And Agents Should Form Their Own Membership (Union)
I think that maybe NAR and local boards in their zeal to capitalize on dues by a larger membership may have bitten off more than they can chew when they allowed regular agents to join the boards (as is evident by continued tensions between the boards and average agents on the ground).
The Punted Football That Has Become The General Membership
It’s true, in every instance we’re told to get involved, however, involvement has become to complicated, that one hand has no idea what the other is doing. Rules are consistently created by Broker boards, and enforced and agreed upon by the NAR that have absolutely no Agent interest protected.
So Maybe It’s Time to Protect Ourselves
Once upon a time, the membership really was Broker only, and maybe it needs to be that way again. The birth of an actual membership of agents could be born with a proper voice at the table, similar to a real trade union with real votes in our best interest.
Such representation could beat down costs for Realtor.com, and other services we’re producing content for, thus reducing costs to the agent. Such representation could seek out better, more competitive boards that would spring up in contrast to existing boards and the NAR. It’s conceivable that an opportunity such as this could fracture the entire MLS cluster flip, allowing for possibly a smaller more nimble MLS that could be provided to the agent membership at a much more fair price as it has now cut out the middle men.
The Time May be Near..
…that enough is enough, that when and if a rule greatly disrupts the agents’ ability to adopt new technology, that a simple vote of no says that the massive bureaucracy that has become the collective board needs to clean up, scale down, and take it’s policies back to the drawing board for a decision that weighs all things equally.
The Broker Can Pick Up the Shortfall for NAR
This would force the Broker to pay a larger premium to the board and the NAR I’m sure, but in reality, that in and of itself would force Brokers to become more competitive where the rights and interests of their agents were concerned.
NAR would only need engage with Brokers, simplifying the conversation of progression.
The Agent Membership Now Represented
- Has a larger voice, and choices.
Yeah, if they really want to go backwards in time, maybe we should. And yes, I am aware that there are independent versions of the current NAR that have never really taken hold, but if the current state of affairs continues, I can see a day in the future where the concept has a more stronger footing.
