I was on Realtor.com today looking at news and any information that may be helpful to me today. While I was on there I was thinking to myself, in all of the years that I have paid my Realtor dues, what benefit have I really received if any? The short answer is I don't recall any benefit whatsoever. If I think about this to much I will get really frustrated.
I know that some on Active Rain are firm believers in being a "Realtor" I wonder if you could take the time to tell all of us why we pay dues and what they really do for us? I know that we have a political lobby and they supposedly do lots of things behind the scenes. I am not sure if I like the fact that my money goes to "wining and dining" politicians whether they be democrats or republicans. I know this is how things are done, but I can't say that I like it very much. I wonder if our Realtor organization had anything to do with the advancement of the Community Reinvestment Act that contributed to this mess to begin with? I know that they pushed for the tax credit that has temporarily spurred on sales and such, but I have mixed feelings about that also. We are broke as a country and giving people 8,000 dollars that we do not have is not very wise in my opinion. I know the rationale behind it and it is definitely a better investment than bailing out all of the big banks.
So getting back to the benefits of being a Realtor. Have you ever received a lead from Realtor.com that you did not have to pay for as a service? Have you ever been called by them and had them offer a zip code or area to you for a monthly fee? I have and frankly, it really irritates me that I pay 600 dollars plus a year and then they turn around and ask me to pay for lead generation. That was a while ago and I am not sure if they still do that, but it makes my blood boil. I am a capitalist and I am all for businesses making money, but not in this case.
Now they have created this nifty credit union for us that they have been touting. Anyone have any experience with that? I am happy with my bank and it is nice to be able to see someone face to face, so the idea of having someone who I cannot meet in person keep my money is not appealing.
Some of you are probably saying, well if you don't like it then stop paying your Realtor dues. Well we all know what happens when we start messing around with a monopoly like the Realtor association and MLS and so on and so forth. They find creative ways of making you pay one way or another, whether it would be in extra dues or by spending extra time taking additional classes.
So who is going to be the brave one and defend Realtor.com? Please keep it civil as I have been respectful in my assessment and professional with my comments. These are hard times and we don't have a lot of excess money to spend. I just want to know that I am getting a return on my investment and at this point I do not believe I am.
Thank you,
Comments(46)