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Do Not Call - New Information

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with MAINSTREET Organization of Realtors -Suburban Chicago

Girl Making the telephone sign"Yes, this is he" I said after getting up from the table to answer the phone. Another survey call and my wife is less than happy that I answered the phone. I politely decline to participate.

The Do Not Call (DNC) Registry is again popping up in the news, causing confusion for REALTORS as well as the public. I ran a quick search for blogs focused on the DNC and came across Ulises Romos in Phoenix, Rick and Ines - REALTORS® in Miami, and Glenda Crowell in Bend-Oregonall discussing elements of the DNC and how it affects your business.

Yesterday I spoke with Scott Rinn(NAR Regulatory Policy Division) and asked him for an update. It seems that in October NAR delivered a letter to Congress urging them to pass HR 2601, which will make a few changes in the DNC program. Scott sent me a copy of the letter and we discussed how one of the proposed changes will have a big effect on resort area Realtor offices.

  • REALTORS want Congress to exempt very small businesses, like Realtor offices, from the five area code limitations. The point here is to allow small real estate offices in resort areas that make a small number of calls to many area codes to operate without the huge costs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires.
  • REALTORS also ask for an indexed fee structure. Our concerns include the possibility of the FTC charging fees that bear no relationship to the cost of administration and are purely putative.
  • REALTORS ask that there be no increases to the fees. The fines are astronomically high when viewed in light of the size of most real estate offices.
  • Lastly, REALTORS agree that consumers should not be required to "reapply" to remain on the DNC list. We are coming up on the first 5-year anniversary and rumors are already circulating. The FTC has announced that they will not "scrub" the list of numbers unless they are found to be disconnected or reassigned. If you have your home phone number on the list, it will stay on the list.

This brings me to my last point. Rumors abound on the internet regarding the DNC. NAR has an excellent resource page, including the history of the DNC, what it means to REALTORS, and what to do to protect your business. Please read this page.

Another rumor that agents forward to me on a regular basis is that cell phones are being published to telemarketers. First, there is no such cell phone registry right now. There was a proposal for an "opt-in" directory, but it never got off the ground. Additionally, the DNC is for residential numbers, not for business numbers.

REALTORS are still looking for the FTC to clarify how REALTORS can handle FSBOs and expired listings. So far, the FTC has not deigned to discuss the matter. Until then, NAR's advice to REALTORS remains the same. If you have a potential buyer for a FSBO, you may call a FSBO listing. If you want to attempt to gain the listing from a FSBO, do not call, just sent a letter or knock on the door.

I will watch to see what happens with HR 2601 and let you all know if Congress passes it.

I would be happy to collect DNC questions and get the latest, most current information from NAR and the FTC.

Comments (2)

Eileen Landau
BAIRD & WARNER, NAPERVILLE - Naperville, IL
ABR, CRS, e-PRO

Hi Jeff,

Yes...I've suddenly started getting those obnoxious survey calls.

And, I did read somewhere that the five year period was fast approaching. So, I went into the DNC directory and reupped all my numbers...cell phones included. 

Nov 29, 2007 10:32 AM
Jeff Merrinette
MAINSTREET Organization of Realtors -Suburban Chicago - Downers Grove, IL
Lobbyist for IL Realtors

Hi Eileen,

You think the survey calls are a pain, remember that our Primary Election has been moved up to February 5 here in Illinois.  That means that calls from candidates will also start to pick up early.  I'm not sure were you live in Naperville, but race for the Dunn open seat in the General Assembly is hotly contested, subtext: lots and lots of prep phone calls and TONS of GOTV calls on election day. 

No need to re-up your numbers, sorry I didn't get this post out in time to save you some time.

Merry Christmas/Happy Chanukah!

Jeff

Nov 30, 2007 01:03 AM