COVER FEATURE: The Power of One Million

Giving You Your Money’s Worth

BY STACEY MONCRIEFF

Just what do you get for your $64 NAR dues? Quite a lot. Here’s a primer on some of the key benefits and extras available to you. Visit REALTOR.org to learn more about all the ways NAR helps you achieve business success.

The equation

dues hold steady: no increase since 1995 when dues went from $59 to $64
more benefits: since 1995, a $15 million increase in programming for NAR members
increased productivity: since 1991, a 40% decrease in NAR staff size

Get back your $64—and more!

Hundreds of thousands of NAR members take advantage of the discounts and valuable added benefits available through the REALTOR VIP® Alliance Program. The savings can add up to substantially more than your dues payment. In late April, in fact, partner BankOne began offering new credit card holders a $64 credit against charges on their first statement. The offer is available only through REALTOR.org or by calling toll-free, 866/VISANAR (866/847-2627). Another partner, American Home Shield, is giving members a $50 gift certificate for use through 2004 at other ServiceMaster companies, including Merry Maids and Tru Green lawn care. That’s $114 in value—just for being a member of NAR. BankOne and American Home Shield are just two of the major national corporations that recognize the buying power of a million NAR members. Other discounts and special offers are available from Dell, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Hertz, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Marsh, and Nextel—just to name a few.

A strong voice in Washington

You represent a potent force—a huge network of politically savvy members, supported by a staff of professional lobbyists and analysts and one of the nation’s biggest political action committees. Over the years, that powerful combination has ensured important legislative victories, such as preservation of the mortgage interest deduction and recent improvements to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Fortune Magazine recognized your clout in 2001, naming NAR one of the 10 most powerful lobbying organizations in Washington, D.C. But the association’s effectiveness in Washington isn’t solely about size. “Our federal lawmakers know how much our members are involved in their communities,” says Jerry Giovaniello, NAR senior vice president for government affairs. “So NAR doesn’t just represent the voice of a million professionals; it represents the voice of a million professionals who lawmakers recognize make a difference at the community level.”

UPGRADE: Donate your fair share, $15, to the REALTORS Political Action Committee; 30 percent of your donation goes to the national RPAC, and the rest stays within your state. Generous contributions from members in every state, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have enabled NAR to contribute more to federal candidates than any other PAC in the past two election cycles.

Legal advocacy

The association assists your business activities by publishing information on risk-reduction practices and monitoring the legal landscape for opinions that impact members and property owners. It also provides financial support and files “friend of the court” briefs in select cases. NAR protects the association’s many trademarks, including the term REALTOR. Find legal information, including summaries of recent court decisions, at REALTOR.org (click Law and Policy) and in nearly every issue of REALTOR® Magazine.

A higher standard

The REALTORS Code of Ethics was created by members in 1913 to establish standards of professional conduct for the real estate business. The Code spells out REALTORS’ duties to clients and customers, the public, and other members. REALTORS enforce the Code and conduct dispute resolution through grievance committees and professional standards hearing panels of local and state associations. Nationally, the association reviews and amends the Code on an ongoing basis to ensure it remains relevant and responsive to current business issues and practices. The Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice appear in REALTOR® Magazine every January.

Free online business tools
Wondering where to find out more about new antispam legislation? Where the next NAR conference will be held? How to earn a designation? There’s a massive amount of free information at NAR’s Web site, REALTOR.org. You’ll find industry news, highlights of groundbreaking research, a comprehensive Code of Ethics resource, and much more—including REALTOR® Magazine Online. At REALTOR.org, you’ll also find a wide range of specialty publications, including Letter of the Law and the quarterly REALTORS® Commercial Alliance Report. The consumer site, REALTOR.com, helps you market your services and listings to millions of Web-surfing prospects. The site is operated by Homestore Inc. of Westlake Village, Calif., but NAR owns the domain address, ensuring that you get basic listings free of charge.

BONUS PACK: Use REALTOR.org to shop for REALTOR VIP® Publications covering a wide range of issues, from legal concerns to selling success. REALTOR.com offers enhanced marketing opportunities for practitioners who want to set their listings apart.

Communicating your value

Members pay an annual $20 assessment to fund NAR’s public awareness campaign. The television and radio advertising campaign is helping millions of potential buyers and sellers understand the value of working with a REALTOR. New spots this year feature real-life customers telling of their experiences—one targeting the for-sale-by-owner market and another targeting buyers. The spots close with the new tagline: “Ask if your agent is a Realtor®, a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS.”

Ads highlighting REALTOR® Magazine’s Good Neighbor Award winners and others targeting the Hispanic markets are continuing to play. And this year, TV and radio spots that showcase NAR’s million member milestone are running nationally, with the tagline “One Million Members Working for You.”

Research shows the spots are getting positive results. A 2003 survey found that 68 percent of consumers said using a REALTOR makes selling a home easier, up from 52 percent in 2000. At the same time, 69 percent of consumers said REALTORS take care of the details associated with buying and selling a home, up from 59 percent in 2000.

Print materials are available for state and local associations to customize in promoting the public awareness and million member campaigns. Materials can be customized and downloaded from REALTOR.org/awarenesscampaign.

a single point of contact

NAR Information Central is your source for all things real estate. The association’s customer service and support center—InfoCentral@realtors.org; 800/874-6500—logged nearly 75,000 e-mail messages and 125,000 telephone calls in 2003. Information Central is home to NAR’s library, the world’s largest collection of real estate–specific resources; the membership records division; and the NAR archives, a history of vital printed material produced by the association during its 95-year history. The Virtual Library at REALTOR.org offers a variety of resources on topics tailored for REALTORS. There are Field Guides on topics such as investing, safety, and 1031 exchanges; also, the ProQuest database provides unlimited, full-text electronic access to more than 2,000 business journals.

UPGRADE: Customized research requests that can be answered via e-mail or sent in fewer than five faxed pages are free of charge. Otherwise, the fee is $10.

Technology insights

The Center for REALTOR Technology serves as your advocate and information resource in the high-tech arena, with newsletters that highlight new technology solutions for real estate; education sessions and wireless (hot spot) technology access at NAR meetings; and an annual survey to track technology trends.

ADDED OPTION: CRT’s new REALTOR Secure program helps brokerages, MLSs, and associations adopt security industry best practices for protecting data.

Learning opportunities galore

Looking for reasonably priced options to continue your real estate education? There are more than a dozen specialty designations and certifications available through NAR and affiliated organizations. Some courses can be completed online through REALTOR University. Or network while you learn by attending the REALTORS Conference & Expo. The 2004 Conference will be held Nov. 5–8 in Orlando, Fla.

Real estate specialists have a growing array of services from NAR, available through the REALTORS Commercial Alliance (RCA) and the Business Specialties group. Business Specialties serves members of the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) and the REALTORS Land Institute (RLI), as well as specialists in appraisal, auction, and resort and second-home markets. To find real estate education options offered by NAR and many of its affiliates, visit the group’s CourseCalendar.com.

EXTRAS: There’s no charge to access RCA, appraisal, auction, or resort resources online. However, there are various costs for continuing education opportunities. Examples: A June 9–11 resort symposium on Cape Cod, Mass., is $209. Appraisers who earn the Residential Accredited Appraiser (RAA) or General Accredited Appraiser (GAA) designation pay a $125 application fee and $100 annual maintenance fee. REBAC membership is $110 per year. RLI membership is $295 per year for NAR members and an additional $75 for Institute Affiliate members.

What else is NAR?

• An ally. To focus attention on the on-the-job risks you sometimes face, NAR has launched a REALTOR Safety Week Web site at REALTOR.org/Safety and officially designated one week in September as REALTOR Safety Week.
• A housing opportunity advocate. NAR is part of a coalition to support homeownership opportunities for minorities. Through the HOPE Awards (2003 winners below), the partners recognize organizations and individuals who are making outstanding contributions to increasing minority homeownership (www.hopeawards.org). The HOPE Awards are just one facet of NAR’s commitment to increasing homeownership. Through its Housing Opportunity Program, the association is on a mission to position you as a housing leader in your community. HOP’s Web site (REALTOR.org/housingopportunity) highlights successful housing opportunity programs, including NAR’s ongoing support of Habitat for Humanity.
• A community builder. It takes more than housing to build a community. REALTOR® Magazine’s annual Good Neighbor Awards recognize REALTORS who’ve made an extraordinary commitment to improving the quality of life in their community through volunteering. Visit the Good Neighbor Awards page at REALTOR.org/realtormag. Through the REALTORS Relief Foundation, NAR provides financial assistance to state and local association relief efforts. In 2003, for example, RRF contributed $50,000 to help victims affected by California’s wildfires. The money comes from private donations, not member dues.
• A world leader. As part of the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (www.worldproperties.com), NAR works with associations in 25 countries to develop business, professional, and technical standards and to build trust and encourage business referrals among real estate professionals worldwide. Since 1992, the International Real Property Foundation has enabled NAR leaders to share core values of professional real estate practice with the world.

Where your annual dues dollars go