Sunday, January 31, 2010

Smile - Snow always melts!

Like most of you, I have been cooped up all weekend at the house. It was nice to have an excuse to sleep late and also nice to spend time with my wife, but after a while you get sick of TV, playing cards, catching up on correspondence, etc. I created my project list, but didn’t really want to start any of them.
So what is a REALTOR to do? I decided to update the Housing Stats that I follow and have been recording since 2001. How pathetic is that you may ask? Actually, after doing it, I smiled a little bit because it gave me the facts and figures of trends in our market.

If you are like me, I get a little ill listening to the talking heads on TV expounding their great knowledge, only to see that they change their speech with each new day. I will not try to sell you any advertising, and I certainly will never consider myself a “know it all”, except to our kids, but the numbers say that we should be very proud of our market. I am quoting the figures from the MLS, so you can all check me out.

When comparing 2009 to 2008, we sold 350 less homes, and approximately $139 million dollars less revenue. Our average sales price slipped approximately $4,700 to $147,515. The good news is that our number of listings on the market actually went down. Our Median price actually went up $608.

Now Pundits will twist these figures every which way to match their talking points, but here is what I have seen over the years. In 2003, everybody had a great year, but our average sales price was $118,123 per house, and the median price was $99,652, and we worked hard.

All this tells me that even though we hear nothing but negative news all the time, our market is yet surviving. Cloudy days are followed by the sun, and the snow will eventually melt. I am just glad I live in Oklahoma!

Jealous?

A comment was recently posted, I assume in rebuttal to my exclamations about OKC, expounding on the benefits of living and doing business in Louisville, Kentucky. I am sure Louisville is very nice but again I don't think OKC can be beat.

I find this resurgence of the second & third tier cities to be quite interesting and I think it is a trend to be looked at. These "lower level" cities have a unique opportunity to create cities that make sense whereas first tier cities tend to have sprawl that was established by market trends rather than with a purposeful plan.

OKC has benefited from the leadership of its past mayors who have had a vision for planned growth. OKC still has many undeveloped and underdeveloped tracts of land. There is a phenomenal opportunity to grow our city with a quality of life aspect and with deference to ecological concerns. We can and hopefully will build an environmentally friendly and sustainable city.

OKCMAR has launched its first Green Resource Council, a movement initiated and supported by the National Association of REALTORS. This group will eventually have a positive influence on our city planning and also within OKCMAR itself. If you are interested in working with the Resource Council please contact the OKCMAR membership department and your contact info will be forwarded to the council.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Here's an Interesting Thought From Inman

Adam Taflinger, MLS Help Desk Manager, attended the technology track at the Inman Conference in NYC this month. One of the thought-provoking concepts he brought back was a from a session on website marketing. The speaker suggested that REALTORS of the future will save a lot of money and increase their brand awareness if they eliminate their websites and put their time and energy into the FREE social media websites.

The speaker stated that was what he had done. He replaced his traditional website which was very static and any changes were more dollars to the website vendor he used, with a personalized link to the public-sided website his MLS offered (We offer this too.... keep reading), facebook page, linked in profile, free blog site and a twitter page. Of course he used this items correctly and purposefully. To understand how to use these items for business building please go through the DOMUS U tutorials and sign up for the webinars. This is a free service of OKCMAR.

While this isn't a recommendation from me it does lead to many of my articles and posts on this blog regarding website analytics. Unless you are tracking sales to website expenses you are doing yourself a disservice. It is essential that you fully comprehend and analyze where your closed transactions (not just leads) are coming from and then after all transaction-related expenses did your net from that sale outweigh your expense of the generation.

This is certainly something worth investigating, especially if you can't directly track a closed transaction(s) to your site or your site is costing you more than the net income you are generating from the site activity.

I found a great short little video from the San Francisco Inman Connect that I hope will give the members a sense of the information we are receiving when we attend this conferences. Connect to Inman Video Here.

Also for a link from your social media or personal website that is personalized to you from the public sided MLS go to our public sided search site home page, centraloklahomaproperties.com and in the lower left click on the members only link. This will take you to a page that will generate the link based on your associate ID in Tempo 5.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Realtor Benefits

I think that one of the most useful tools that we have at our disposal is the WIRELESS MLS. How many times have we driven down the road, either with a client or by ourselves and wondered about a property that had a FOR SALE sign in front of it.

What do we do? Do you call the office and ask for somebody who can jump on the MLS and research it for you? Do you pull off the side of the road and open up your laptop?

Another scenario is that you finally take some time off to go to the restaurant with your family and your client is driving neighborhoods and sees a house that they need information about and they ask, "Do you know about this house, or should I call somebody else?

Sometimes, I really think they call it a Smart Phone because you were smart enough to buy it and get the Mobile MLS on it.

The Mobile MLS, I think, really makes you look good in front of a client when you go to a showing and drive by another house on the way and the client says, "What about that one?"

Your response can be, "Let's see. I will look it up right now. Oh yes, it did not show up on our search because you want a 4 bedroom with 2 living areas, and that home only has 3 bedrooms and 1 living area." You truly established a valuable service for your client.

I am interested in your thoughts. What do you think about the Mobile MLS service that OKCMAR has provided through the MLS?

Monday, January 18, 2010

Help Me-Help You!

CEO VIEWPOINT:

Dear Readers:

I need your help! Can you assist me in getting the word out about this blog? OKCMAR just completed its annual survey and again I find that while we are asking about OKCMAR (we do the MLS survey in July) most of the comments are about MLSOK. I sincerely hope that if you are in the sample group next year that the focus be on the association and not its subsidiary corporation the MLSOK.

NSIGHT marketing, the firm that creates, distributes and analyzes our surveys is in the process of collating the results but did send me the write-in comments because I am chomping at the bit for information and here is what I discovered for the 3rd year in a row. MOST OF WHAT MEMBERS ARE ASKING FOR IS ALREADY AVAILABLE! How do I get the word out?

Again we had many requests for night and evening classes and we did try that for an entire quarter but no one registered for them! Our largest class was the first week we offered an evening class and we had 3 members enroll. Week after week we cancelled classes because no one enrolled in them.

My question is this: Where can I answer the top 10 comments (defined as being repeatedly commented on through the survey) where members (you) will all read it?

This year I will ask NSight to distribute responses to all survey takers. Help me- help all of you. Please comment on how you would like to receive the survey results.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Castle Age or New Age?

CEO Viewpoint:

Hello Dear Readers!

This week was a whirlwind of activity with a quick trip to NYC for the Inman Conference and then off the plane and a few hours later the Brokers' Quarterly at the Marriott. We had 102 brokers and managing brokers register for the quarterly but dense fog and zero visibility decreased the attendance about 20%. Congratulations to Cynthia Ward of Keller-Williams and her entire committee for putting together a great informational meeting!

While at the conference, your MLS President Keith Taggart & I had a lively conversation following an informational/educational session about how we wished we could incorporate a game/online experience for members in learning about how much the MLS has to offer. A continued frustration is the low level of awareness about all the built in features in the MLS suite of services that are designed to save brokers and associates a significant amount of time and/or money.

I had a substantial layover in St. Louis so I logged on to my favorite new addiction: Castle Age!Castle age is an online interactive and very social game on Facebook. While I was never one ofthose Dungeons & Dragon's gameplayers, my brother Ed and my son Jared were (probably because Ed was our babysitter during his teen years- he passed his passion for gaming to my son). However, I was a HUGE King Arthur, middle ages fan. I will confess to give you insight into the weird brain of your CEO, I was completely obsessed with our great rulers in history. In 4th grade I read every single biography in the Sugar Camp School library and our wonderful librarian ordered from the neighboring school in an attempt to keep my passion satisfied. I was especially enthralled with the middle ages. When I discovered JRR Tolkien in high school, I was in heaven. It was a fascination that has never ended.

So there I was in St. Louis, battling epic fights with mystical creatures, and gaining more online friends by the minute (Castle Age allows you to identify online battles through a Castle Age News Feed, create a tiny URL to post, and then as a player you can join other battles or advertise yours for assistance. Assisting gains you points experience and virtual cash). OKAY I am in my glory in this environment. For those regular readers, I am one of those obsessive people who strive to attain self-imposed "Points" for performance and behavior. In this game I can earn as many points as I want and I am pleased with myself and my smart money management in the game.

Then this morning it all came together. We need to create a game with social media components that teach members all about the MLS. As members complete Quests (such as completing a virtual tour on property panorama or acheiving 10 showing assist entries) they gain levels, points and imaginary money, which perhaps they could use at the Rstore or for conferences or even maybe some fees certificates. Members could reach out to each other for assistance. The MLS tech staff could fulfill the Oracle or Heal portion of the game. The member's virtual bank is tapped for each time assistance is required.

So what do you think? Do we have any software developers out there? I know we have some former programmers- I have talked to them. I think I will put this out there as a project for the GENnext network. I am interested in your thoughts? Don't like to comment on the blog? Email me at dkennedy@okcmar.org of course you can post to this blog anonymously where everyone can see your ideas and opinions.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Why we go to Inman Connect

Tonight your leadership met post conference to discuss all that we had heard at the Inman Connect Real Estate Conference. The 2010 MLS President, Keith Taggart, brought back a wonderful idea for a broker service. At Inman there are 4 tracks that run simultaneously and tomorrow there will be a period of time where there will be 6 tracks running. By sending several of the MLS leadership and key staff (Chris Chappell - Broker & Vendor Services & Adam Taflinger- MLS Help Desk Manager) we are able to cover all of the offerings and get the most out of the conference.

Ideally, all of the vision & policy for the membership/subscribership should come from the REALTOR volunteer leaders. Paid staff should have the skills and the insights to implement the ideas and strategies effectively. Committees should be the hands-on development of programs and services that go up to leadership for alignment with policies, budgets and strategies. Through key staff and leadership attendance we can give the member the most bang for their investment buck because we have both sides of the equation filled.

Anyway, at our post conference discussion, Keith had presented to the group what he had heard in the presentation he attended. Automate contact with the seller for the broker with real data. He had listened to how a NY firm had implemented this service for its agents. Every week, sellers get an automated update on how many hits from the public sided site and ListHub their listing received as well as an automated update on any new properties on the market (in their neighborhood comparable to their home) or any new sales comparable to their home in their neighborhood/area opening up the "Is it priced correctly" dialogue. The report is emailed weekly to all the sellers' personal email who have listings held under that brokerage firm.

Keith expressed what a valuable service this would be to OKC brokers. As the 3 key staff players were in the discussion we answered with that the public sided site hits on specific listings were available to every agent, the value my home feature could easily target solds and new listings, and that brokers can pay List Hub for detailed property specific listing hits at a very reasonable price. So staff could share with leadership that the tools themselves were available now.

However, as a working broker, the MLS President gave us the agent perspective- yes there are tools available but as the agent this task could become rapidly very time- consuming and, as the broker, ensuring that this contact was made weekly could become a full time job in itself for either very large firms or firms that specialize in working the selling side and are primarily listing (rather than selling side) oriented.

It appears that the MLSOK has the tools available to provide the program and MLSOK does have the capability of packaging this as a broker program with one exception the broker would still have to pay ListHub for the syndication hits but we could work on an interface with ListHub. Therefore there would be a basic package with MLS data only and an enhanced with the ListHub data. The group tossed around various delivery models (of course we would like this to be a free service- my concern is that what if the volume became large enough to require additional staff- would brokers at a certain point be willing to pay for the service if it hit certain specific volume levels?).

This service would address both of the seller's most pressing questions to the agent: "What have you Done for Me Lately?" and "Is my home Priced Correctly?". We are very interested in your feedback- please comment or email me at dkennedy@okcmar.org

JOIN THE INMAN CONFERENCE VIRTUALLY

Prediction or Reality- You Decide

Today was the first day of the Inman Conference in NYC. Unfortunate that we had to leave home just as it was warming up to go back into a deep freeze! Actually it is not that bad, in the 30's. The keynote speaker explained that there is just so much content that it is impossible to assimilate it all and to try and pick just one or two things each day as a takeaway. Here is today's top takeaway for your CEO:

The biggest new trend to hit the market and the economy is the concept of "REAL TIME". This is more than just tweeting and facebook and refreshed listing data on the public sided MLS site but the "Constant stream of news through multiple devices in multiple locations and the continuous feedback loop". Brad Inman, founder of Inman News, states that the newest trend will be apps that will filter and organize all the data we are receiving daily BUT his key prediction is that the REAL TIME trend will rapidly accelerate this year and the following years to come.
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What this means to you the REALTOR is that those who adopt these new technologies and social media will have a significant advantage over others. That the next decade will see real estate success& profitability based on volume of transactions. These technologies will assist the REALTOR in getting deals done much more quickly and in attracting listings and buyers much more quickly.

Seller expectations will be much higher and there will be better market data and greater disclosure. He warns that disclosure not just in terms of the transaction but customer & client disclosure on you and your brokerage's performance. There will be REAL TIME viral reports ranking your effectiveness as a REALTOR.

He sees the biggest consequence of the REAL TIME trend is a new addiction; The Digital Addiction. He also warns to not lose sight that the addiction can cause us to disengage outside of the digital world. His number one piece of advice for success in 2010- GET ON BOARD with all the new technologies and be offering REAL TIME DATA to your clients and customers but also to remember that this business is about face to face real relationships.

His predictions made me so proud of the course the MLS leadership and OKCMAR have taken in its strategic planning since my tenure in 2007. MLSOK has brought REALTORS significant advantages in digital technologies and social media technologies. We are at the cutting edge nationally offering our members these services. But here is what makes MLSOK unique- these services are FREE to the subscribers, included in the "Suite of Services" envisioned by former MLS President, Mike Cassidy. These technologies that Inman News is recommending for success in 2010 forward have been in place at MLSOK/OKCMAR for almost two years and at no additional cost or add-on fees. What makes MLSOK and OKCMAR even more sensitive to the REALTORS needs? Not only are the services included in the basic MLS package but we have reduced MLS Fees TWICE in 2009- once through an automatic bundling discount and then again through our early pay discount program.



I think this is why the nation continues to wonder in its national media "Why is the Oklahoma City Housing Market So Strong?" I believe it is the vision of your MLS & OKCMAR leadership that has kept Oklahoma City in front of the market trends and demands

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Its Heating Up in OKC!

For awhile there I thought I had brought Wisconsin with me to stay in our beautiful state. Watching the news this morning I was relieved to see temps reaching 50 for next week. The wonderful thing about making one's home in OKC is that true "winter" is only a few weeks long but we actually get a real winter with snow and cold temperatures. The four seasons is a wonderful offering for those looking to relocate to Oklahoma or Oklahoma City. Add in the lowest unemployment rate in the USA, home values that are low and stable, in the top 5 best places to start or relocate a business, and a city initiative that will make Oklahoma City the "place to be" for those looking for a vibrant urban life and frankly there is just no better place to buy a home and raise a family than Oklahoma City! Check out all the homes available in OKC on our public sided MLS search site.

It isn't just the weather that is heating up; so is the buzz for our spring technology conference. I have more of the skinny from the OKCMAR marketing department:

Key note speakers have been secured: Doug Devitre, Brian Boero & Gee Dunsten! In addition we will have presentations from HOMESOK.com regarding behavorial psychographics and how they are used to target internet advertising and from DomusU where members can learn how to hands on build various social media sites.

The conference will also feature panels and several CE courses and has 5 distinct tracks: Broker, Commercial, New REALTOR, Technologies and Social Media. Pick a track or mix them up it is all up to the attendee. The conference will also be available to any REALTOR in the state of Oklahoma and we are currently working with sister associations to get the word out.

The conference will feature a bloggers lounge sponsored by the GENnext task force as well as special recognition of the top 10 GENnexters. All participants will be entered into a drawing for a top of the line touch IPOD and GENnexters will also be eligible to win an IPOD Nano. Exhibition booths (which feature technology only) are filling up fast along with sponsorships. Interested in sponsoring this event? Contact Kelli McNeal - due to the scale of this event sponsorships start at $1000.

We are hoping to bring a "second life" conference experience to our GENnexters but are still in discussions regarding this. The conference costs vary dependent upon what the member wants.
One day registration $75 which includes all CE and the membership luncheon
Two day full conference registration $100 (Save $50!) which includes all CE and the membership luncheon
Luncheon only $20
CE package only $25
Registration will open this week

Saturday, January 9, 2010

MLS Fees are the Fees of the Brokerage

A common question received at the board office is "Why is the entire brokerage firm suspended if only one licensee from the firm doesn't pay his invoice and everyone else did?"

The answer is simple: Only the broker has listings (regardless of which licensee signed the contract all listings belong to the broker and only the broker can give and accept compensation), only the broker is the MLS Participant. The MLS fees are third party billed to associates as a courtesy to the broker but MLS Participation and its costs are still the bill of the broker. Licensees whose licenses are held under the brokerage firm only lease access to the MLS from their broker; they are not members of MLSOK, only the broker is eligible to participate in MLS and approve access.

The MLS contract and bylaws and Rules & Regulations are very clear that the broker is to be charged the MLS monthly service fee multiplied by each and every license hung under their firm. As a MEMBER SERVICE TO THE BROKER, two years ago MLSOK agreed to bill each agent directly and accept payment directly. MLSOK took on the expense and processing time of billing and collecting for the 800+ brokerage/appraiser firms going from handling and collecting 800 payments to processing 4000 payments. MLS also made it much easier for the brokerage firm to comply and remain in good standing by third party billing users. Through the third party billing MLS knows exactly who has not paid within a firm and it could suspend individual non-payers whereas in the past the entire firm (and all its licensees) were suspended from the MLS.

Upon individual user suspension, the broker is contacted and given the following options to avoid service disruption and access to all the licensees held under that firm:

1) Contact the licensee and require payment of the late fee and fee within 30 days
2) Pay the fees for that license directly (Required in the MLS Participant Agreement that the broker will be charged for every license hung under their brokerage) within 30 days
3) Release the licensee in order to remove the license from the count of licenses hung under the brokerage firm

If the broker does not act the entire firm is suspended from MLS as the broker no longer is an active and in good standing Participant.

Brokers can easily check the balances of their associates by using the pay online module.

Brokers should encourage their licensees to make MLS fees a business priority and set aside for this twice annual expense or to sign up for the monthly auto pay available now on the MLS message of the day. There is only a short enrollment period twice per year so don't delay if this is an option one would like to utilize. Remember that there is not a pre-pay discount for paying monthly rather than paying ahead, however the MLS absorbs the monthly processing fee charged by the bank for these payments so these members are also receiving a discounted rate.

Brokers should also check their firm's online balance during billing periods to ensure that their licensees are in compliance.

MLS Billing Going Out

MLS Billings are in the mail. Remember that the MLS invoice is not due until March 31st. The billing is sent out repeatedly throughout the quarter for two reasons:

1) To give the MLS Subscriber/User an opportunity to set aside money over the next few months to pay the obligation
2) To give the MLS Subscriber/User an opportunity to use the pre-pay discount and save $$$$$

Remember that if a user pays their MLS fees in January they receive an additional 10% discount (many MLSOK Subscribers take advantage of the automatic 10% discount off MLS Fees & Lockboxes if they use both services from MLSOK-this means your 6 months $300 MLS subscription is already reduced to $270 and $150 Supra Key Fee is already reduced to $135) on top of the bundled product discount. This means the discounted fess of $420 can be reduced by another $42. TOTAL SAVINGS $87!

Don't use the lockbox/Supra key program? There is still the pre-pay discount reducing MLS only fees from $300 to $270.

If the Subscriber/User waits until February to pay they will receive a 5% additional discount.

Not sure what is owed or need to check the brokerage firm balance if one is a broker- use our online payment module! Simply enter in your license # and 4 digit pin and all invoices are available. Also using this module, a subscriber may also download their entire 2009 billing and payment history- very helpful for completing income tax returns. A broker will also see all the balances due of every licensee he/she holds under his brokerage ensuring that his/her business will have uninterrupted services.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

No More Tokens!

I had another enjoyable morning spending time with our members. OKCMAR leadership is committed to developing a sense of community amongst its membership and my brokerage visits are a part of that program. I really do believe it is best to have one-on-one dialogue with as many of our members as possible.

I find these sessions to be incredibly invigorating! I love hearing from the members, both good and bad. The good makes me feel that the staff, leadership and I are making progress and the bad gives me clear vision on where I need to concentrate efforts and/or resources.

At today's session we talked a lot about how the new keystroke diametrics will work. Although there has been much posted, written and covered in various meetings regarding the diametrics, often these things do not filter into member consciousness until they are happening. This is human nature and not just indicative of association culture.

I came back into the office and asked how things were going in MLS. Adam, our MLS help desk manager summed up the morning in one word: Brutal! I then went in and changed my own MLS password on the screen BY FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS on the screen. It took approximately 7 seconds and believe me folks I have no special skills just patience enough to read the entire screen before I proceeded. Please before you berate the staff that is trying to assist you (Remember members asked us to get rid of the token repeatedly in surveys and through member comments) remember that they are people to whose primary goal is to get you on your way through the MLS. Click here for a screenshot with step-by-step instructions.

This is a 7 second process and should not have "Cost me business because I can't get in the MLS". As I have said numerous times through numerous channels- the best way to get the most out of the MLS and the association is to please read the eblasts we send you weekly. Investing 5 minutes out of your week to scan these simple and brief blasts can save you hours on the working end. Earlier this year I posted an entry titled "The Most Valuable 5 Minutes of Your Week". I encourage all to give that a read again.

I know how hard it is to stay on top of things when you are all working as hard as you possibly can to serve your customers and clients and to secure closings, however 5 minutes per week really can save you so much time and hopefully increase your ability to serve those clients and bring more closings to the table. For well over a year we have made the blasts scannable by printing headers with links so if you saw it before or it doesn't pertain to you it only takes a second to scan; those who want more information can click the link to read more.

Happy closings everyone!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Retweet?

The twitter application displaying to the right of the postings is a pretty cool & free app! Those who are blogging and tweeting may want to add this gadget to their blog site. Just go to settings and mid-screen there is an app to add this feature to your blog and facebook. It will add the feed to websites but it appears it is not developed for private sites. Learn more about fully using social media at the Spring Tech Conference.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Jump Start Your Selling Season

OKCMAR is planning its Spring Technology Conference and it looks like this will be a must attend! Currently I do not have confirmation on final conference details or pricing but here is a brief overview of the lineup:

Speakers/Presenters:
Doug Devitre- check out Doug Devitre Delivers.com
Gee Dunsten- www.gee-dunsten.com
Brian Boero- www.1000wattconsulting.com

These are three of the top national real estate technology speakers. Locally the conference will feature OPUBCO speaking on behavioral psychographics and their use in technology and marketing as well as several panels.

The conference will feature 2 discussion panels with area subject matter experts "Start 2010 Right: Practical Tips for New REALTORS" and "How we used social media to develop a referral database and increase sales".

In addition there will be several break out demo sessions including: building a facebook site, building a twitter site, building Wikis (microsites for featured properties) using the new "Announce My Listing" viral marketing tool, help me with my I-phone & I-Pod & E-Pro introduction.

MLS will be offering the following sessions: MLS Tools every broker should know about, Smartphone Fundamentals (CE) & Digital Photography & Real Estate (CE). MLS will also be sponsoring its own Geek Squad. Bring in your laptop and ask those burning questions: what is the best ad-ware, why does my computer run so slow, configuring outlook for efficiency.

For the commercial member there will be a separate commercial track featuring information on the new Commerical Property Information Database & Exchange, & two commercial CE courses. Join us for the Commercial REALTOR Happy Hour following the conference

The conference will feature limited technology exhibitors offering discounts to REALTOR members, will have sponsorships available and will include a boxed lunch on day 1 and the OKCMAR membership luncheon during day 2. Luncheon only tickets will be available. There will be a NextGen booth at the conference along with special offerings for NextGen Network (A new OKCMAR task force).

This year's goal is to offer as much of the conference as possible in a virtual format, keep reading for details in the weeks to come. Sponsorship & exhibitor packets will go out next week.

NOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR THIS POST: Tell us what you want OKCMAR to offer in this conference or how we can better serve you in our conference events. Just Click Here- we are asking and we are listening!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Are You Covered?

Throughout the month of January, this blog will focus on YOUR PLAN for 2010. In life one can go with the flow, blaming circumstance, others or even luck for their current situation. OR one can be proactive and design one's future. While most REALTORS have a business plan (don't have this essential? Get tips from OKCMAR's new member page or go directly to the create a business plan section of the site) how many have a life plan?

A key to a successful business is to ensure that one is covered for various unexpected events in life and in your business. A great example is E&O coverage which protects a small business from legal actions. However, personal insurance is also essential. What happens to the small business entrepreneur when illness hits? The last few decades have seen skyrocketing health insurance costs placing affordable care out of reach for most of the self-employed. The state association, OAR, offers a health coverage plan with your membership but now NAR, the national association of REALTORS offer a new member benefit: Limited Core Coverage.

There are significant differences between major medical coverage and limited medical coverage. Ideally every American citizen would have access to major medical coverage as does virtually every other first world country but the United States. However, in absence of a national solution limited medical coverage may be right for some members. Limited medical coverage has caps on expenses and is not meant to cover catastrophic illness but it can assist in KEEPING YOU WELL which PROTECTS YOUR BUSINESS.

This new benefit, (as with all benefits is your dues dollars in action), offered by NAR is worth a look if you currently are not insured. The plan is guaranteed acceptance and may be an option for those with pre-existing medical conditions which prevent any affordable coverage. This plan can also be used as a supplement to major medical and save money. According to NAR, if you have a major medical plan you can save money by increasing your current plan's deductible (out of pocket). Then take advantage of the Realtors® Core Health Insurance Plans value for your everyday healthcare needs. For example, the "Physician Only Plan" covers office, wellness visits, x-ray/lab and accident benefits at an affordable price.

In a nutshell here is what NAR is offering the REALTOR member:

Simply put, it provides coverage for your everyday healthcare needs. Plan options can include:

  • $30 Co-Pay Doctor Office Visits (adult and child)
  • $30 Co-Pay Wellness Visits (adult and child)
  • Hospital and ICU benefits
  • Emergency Benefits
  • Surgery and anesthesia benefits
  • Accident medical expenses and more
  • Single or Family coverage
  • Freedom to choose any provider (Doctor, Hospital)
Plans start as low as $70 per month. For more information click here