Back to Basics at the Virginia Association of Realtors
A year ago, Ben Martin, then director of communications and new media at the Virginia Association of Realtors, was an active blogger, contributor to association trade magazines, a sometime consultant and frequent public speaker. Today, Martin is the vice president of marketing and communications at the association, has given up journalism, cut back on blogging, cut out consulting and is concentrating on what his members need. “I’m so focused on member needs,” he says, “I haven’t really thought about how all this is impacting associations in general.”
“All this” is principally the recession, but also the competition that online communities present to associations and the necessary and, in some cases, long-overdue changes within them. I caught up with Martin at Digital Now in Orlando last week to find out what “all this” has meant to his association.
Q: How is the recession impacting your association?
A: Our membership doubled between the late 1990s and around 2007. We topped at 39,000. Now we’re down 14% from that, 33,500 at latest count. That’s not terrible but it is still a decline. Although it hurts association revenues, this thinning of the flock—here and at other state Realtor associations—is actually beneficial to consumers and our industry. There were a lot of undertrained and “underethical” opportunists getting into the business in the early to mid-2000’s.
Q: These are tough times for Realtors. What are you doing to provide value to them?
A: We’re trying to come up with ways to help members communicate directly with clients. The association is trying to put all the bad news in context and help them communicate to potential buyers the good news about buying now. Interest rates are at historic lows. Home prices are down 30% to 50%. We’re doing a flyer that tells that story and says that, if you can qualify for a loan, now is an excellent time to buy.
We’re also trying to tell the story specific to the Virginia market. The bad news comes from four states predominantly—California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada. That’s where prices have fallen the most, where the most foreclosures are happening and where, not surprisingly, most of the risky loans were made. The Virginia market is pretty stable and buyers need to hear that from someone other than their agent.
Q: In The Competition Within, you had a lot to say about online community and the impact that will have on associations. If you couple that with the recession and what that is forcing associations to do—discontinue unnecessary programs, eliminate outdated processes, cut staff, renegotiate contracts—what will the new association that emerges look like? We can’t expect things to go back to the way they were. Everything will be different, including associations.
A: That is certainly true but I’m so focused on member needs, I haven’t really thought about how all this is impacting associations in general. I do think that the more tech-savvy associations will emerge from this stronger, just as I think the more tech-savvy of my members will emerge from it stronger.
The VAR also introduced the Member Outreach program that allows members to invite two association staffers to visit brokerages or local meetings. A list of almost 20 possible topics covers subjects specific to the association, legislative issues, and ways to better manage a real estate office but also covers the future of the industry and social media. The service is free. This is another example of best practices that keep an association close to its members’ needs in good times and bad.
