Each week on The Download, Inman’s Christy Murdock takes a deeper look at the top-read stories of the week to give you what you’ll need to meet Monday head-on. This week: Get all caught up on the National Association of Realtors Legislative Meetings, including Thursday’s votes on the no-commingling and hate speech policies.
After an eventful year in the real estate industry and amid ongoing concerns about government scrutiny, the rise of AI, and political and economic upheaval, the National Association of Realtors held its midyear Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C., this past week. On the agenda were issues related to speech, fair housing, technology, commissions and affordability.
Inman’s Andrea V. Brambila had boots on the ground during the meetings, offering unparalleled insights and asking the tough questions during a jam-packed week for the real estate industry.
NAR president: DOJ thinks Realtors ‘make too much by Andrea V. Brambila
In response to a question from a broker, NAR President Kevin Sears talked about NAR’s historically “rocky relationship” with the Department of Justice, driven, in part, by the trade group’s recent lawsuit over a settlement agreement from which the DOJ withdrew.
After meeting with the DOJ twice in recent months, Sears said that “there was a clear lack of understanding of how [Realtors] do business,” with the DOJ believing that agents “take advantage of” consumers. “We protect the consumer,” Sears countered, adding that he explained that to the department.
When asked what the DOJ’s “issue” was with NAR, Sears’ response was succinct and to the point: “They think we make too much money,” Sears said.
“We make too much money. That’s it. I said I represent 1.5 million entrepreneurs who choose to wake up unemployed every day. But it’s through their hard work, by representing their clients and consumers, that they can earn a living.”
Sears went on to say that this year he is “cautiously optimistic” about forging a better relationship with the DOJ.
NAR board approves hate speech policy changes in decisive
The changes, which are effective immediately, remove references to hate speech, add a definition of harassment and make the policy no longer applicable to all of a Realtor’s activities.
EXTRA: NAR President Kevin Sears: Hate speech change unrelated to
NAR overturns ‘no-commingling’ rule in Executive Committee vote
The committee opted to rescind the controversial “no-commingling” policy on Wednesday, one day after NAR’s Multiple Listing Issues and Policies Committee voted to scrap it amid DOJ scrutiny, Jim Dalrymple II reports.
From concerns about changes to the NAR Code of Ethics to resources for catching up with everything that’s new and effective right now, Inman contributors provided opinions, options and support for real estate professionals looking to rethink the way they do business.
Real Talk: Thoughts and prayers for those fighting
Has NAR leadership learned anything about consumers in the past 25 years? As they prepare to vote on changes, housing counselor Rachael Hite thinks they haven’t.
25 accelerators, podcasts and courses for agent
You are your business’s most important asset. Don’t you deserve an upgrade? Drew Thompson shares educational and inspirational resources that will give you the boost you need now.
The power of control: 8 ways to dominate in a challenging
There are plenty of factors you can’t control in the broader economy, Amy Corr writes, but there are ways to implement more control and consistency in your business.
Christy Murdock is a writer, coach and consultant and the owner of Writing Real Estate. Connect with Writing Real Estate on Instagram and subscribe to the weekly roundup, The Ketchup.
