Annual conferences hosted by the National Association of Realtors are "must" events for anyone in the industry and the meeting which just ended in Chicago was no exception. Some 23,000 NAR members attended the sessions and exposition, a great reason to network, learn and gossip.

What you didn't see were as many booths as in the past. Not so many web sites, technologists, or software programs were represented. The aisles seemed wider.

I suspect this was a very good event for exhibitors. With so many competitors dropping out, those who remained had the crowd for themselves -- and it was a very big crowd.

I spoke late Friday afternoon. The subject was how brokers and salespeople could generate profits from the Internet, a matter which ought to interest more than a few attendees because, as NAR points out, most brokers are not getting their share.

While NAR's 2001 member study shows that those who use e-mail generate $16,200 more than those who do not, the study also shows something else: only 3 percent of all members earn more than half their income online. Indeed, 29 percent get nothing from the Internet -- zero.

So what is it that the top 3 percent are doing? Nothing difficult or complex. Several members of the audience who have had success online described their Internet programs and the messages that came through were these: Answer your e-mail several times a day. Make your site simple and user-friendly. Keep the site fresh with new content. Have helpful information about schools, amusements, and events. Forget online forms and let people contact you by e-mail.

One member of the online elite raised an interesting question: What do you do when you receive an e-mail broadly asking about property in your community -- an e-mail also sent to 50 other local licensees?

One school of thought is to ignore the missive. It's not specific, so why bother when the same message was sent to so many competitors?

But another view goes like this: Most people who get the consumer's e-mail won't answer or won't answer in a timely manner. So the better choice is to respond promptly and re-direct the inquiry.

Hi --

Thank you so much for your note. There's so much to discuss that it's hard to know how best to respond to your question. Before answering, I'd like to know more about your housing needs (three bedrooms, five, or something else), your budget (a little down or a lot, a 15-year loan or a 30-year mortgage, ARM or fixed-rate), and your personal preferences -- two-story or ranch, condo or fee-simple, detached or townhouse?

The list goes on but you get the idea: We really need to sit down and talk. Let's set up an appointment so we can look at the options which might be available to you at this time....

Markets & Airports

The three hottest questions at the convention were:

• How's your market?

• How was the airport?

• What's the best thing on the exhibit floor?

The general consensus seemed to be that local sales have slowed in terms of unit sales, but the concern is that we are at the cusp of a marketplace change and that things could get worse, especially in selected local markets. Rising unemployment is a concern while falling interest rates are seen as a timely bit of luck.

Huge numbers of people flew to the convention and my informal poll showed that many ran into airport security snags, often two hours or so waiting in terminals or on tarmacs. That said, such waits were accepted, a fact of life after September 11th.

As to the best thing at the show, the winner had to be the Chrysler Atlantic. Looking somewhat like a cross between the Batmobile and an old Riviera, the car was just wonderful to behold in person.

Realtors Housing Relief Fund

There was one thing you didn't see at the convention: There was no photo op with NAR presenting a huge check to a family impacted by the September 11th terrorist attacks.

NAR has been circumspect about its relief effort, but it's something which should be recognized for the clear benefit the program is bringing to so many families.

As of yesterday the Realtors Housing Relief Fund had raised more than $7.7 million -- including $1 million from NAR directly. Of the total amount, more than $5.2 million has already gone to assist nearly 800 families. Every cent collected goes to help victim families and no money is held back for administrative costs or other expenses.

Under the program, victim families who have lost a breadwinner can contact the Fund either by phone (800-874-6500) or on the Fund's website. Once accepted, the Fund will then assist with mortgage payments in the form of checks delivered by local Realtors.

The idea, says NAR spokesman Steve Cook, "is to assure that no family will lose its home."

There's a decency to this effort which should not go unnoticed. NAR is still accepting funds, so be sure to visit the website.

For more articles by Peter G. Miller, please press here.

Published: November 8, 2001

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Peter G. Miller, also known as OurBroker®, is the author of six real estate books -- including The Common-Sense Mortgage -- and is the original creator and host of America Online's Real Estate Center. Peter's weekly columns appear in more than 100 newspapers nationwide, he is also published in a variety of other media outlets and he is a frequent speaker at national events and conventions. Peter welcomes your questions, comments, and news releases via e-mail at .