Association Politics in Real Estate
Let's talk really local politics: are you involved in your local Association of REALTORS? Do you know who are the leaders of your local Association of REALTORS? Do you know how they got there? Do you get to vote for each individual, or did some appointed committee decide who will serve as your officers?
I truly hope this is a volatile topic. If you, an intelligent member of a local Association of REALTORS, do not know or get involved with who is making decisions for you on a local, state or national Association level, then you do deserve your electeds. So many of our local Associations are really not that large in number, when you consider there are less than 2 million members of the National Association of REALTORS. So, if you are one of 4,000 members you should have not only the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process, you have an obligation to yourself to be part of that decision making process.
Making sure your opinions and ideas are heard doesn't mean you need to run for a seat on the local Board of Directors (although that's not a bad idea); however, it does mean that you need to know WHO are the decision makers and WHAT decisions they have made. It means that when you agree with their decisions, you need to make sure those people know you like the decisions and appreciate the personal time they dedicate to advance your best interests in the real estate business. But you also need to be able to know who will listen to you when you need to rationally disagree with decisions made by your local Board of Directors. WHEN are the votes taken on critical local Association issues? Is the Agenda published for all members to see in advance of the meeting? WHERE are the meetings held? Should you attend the meetings to contribute your opinion before the vote is taken? Definitely! Do not be dissuaded by statements such as 'We have enough votes already' or 'It's a done deal' if the votes have not actually been counted on a voice vote.
And do you know whether any of your local Association members or Directors vote on your business at the State or National Association of REALTORS? Do you know the issues that are presented at those levels? If you don't know, you should find out because many state issues percolate up to the National Association of REALTORS; issues that come before the Professional Standards Committee, your MLS Committee, possibly your Legislative Committee. And all of it, really, affects not only you and your business model, it also affects your clients, possibly your relationship with your clients, and the ability of people to own their very own piece of this rock we call Earth.
So, find out what decisions have been made locally, who is making those decisions, how they got into a position to make the decisions, how you can see the decision making process in action, and how your voice can help not only you, but also your clients and your fellow members. Please tell me about your successes!