So here we go again. The NAR announces yesterday that they intend to raise the annual dues by $40.00 per year. This time it is said to be intended for "political advocacy at the local, state and national level."
I say bull.
The real question is what is the NAR doing with the current $200 million plus in dues they collected this year. After redirecting these dues to RPR, TV ad campaigns and further support of REALTOR.com aren't there enough dollars left to politic?
The problem is that $40.00 doesn't seem like much to each of over one million members. Just go ahead and blindly pay it, after all, if you aren't a REALTOR in this business you . . uh . . .well . . .what are you anyway? The answer is you are the same - just as qualified to list and sell homes - just as good as you would be with or without being a REALTOR and that "R" button plastered on everything - that's what you really are.
Think about it folks. How many listings and sales would you lose each year if you weren't a REALTOR? How many consumers have demanded recently to see your REALTOR ID before they agree to do business with you? My bet - zero, zip, not one.
These days being a REALTOR is the same as what Kleenex is to facial tissue, as Xerox is to copies and as QTIPS are to ear cleaners - and nothing more. You are a REALTOR by default, no need to pay any dues for that tag.
I don't know about you but I am always very suspicious of lots of stuff packed into one offering. You know, the black box that does all and satisfies everything - with great mystery. That my friends is essentially what you get for your NAR dues and that is what you really don't need in this economy to be in real estate.
In times when big government is shrinking at the demand of the American voter it just might be time to weigh-in as an NAR member and say hell no this proposed dues increase. Wake-up NAR, it's time to shirnk down - to go back to being a professional organization and way past the time to get out of the online, data selling and advertising business of residential real estate brokerage.
Remove from the annual dues the deflection of $40 million to the for-profit RPR, the $30 million spent for worthless spending on a TV advertising campaign and distribute your shares in Move, Inc. to the members and maybe we can begin at that time to discuss your purpose as a true professional organization in 2012 and 2013 and beyond.
As it relates to your increased dues NAR, and your wasteful spending and your expensive for-profit ventures - enough really is enough.
Ken, you should open up and tell people how you really feel.
ReplyDeleteI actually would rather see NAR take a different approach. Raise the dues $400.
Seriously. Creating even the slightest financial barrier to entry into the professional ranks of real estate would provide our industry with the cleansing needed to remove the hangers-on. To your point about being a REALTOR by default - higher costs would raise the bar and create some differentiation. Think Country Club vs. Public Golf Course.
Incidentally, Kleenex and QTips are the only brands I trust - the cheep other guy brands just don't measure up in quality. My ears and nose are important to me. Why risk it? Buy the best, you only cry once - when you are writing that check.
This one was not about the quality of the membership or professionalism - which is a whole other matter to discuss - it's about the insane amounts of money the NAR "needs" and collects each year to do "business". Not many would disagree that $200 million a year is enough - and when you strip out the for-profit, conflicted and ridiculous spending the member dues should be a lot less - not more. And as for the quality of the Realtor brand - check out the research - still holding right in there with the DMV and used car dealers and losing.
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