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REALTOR® ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE
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 Fighting Against Forecasts How to promote the positive when faced with negative economic predictions. By Steve Bergsman The fact that housing remained the backbone of the nation’s economy even in the economic downturn this past fall surprised many forecasters. Local media outlets across the country reported a dizzying array of contradictory outlooks for home sales that threw consumers and REALTORS into a tizzy. In situations like this, REALTOR association can ease the confusion by providing the media with a consistent, reliable source for housing data. Despite the events of Sept. 11 and rising unemployment, 2001 will go down as the second best year for home sales in history, according to NAR. Although the numbers for 2002 are expected to be only slightly lower, there’s no reason for concern, especially if you know how to present statistics in the best light to consumers via the media. Frame your message for the media When it comes to delivering economic reports to the media, it’s often not what you say but how you frame it. If the media relies on your association for home-sales statistics, you have the opportunity to focus their attention on the positive and play down the negative. “We provide statistics for sixteen counties but may only focus our analysis on the five we want in the media spotlight,” says Cindy Butts, executive vice president of the Maine Association of Realtors®. “We would not provide statistics to the media unless we could write up a story to go with it because we can give them an idea of what’s really going on in those markets to reflect those numbers and in nearly all cases there’s a good story to tell.” Like the local media’s relationship with state associations, the national media looks to the National Association of Realtors® for regular nationwide housing statistics along with economic forecasts. “The single most important thing we do is distribute homes sales [data],” says Walter Molony, senior public affairs associate for NAR. “That is what gives NAR its credibility. Whether numbers are up or down, statistics and analysis give the organization an opportunity to maintain its image as a reliable source of information, and that is more important than any hit we might take from negative numbers.” When John Dulczewski arrived at the Massachusetts Association of Realtors® 12 years ago, the association was not a source for market data in his state. The media instead looked to Boston’s real estate board. “It had the dominant position within the news media as the source to go to for data. My mission was to position the state’s association of Realtors® as that source,” says Dulczewski, now director of communications. Today, MAR releases data monthly and quarterly in conjunction with NAR. By doing so, “you become the source for the media to turn to, regardless of whether the news is positive or negative,” says Dulczewski. His organization also issues news releases on market timing, inventory, and pending sales. “Obviously you want to speak to the issues that will resonate with consumers,” he says. Mary Schaefer, director of communications for the Illinois Association of Realtors ®, recommends that all organizations develop a working relationship with the media, get to know and keep in contact with the individual reporters who cover the real estate beat, and be proactive about suggesting stories or ways to localize a national issue. Schaefer adds that if you try to avoid the media when news is bad, reporters may not come back to you when the news is good. Even worse, if the media senses fear and willful avoidance, they may simply hound you until they get a response. Find the good in bad numbers If home sales are down, says Molony, put the data into context by stressing positive aspects. For instance, you could note that numbers are still up compared to a previous time period or that declining interest rates make a wonderful opportunity for potential buyers. “There is not a single set of numbers that you would have to report that you could not find a positive spin for,” Molony says. When you have a negative scenario, recognize that radio and television broadcasters will boil down the information to a 10-second read, Molony notes. The media might report the information in one headline: “NAR says home sales were down 11.7 percent last month.” What Molony does, before the media runs a negative story, is contact the news organizations that give NAR high profile and explain why home sales were down, or put the statement in context, such as, “Home sales are down, but they are down from an all-time high and the numbers were anticipated.” In Massachusetts, as elsewhere, the home sales environment has been moving from a seller’s to a buyer’s market. “For the last several years, Massachusetts has had a very strong market and we played that up. For the last seven or eight quarters, sales have been declining, but modestly and from record levels,” Dulczewski explains. “So we may report that although sales are down 10 percent from the same quarter the prior year, it was still the fifth most active quarter in the state’s history. We put a perspective on things, accenting the fact that it is still a healthy market.” Never say “no comment” The most important thing a local Realtor® association can do to become a media resource is to have a designated spokesperson who is instantly available, says Butts. “The best spokesperson may not be your association president.” Other members may have more expertise or a better media presence. Butts almost never comments to the press herself and has a stable of member spokespersons ready to comment on a variety of topics. A local Realtor® association should never refuse to talk to the media or issue a “no comment,” says Kevin Fritz, vice president of communications and marketing for the Orlando Regional Realtors® Association. “What we do is answer the media directly, either through the president, who is our association’s spokesperson, or if he is not available I will speak for the association,” says Fritz. “We have a policy never to whitewash anything.” Having said that, Fritz adds, “there are so many comparisons to make with housing statistics that you can always find a positive in the numbers. You try to get the focus away from the sales numbers, which might be down, because the media tends to look for bad news. Bad news always sells.” To make sure that communications with the media are positive, everyone from the Orlando regional association who makes presentations before the media goes through a training program. (See “Success with the Press,” p. 10.) Stay positive and foster faith in the industry Since consumer confidence in real estate is essential to the industry’s strength, Butts believes, the creation of real estate-specific forecasts that predict gloom for the housing market can, on their own, create lowered confidence. Real estate will need to lead the rest of the economy through this economic downturn, she says, and association executives can play a vital role in this leadership. She recommends AEs do their part by not facilitating or forwarding any unfounded and unnecessarily negative forecasts to their members, and by working directly with local and state news media to give them the accurate numbers and a positive spin on the real estate industry. State and local associations are critical barometers for housing health in their areas. “AEs have always had a vital role in protecting and serving the real estate industry by ensuring that consumers have the faith they should have in our industry,” Butts says. “Lately there’s so much negative news related to everything in the economy that we’ve found the media has really been wanting to publish the good news,” says Butts. “Right now it’s hard for the media to find a negative story about real estate.” {Return to Main Page of REALTOR Association Executive Magazine Online} |
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