National Association of Realtors (NAR) Commercials

Has anyone else noticed that the NAR (National Association of Realtors) is advertising on national TV as a sponsor of Major League Baseball? This ought to send off red flags to my fellow realtors who may mistakenly see this as a positive thing. I see these commercials as a sign of the beginning to an end...Luckily I play for the good guys (the "discount" brokers).

It seems to me that the bearer of only the good news in Real Estate, aka the NAR, is feeling the crunch more than we think. (I call them the bearer of good news because despite the obviously failing market, they continue in their attempts to deceive the public by sending the message that "things are looking up for real estate," while famed economists say otherwise). Why else would realtors need to collectively advertise the usefulness of their profession?

I'll tell you why...and it's even more painstakingly obvious now as buyers and sellers can't afford to pay their high fees:

They don't deserve the thousands of dollars that they have been receiving for what they do! (see previous post: 8/19/07). The NAR realizes that a selective group of their own flesh and blood has turned the tables on them and they must reinvent themselves to survive (hence the cheesy commercials). This group of "villains" consists of discounters, zestimators/zillower's, and most recently the Freebie Seller's Brokers. As an owner of one of the companies in this category, I was proud to see the discomfort that our existence has brought to the NAR-evidenced by these national commercials. As companies like Redfin and Iggy's House begin to take a national spotlight as discounters they inadvertently send the message that you would have to be a fool to pay full commission to a real estate broker. Although this statement is true, the NAR has begun to continue its deception of the general public by offering commercials to show buyers and sellers that "yes, a smiling woman on a tv screen will be worth the extra $15,000 when I buy or sell a home."

I don't know about my fellow discounters but I say BRING ON THE CHEESY COMMERCIALS!