Housing News
National Association of Realtors membership drops 2.4% in February
NAR membership declines by nearly 24,000 real estate professionals in the month of February, but why? Is this a natural decline or is it fueled by the continually crumbling housing market and shifting housing policies? Some say it’s simply natural attrition, read on to find out more.

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Randy
March 2, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Sometimes I think NAR simply doesn’t get it! Losing agents? ….let’s raise the dues! Fewer transactions and higher cost of doing business, fewer REALTORS. Loss of income…let’s raise the dues some more! I really believe the NAR business model needs revamping.
Lani Rosales
March 2, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Randy, as noted above, February is always a month of natural member loss. Do you think it is NAR’s doing, a down economy, or natural attrition?
Dorothy
March 16, 2012 at 7:35 pm
No its called I can do it myself.
Innovation-internet
Mike Pennington
March 2, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Lani:
IMO We are in a recovery in regards to housing but even so, there is not enough recovery to keep the number of REALTORS over 1,000,000. I’d like to know peoples thoughts and what the water-mark will be in 2013-2015.
It would be great to see NAR, State and Locals financially prepare for a membership number closer to 800,000 for the next 3 years. We had a huge influx of REALTORS in the good years that I cannot see remaining in the business.
Lani Rosales
March 2, 2012 at 11:18 pm
Mike, that’s an interesting question about 2013-2015… it seems that the influx of REALTORS will increase again closer to 2015 as housing improves, but this time not because of the economy, but because the appeal of self employment has increased over the years and has become attainable, and with the visibility of real estate agents online, more could join in as housing recovers. Thoughts?
Teresa Boardman
March 2, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Hard to imagine anyone leaving all this. Short sales and foreclosures are so glamorous.
Lani Rosales
March 2, 2012 at 11:20 pm
Teresa, well when you make it sound all sexy….
Russ Bergeron
March 2, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Year end billing. 30 days to pay. Cut off in February.
Good theory about fewer practitioners.
1,000,000 Realtors (many more licensees but we’ll work with round numbers), 10,000,000 sides equals 10 sides each.
100,000 Realtors, 10,000,000 sides equals 100 sides each.
How many sides would you want to do?
The flip side is that many times I have heard people say that they would love to have fewer competitors and would be willing to pay more for services. Would love to test that theory. 🙂
Lani Rosales
March 2, 2012 at 11:21 pm
I think a lot of people have been waiting for a thinning of the herd. I don’t think we’ll hit that iconic 800k mark this year though, do you?
Fred Romano
March 3, 2012 at 7:56 am
NAR should focus on making better use of our money. One thing I have been saying for years is that they should stop killing trees with their print magazines and just publish it online. They could cutout all the bull-crap advertising and focus on the content.
Our local MLS sends us PDF magazines instead of paper. They started that a couple of years ago and it’s saving money and the environment.
Sig Buster
March 3, 2012 at 8:29 am
NAR is surely a 24k SpinMeister. Yes, the economy has something to do with attrition but NAR won’t admit that the dues increase had a lot to do with it. It’s not so much the money as the slimy way they went about it. They said they wanted our input but when every pol out there said NO! they voted for the increase anyway. Proving they don’t care what we think. They wanted money to funnel to their friends in Congress for their own profit and aggrandizement.
Richard Eimers
March 3, 2012 at 8:32 am
Let’s keep the numbers falling, there are too many part timers waiting for one or two deals a year, they continue to dilute this industry. I have never seen a part timer execute a good transaction. Increase those fees to professional levels and provide REAL BENEFITS from our associations.
Corwyn Melette
March 4, 2012 at 12:53 pm
NAR is undergoing changes, just like the rest of us. During a conference I attended last year, the discussion is what will the NAR of the future be. The consensus among the brokers was that they felt that NAR should focus on advocacy for the membership. I am involved with our local and state associations serving on multiple committees. I see where we are effective and that is getting in front of government officials to fight for property rights and against anything that is harmful to free trade. That is where your dues dollars are best served and those involved get it. That along with your Code of Ethics is what sets REALTORS apart. The membership will always change. That is the one thing constant. However, it is up to the membership to set themselves apart from those who are not members and let the public know what is different about them. NAR advertises for it members, but we let others reap the benefits by trying to carry our name when they are not members.