Massnear Dues Online

Benefits of REALTOR® Membership
Local, State, and National
via The Northeast Association of REALTORS®
We’re NEAR. We’re here…for you!

Size and strength

Education


•	Professional Organization — The REALTOR® organization is the largest trade association in the U.S., providing political representation, lobbying, and public education on issues affecting future business and homeownership. The REALTORS® Political Action Committee — RPAC — is the largest PAC in the U.S.

•	Large geographic membership coverage — NEAR officially cover 15 cities and towns but has members from 56 cities and towns, providing great networking and referral opportunities for members from Haverhill to Pepperell to Boston.

•	Member discounts on products and services through NAR, MAR, and NEAR — Affiliate members and alliance programs — national, state, and local — provide members with discounts on products and services such as computers, office supplies, errors & ommission (E&O) insurance, local newspaper advertising, and more!

•	National image campaign — NAR’s primetime television advertising campaign promoting the benefits of using a REALTOR® are supplemented by radio advertising from MAR, and ads in local print media.


•	Locally-provided, high-quality training — The NEAR Education Committee offers peer-chosen education providers and programs, including continuing education to maintain your MA and NH real estate licenses, as well as designation courses such as GRI (Graduate REALTOR® Institute).

•	Volunteer & elected leadership — Leadership training opportunities are available to members appointed or elected to a leadership role. Training is provided to volunteer leaders, ensuring a diverse, vibrant, fiscally responsible, and relevant association for members.

•	New Member Orientation — New REALTOR® Education taught by veteran REALTORS® providing “everything they didn’t tell you in license school.”

•	Education partnership locally — NEAR participates in the Northern Region REALTOR® Partnership with the Eastern Middlesex and North Shore associations of REALTORS® to hold MAR’s GRI (Graduate REALTOR® Institute) designation courses in the region for the convenience of members.

Networking

Resources


•	Networking with fellow members — A wide variety of networking opportunities are available to help members generate business and create referrals and smoother transactions. Examples of networking events include local membership meetings and social events, state education events and conventions, and national conventions and trade shows.

•	Member rosters Members have access to national, state, and local online member records with contact information to enhance networking and referrals.

•	Awards Event Recognition for a variety of achievements is provided annually at the NEAR Recognition Gala. Awards are publicized by area daily newspapers for the general public and promoted widely among members for peer acknowledgement.

Political Advocacy & Community Involvement


•	National and state legislative issues — The National Association of REALTORS® and the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® have strong teams to gather information and lobby on current and proposed legislation at the federal and state levels. These efforts include advocacy for private property rights and a REALTOR®’s ability to successfully conduct business, and are funded via dues and contributions to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee.

•	Civic and charitable activities — The REALTOR® association at all three levels provides members with opportunities to participate in and donate to community service and charitable activities, which demonstrate REALTORS® giving back to their communities.

What is the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) & Why Should I Contribute?

RPAC is a grassroots network of REALTORS® who raise campaign contributions for pro-REALTOR® candidates, mobilize REALTOR® voters and promote critical legislative and regulatory issues affecting the real estate industry and the support of homeownership. RPAC's money comes from voluntary contributions from members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Recent legislative and regulatory successes include:

The continued preservation of the mortgage interest deduction;
Keeping federally chartered banks out of real estate brokerage;
Tax relief benefiting the real estate industry; and,
Improving federal mortgage programs, allowing more families to join the ranks of homeownership.

Please note that 100 % of your contribution is used to elect pro-REALTOR® candidates — 70 % remains in Massachuetts to be used in state and local elections and 30 % goes to the National RPAC to fund key U.S. House and Senate races.


•	Partnership with MLS-PIN — NEAR serves as the local member problem-solver and provides convenient service for members’ MLS-PIN needs.

•	NEAR Affiliate member products and services — NEAR REALTORS® have access to a wide variety of products and services via NEAR Affiliate members as well as networking opportunities to get to know these valuable business partners. Affiliate member firms include lenders, attorneys, newspapers, computer specialists, insurance providers, area Chambers of Commerce, and many more! Affiliate firms are encouraged to provide discounts and free seminars for NEAR members.

•	Full-time, Professional Staff NEAR’s friendly, helpful staff is available to answer member questions and provide resources, products, publications, and legal forms, which aid in business development, productivity, and risk management. NEAR’s staff serves as a conduit for members to MAR and NAR services. Staff supports volunteer REALTOR® leaders at all three levels — local, state, and national.

•	NAR Research on housing issues & economic trends — The National Association of REALTORS® conducts extensive and sophisticated research for members on key business trends and opportunities. Examples of current research available include the Future of Real Estate Brokerage, the Relocation Report, Annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, Dollars and Sense to Buying Condominiums, and many more!

•	MAR Legal Hotline — The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® provides the extremely popular “Legal Hotline” whereby MAR Staff Attorneys provide legal information and analysis to member firms. This toll-free service is available to member office principals Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

•	Consumer brochures — The National Association of REALTORS® and the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® produce a wide variety of brochures to educate consumers on important topics such as: Why Choose a REALTOR®, Fair Housing, Mold, the Pro’s and Con’s of Specialty Mortgages, Title V, Landlord Rights & Responsibilities, and many others. Many of these brochures are also available in the NEAR REALTOR® Store.

•	Members-only real estate library — The National Association of REALTORS® has the largest real estate library in the world and has been working to put as much of it as possible onto the members’ website: Realtor.org. Additionally, NAR will do quick reference research at no cost, and will loan books, magazine, and longer articles to members for a nominal fee.

•	NEAR REALTOR® Store — Marketing tools readily available at the NEAR REALTOR® Store such as sign riders, standard forms, closing gifts, lockboxes, listing folders, maps of area cities and towns, marketing brochures, pins, decals, office supplies, and more!

•	Periodical publications — NEAR’s newsletter, The Nor’easter, which is published 11 times per year, features events, happenings, member recognition and “gossip.” NAR’s monthly REALTOR® Magazine provides cutting-edge information to build business acumen and enhance profitability. MAR’s Baystate REALTOR® Magazine, published six times per year, offers legal updates, announcements, and business enhancing ideas.

•	Broadcast emails — Timely information — such as safety alerts, legislative calls to action, and member news — is received quickly by members.

•	Realtor.com — NAR’s consumer real estate website is the tenth busiest website in the U.S., which is instrumental in keeping REALTORS® as the first point of contact with consumers in a real estate transaction.

•	Members only websites at NAR, MAR, NEAR Realtor.org — NAR’s member website includes features such as real estate research reports, marketing tools and strategies, federal legislative and regulatory information, information on law and ethics, and much more! MArealtor.com — MAR’s member website offers features such as legal and regulatory information on real estate in Massachusetts, government affairs information, MAR’s calendar of events including education and professional designation programs and on-line registration, statewide and regional sales statistics and research reports, and much more! MassNEAR.com — NEAR’s member website provides features such as local sales statistics, many links to useful real estate sites, directories of members and Affiliate member products and services, information on events and programs, online registration for Continuing Education, and much more!

•	Weekly Broker Tour — NEAR provides members the opportunity to participate in a structured and timed weekly REALTOR® “Caravan” in participating towns. Participants gain knowledge of the inventory, and listing agents obtain exposure of their property to many agents.