We’re at the mercy of a bottomless pit. Where does the money go? Cash goes in, but nothing comes out but more stuff being sold to us- stuff that come complete with the 8 floppy disc set for proper setup with your Windows 3.0 or higher operating system- but runs in DOS.
Never mind the antiquated crap flung by vendors at the behest of the national and local boards- seriously, let’s talk about my new Austin Board of Realtors Bill that came in the mail today:
Invoice Dated: 11/15/2007 Due: 12/15/2007 (just in time for the Holidays)
2008 Abor Dues $125.00
2008 TAR Dues $97.00
2008 NAR Dues $80.002008 Trepac Investment
$35.00I won’t be paying this this year….or ever.
(Here’s the really weird part)
2008 ABOR Image Campaign $30.00 (MANDATORY- WTF?)
2008 NAR Image Campaign $30.00 (MANDATORY- WTF?)
2008 TAR Mobilization Fund $10.00 (WTF?)
Total Due: $407.00
I was thinking- NAR, TAR, and the other AR-o-saurs, why not pay me to come here and blog? It would save us 1000s of dollars in humiliating ad campaigns that will be torn apart in the media. Why not save us in Austin alone with 9000 members $540K… Why not call on some of us out here on the front lines for a little Q&A on the realities. Why aren’t you asking us for help? Why aren’t you doing anything but exactly what is expected? Ever heard of a box? Ever stepped out of yours- take a deep breath, inhale, exhale, stretch your legs, open your eyes, and take a really good look around already! I have no interest in helping NAR, let them take my $30 from the $80- let them eat ramen! Don’t you think my children would like something extra for Christmas this year? Sixty dollars goes a really long way? Why should I eat ramen this Christmas for your silly image campaign? My image is fine.
Mandatory, my ass. You people should really be ashamed- scrooge you!
An eleven dollar an hour employee lectured me regarding this in 2003. I didn’t pay then because I was flat broke. I got a lecture, “We need to pass laws that help us all…”
Gah.
are you talking about the repac fee?
yeah–this was when I was an agent.
They would not dare lecture me, 11 buck an hour or $300k per year. This is not about my wallet, it’s about if I was the CEO of NAR, the last thing I would be doing is authorizing a mandatory fee for an image campaign, nor would I advise the local boards to do it. A qualified CEO would be out on the public airwaves making the case 8 months ago, not damage control on the backs of agents- it’s utter bs.
Ah, but they would. Our board–Columbus Ohio–had such an astonishing sense of entitlement back then; they gave it a shot. The results, to her, were unpleasant.
But then again, we all need to shake off the self importance.
When asked what the realtor of the future looks like… all Dale Stinton could come up with was “flash-gordon”. This is the realtor of the future… iphones and such? Get real and say something about the value they will bring and how NAR will support it.
http://www.inmantv.com/?p=99