Letter from 2021 CORE President Sue LaRue
Dear Fellow CORE Realtor® members,
We realize that as you go to renew your Realtor® membership for 2022, you will almost certainly be asking yourself, “What do I get for my dues?” Below are just a few of the highlights of your member benefits at the National Association of Realtors®, New Jersey Realtors®, and the CORE Association of Realtors®.
National Association of Realtors®:
- Advocacy – NAR advocates every day on behalf of America’s 1.4 million Realtors and 75 million property owners and is widely considered one of the most effective advocacy organizations in the country. NAR works for you by advocating for federal, state, and local policy initiatives that strengthen the ability of Americans to own, buy, and sell real property.
- Educational Designations & Certifications – NAR and its affiliated Institutes, Societies, and Councils provide a wide range of programs and services that help members increase their skills, proficiency, and knowledge.
- News & Events – NAR helps you stay current on industry issues with daily news. Additionally, a variety of events – some virtual – provide the opportunity to network and keep up with the latest industry trends.
- Research Reports – NAR conducts research on a variety of topics of interest to real estate practitioners, including market data, commercial and international real estate, home buying and selling, NAR member information, and technology. Use the data to improve your business through knowledge of the latest trends and statistics.
- Real Estate Topics – There’s so much more from NAR that it wouldn’t be possible to list it all here. Fortunately, NAR’s website has an incredibly varied and interesting list of topics with links, including career advice, legal, taxes, marketing, technology, residential real estate, and more.
- Discounts on Products & Services – NAR has a large menu of discounts and value-added offers for members – in your business and personal life – including insurance, electronics & tech, marketing, and more.
New Jersey Realtors®:
- Advocacy – NJ Realtors strongly advocates for public policy that encourages residential and commercial property ownership to support New Jersey communities. Whether it’s pushing back on time of sale requirements and higher realty transfer fees, protecting the independent contractor status of agents, obtaining a grant from the Realtors Relief Foundation to assist the victims of Hurricane Ida, or advocating to provide legal protections for real estate licensees, NJ Realtors is all about advocating for us, our communities, and our industry.
- Housing Market Statistics – NJ Realtors provides comprehensive, monthly statewide real estate sales statistics to keep you on top of what’s happening in the market and help you better communicate with consumers.
- Online Real Estate Forms – NJ Realtors offers an extensive, up-to-date, no-cost standard forms library for members and has just announced it will begin paying for every Realtor in New Jersey to have a zipForm™ subscription with added features and benefits, including the Broker Dashboard.
- Professional Development – NJ Realtors offers best-in-class education for members through its Academy of Continuing Education, where you can fulfill all your state-mandated CE credits online from the comfort of your home or office. NJ Realtors is also holding its no-cost, online FRESH Summit throughout October, including no-cost CE classes. NJ Realtors also teams up annually with the state associations from NY and PA to hold the annual Triple Play Convention in Atlantic City in December.
- News & Information – In addition to its timely social media posts, news releases, and print and digital publications – such as the weekly newsletter and the Broker Bulletin – NJ Realtors® now offers the Legal Resource Library. This new service allows Realtors to submit legal questions and access all previously answered questions, which are organized by topic. NJ Realtors also continues to work closely with the Real Estate Commission, suggesting and advocating for policies that are fair to Realtors, while continuing to uphold the Commission’s duty to protect the public.
CORE Association of Realtors®:
- Professional Standards – CORE is charged with enforcing the Code of Ethics within our three counties – Hunterdon, Mercer, and Somerset. In addition to reviewing ethics complaints and holding ethics hearings, CORE offers arbitration, mediation, and ombudsman services, all aimed at keeping you out of court and fairly settling any issues or disputes that arise.
- Education – CORE offers a variety of professional development opportunities. At this time, all are virtual and have received excellent reviews from both members and non-members. Check out the CORE Calendar for options. Additionally, CORE offers: information about mandatory Code of Ethics training; on-demand CE options via our partner The CE Shop; and a variety of non-CE programs on topics you need to succeed, including nationally renowned speakers.
- News & Information – CORE’s weekly e-newsletter is loaded with useful information. For a growing number of members, it’s become a go-to source for keeping up to date and boasts an impressively high open rate of 40 to 50 percent. Additionally, our website content has been significantly upgraded this year to include an FAQ on Education and updated membership forms, as well as archived newsletters and more.
- Events – CORE in-person events have been switched to virtual as a result of Covid-19, and members have weighed in with appreciation for the valuable and timely information they provide. If you haven’t seen the CORE President’s Update video from the recent Annual Meeting, check it out to learn more about what’s happening now.
- SUPRA Lockbox Services – CORE is a SUPRA lockbox/key provider for Mercer County, with many reciprocals at other MLSs in NJ and PA. CORE staff is well-versed on the SUPRA system and ready to assist members who have questions about obtaining SUPRA services either via CORE or other area SUPRA providers. And our new SUPRA FAQ is designed to be helpful in anticipating and answering common member questions.
- Friendly, helpful staff – CORE has a small but dedicated staff, committed to assisting our 4,800+ members in a friendly and helpful manner. Questions? Email info@core-realtors.com, and a staff member will reply ASAP.
So, as you go to renew your Realtor dues, please keep in mind your many Realtor member benefits. I hope you see the enormous value in belonging to a professional association that looks out for your interests and continuously seeks to provide all of us with the support we need to successfully and ethically serve our clients and customers. Thank you for your membership in CORE!
Sincerely,
Susan LaRue
President, CORE Association of Realtors