The National Association of REALTORS® has published 60—and counting!—consumer guides, easy one-pagers that members can use to explain everything from buyer representation agreements to how to stage your house for a sale.
While the guides can be used as they are, a national guide sometimes doesn’t align with statutes, regulations and terminology regularly used in practice at the state level. So, associations are welcome to treat the guides as a template and personalize them to their state and local practices. The process is relatively easy, says Connecticut REALTORS® (CTR) Director of Communications Kristi Olds.
CTR asked members of its Risk Reduction Committee to select the 10 guides they’d be most likely to use in their real estate practice. From there, the association identified seven consumer guides to focus on:
- Agency relationships
- Deeds & titles
- Flood insurance
- Handling multiple offers
- SALT deductions
- Seller disclosures
- Title fraud
CTR’s staff attorney worked with the committee to make necessary edits. For example, for agency relationships, Connecticut state law does not allow subagency, so that was removed. As another example, a specific statutory form is required for residential seller property condition disclosures in Connecticut, along with regulations for the timing of delivery; they precisely described both in their version of the guide.
Because NAR can’t guarantee the accuracy of edits, the guides are branded to Connecticut REALTORS®. “CTR worked with NAR legal staff to determine branding requirements, disclaimer language and related permissions, which was very fast and accommodating,” says Olds.
Costs for the project were minimal, involving only staff and volunteer time.
“Members appreciate having clear, state-specific guides that accurately reflect our state’s laws and practices,” Olds says. “Localized information makes it easier for members to confidently share materials with clients, knowing the content aligns with how transactions work in Connecticut.”
She adds: “Tailoring the information presented by NAR to your state is well worth the limited time needed to do it. While NAR resources provide an excellent foundation, adapting them with state-specific guidance makes the material far more meaningful and useful to our members. It’s much easier to edit material than to start from scratch. Reviewing available guides and considering how they can be enhanced or contextualized for your members can help add to your association’s value proposition with a relatively modest investment of time and effort.”
CTR’s branded consumer guides include this language, which could be adapted for other associations interested in customizing the guides for their members’ use:
Connecticut Consumer Guides are drafted by Connecticut REALTORS® and have not been reviewed or approved by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). NAR assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, or legal compliance of these state-specific guides. For official NAR Consumer Guides, please visit facts.realtor.