Define “readily apparent” for consumers

in Blogging RE Blogs on with 3 Comments

So the light blogging lasted four hours.

The National Association of Realtors has either gone too far or not far enough with their ambiguous dictate: (read it quickly before it goes behind Inman’s subscription wall)

Directors amended an article in the NAR Code of Ethics to state that Realtors “shall ensure that their status as real estate professionals is readily apparent in their advertising, marketing and other representations, and that the recipients of all real estate communications are, or have been, notified that those communications are from a real estate professional.” (ed note: not REALTOR®?)

How does one define “readily apparent”? Is the “About this Blog” page sufficient? Do any readers of this blog not know that I am a Realtor?

What are “other representations”?  Does every Twitter post have to have a Realtor disclosure/announcement? Every voice mail?

This could be a step in the right direction, but will indubitably be confused/confounded/rendered useless or harmful in practice.

Technology seems to be moving and evolving too quickly for the NAR.

Is real estate blogging advertising?

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3 Comments

  1. Matthew Rathbun November 20, 2007 at 08:10

    You know I heard about this at mid-year as a possibility. I would hate for my friends at NAR Wisdom to hear me say this (said jokingly), but really this just sounds like NAR making me promote their product. Don’t get me wrong I think being a REALTOR® is great and there are tons of resources and they have done a great deal for my business (as I’ve said before, it’s more state and local than National). However, I don’t feel they have any place in telling me how I must market myself with the exception of honesty and fair dealing. The Commonwealth already dictates my disclosures. The final question that all rules have to be tempered with is the degree of reasonableness in which this can be enforced. As a member of Professional Standards I would have a real difficult time penalizing a REALTOR because they didn’t put the blue “R” in the first line of every communications!

  2. Jbrazzano March 8, 2011 at 15:10

    Unfortunately, everything a REALTOR(R) puts out to advertise – and that would include blogging, facebook, twitter, etc. (isn’t the purpose of these sites to bring in clients and show that the REALTOR(R) has knowledge in the area that they work?).
    If the site is personal, then no real estate advertising is being done.
    Jolita Brazzano, REALTOR(R)
    Alicorn Realty, Palm Coast FL.
    Licensed in the state of Florida

    1. Jim Duncan March 8, 2011 at 15:17

      I disagree, and think this is the perfect example of why and how painting with a broad brush and stooping to the LCD is unwise.

      I never started my blog to advertise, nor to gain business.

      http://www.realcentralva.com/2006/11/09/how-to-differentiate-ones-blog/

      They made a good compromise when they realized that disclosing in every single tweet was unreasonable.

      Everything a realtor puts out is not to advertise; there is absolutely a break between personal and professional.