Letters to the Editor

Re: 'NAR crosses swords with DOJ over real estate site' (Oct. 23)

Dear Editor:

The biggest problem with the NAR, of which I am a member, is the fact that it is a business that is fueled primarily by the big franchises whose interests the NAR always seems to prioritize.

If you want to talk about monopolies, let's look at the NAR. Where's the competition there?

I run a small company, and we offer discounts to consumers because that is what this marketplace dictates. Being able to change my business model, to offer discounts and to do what I need to do to retain my business in a tough real estate economy while still maintaining standards and ethics, is free trade -- the American way.

It is the NAR that is my problem. They don't represent me or my business model at this time; they don't even acknowledge the problems of SMALL agency owners. Yet, I am a member because though their marketing and lobby they have established themselves as the standard for all that is good in real estate. I value my membership for the goodwill it represents to the public, but certainly not for how it has protected my interests.

If the NAR were truly fair, they would protect the interests of all members, despite their commission structure, as long as that company maintained the standards of service and ethics for which the National Associations of Realtors has come to be known.

As a great irony, the NAR strongly insists upon compliance with the components of the Sherman Antitrust Act; maybe they need to review a copy themselves.

Helen Hodgdon
You Decide Realty
Merrimac, Mass.

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