The Truth About Statistics“You can find a statistic to prove anything you want to prove.” Ever heard that before? Hope you didn’t believe it, because the fact is that surveys and market data are incredibly valuable tools that people use to make business decisions every day. Yet, we know that people cook up studies and surveys every day to support their point of view. The problem isn’t statistics. The problem is BAD statistics. Internet Realty Realities"If you're a traditional Realtor®, then you must be against the Internet," a very good friend said to me the other day. His words caused me to pause and to consider the damage that is being done to our profession by the recent 60 Minutes segment and other stories that have created the impression that there are two kinds of brokerages today, those that use the Internet and those that don't. First Point. The only reason that there is a real estate industry on the Internet in the first place is that listings are online--more than 4 million of them at any given moment. This did not happen by magic. It happened because the hundreds of thousands of brokers who own those listings signed up home sellers, put a listing together, and agreed to let their competitors use their listing to attract business. Then they built state-of-the art Web sites to do the same. Foresight, cooperation, innovation, risk-that's what "traditional Realtors®" had to have to make it possible for today's "untraditional" brokers to get into business. Nowhere else in the world can you peruse so much property in your bedroom slippers. Indeed, what other industry allows one member to use another's inventory to attract business? News Summary for January 11At a news conference yesterday, NAR President Pat Vredevoogd Combs highlighted the current state of the real estate market and discussed how today’s market is filled with challenges for buyers and sellers. She also previewed NAR’s $40 million public awareness advertising campaign, “Every market’s different, call a Realtor today.” Reuters, MarketWatch and Dow Jones wrote about the launch of the new campaign. CFA Lays an EggDecember 13, 2006 -- This morning’s news conference on discount brokerage in the real estate industry drew only three journalists, one of whom works for a tiny Internet news service. Five brokers -- three of whom are REALTORS® -- participated in the event to complain about their treatment by full-service firms. Because some comments misrepresented NAR's position, we issued the following statement: “As everyone who has bought or sold a home knows, real estate brokerage is fiercely competitive. Consumers can choose from more than 1.3 million REALTORS® today, including those who work for discount, limited service, or minimal service brokerages. In fact, about one out of every eight members of NAR work for these kinds of firms. “NAR’s policies foster the interests of all REALTORS® and real estate consumers. We support all business models and favor none.” 
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News coverage shapes perceptions of people, organizations and entire industries.
Yet few of us understand what goes into the making of a news story. “NAR in the News” will give its readers a peek behind the scenes into how journalists cover the nation’s largest trade association and the 1.2 million REALTORS® it represents.
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This blog is also a place for REALTORS® and others to express their opinions and ask questions that we will try to answer. “NAR in the News” is produced by NAR’s Public Affairs Division. This blog is provided by the National Association of REALTORS to provide visitors/members with information about NAR's news coverage and the opportunity to comment on real estate issues in the news. NAR disclaims responsibility for any of the content or opinions expressed on this blog, including, but not limited to content or opinions regarding any products or service mentioned on the blog. NAR disclaims liability for any damages or losses, direct or indirect, that may result from use of or reliance on information contained in the blog. This blog contains links to other Web sites operated by third parties. These links are provided as a convenience to access the information contained therein. NAR has not reviewed all of the information on other sites and disclaims any responsibility for the content of any other sites or the products or services that may be offered on or through those sites. Inclusion of a link to another site does not indicated any endorsement or approval of the site or its content. NAR reserves the right to edit, remove or deny access to individuals or content that it determines to be unacceptable, including, but not limited to, any abusive, profane, rude, defamatory, or anonymous comments. Recent PostsCategoriesSubscribe To This Blog |
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