The National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced today that they’re offering 2 free months of their Members TeleHealth services for members who sign up by April 15th. That’s all 1.4 million members across the nation.

NAR Chief Executive Officer, Bob Golberg tells us, “We know that remote care is essential to protecting our members, their families and their communities. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that leveraging telemedicine whenever possible is the best way to protect the public from COVID-19.”

This initiative is part of the organization’s “Right Tools, Right Now” toolbox of reduced or no cost tools, relaunched to serve the real estate community in this time of global pandemic.

For those unfamiliar, TeleHealth offers 24/7 access to over 2,300 board-certified physicians across America and has already been used by members to address common issues such as allergies, asthma, rashes, joint aches, flu and nausea, among others.

“As we continue to solicit input from our members regarding COVID-19’s impact on their lives and businesses, NAR is grateful to be able to offer expanded access to potentially lifesaving telemedicine services,” said NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, CA. “Medical professionals are urging Americans who are sick to stay home, and telemedicine is playing a critical role protecting our communities and our health care workers. We continue to encourage members to limit their exposure and decrease the chance of spreading illnesses to others.”

What happens to members not currently enrolled that want to continue on with TeleHealth care? NAR has negotiated a discounted rate for members to continue using the benefit.

So not only are they footing your bill for two months, they’ve gone a step further and made sure it’s affordable after that. This is the benchmark for how associations should be reacting during this crisis.

Goldberg has told us that they’re all hands on deck, and their growing resource toolbox as well as thoughtful steps like today’s announcement is proof.

As the U.S. government worked to draft the historic $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package, Americans across the country voiced their concerns and hopes that the package would offer them some economic relief as many have, and continue to, lose their income. Small business owners, the self-employed, and independent contractors have been particularly vocal about their need for economic relief during this crisis.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has been hard at work in Washington speaking with Congressional leaders to ensure that realtors across the nation are included in the relief package. The President of the NAR, Vince Malta, spoke recently about the organization’s efforts saying, “Over recent weeks, NAR has worked tirelessly with Congressional leaders to ensure small business owners, the self-employed and independent contractors were included in the federal response to this national crisis. With every two home sales generating one job in this country, the real estate industry will represent a key piece of our national recovery, and NAR will continue fighting for key provisions in a fourth relief package expected in the coming weeks.”

While you may have more free time on your hands than usual, there are infinitely better ways you could us that time than attempting to read an 880-page legislative bill. A few of the key items in this bill include a loan program for small businesses which will be managed by the Small Business Administration, an expansion of unemployment insurance for self-employed and independent contractors, an employee retention tax credit, rebates of various amounts depending on tax filing status, and a 60-day foreclosure moratorium and up to 1 year of mortgage forbearance.

In order to keep members in-tune to recent happenings, the NAR has published a comprehensive guide to the COVID-19 relief package. The guide is intended to aid realtors in understanding how the relief package will impact them, their business, and their clients. Topics include: housing, credit reporting and student loans, SBA provisions, infrastructure, tax, unemployment benefits for self-employed, and FFCRA Amendments. These topics will be updated as new information is released. Now, more than ever, it is important for realtors to stay knowledgeable about changes to legislation.

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States and the Pew Research Center has projected that it’s only going to keep growing. The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) reports similar, noting that their Spanish-speaking membership numbers are increasing rapidly. As such, it makes sense that the NAR has begun to expand their accessibility.

One notable expansion is the inclusion of a Spanish session in the annual NAR Conference & Expo. This year’s session, titled “NAR en Español: What does the future look like?” is the fourth session done entirely in Spanish. The event garnered record-breaking numbers: over 200 members were in attendance.
This session is just one part of the NAR en Español Initiative, which was founded in 2018.

The initiative works to increase the amount of networking opportunities and industry resources available to Spanish-speaking members, as well as creating a stronger connection to Realtors® on a global scale.

Global connections could be seen in the Spanish session, with members from Peru, Ecuador and Brazil each helping to moderate the event. The panelists were also made up of national and international members. Including members from across the globe allowed for valuable experiences and perspectives to be shared, helping make the event a unique experience for all involved.

Topics covered in the session included women in the industry, Multiple Listing Services and NAR resources for international members.

Alejandro Escudero, manager of global alliances and business development in the NAR, reported that the audience was highly engaged, which created a dynamic atmosphere for those in attendance. The session was able to provide valuable educational and networking resources to attendees.

As interest and attendance have grown over the last four years, it should be no surprise that the Spanish-speaking session has quickly become a highlight for members. In fact, Escuerdo reports that, due to the popularity among U.S. and international members alike, there is a huge potential for growth – especially after record breaking attendance this year.

According to Mario Rubio, NAR Regional Coordinator in South America, “Opportunities like these allow members to feel included while sharing their story with counterparts from around the world.”