Getting what’s coming to you

You’ve paid your dues. Now it’s time to get your money’s worth–and more.

by John Eckstrum   You wouldn’t purchase airline tickets only to stick them in a drawer and forget about them. I can’t imagine someone going into a restaurant, paying in advance, and then declining to look at a menu or order food. But that’s not far from the kind of thing I see going on with many TAR members. They pay dues, then forget about it.

I know that some people are members of TAR simply because they want to belong to their local board and MLS. Others join only because their brokers are REALTOR® members. No matter how you got here, though, you’ve paid $87. And if you don’t take advantage of what your dues dollars entitle you to, you are leaving that money on the table.

This magazine is one of the most visible member benefits, but there are so many more. If you’re not one of the 15,000 who subscribe to the weekly Inside Track e-mail, you are missing the latest forms updates, industry news, technology tips, and legal information. Speaking of legal information, I’m amazed whenever I talk to a broker who has not heard of the TAR Legal Hotline. This member service puts you in touch with a TAR attorney who can answer your legal questions. Heck, you don’t even pay for the call.

There are a handful of special deals available to you, like a discount on overnight shipping, special rates for phone and Internet services, and a discount on automobile insurance. As a Texas REALTOR®, you also have access to an array of other insurance coverages, including life, health, dental, and long-term care.

You can download Spanish translations of contracts and forms on the TAR Web site, as well as the full text of the REALTOR® Reference Manual and the Legal Article Book. You can also download blank contracts and forms from the site. (Hard-copy versions of all these items can be purchased for a modest fee.)

This year, TAR added forms software as a member benefit. More than 21,000 REALTORS® have downloaded ZipForm 5.0, but thousands out there have spent more than the total amount of TAR dues on other forms software without even looking at the ZipForm product.

Other benefits available to you include educational resources, networking opportunities, and (with committee approval) access to the legal-defense and issues-mobilization funds.

Even for members not taking advantage of these benefits, there’s some good news: You still are reaping the benefits of membership. The business environment for real estate wouldn’t be as favorable if not for TAR’s efforts in the political and governmental arenas. And we are all better off for TAR’s marketing campaigns touting the value of using REALTORS®.

I certainly don’t expect every TAR member to take advantage of every member benefit–even I don’t do that. But there are so many options, I sincerely hope you aren’t missing out simply because you don’t know what’s available. If you have any questions about your member benefits, I encourage you to call 800/873-9155 or go to the TAR Web site (www.tar.org) and look at the membership benefits in the About TAR section.

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Buyers & sellers, visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.tar.org.