The housing laws that could derail a sale — and why Realtors need to pay attention

This past week’s midterm elections saw over 100 candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) win their respective races at the federal, state, county and municipal level. While the National Association of Realtors (NAR) does not solely support one political party, instead endorsing candidates that support housing policy positions that align with NAR’s goals, Realtors are raising the alarm when it comes to some of the policies being enacted by elected DSA lawmakers. “I am Chicken Little and I’m here to tell you that the sky is falling. But it is our responsibility to lift it up and make sure we’re aware of what’s going on so that we’re prepared,” Stacey Johnson-Cosby, an agent at ReeceNichols, a RealTrends Verified firm, said at a session during NAR’s 2026 NXT conference on Sunday. “In 40 years in the business, I’m seeing stuff now — laws and regulations that I would never have imagined and to this day can’t imagine that they’re in our marketplaces today.” As Johnson-Cosby noted, the DSA does not believe in private property rights. Instead the group believes that housing is a human right and that properties should be owned by either the government or non-profit ...