There’s always something to howl about.

Working from within the NAR

There are two premises to this post:

1. We accept that the National Association of Realtors is going to exist for the foreseeable future.
2. They have an existing infrastructure, including its 1.4 million members, that could potentially be leveraged to do great things.

First, we need much more than a “massive media campaign,” as stated by Dale Stinton, CEO of NAR. Not once does he mention improving the product (the Realtors) – all the technology in the world will not improve the competence of the professional.

Greg and I disagree on this – rather than supplant the various associations, I argue that working from within, in tandem with efforts from outside (read: the RE.net), may prove to be an even more effective strategy. Many in the RE.net recognize the opportunity to effect change; there may be great value in working, not necessarily with, but on parallel paths with, some components of the NAR. I mentioned in the inaugural Bloodhound.TV effort that the NAR clearly does recognize the impact and influence that the RE.net has on the industry – by choosing to assist in the BloggerCon, the NAR is reaching out to the bloggers. From my experience, the leadership of the NAR and the local and state associations, wants to be led, but often don’t know where to begin.

To lead, sometimes you just need to ask – or be asked.

With some prodding by some people whom I respect greatly, I am going to put my money/time where my mouth is and try to gain a seat on the Professional Standards committee (requires login) within the NAR, which may be tasked with evaluating blogging. This is the committee’s charge:

To advise and make recommendations to the Board of Directors on matters relating to the Code of Ethics; upon request, the Committee advises member boards on interpretations on the Code; upon receiving notice of lack of enforcement thereof by member boards, the Committee inquires into the situation, seeks remedial action and, if necessary, brings to the attention of the Board of Directors or the proper official of the Association in case of failure or refusal to enforce the Code.

To get an idea of what special kind of politics this might be, consider its composition:

101 members as follows: chair and vice chair; the immediate past chair; the chair and vice chair of the Professional Standards Forum; 1 representative from each state and territorial association; 1 representative from each affiliate; and 34 at-large members, including a representative segment of state and local association staff.

I’ve always wondered why the Realtor Code of Ethics is eight pages long, and what that length says about Realtors. It’s a shame that some Realtors need to be told not to “deceptively (use) metatags, keywords or other devices/methods to direct, drive, or divert Internet traffic, or to otherwise mislead consumers.” I assume that this is the kind of behavior the Professional Standards committee will handle.

Like it or not, the NAR has leverage, they have infrastructure, and they have what it takes  – our money – to get things accomplished politically. The argument has long been made that the NAR, much like the government, is out of touch with the membership/constiutency. Why not change it? Why not try to use it to our advantage?

One caveat:

There are 800+ Directors! NAR has 1 point something million members, with 800 directors while the US Congress, not exactly the prototypical leader in efficient governance, has 600 some odd legislators for 300+ million citizens.

To quote Mr. Gibbs from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean:

Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I.

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