Titled “Perfect Strangers,” the latest commercial is part of Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors’ stated goal of creating a national movement to change how consumers think of real estate agents.
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Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors, a 40,000-member association in South Florida, is going to bat for its agents by running a series of television commercials to help consumers understand how to work with an agent, Inman learned in a Dec. 10 statement.
Collectively, the real estate industry has done very little to educate consumers on changes to buyer representation that came about as a result of the 2024 settlement between the National Association of Realtors and a group of consumers regarding commission payments.
Part of the fallout from the Sitzer | Burnett verdict includes buyer agents earning formal written representation which may or may not involve being paid directly by their client. It’s a practice new to many agents who previously didn’t work under such requirements, and thus, it’s even more vague to the aspiring homebuyers with whom they hope to work.
For Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors, the commercials are a continuation of an educational and marketing campaign called “Only a Realtor,” launched in 2022. The initiative’s website also hosts the commercials.
The association released its fourth commercial in the campaign to air on “major networks, cable, connected TV apps, social media platforms, branded content outlet,” the release stated. The intent is to deliver “an essential message to today’s consumers: the critical value of buyer representation, a cornerstone of real estate transactions.”
Titled “Perfect Strangers,” the latest commercial is part of the association’s stated goal of creating a national movement to change how consumers think of real estate agents and the value they bring to buying and selling. Industry-wide talk since the onset of the verdict has been about “demonstrating value,” something much easier said than done.
The association is working on a licensing structure so “Perfect Strangers” can be used by other groups, staring in January 2025. “This helps other associations achieve a high-quality campaign that resonates with consumers and continues to add value to the Realtor brand,” the association said.
“Only a Realtor was built at a pivotal time for Realtors and continues to serve as a long-term investment in the industry’s future,” said Dionna Hall, CEO of Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors,” in the release. “The commercial’s powerful message emphasizes how Realtors are indispensable in the home buying process, providing their clients a sense of security during one of their largest investments — buying a home.”
The official website of the National Association of Realtors displays an active newsfeed, but little direct consumer-facing education or resources. Its content is centered on the agent.
Cara Ameer is a contributor for Inman and an agent licensed in California and Florida. In a Dec. 10 article, she laments the lack of clarity surrounding the settlement and recognizes that agents don’t really know where to turn for assistance.
“The settlement leaves us with more questions than answers and no clear path ahead. It reminds us of numerous unresolved issues and incredible frustration and resentment by many toward an organization that we don’t have a choice to belong to (for the most part),” Ameer wrote.
“We, as an industry, have been kept in the dark about so much,” Ameer added. “Over the summer, NAR President Kevin Sears relayed that our trade organization had several conversations with the DOJ, and he felt those conversations were productive. We don’t really know the specifics of what was discussed.”
The team at Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors hopes its efforts can shine a light for agents and consumers on the darkness Ameer references.
“Realtors are multi-faceted experts who juggle an array of complex scenarios for their clients while getting them to the closing table and underscores the relationships built along the way,” said David Serle, president of Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors, in the statement.
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