Is it worth paying fees to belong to a local REALTOR® Association?
Published by Scott Gill under General.
I was at a meeting a couple of weeks ago at the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAOR) where the President of that Association, Quincy Virgilio, Realty World-California Property Network and Gov Hutchinson, Assistant General Counsel and Staff Vice President of the California Association REALTORS® (CAR) outlined the various benefits of being a member of the local, State and National Associations of which there are many. I was actually surprised to learn that there are some real estate brokers who choose not to associate, primarily due to costs. Times are tight and I understand that; however, as I mentioned in an earlier blog article titled “Are You In or Out of the Real Estate Business?” Part 2, there are certain costs associated with real estate that are necessary in order to function as a business and effectively compete. I believe this is one of those costs.
The annual combined membership dues at SCCAOR, including CAR and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) are $474.00 per year. Some of the services include the use of the REALTOR® Trademark, CAR legal counseling services, access to group medical and insurance plans, free tech support services, etc. The legal hotline at CAR is worth the annual fee alone. How many times have you had a legal question and struggled where to get a quick and accurate answer, much less how to pay for it? Well, as a member of CAR, you can call their legal hotline and get your answers for FREE within 24 hours… it’s a bargain! If you’re a broker licensee, most of the time you will get your answer that same day. Ever have a computer problem? At SCCAOR, you can have it fixed (minus parts, if required) by their tech support team for no charge. Of course, Local Associations vary somewhat in services so make sure to ask your Association exactly what services they include. In the long run, if you’re serious about your real estate practice, keep these memberships active. They are very useful.
Scott Gill
Senior Vice President
Scott.Gill@rwnc.net
Hi Scott,
Thanks for the article and I do agree with you – the cost alone for the membership is so worth it. I for one have used the legal counsel at CAR on a few occasions – it’s so convenient- and its right at our finger-tips! Car legal is VERY responsive to our needs as Realtors – and it’s such a comfort having this knowledge base available and being able to move forward with confidence, and at the same time and most importantly – protecting our clients. Take advantage- it’s worth it!
Deb Whitney
Realty World – Trademark Properties
Cheers Scott, I absolutely agree with you about the numerous benefits of being a Realtor. I have used the CAR legal hotline many times over the years & that in itself has paid the dues in my book. Sometimes in the course of selling RE there are things that need an answer from an attorney. Always better to ask the question, and then ya know. There are so many benefits of being a Realtor including the help all the california home owners get thru the CAR legal department. It is unfortunate that Most homeowners have no clue what the CAR legal team does to help protect their property owner rights. That’s why I pay the $197 (true cost of doing business) for the Realtor Action Fund. There is No other organization that I know of that goes to bat for the California Homeowner to protect their rights with lobbyists. God Bless Em. Thanx for the post. Steffan
Scott,
Thank You!
You (and Steffan) are absolutely correct in your observations about the number of excellent (winforms, legal hotline, etc.) membership benefits. What most members don’t see is the “real” benefits that they receive from the fantastic Legislative Branch of the California Association of REALTORS. Each year the staff in the Sacramento Offices work long hours either sponsoring or crafting legislation that will protect our property rights, or fight to stop bad legislation that will hurt property rights and our industry. Steffan is right! The true cost of doing business is $197.00. Some of us believe the legislative efforts are so important that we actually pay $1,500.00 to become California Golden R’s! If the “membership” at large knew how many bad bills the staff defeats each year, they would all be Golden R’s.