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What does it cost?
And what do I get for that?
by
Dave Dalzell When asked what it costs to be a member of the Texas Association of REALTORS®, often the answer is: “Too much!” Ask members what they get for their dues, and the first impulse is to say, “Not enough!” As your chairman, I am responsible to make sure you get your money’s worth.
TAR dues are $87 a year. That is $7.25 a month or 24 cents a day. So what do you get for that? We all use different benefits at varying levels, so I’ll just tell you what I get for my money.
In the old days, I paid $240 for a software program to write contracts with. I spent an additional $200 every year for updates. Today, I use ZipForm, a program that gives me all TAR and TREC forms, estimates for buyer and seller costs, and the ability to e-mail these forms—with notes—to other Texas REALTORS®, clients, and customers. Best of all, the cost is included in my dues.
Years ago, if I had a legal question, I called my attorney. His fee was pretty high, so I didn’t call him too often. I still need my attorney once in awhile, but for most questions today, I call the TAR Legal Hotline and get one of the best real estate attorneys in Texas to call back with an answer. I also find legal resources on TexasRealtors.com. Because I receive the association’s e-mail newsletter, Texas REALTOR® Focus, I often have read a recent article on the topic and already have the answer. I also get Texas REALTOR® magazine, with the latest legal, marketing, commercial, professional standards, and technology topics. And I can link my personal and company Web sites to a special consumer Web site, TexasRealEstate.com, with information for buyers and sellers. All for less than a quarter a day!
Then there are the many insurance programs, discounts on things like overnight shipping, gasoline, and hotels (recently I stayed three nights at La Quinta Inns and my discounts were more than my dues this year), plus lots more! There’s free stuff—a prescription-drug discount card, color marketing fliers (many in Spanish) on mold, loan programs, inspections, and other topics that I can customize with my name and information.
But like the TV commercial says, some things are priceless. What is the value of the knowledge I gain from education programs like GRI? How much of my income is a result of networking and professional development during conventions? How do I put a dollar value on the lobbying efforts that blocked a tax on my commissions and a real estate transfer tax? What is the decreased liability from the Seller’s Disclosure Notice worth, or the increased income from the Commercial Lien Law?
I encourage you to learn about all your association benefits and use them. Being a Texas REALTOR® doesn’t cost—it pays!
Photo by Scott Van Osdol.
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Buyers & sellers,
visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.texasrealtors.com.
