Realtor.com releases a statement on the recent mess with ForSaleByOwner.com

I think what really irks me is that the press release is really all about splitting hairs.  This is the big key to the NAR/Realtor.com position:

"There are no unrepresented properties displayed on Realtor.com and every property on Realtor.com must be listed by a licensed real estate broker. It’ our understanding that ForSaleByOwner.com gets their listings to appear on Realtor.com, the nation’s#1 homes for sale site, by working with licensed brokers who in turn enter the listings on an MLS. This means, such ForSaleByOwner.com listings are no longer “or-sale-by-owner” istings, but in fact broker represented."

Yes, the FSBOs are working with licensed brokers.  That's how they're doing it.  But they're not working with the brokers.  From what I understand, the brokers are taking a fee, entering it into the MLS, and their job is done.  I see how NAR/Realtor.com can say what they say, but the point is they are not working with those brokers, they are just using their service and the broker is representing their client, they are just entering data into the MLS.  Its all about how you view it.  The whole time, I feel that ForSaleByOwner.com is laughing in the face of NAR as NAR seems unable/unwilling to stop it...asking for a retraction won't do much.  Maybe there are legal issues involved that I don't understand, but it seems to me, there must be a way to stop it.  I feel like the brokers and FSBOs are taking advantage of the rest of us dues paying members and that's what gets me.  I love the idea of an association that looks out for me, I'm not totally trashing NAR, but when I feel that the membership is getting the wool pulled over their eyes with a press release like this, it makes me a bit uncomfortable, especially since I owe my dues in a few days.  And one more thing...when they issued a press release, knowing this was causing quite the stir in the RE community, why didn't we get a special email or some sort of update to tell us...I had to find the press release on the public site?  Oh well, maybe I ask to much and expect even more.

C Tann-Starr - I see what you're saying and I think maybe that's part of my issue with it.  I wouldn't do it.  I don't think its right, so therefore, I take offense to someone else doing it.  I know what they're doing is ok in the sense that they are dues paying members who are running their business model the way they want, but I guess it makes me frustrated (much like some of the "pick and choose your service" brokerages did - and that was long before I was an agent even) is that I feel it cheapens our profession.  I work hard to stay educated, up on my local area, and making sure that I'm always treating my clients to the best service I possibly can.  I'm sure lawyers felt the same way with the explosion of "do-it-yourself legal forms."  Maybe its that I care too much for people who aren't even my clients.  Like I stated in the post, the legal issues surrounding a transaction are many and could be costly, so I hope the FSBO-brokers are at least explaining that to their clients, but somehow I doubt that information is disseminated well (not saying that all of them don't do it, just wonder how clear they make it).  I also dislike some of these brokers (and this is based on a personal experience) methods of winning over the FSBO crowd.  I had a FSBO down the street from me and was checking it out (on the MLS) as I was curious as to how much they were selling it for, what it looked like - the usual agent trying to know more type stuff.  I noticed the brokers name on the MLS and followed to their website.  What I found was almost an angry rant about what scum agents could be.  It was shocking to say the least.  It spoke of how we were all just looking for the next "victim" (their word, not mine) and used words like "lazy," "unresponsive," and "money hungry."  What distrubed me most was that the brokerage was based about 4 hours away from here and I wondered what they knew about the local area, let alone my little neighborhood.  The house did sell and I'm sure the sellers were thrilled with the fact that they saved some money (who doesn't want to save money).  I took a lot of offense to the broker's site, since I do everything I can to not be the idealized image they represented on their site.

Regardless of how it plays out, I will continue to run my business, my way...one of the great things about being an agent (and your point about it was duly noted as when you get frustrated by things like this, you sometimes skip over the obvious).  I do appreciate you stoppingby and voicing your ideas about it.  That's what I love about ActiveRain and the RE.net in general.  We all have differing opinions and I seem to learn a bit from each and everyone of them.  Thanks!

Mike - Yeah, the old way of doing FSBOs is probably not going to work...."But I can get you on the MLS" doesn't mean much if they already are.  I recently had some personal experience with someone who went with a discount brokerage (not FSBO though), who said but they were charging me x amount.  I asked him what they did for him in terms of marketing.  His reply?  "I was listed on the MLS."  That was all they did for him.  And they charged a hefty price for that.  Of course, the home didn't sell, so it didn't matter at the end of the day what they charged.  They made 0, he didn't sell his house and now he's listing it again...at a higher commission, because he saw the value in marketing.

Susan - I guess there's lots of businesses that can have these sorts of problems.  I had never really thought of how many businesses probably experience it, but it is probably more common than I would guess.