Video courtesy of REALTOR® Magazine.

On Thursday, November 10, 2011, I had the opportunity to sit down with Chad Curry and Mark Lesswing from the Center for REALTOR® Technology and with Hilary Marsh from REALTOR.org and take a look at the mock up of the new MyNAR. To say I was impressed with how far they had come in just 3 short months on this project would be, well, an understatement! But they aren’t surprised, as CEO Dale Stinton has made it very clear that this project is a priority for NAR to improve communication with its members.

The history behind this project and the speed with which is has progressed has its roots in a Strategic Planning Committee meeting held this summer at NAR Headquarters in Chicago. In that meeting I raised a concern about truly engaging with the membership. While we create wonderful reports, research and communications for our members, we seem to struggle with getting those items in front of the members. Part of the problem is the massive size and scope of REALTOR.org, its content, and the fact that we are dealing at a national level instead of a member level. Two members of the committee, Heather Ozur and Todd Shipman, shared similar concerns.

To our surprise, immediately following the meeting, Dale Stinton asked the three of us if we could come back to NAR on August 1, 2011 and discuss this in more detail with his team. That meeting included a handful of senior vice presidents and resulted in the framework of MyNAR, a platform designed to give information that is both relevant and timely to the INDIVIDUAL member.

I can remember leaving that August 1st meeting and thinking this would take a year or longer to produce, and yet here at NAR Conference I got to see a working mock up of the product in just 3 short months! And I have to say it is impressive! During the conference, Chad Curry and the Center for REALTOR® Technology team will be conducting user testing with invited groups. Chad will also be speaking about MyNAR at the Communications Committee meeting and again on Sunday, November 13, 2011 in room 206A at the session ‘Creating a Robust Website with the Latest Tools’. MyNAR will go in to beta testing with some members in early 2012.

I cannot express enough gratitude to Dale Stinton and his staff at NAR for seeing an issue at a strategic planning meeting and understanding its importance to the membership and for acting so quickly and effectively to design and implement a solution. I can’t wait to see how this new tool grows and evolves as we engage with members and improve our communications with their individual needs and desires.

Sadly, screen shots do not do this platform justice, but they will have to do for now!

The real estate industry has been through tough times. Short Sales and Foreclosure inventory still cast a significant shadow over the marketplace. Furthermore, the credit crunch is slowing down economic activity as lending guidelines and restrictions continue to reset to higher levels. In fact, Lawrence Yun tells the audience that if lending standards simply returned to “normal,” there would be a 15%-20% increase in activity. There is an audible reaction from the individual seated next to me. “Normal would be nice.”

But what is normal? It depends on where you are? Some areas of the United States are experiencing terrific growth. In North Dakota, the demand for jobs is so high that wages at the local McDonalds are between $15-$18 dollars. Homes can’t be built fast enough to cope with the demand. In communities such as Washington DC, housing prices remain steady.

What I appreciate most about listening to Lawrence Yun is the integration of large scale economic data with regards to GDP, employment, consumer spending and saving habits with the potential implications for financing and home sales. The most important take-away is: KNOW THY LOCAL MARKET. Commandment #1 will increasingly differentiate the true professional in the marketplace.

Strangeness can take many forms these days. Some of the stats may surprise you. Did you know that according to the Case Schiller index, housing prices have actually been stabilizing since 2009? New home construction is at its lowest annualized level since the second world war, yet builders across the country continue to struggle to get construction loans. Rental rates have risen by almost 6% while the cost of owning a home has dropped 2.6%, yet many members of the public wonder if they should opt to rent rather than buy.

According the Yun, the End of Strangeness will come when the following things happen:

1. Prices in the marketplace are allowed to recover without obstacles.
2. There is an increase in homebuyer confidence.
3. Lending opens up.

As I look at that list, I am struck by the fact that there is much that can be done to end the strangeness. REALTORS® have a significant part to play in getting out the message about the opportunities available in their marketplace. Through our political initiatives, we have the power to make our voice heard.

One of the signers of the Constitution, James Madison is quoted as saying…
“Property owners are the best defense against tyranny.”

In the United States, over 60% of us have an ownership interest. I don’t want to go back to business as usual, but I am interested in creating a new normal where things work to the benefit of our clients and country.

A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week - George S. Patton

NAR held its first ever Strategic Planning Idea Exchange this morning. It was well attended, with approximately 20 round tables packed with members ready to share ideas on the future of real estate, REALTORS® and the organization.

Those in attendance had the opportunity to participate in three group activities at their respective tables:

1. Game changing thoughts on the real estate industry.
2. Game changing thoughts on public policy.
3. Game changing thoughts on positioning the REALTOR®

They also heard four reports from the Strategic Planning Committee’s small work groups on demographics, organization structure, technology, and value proposition. I actually had the opportunity to present the value proposition talking points. Members also shared some of their thoughts on the small work group’s work. You can access the slides on SlideShare.

Information collected from this idea exchange will be used by the 2012 Strategic Planning Committee in their work next year. Many attendees commented that this was a great opportunity for members to be involved in the planning process. By all means the idea exchange was a success!

Congratulations to winner Eric Alexander of Daytona Beach, FL, who took the first place finish for his rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” First runner up was Ed Pattermann, of Prescott, AZ, who sang “Fools Rush In.” Second runner up was Erica Frazier for her lively performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” Diana Allen of Prescott, Arizona, sang “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” and Ty Lusk of Mesa, Arizona, performed his original song “I’m a REALTOR®.”

The live performances at the show were evaluated by a panel of judges who rated each performance on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest score. However, it is the audience who determined the winner through text voting at the conclusion of the performances. Thank you to Market Leader for sponsoring the text voting.

Due to copyright laws, we’re unable to post video footage of the performances. But for an encore presentation of finalist Ty Lusk’s original song, “I’m a REALTOR®,” check out his YouTube video.

The winner received $2,000 and the four runners up each received $500. All five finalists received complimentary registrations to the 2012 REALTORS® Conference & Expo (a $350 value).

The most common question surrounding YPN is “how old is young?”

There is no single right answer to that question. Some chapters have actually set or recommended an arbitrary age limit, most often under forty. Most chapters have adopted a more open answer that can include people who are new to real estate, young at heart, or open-minded enough to learn from the “young” crowd.

So do you fit in with YPN? Here are a few questions to ask yourself. If you answer “yes” to one or more, you may be a YPN’er.

• Do you embrace technology for both business and personal activities?
• Do you understand that social media is a way to connect with people and NOT a new marketing tool?
• Are you always looking for something new to help you grow as a professional?
• Do you have a passion to lead change?

Even if you answered “yes” to some of the questions above, you still may not be suitable to hang with the YPN’ers. If you answer “yes” to any of the following, you may want to watch from afar.

• Does it bother you when someone is using a smart phone or other mobile device during a committee meeting or education session?
• Do you think email is the best way to communicate?
• Have you ever said, “I don’t get Twitter. Why should I care what people are having for lunch?”
• Do you like networking with your peers by serving on a committee that meets every month, but never accomplishes anything?

The bottom line is that age is not a factor with YPN. I know 35 year olds that need to stay away and 70 year olds that fit right in with the YPN’ers. I do not qualify as young by age, but I really love being around the YPN’ers. They bring a new attitude to the REALTOR® Association and challenge my view of reality.

I hope to see you at one of the YPN events in Anaheim during the NAR Convention…I’ll be the old bald guy with the big smile on my face.