In This Issue
AEs share their advice and 2012 survival techniques.
Across the country, AEs report seeing a shift away from member demands for solely business programs and events, and a shift toward more social functions. Why? AEs point to two reasons.
Winning passage of a state constitutional amendment would be a feather in the cap of any organization. But for Louisiana REALTORS® fighting to ban transfer taxes, last November’s victory was especially important. Louisiana now joins Arizona, Montana, and Missouri, as the only states having constitutional amendments prohibiting transfer taxes from being imposed on the sale of a property.
I’ve received numerous calls lately regarding compensating employees for overtime and under what would be considered “extenuating circumstances,” such as power outages or natural disasters.
During the past few years several associations have offered dues rebates to assist members who are struggling financially.
Associations facing another year of shrinking membership and revenue need new ways to make money to fund association programs, pay staff, and stay viable.
Because the housing market has ebbed more than it has flowed in the past few years—causing reservoirs of new members, reserves, and assets to evaporate—the most American of things has occurred within REALTOR® associations: We’ve been forced to innovate.
A Q&A wth Christine Todd, CEO of the Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS®.
Every day, in each of our associations, we are living with the impact of the economy on our business—from membership levels dropping to the need to provide great services with fewer resources. Our communities, and the businesses of our members, have never relied on our expertise more than they do today. We must be relevant by providing services and benefits that will help practitioners...
In the past year, when America officially ended the war in Iraq, REALTOR® associations across the country launched dozens of programs designed to help members meet the unique housing needs of returning veterans and military families. Association programs have also focused on providing information, such as special veteran home grants, loans, and financing directly to veterans.
Members of the Plymouth and South Shore Association of REALTORS® (PASS), Mass., came together for a social and charity event, the REALTORS® Got Talent variety show, to raise money for the Homes for Our Troops organization, which builds specially adapted homes for injured servicemen and servicewomen returning from combat at no cost to the recipient.
In November, a federal judge approved a $2.38 million settlement in the antitrust case involving Pittsburgh-based West Penn Multi-List Inc.
To demonstrate the value of membership, NAR launched an online calculator that enables members to add up all the savings they receive from their many membership benefits, such as: free education, car rental discounts, free listings on REALTOR.com, dental insurance discounts, and much more.
After receiving its degree-granting authority in February from the Illinois Board of Higher Education, REALTOR® University, the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ online education resource, began classes in its new masters degree program. RU is projecting 270 course takers in 2012.
Only 20.8 percent of trade association executives are confident about the U.S. economy, according to a study by Association Trends.
MLS and REALTOR® association chief executives and senior staff are among the most important people in real estate, according to Inman News’ “100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders: 2011,” released in December.
The standard convention is a simple cyclical equation: Attendees pay a fee for education offered by the association, event sponsors pay a fee to get their products in front of those attendees, and these fees cover the cost of the event.
The focus of this year’s AE Institute, March 16–20, Louisville, Ky., represents a shift from the association-building and management issues of the past to the issue of how associations can enhance their members’ business success.
Ann Guiberson, CAE, said goodbye to the REALTOR® family in December after 32 years of serving several associations, most recently as president and CEO of the Pinellas REALTOR® Organization, Fla.
Gil Mercurio stepped down after more than three decades as CEO of the Westchester Putnam Association of REALTORS®, N.Y.
