It’s been a wonderfully grumpy week. Please indulge me:
When the NY Times came out with its piece on the Madison, WI FSBO market, the NAR typically over-reacted and sent out another set of talking points. Last time they did that — Sixty Minutes — they received some well deserved ridicule; I’m apparently not alone in finding talking points condescending and wholly counter productive. So this time they added: Please do NOT circulate this document.
Yep. That should help.
On a related note, today’s REALTOR&174; Mag email link gives a wonderful illustration on how spin backfires:
Poll: Few Consumers Know What You Do
A new survey by the Washington, D.C.-based Consumer Federation of America reveals that while 84 percent of consumers have a favorable opinion of real estate agents and brokers, many of them lack an understanding of the services that real estate professionals provide.
From which it’s easy to infer that people love us, even though they aren’t aware of all we do in a given day.
But. Here’s the actual survey. [Note I’m not defending the survey itself since it’s so badly conceived it exists primarily to establish its own conclusion.] The takeaway from the press release:
“Taken as a whole, these survey data suggest that consumers value the services provided by agents and brokers, and have usually had good experiences with these agents and brokers, but that their views are positive in part because of their lack of awareness of specific industry practices that could harm their interests,” said Brobeck.
Juuuuuuust a bit outside.
And the 84%? That’s the percentage of A) The 29% in the survey who’d bought or sold within the last five years; and B) who were rating their own agent. The generic number for all surveyed is 68% favorability, which means a third need a little extra convincing, more than would be required, say, by a set of talking points. One third is a serious number for a profession that begins its appellative with a capital and ends it with a circle R.
Speaking of which: You know the guy you meet at the cocktail party, the one who just got his PHD in Mayan breeding rituals and insists you address him as DOCTOR&174;?
Me, too.
There. Much better.
Russell Shaw says:
Thank you, REALTOR(R) Kempe. I think NAR can save time if they just email the talking points PDF directly to the American public. Most REALTORS(R) won’t ever read their copy of the Talking Points(R) anyway and this way they can get the word out faster.
June 15, 2007 — 5:11 pm
Brian Brady says:
“Juuuuuuust a bit outside.”
That Eucker-ism defines the NAR perfectly.
June 15, 2007 — 5:16 pm
B.R. says:
I think an association as large as NAR has a duty to issue their points to us. Whether we accept or appreciate them is up to the individual.
As a sidenote, also related- has anyone else noticed the massive PR campaign being led by your local AR and NAR? I am getting an email a day… how about you?
June 15, 2007 — 7:54 pm
Jeff Kempe says:
>I think an association as large as NAR has a duty to issue their points to us. Whether we accept or appreciate them is up to the individual.
BR ~
I have no problem with an organization telling me what it thinks. My problem is with an organization that wants to tell me what I think.
June 16, 2007 — 8:29 am
Gerry Davidson says:
Hi Jeff, I read a couple of things about that same survey and I’m asking myself what was the meat behind it. The netted results just kind of showed up as a mash-up. I have to admit I was tempted to raise pen but just didn’t. Glad to see you took up the cause. Now that the NAR is on my radar I watch to see their next entertaining position. Talking heads, talking points infinitum. But you have to admit they are an endless source of amusement and always an easy target. Enjoyed your piece.
June 16, 2007 — 4:17 pm
B.R. says:
>I have no problem with an organization telling me what it thinks. My problem is with an organization that wants to tell me what I think.
June 18, 2007 — 9:52 am
B.R. says:
…I’ve never really felt they were, but we all read things differently…
June 18, 2007 — 9:54 am