It’s been a while since I’ve written about the National Association of Realtors and their sometimes mis-guided, self-serving ad campaigns* and lamentably, today is one of those days where I feel I need to say, “I’m a Realtor, but I reject their current ad campaign.”

Renters are positive contributors to society, too, and just like homeowners, some are great, some aren’t. Making renters feel bad about themselves is the best way to try to build favor for the Realtor brand. Alienating a segment of the population, many of who do aspire to be homeowners, is, in a word, stupid.

So, thanks, NAR, for the opportunity to defend myself and use you as the object of derision. I’m glad to work with clients who will be homeowners one day, and while I don’t typically work with renters, I do fins myself in the position frequently where I help them find rentals … for a year, as they are in fact, homebuyers on a delayed timeline.

For in-lookers:

To access the MLS (the best place to search for homes and the facilitator of the cooperative compensation whereby Realtors agree essentially to permit other Realtors to show each others’ listings and offer compensation), I need to:

Be a member of the local Realtor Association, and the State Realtor Association and the National Realtor Association … threats of “I won’t pay my dues unless you change X” are hollow, pointless and an inefficient use of my time, if I want to continue to practice as a Realtor.

*The NAR is a trade organization to which I pay dues; I want them to be self-serving. For me. That’s reasonable. But … they are also the “voice of real estate” for consumers … I’m still not sure how they works.