Inside the WRA
Inside the WRA with Bill Malkasian
 My column deadline for the Wisconsin
REALTORŪ is usually two weeks before it actually gets to your desk. With the war in Iraq and Wisconsin State Budget crisis on the front page of every newspaper, talking about the next 30 days is especially difficult. Given the uncertainty and growing fears surrounding current events and the future, I'm surprised to see the real estate market still showing resilience.
My travels throughout the state show the beginnings of a sellers market in selected areas as buyers jump at the lowest interest rates in 40 years. It will be interesting to see if our spring weather blossoms into more listings.
As we head into April, the WRA planning process for 2004 begins with a series of member focus groups to help the WRA gain a better understanding of Wisconsin
REALTORŪ issues. During the week of April 21st, I will be conducting focus group meetings in various corners of the state to listen and learn about your business issues. Corky Hellyer from Door County (2004 Chairman) and Steve Murray of Real Trends from Denver, Colorado will be joining me. The results will be shared with the Board of Directors in May. The trends and issues will then be studied by 2004 leadership and staff and incorporated into 2004 association programming. This year we also contracted with NAR to do an over sample of a buyer/seller survey on their attitudes about the transaction process. The results of this survey will be shared with each of the focus groups. It will be interesting to compare how you and the consumer eye the real estate transactional process.
Talking about process and uncertain times, the NAR has just released its final Virtual Office Website Policy Statement (VOW). Simply put, VOW's are Internet sites where the public can access listing information. The issues surrounding VOWS have become the new "hot topic" in the brokerage community. WRA members need to have a clear understanding of the issues if and when changes are made to the MLS electronic display policies. The WRA will host an informational session on April 22 in Madison with Ann Bailey. Ann Bailey has assisted the real estate industry in adapting and implementing new technologies for many years. All local Boards/MLS's have been invited to learn more. If you have an interest in the topic, you might want to visit with your local Board Association Executive for more details.
I will add my "two-cents" on the VOW issue. We owe our local MLS groups time to finalize a fair and equitable compromise in interpreting this very complex issue. I believe that an MLS should not restrict innovative information marketing initiatives - but having said that, my first obligation is still to our clients and customers. It will be very difficult to make a one-size-fits-all industry, but in the end, experience has shown that given the flexibility to do its job, local MLS's have found reasonable compromises with these marketplaces to provide their valuable services to its participants. It's one thing to create a rule because a few think it's a new sexy business model, but if the average member feels disenfranchised and unable to service their sellers and buyers, the game is lost.
Back to Inside This
Edition
Return to
On-Line Publications
NAR Launches REALTORŪ Pride Campaign to Help Maximize Benefits of Membership
The National Association of REALTORSŪ (NAR) has announced the launch of the
RealtorŪ Pride Campaign-a new member-to member campaign designed to encourage members to better associate themselves with their
RealtorŪ name.
A new survey recently released by NAR indicates most consumers would prefer to work with a real estate professional who is a
RealtorŪ, but many members have not fully leveraged the opportunity to identify themselves to their customers as
RealtorsŪ.
Between 1999 and 2002, the percentage of consumers who believe there's a benefit to working with a
RealtorŪ as opposed to a salesperson increased to 61 percent from 42 percent, according to the independent study conducted for NAR. However, only two out of 10
RealtorsŪ wear their RealtorŪ lapel pins when they meet with customers, according to the study. Previous research supports that finding. In surveys taken in 2000 and 2001, 45 percent of customers said their brokers or agents had not identified themselves as
RealtorsŪ.
Because consumers have indicated that they want to work with the best real estate professionals, NAR has initiated the highly successful
REALTORŪ Pride advertising campaign on a national level in order to build that awareness and foundation. The purpose of the campaign is to help members take advantage of their
RealtorŪ status and express pride in their national, state and local association memberships.
NAR kicked off the RealtorŪ Pride campaign at the 2003 RealtorŪ Conference & Expo in New Orleans to encourage members to wear their
RealtorŪ lapel pins, place their RealtorŪ logo on their business cards and introduce themselves as
RealtorsŪ when meeting with customers. The campaign officially launches to all members on March 1, 2003.
RealtorŪ associations around the country will be supporting the program locally with materials and communication designed specifically to heighten awareness of the issue and the members' valuable name and status.
Only real estate professionals who are members of the National Association of
RealtorsŪ can call themselves RealtorsŪ. All RealtorsŪ adhere to NAR's strict Code of Ethics, which is based on professionalism and protection of the public.
RealtorsŪ are held accountable for their ethical, professional behavior by their local association.
According to NAR's latest survey of consumers, conducted to measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign, nearly half of all real estate homebuyers and sellers recall seeing or hearing the advertisements on radio or television. More than one third of all consumers recognized the new campaign theme, "Work with someone who will work with you. We're
RealtorsŪ. Real Estate Is Our Life."
The National Association of RealtorsŪ, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing more than 840,000 members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Back to Inside This
Edition
Return to
On-Line Publications
Fourth Exposure Draft on Revising Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria Available
The Fourth Exposure Draft on revising the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria is now available
online at www.appraisalfoundation.org/html/newsandevents.asp?FileName=head-view&id=7
The intent of the document is to obtain comments from appraisers, users of appraisal services, regulators, academicians, and the public. It is the fourth and anticipated final exposure draft on this material.
All interested parties are encouraged to respond in writing to the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of The Appraisal Foundation before the deadline of June 2, 2003. Public comments are also invited by the AQB at the April 11, 2003 public meeting in New Orleans.
Interested parties are invited to submit written comments on this exposure draft to:
AQB Comments, The Appraisal Foundation, 1029 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005-3517. Comments may also be faxed to (202) 347-7727 or (202) 624-3053 or by e-mail to
comments@appraisalfoundation.org.
If you have any questions regarding the exposure draft, or wish to provide comments on the material, please contact The Appraisal Foundation at (202) 347-7722.
Back to Inside This
Edition
Return to
On-Line Publications
Back to Top
|
