Raleigh Rising: Changing Who Is in the Room
REALTORS® see Raleigh's housing challenges long before they reach a public hearing.
You see them when a teacher cannot afford a home near her school, a first responder qualifies for less than the homes available in the community he serves, or a family gives up after competing for too few homes within its budget.
But when housing projects come before the Raleigh City Council, those voices are often missing. Opposition arrives early, organized and local. Support, if it appears at all, frequently comes from someone wearing an industry name badge.
That imbalance affects public policy, your clients, your business, and the future accessibility of our market.
Raleigh Rising was created to change who is in the room.
Why we built it
Before launching the campaign, RRAR commissioned Statara Solutions to survey 500 registered Wake County voters.
Seventy-six percent called housing affordability a major problem. Eighty-two percent agreed that teachers, first responders and other essential public employees often cannot afford to live where they work.
Yet only 35 percent viewed housing availability as a major problem, while 62 percent believed residential growth was happening too quickly. Sixty percent said an affordable home should cost less than $300,000, even though Wake County's median sales price is well above that amount.
Residents understand the affordability crisis. What many do not yet see is the connection between affordability, housing supply and the local decisions that determine what can be built.
That is not a lack of concern. It is an information gap, and REALTORS® can help close it.
Wake County residents heard the polling results presented publicly for the first time.
Turning concern into action
Raleigh Rising launched in August with support from an NAR Consumer Advocacy Outreach Grant and matching funds from RRAR. It is intentionally consumer-facing, providing credible tools REALTORS® can share with clients, neighbors and community leaders.
The campaign focuses on three areas:
Stories. Our first video follows Madison Seate, a Wake County teacher who left the public school district for a private school so she could afford to purchase a home in the county where she teaches. Her experience makes the consequences of our housing shortage impossible to ignore.
Resources. The free Community Advocate Handbook explains housing types, zoning and rezoning in plain language. It also includes email templates, phone scripts and contact information for local officials. Many residents remain silent because no one has shown them how to participate.
Engagement. Our first town hall filled the Chavis Park Reception Hall around one direct question: Who can't afford Raleigh? Elected officials attended as well, including Wake County Commission Chair Don Mial and Raleigh City Councilmember Christina Jones, who came to listen alongside residents rather than to present. Raleigh Rising also offers neighborhood tours that allow residents to see different housing options firsthand.
Left to right: Danielle Plourd, Jamie Ferguson, Dr. Talvia Peterson, Beverly Robinson.
Why your voice matters
Wake County is the nation's third-fastest-growing county, adding approximately 66 people daily. We face a shortage of more than 60,000 affordable homes, while employment is projected to grow from roughly 600,000 jobs today to more than 900,000 by 2035.
These are not abstract numbers. They represent future clients, along with the teachers, nurses, first responders and families who sustain our community.
Visit raleighrising.org. Share Madison's video. Download the handbook. Attend an event. And if you have worked with a buyer whose experience stopped you cold, contact me at daniellep@rrar.com.
The housing conversation will happen with or without us. It is stronger when the people living its consequences are in the room, along with the REALTORS® who understand them.
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