NAR Members Blanket Media With Pro-Consumer Messaging
As changes in the real estate industry take hold, NAR members have stood at the ready to offer answers for buyers and sellers.
Members of the National Association of REALTORS® launched a full-court press over the past two weeks to address the question on the lips of national and local news media around the nation: What do the practice changes in residential real estate mean for consumers?
On Aug. 14 alone, four NAR members—President Kevin Sears, Vice President of Advocacy Nate Johnson, Leadership Team Member Vince Malta and Regional Vice President Jennifer Stevenson—participated in interviews that resulted in 311 airings and reached an audience of more than 10 million as part of a virtual media tour. One news story at a time, they worked to:
Give consumers an accurate picture of the practice changes;
Stress the importance of transparency and choice in a real estate transaction;
Reinforce the skill, knowledge and integrity that real estate agents who are REALTORS® bring to the buying and selling public; and
Establish facts.realtor as the single source of truth on the proposed NAR settlement and resulting practice changes.
The practice changes, which went into effect Aug. 17, are part of NAR’s proposed settlement to end class action litigation brought by home sellers concerning real estate commissions. Although the settlement doesn’t prohibit offers of compensation, they are no longer permitted on multiple listing services. In addition, before they tour a house with a buyer, buyers’ representatives are now required to get a written agreement that specifies their services and the compensation that they and their buyer have agreed to.
The Blitz
The Aug. 14 virtual media tour represents only a small fraction of NAR’s communications and outreach since the proposed settlement was announced on March 15. In the weeks leading up to the Aug. 17 practice change implementation date, in addition to communicating almost daily with members, NAR conducted media briefings; released videos, articles and podcasts to walk through the implications of the practice changes; and created consumer-focused content for use by members.
As the implementation date approached, the association’s outreach went into hyperdrive, as NAR members did interviews with a wide range of major national outlets, including The Associated Press, USA Today,
Marketplace, The Washington Post, ABC’s “Good Morning America,” The Wall Street Journal, CBS Weekend News, Fox News and CNN.
In addition, Sears and NAR CEO Nykia Wright appeared on the popular “Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered(link is external)” podcast, hosted by NextHome’s CEO James Dwiggins and Chief Strategic Officer Keith Robinson. And, along with the rest of NAR’s 2024 Leadership Team, the two have taken the stage at event after event to talk about the proposed settlement, the practice changes and the road ahead.
-REALTOR® Magazine