NAR's 2019 national ad campaign showcases REALTORS®' commitment to their Code of Ethics and advocacy work on behalf of communities. Recent changes to tax deductions are hurting housing affordability for new buyers. Real estate remains competitive, NAR's 2019 profile of brokerages finds. Get help on identifying whether an email that looks to be from NAR is real or a scam. Home sales are down but contract signings are up, pointing to gains during the spring home buying season.
Transcript
'That's who we R!' A new ad campaign spotlights REALTORS® and their Code of Ethics.
Tax changes are making housing less affordable!
And how competitive IS real estate? We have the new data.
These stories and more on The Voice for Real Estate
Hi, I'm Stephen Gasque with the National Association of REALTORS®
You'll see it on Television and radio - all across America: REALTORS®' new national ad campaign, That's Who We R. The campaign shows there's no one better at helping people buy, sell, and lease real estate. But it goes beyond that message, by showing that guided by their Code of Ethics, REALTORS® are the industry professionals dedicated to putting the interests of people-and their communities-first.
You can see the ad on cable TV channels like HGTV and the Food Network, and also on streaming platforms like Hulu and Sling TV. The campaign is also on radio stations across the country, and digital audio through Pandora and Spotify. You'll also see the campaign on social media and major websites. But that's not all! Look for branded content partnerships through channels like Apartment Therapy, Vice Media, and The Washington Post.
And you can use the campaign materials to help your business benefit from this campaign. Just go to That's Who We R dot Realtor to access logos, print and banner ads, and links to the audio and video spots.
But remember - like all NAR materials, there are rules. So be sure to follow the guidelines. They help you understand what you can and cannot do with these new branding materials.
[SWOOSH]
The 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act lowered tax rates and made other changes that are favorable to taxpayers-including you as an independent contractor.
It created the 20 percent business interest deduction that you can take for your commissions.
But it's hurting many homeowners and homebuyers, too. New limits on the mortgage interest deductions and state and local tax deductions are hurting affordability for many households throughout America. That's the message Kevin Brown, a veteran real estate broker and past president of the California Association of REALTORS®, told the House Ways & Means Committee in a recent hearing.
[QUOTE]
Improvements to the tax law won't happen overnight. A lot of work must be done to lay the groundwork before changes can be made. That's why NAR is looking carefully at the impact law is having and making sure lawmakers have that information as they decide what to do.
[SWOOSH]
No one knows more than you how competitive your industry is. A new report from NAR, finds the vast majority of real estate brokerages are adapting to the digital era. The 2019 Profile of Real Estate Firms, reports that most brokerages today are small, and independently owned. And most are operating online, and also - in brick-and-mortar offices. Here's NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun on how companies are changing to remain competitive in today's environment.
[QUOTE]
You can access that report on nar.realtor by searching "2019 Profile of Real Estate Firms."
[SWOOSH]
And now - yet another scam alert. Ready?
You receive an email from NAR but it doesn't seem quite right. It tells you to update your contact information or to donate money to an individual who needs it. That's right - it IS a scam. Criminals are pretending they're NAR to try to steal money - from you. You can protect yourself, though, by being alert to what is and is not a fraudulent email. Here's NAR Vice President Liz Sturrock on how you can know if an NAR email is real or not.
[QUOTE]
Access her video, called "Spoof Emails: Recognizing Scams in Real Estate," on nar.realtor.
[SWOOSH]
And now a home sales update for you. Sales of existing homes were down slightly in NAR's latest market data but, in a good sign, contract signings are up almost 5 percent. That points to healthy sales gains as we enter the spring home buying season. Here's NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun with more.
[QUOTE]
Yun says the Federal Reserve is likely to keep interest rates down for the year, which will help keep a lid on financing costs...and strengthen home sales also.
[SWOOSH]
And that's our show for the week of March 12. You can get more on everything we talked about at The Voice for Real Estate page on nar.realtor.
And by the way - if you're going to NAR's Association Executives Institute in Austin - travel safe! And I'll see you there.
And as always, thank you for joining us and be sure to join us again as we bring you all the latest news on The Voice for Real Estate.
