NAR Members Maintain Media Push Following Practice Changes

CREDIT: NBC7 San Diego/NBCUniversal Media, LLC

California agent Kristina Buckner spoke with NBC7 San Diego in August.

With NAR practice changes in effect, members continue to share the facts and set the record straight.

“At the end of the day, what really happens is more conversations and more negotiations,” said NAR member Zach Koops. 

“There’s just much more consumer transparency,” said James Benton, Associate Executive for the Waco Association of REALTORS®.

These are just some of the messages members are describing to the media. From coast to coast, they’re stepping in front of the camera, speaking out on the radio and penning pieces in their local papers.

The message is clear: NAR members aren’t sitting back.

California agent Kristina Buckner spoke with her local TV station in August to discuss the changes. In September, Michigan broker Stephanie Jones joined her local station live on its morning show.

CREDIT: WLUC/ Gray Television, Inc.

Michigan broker Stephanie Jones joins Michigan’s TV6’s Tia Trudgeon on the morning show.

Association executives are stepping up to the plate by taking interviews, penning opinion pieces, and publishing Q&A’s—like the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®’ breakdown of buyer-broker agreements in a community newspaper.

“You don’t have to sign an agreement if you don’t like its terms. You or the agent can walk away from a negotiation at any time. Keep looking for the right fit – another agent may be able to better meet your needs,” the Silicon Valley association notes.

Tim Hur, a managing broker at Point Honors and Associates in Atlanta, is part of NAR’s 900-member strong surrogate program, which amplifies the work REALTORS® do in the press and on social media. It’s another way members are getting involved.

“We need everyone to understand that we all have a part, and this is my way of giving back,” Hur told NAR.

These strides supplement media engagements by NAR leadership, like NAR President Kevin Sears’ op-ed in The Dallas Morning News, Leader Team Member Vince Malta’s interview with Salon, Vice President of Advocacy Nate Johnson’s conversation with Black Enterprise, and Regional Vice President Jennifer Stevenson’s live one-on-one on CNN.

Anyone interested in joining the NAR surrogate program can email surrogates@nar.realtor.