Attributed by Nick Kremydas, CEO SC Realtors®
NAR’s Leadership Summit (the annual training NAR conducts for incoming local and state leadership) went back to its roots–by that I mean the program was focused on leadership skills, staff/volunteer roles and responsibilities, highly functioning boards, etc. I was pleased to see that NAR is re-focusing and getting back on track–it was a good event. President Elect Keon and I met with the incoming leadership of all the SC local associations that attended–we’ve got a strong team in SC and I’m confident that together we’ll make a difference in 2025!
More Lawsuits
There have been a few lawsuits in the news, the Homie case and the one against REALTOR.com. NAR is evening appealing its case with the DOJ to the Supreme Court. I think in this environment we’re going to see more litigation, not less.
Forms “Report”
Did you see the law school professor’s “report” on association forms (she claims to have reviewed dozens of forms from many states including SC)? The professor, who I’m told is a gun for hire for consumer advocacy groups, states in the “report”: “Many of these contain terms that would come as a surprise to a buyer or seller, and terms that signal how realtors plan to circumvent the NAR Settlement.” It’s infuriating that such a generalized misrepresentation and false statement (as far as SC is concerned) is allowed to go unchallenged. I’ve shared this “report” with our legal counsel.
New NAR Consumer Resources
In addition NAR has released the next two resources in their new “Consumer Guide” series, which cover the following topics:
- Open Houses and Written Agreements: Defines key terms under the settlement in consumer-friendly language and helps to explain when agents are required to enter into written agreements with buyers and when they are not.
- REALTORS’® Duty to Put Client Interests Above Their Own: Explains what it means for a REALTOR® to act in their client’s best interest and describes how the practice changes combat unlawful steering practices.
Designed to be given directly to inquiring buyers, these resources are part of NAR’s ongoing campaign to help our members bring clarity to the practice changes for consumers. Both guides are available for download on facts.realtor. As a reminder, the first installment in this series was an overview of written agreements, which can be found here.