In politics and business much can be learned by following the money trail from donors to candidates!

Of course many (most) firms play both sides of the aisle by donating to candidates from each of the two major political parties but, in the case of the real estate industry, have the major players shown a preference for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?

On the one hand businessman Donald Trump is synonymous with real estate which means that he has likely gone head to head with the industry players, perhaps ruffling some feathers and making some enemies.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is basically a career politician which means she has likely gone out of her way to curry favor with the wealthy power players in real estate through her ability to move legislation forward that would help and not hurt.

In the end, however, the definition of 'smart money' is to be on the side of the eventual winner!

From an article at Inman.com...

'The Hillary Clinton and real estate industry love affair'

• Hillary Clinton raised more money from the real estate industry than any other Democrat or Republican contender by a long shot -- a total of $2.69 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

With a real estate guy running for President, can any other contender capture meaningful industry support?

Yes — Hillary Clinton, who has been a happy beneficiary of the real estate industry’s generous political  largesse.

Hillary Clinton and the 2013 NAR event

When Clinton came on stage at Moscone Center in San Francisco on November 9, 2013, before a standing ovation of 10,000 Realtors, some chanted “Just Say Yes” — showing support for the former Secretary of State’s future Presidential run.

The press, cameras and recording devices were banned from the NAR Clinton love fest. You won’t find the speech on YouTube.

Like her other paid speeches, the National Association of Realtors event was expertly staged by the Clinton team, down to minutiae like specifying the type of  condiments that were to be on hand for the 68-year-old politico.

NAR paid a whopping $225,000 for Clinton’s speech and more in expenses.

Like most politicians who crave the real estate industry’s financial generosity, she hit the right notes, discussing homeownership and the importance of the industry. She reportedly told an endearing personal story about being a “Realtor’s nightmare” when she was house-hunting in Westchester County, New York, with a gaggle of Secret Service agents in tow — making a special connection with her Realtor audience about the hassles of working with high-drama homebuyers.

Contrast that message to her potential opponent Donald Trump who seems to revel in trashing real estate agents.

The speaking fee was a no brainer for NAR: the politically connected trade group brought a powerhouse name onto its convention stage and may have bought some favor with someone who could be the next President of the United States — outside of the strict financial reporting rules required when donating to campaigns. The six-digit NAR speaking payment enriched Clinton personally not her campaign. After considerable pressure, both Hillary and Bill Clinton disclosed their speaking fees last year.

This sort of deal is what boils the blood of some Americans who are tired of politicians having deep financial bonds with powerful special interests like NAR.

Read the rest of the article at Inman.com here.

Michael Haltman is President of Hallmark Abstract Service in New York. He can be reached at mhaltman@hallmarkabstractllc.com.