strategic Plan goals, we made the difficult decision to increase local dues. Up until now we have been able to absorb increased costs to manage the association, and we have not had a dues increase since 2009 – sixteen years ago. But in order to continue to serve the membership we found it necessary to make this modification.

We remain committed to delivering exceptional value and supporting your business in a dynamic real estate market. Thank you for your continued membership.

See what your membership delivers— View the breakdown here.

Explore your exclusive member benefits here.

RENEW NOW

REALTOR® Dues for 2026 ($799.00)

NAR Dues ($201)

Virginia Realtors® Dues ($203)

FAAR dues ($365)

Voluntary RPAC Fair Share ($30)

Deadlines

December 15: Last day to pay dues without a late fee

December 16-31: $100 late fee assessed

December 31: Last day to pay dues and late fee

January 1: Membership inactive; pay dues and $275 reapplication fee to reinstate membership

Login Information

Login at faarmembers.com/myaccount to pay your dues for FAAR, VR, and NAR.

Click here to look up your username or reset your password if needed. (It is recommended to use your email on file and last name only for look up)

RENEW NOW

You may see a copy of your paid receipt on the “my order history” section of your account at www.faarmembers.com/my-order-history

For your protection and security, FAAR does not store your credit card data. Thus, we cannot automatically process your payment or accept partial payments.

2025 Unlocking the Value of Your Association Dues flyer

Sample Ballot for the 2026 FAAR Board of Directors Slate of Candidates and Candidate Campaign Videos

Jul 23, 2025

Slate of Candidates- 2026 Leadership

Electronic Voting begins August 1 at 10 AM and ends September 10 at 9:15 AM

Results will be announced on September 10th at the General Membership Meeting at the FAAR Expo (https://www.faarmembers.com/expo). The results will be communicated to the entire membership September 12.

Here are the candidates for your 2026 Board of Directors:

Officers

President	Matthew Rathbun
President-Elect	Gary Gardiner, Jr.
Vice President	Tamar Myers Moffatt
Secretary	Michelle Caldwell Thompson
Treasurer	Denise Smith
Immediate Past President	Lauren Smith

REALTOR® Director Candidates: Three (3) positions open. You may select up to three (3) on this ballot.

Denise Benedetto

Angela Carter

Nate Ferguson

Allison Graves

Sheronica Thompson

Anna Torres

Affiliate Director Candidate: One (1) position open. You may select one (1) on this ballot.

Selina Bryant

Scott Hine

Javier Sanchez

Returning Directors

Heather Ferris

Jennifer Caison

Rachel Flynn

From Section 8a. of the Bylaws

“Additional candidates for the offices to be filled may be placed in nomination by signed petition of at least twenty percent* of the REALTOR® members. The petition shall be filed with the Secretary (via Chief Executive Officer pbrowning@faarmembers.com) by August 26, 2025. The Secretary shall send notice of such additional nominations to all REALTOR® members before the election.”

*(As of 7/23/2025 there are 1653 REALTOR® members. 330 names are needed to complete the petition requirement)

REALTOR® Members can log in to vote from 8/1 to 9:15 AM on 9/10 at https://vote.electionrunner.com/election/226Jc

Your voter ID is your M1(NRDS) number.

Your voter key is your M1(NRDS) number.

Candidate Campaign Videos

Regional home prices tick up again

Jul 11, 2025

The regional median home price was up again in June, with all but two localities in the FAAR footprint seeing increases. The median sold price settled at $480,000 this month compared to $474,093 in June of 2024, representing a 1% year-over-year increase. Units sold remained basically flat in the FAAR footprint with 539 homes selling this June compared to 537 last year. Total sold dollar volume was up over 4%, posting approximately $283 million in sales for June of 2025 compared to $271.4 million in sales last year.

Days on market, the time it takes from when a listing enters the market until it receives a ratified contract and is removed from active status on the multiple listing service, increased 20% up to 24 days this June compared to 20 days last year.

Inventory was up again, finishing out the month with 1,190 active listings compared to 877 last year, a nearly 36% increase. New listings were up 4% from last year with 631 homes coming on the market in June of 2024 compared to 659 this year. New pending sales were up nearly 4% in the last month, with 562 pending contracts compared to 542 last June.

“June was a strong month for me,” comments FAAR Board of Director Heather Ferris. “My listings have been moving quickly, often receiving multiple offers within days when priced appropriately. Buyers in my market are motivated and prepared to compete, especially for well-presented and accurately priced homes. I’m finding that transactions are closing smoothly, which reflects the overall readiness and seriousness of both buyers and sellers. The key continues to be smart pricing. Homes that are listed too high are sitting, while those aligned with market value are generating fast interest. Inventory remains tight, but when the right home hits, demand is definitely there.”

FAAR launches Financial Literacy Program for local students

Jul 10, 2025

In a groundbreaking initiative to foster economic empowerment, the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® (FAAR) participated in a comprehensive Financial Literacy Program called Ignite Others aimed at equipping young people with essential money management skills. This program, originally created by the National Association of Realtors®, provides free educational resources and workshops to local schools to help students make informed financial decisions and build a stable future.

“With the rising cost of living and increasing costs for both rental and purchase housing, financial literacy is more important than ever,” said Nate Ferguson, a local Realtor® and Chair of FAAR’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. “Our goal is to empower students with the knowledge and tools they need to achieve long-term financial well-being.”

Ignite Others covers key topics including budgeting, saving, understanding the importance of credit scores, and planning for future living expenses. The program hosted workshops in three different facilities including The Oberle Academy, the Phoenix Center, and Massaponax High School, serving over 75 students in total.

The goal of the program is to be engaging and informative for local students. Instructors are all active members of FAAR as either real estate licensees or affiliated business members. Instructors share their personal stories demonstrating real world careers in the real estate industry. FAAR members continue to outreach to more schools to set up workshops once classes resume in the fall. Reach out to pbrowning@faarmembers.com if you’d like more information about Ignite Others or to schedule a workshop for your classroom.

FAAR Submits 2026 Legislative Proposals

Jul 3, 2025

The Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® (FAAR) Public Policy Committee, with approval of the FAAR Board of Directors, has submitted two important legislative issues to the Virginia Realtors® for potential inclusion in the 2026 statewide Realtor® agenda. The state association will review all submitted legislative requests from across the state at a meeting of their Public Policy Committee in late July. Accepted issues will be included in the 2026 Statewide Legislative Package that is submitted to the General Assembly. Click the button below to read FAAR’s submissions.

2026 FAAR Legislative Package

Local real estate market sends mixed signals in May

Jun 10, 2025

The local real estate market in May continued to post higher rates of inventory than in the past, but also posted the highest median price ever on record. May saw the month close out with a chart-topping median price of $489,900 compared to $474,000 a year ago, a more than 3% increase. Those stubborn high prices didn’t deter buyers as units sold increased nearly 3% from last May with 577 homes sold in 2024 compared to 591 homes in 2025. Robust sales coupled with high prices led to a nearly 8% increase in total sold dollar volume, besting last year’s approximately $292.4 million with $313.8 million in sales for this May.

Stafford County led the pack again in May of 2025, posting the county’s highest median price on record of $579,000, a 5% year-over-year increase from 2024. Stafford County has seen its median price jump over $200,000 in just 6 years. Median price in May of 2019 was just $350,000.

Days on market, the time it takes from when a listing enters the market until it receives a ratified contract and is removed from active status on the multiple listing service increased by 24% going from 21 days last May to 26 days this year.

Active listings exceeded 1,000 homes again this month, only the second time since 2020 that the market has seen two consecutive months of 1,000 homes or more on the market. At the end of May 2025, there were 1,143 homes actively listed on the MLS, a more than 40% increase from the 814 homes that were for sale at the end of last May. New listings coming onto the market were also fairly robust with 727 newly listed homes available, up nearly 20% from last May. New pendings fell by 5% compared to last year with 583 homes under contract this May compared to 614 last year.

FAAR Board of Director Randy Walther comments, “May finally saw the beginning of spring in the Fredericksburg area. Along with better weather, the housing market continued to be strong. While prices have leveled off, they have not retreated to a lower level. However, days on market have increased somewhat and sellers seem to be entering the market with a realistic idea of value. Buyers are finding better loan rates are allowing them to put forth more competitive offers. Our inventory has increased but still has areas that are short of reaching demand. The summer should show the market staying relatively stable.”

FAAR members meet with U.S. Congressman Eugene Vindman to talk housing

Jun 9, 2025

During the 2025 National Association of REALTORS® Legislative Meetings, five members of FAAR met with Virginia’s 7th District Representative, Eugene Vindman, in Washington, D.C., to advocate for policies that will increase the housing supply and improve access to homeownership.

FAAR members and Congressman Vidnman discussed:
• Private property rights;
• Building housing supply and opportunity for all;
• Support for self-employed professionals;
• How NAR research products show the impact of real estate on the economy and the vital role it plays for consumers;
• and the importance of property ownership in building safe, resilient communities.

NAR, and state and local associations organized the meetings on Capitol Hill as a part of their advocacy efforts on behalf of the real estate industry.

Apply for the 2026 FAAR Board of Directors

May 21, 2025

Step Up. Lead Forward. Make an Impact.

FAAR is now accepting applications for the 2026 Board of Directors.

This is your chance to help guide the future of your association—your professional home away from home. In a time of industry change and new opportunities, FAAR is looking for passionate, thoughtful leaders who want to give back to the real estate community that supports them.

Whether you’ve served on a committee or are stepping into leadership for the first time, your perspective matters. Your voice helps shape the programs, policies, and advocacy that empower agents to succeed.

Nominations are open through July 5th.

What does the Board do?

FAAR’s Board of Directors is the governing body for the association. With 13 seats—12 REALTORS® and 1 Affiliate—the Board sets policy, provides financial oversight, and ensures our strategic goals reflect the needs of members. Meetings are held every other month (third Tuesday of even-numbered months).

How many seats are available?

The Nominating Committee will select one to three nominees per open seat. Voting members of the Association will elect the Directors during the official election period.

How long is the commitment?

Director terms: 2 years
Officer terms: 1 year (except Treasurer: 2 years)
Affiliate Director term: 1 year

How do I apply?

1. Review the position details and expectations: B oard Job Descriptions

2. Complete the Candidate Profile Form.

Email your completed form to:
Page Browning, FAAR CEO
pbrowning@faarmembers.com

What happens after I apply?

Eligible applicants will be invited to interview in person at the FAAR office on Tuesday, July 22.

Questions?

Reach out to Page Browning at pbrowning@faarmembers.com
or connect with any of our current FAAR leadership team.

Whether you’re new to leadership or a familiar face in our community, there’s a place for you at the table. Help shape the direction of your association—your home away from home—and ensure every member has the support they need to thrive.

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