2009: New Year, New Industry Standards?
I think that this has pros and cons. While I want to raise the standards in the industry I'm not so sure that by raising the barrier to entry we wouldn't be eliminating some very good people. It probably would have a side effect that I wouldn't mind and that is that it could potentially make NAR irrelevant.
The police officer asks for the motorist's registration, proof of insurance and real estate license.
"Excuse me, officer. Don't you mean driver's license?"
"No sir," the cop says. "Not everyone has a driver's license."If jokes like this first make you laugh, then make you mad, you're NOT alone!!
RISMedia published the results today of a reader survey, in which they found that consumers were really looking for real estate brokerage as a whole to be "smaller and more professional." Desired changes included a higher barrier of entry and improved financial savvy.
The conversation about the New Real Estate Agent has been a long time coming, and amidst a thinning of the herd this year, it has come to the forefront. In his presentation at the NAR conference in Orlando this fall, Stephen Swanepoel suggested that our job description needs to change. No longer do consumers need access to the listings - that's what the internet is for. Rather, in this complicated market people need the level of service and guidance they get from their financial advisors, their accountants, and their attorneys. They need a trusted real estate advisor.
Could a smaller and more professional industry lift the "Real estate agent" brand to the general esteem of "lawyer," "financial advisor," and "accountant"? I hope so - and I hope we can pull the "lender" brand up with us.
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