What is the benefit of joining the NAR. Of being an actual Realtor and not just a salesperson?

Question

National Association of Realtors. What are the benefits of joining?

Answer 1

well some companies that you work for require your participation in the local realtor board, besides that they will keep you up to date on issues such as new laws, and classes availble, my local board of realtors often offers seminars and such that are learning experiences, its also a great networking tool for meeting other realtors and basicly staying informed with the markets. They also act as mediators in cases where maybe a deal has gone wrong and the client is unhappy - my best way to describe that is that they are very much the better buisness bureau- of real estate.

In many areas it is a standard to belong to the NAR to have MLS access , so even though you might be licenced as a agent - that is pretty much worthless without having purchased the rights to MLS. In my area - if you are not part of the local realtors board- then many brokers will pay you less in commission.

Overall i would say the best benefit of belonging to NAR is that

it makes the consumers more confident that they are dealing wih someone who is well educated and informed.

In my personal opinion - it is just another fee to pay and i dont totally agree with that. But it has become a standard that many agents follow , and if you are a full time agent then its something you definately want to be involved with.