Wisconsin REALTORS® Association: The WRA’s 2025-26 Legislative Priorities

The WRA’s 2025-26 Legislative Priorities

Strengthening Wisconsin’s housing market

 Cori Lamont, WRA Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs  |    March 31, 2025
Priority

The WRA is dedicated to advocating for policies that bolster the state’s real estate market, promote housing affordability and foster a thriving business environment. The following legislative priorities are designed to protect property owners, stimulate economic growth and ensure a fair and transparent tax system.

In February, the WRA board of directors approved the legislative priorities for the 2025-26 legislative session. This session, the WRA will continue its focus on strengthening Wisconsin’s housing supply and upholding the property tax freeze.

Maintaining a stable property tax environment

A stable and predictable property tax environment is crucial for homeowners and businesses alike. Priorities for the 2025-26 session to promote a healthy tax environment aim to:

  • Maintain the property tax levy freeze to prevent sudden increases in property taxes and to encourage discussions about better ways to fund local government.
  • Ensure sufficient K-12 education funding through alternative revenue sources to avoid passing additional costs to property taxpayers.
  • Reduce Wisconsin’s real estate transfer tax to make homeownership more accessible and affordable.

Increasing housing inventory and affordability

With a growing demand for housing across the state, expanding inventory and improving affordability remain key priorities. This legislative session, the WRA’s housing inventory priorities plan to do the following:

  • Modify the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) loan programs to improve access to financing for borrowers and incentivize housing development.
  • Reform tax increment financing (TIF) laws to expand opportunities for municipalities and developers to invest in new housing projects.
  • Create additional tax credits and municipal incentives to stimulate the construction of affordable housing.
  • Advance regulatory reforms to streamline development approvals and increase the housing supply.
  • Remove state and local barriers that slow down housing development and limit the creation of new housing units.
  • Authorize WHEDA to provide condominium loans, improving financing options for prospective buyers.

Modernizing real estate and business practices

An efficient and fair business environment benefits both real estate professionals and consumers. 2025-26 legislative priorities will prioritize the following goals:

  • Simplify operations for businesses with multiple limited liability companies (LLCs) to streamline real estate transactions and management
  • Enhance the consumer real estate experience by modernizing Wisconsin’s e-signature laws, banning trigger leads, and updating agency laws to better reflect industry practices
  • Establish fair penalties for void or unenforceable rental agreements to ensure clarity and consistency for landlords and tenants alike
  • Implement a land title notification system at the county level to help prevent property fraud and protect homeowners.

Improving property tax transparency and assessment practices

Transparency and fairness in property taxation and assessment processes are essential for homeowners and businesses. The WRA’s legislative priorities aim to:

  • Provide greater access to property tax assessment data, ensuring property owners can verify and understand their tax assessments
  • Reduce reliance on property taxes as the primary source of funding for local governments, exploring alternative revenue sources
  • Reform referenda processes to improve voter transparency regarding proposed property tax increases.
  • Require property tax assessments to be based on the current use of the property, rather than speculative future uses, to ensure fair and reasonable taxation.

By advocating for these legislative priorities, the WRA aims to create a more predictable, transparent and growth-oriented real estate market in Wisconsin. These efforts will help property owners, buyers and businesses thrive while ensuring that the state remains an attractive place to live, work and invest.

What is the process for creating the WRA’s legislative priorities?

The development of the WRA’s legislative priorities is a thorough process that gathers input from various sources, including individual REALTORS®, local association staff, WRA Public Policy Committee members and others.

These priorities are shaped by issues with local regulations, emerging trends from other states, inquiries to the WRA Legal Hotline regarding transactional matters, and relevant court cases that impact the real estate industry.

What are the next steps? 

The WRA’s advocacy team will begin to implement the agenda by working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to introduce and pass legislation though the various stages of the legislative process. 

How can you help?  

REALTOR® members can help by attending REALTOR® & Government Day on April 17, 2025, in Madison. Your participation is crucial to advancing the industry’s priorities! Learn more and register now. 

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