In what may be its most daring poll since it asked Realtors to grade each other's honesty, REALTOR Magazine is asking members whether inter-company cooperation - perhaps the core reason that the National Association of
Realtors exists at all - is "dead or alive."
REALTOR Magazine editor Stacey Moncrieff and editorial director Pamela Geurds
Kabati posted the question on the publication's Web site, www.realtormag.com, and promoted the survey in the June print edition.
The survey question is blunt:
"Do you believe the cooperation between residential brokerages in your market is good?"
People answering the poll are given three options:
- "No, but when the market cools brokers will work together again to take
advantage of every opportunity."
- "No, sales are more confrontational today and I believe the trend will
continue."
- "Yes, sales are just as cooperative today as they were five years ago."
Surprisingly, as of the weekend it appeared the poll was being widely ignored, with fewer than 30 of the nation's 730,000 Realtors submitting an answer.
Among the comparative handful who did check a box, however, it appeared that the theory of cooperation was taking a beating.
Fewer than half of respondents said cooperation was as strong a force as it was five years ago. The majority suggested that either the hot market had put a damper on cooperation or that confrontational tactics were undermining
cooperation.
Writing in REALTOR Magazine, Moncrieff and Kabati said the question was triggered by a recent phone call complaining about a deal shattered by an unwillingness to cooperate.
"At least since the advent of the MLS books, hasn't cooperation been the bedrock of residential real estate?" they wrote. "Is competition getting so fierce that it's becoming difficult for practitioners from different companies to cooperate?"
On the Web site the journalists are even more strident.
"Some brokers and salespeople say factors such as consolidation, the 'Internet economy,' and the rise of buyer brokerage are combining to hinder cooperation and make real estate sales more confrontational," they wrote. "Other practitioners say cooperation is alive and well."
The survey is accompanied by a disclaimer that its results should not be taken as the position of the NAR. Members may vote on the issue until June 16 by going to: http://www.realtormag.com/tronpoll.nsf/poll?openform
Three years ago the forerunner of REALTOR Magazine, Today's Realtor, asked members if they felt other Realtors were honest and ethical. Although the results were not statistically valid, more than 50 percent of respondents said their counterparts were not honest and ethical.
Published: June 5, 2000
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