Daily Real Estate News | January 7, 2009 |
A widely read annual report on real estate industry trends named NAR one of its top 10 trendsetters for 2008 in recognition of the association’s initiative to keep sales associates and brokers central to home sales into the future.
“As we reflect on all of NAR’s accomplishments on its 100-year anniversary, it is evident that the industry would not be where it is today without the association,” Stefan Swanepoel , publisher of the Trends Report 2009, wrote in his blog entry about the trendsetters.
“However, what makes NAR newsworthy is not its survival but the announcement of their second century initiative, which, if successful, could significantly reshape the real estate brokerage industry.”
That initiative includes the association’s virtual credit union, which received federal regulatory approval late last year, and the development of a wide-reaching program to reach out to consumers, including through a major Web site that’s under development.
Other trendsetters recognized in the report include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, whose financial collapse stunned the real estate industry as well as global finance markets, and Keller Williams Real Estate for its success in maintaining its balance during out the downturn.
Source: REALTOR® Magazine