Attempts to get a reliable funding source for housing on Martha’s Vineyard fell short at the State House, meaning it will likely be at least two years before Islanders see a local transfer tax and housing bank. “We still face opposition from the statewide real estate lobby on any discussion of a transfer fee,” said Mr. Cyr. The UMass Donahue Institute released a report in May that analyzed other resort communities that have a transfer fee. “I think that there actually are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the future [of the transfer fee],” he said. John Abrams, a member of the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, said he always expected that it would be hard to get the transfer fee across the finish line.