CAR SURVEY SAYS

By Tyrone Adams CEO of the Colorado Association of REALTORS®

We conduct membership surveys every two years to see if we are getting better than the last time we surveyed the membership, and to make sure we stay relevant for Colorado REALTORS® across our beautiful state. While some members find great value in the advocacy, resources, support, and networking opportunities we provide, others feel we fall short in certain areas.

Your dedicated and passionate leadership and professional staff recognize that our members have varying opinions on the value CAR brings to their businesses. We also recognize these same members have different needs to help make their career more successful, which is a large part of why we exist in the first place.

During our survey in early 2024, it was evident that members were feeling confused, frustrated, and upset about the negative publicity surrounding the REALTOR® brand. While much of the negativity was aimed at NAR, it inevitably led to questioning the value of state and local associations as well. Some of this perception is influenced by misinformation from the media, member and public views, and let’s face it, selfinflicted challenges.

Despite the challenges we were facing, we believed it was crucial to gauge how CAR is performing in delivering relevant benefits and features for Colorado REALTORS®. This feedback is key to measuring our effectiveness, understanding member sentiments towards the association, and identifying areas for improvement.

Here’s a snapshot of what we learned from the survey results: Colorado REALTORS® highly value these programs provided by CAR: Legal tools and resources (72 percent very valuable), advocacy efforts (69 percent), ethics enforcement (67 percent), continuing education classes (63 percent), and market updates (57 percent). Most members feel like the Association is moving in the right direction (67 percent) and have a high level of confidence in the Board of Directors (60 percent). An overwhelming majority take pride in being a REALTOR® (85 percent).

However, there are areas where members feel improvement is needed. Some members believe their community does not have a positive view of REALTORS® (33%), and a quarter feel their professional reputation is not enhanced by their CAR membership. Additionally, there are concerns about a perceived decline in confidence in the Board of Directors and certain services and programs we provide, such as the REALTOR®

Foundation, Project Wildfire, member discounts on services and vendors, and networking events. Low grades in these areas could be due to lack of awareness.

Ok, so what are we going to do with the information? Glad you asked. The next step is to analyze the data to identify key trends and patterns, which will help us better understand member needs, preferences, and concerns. This will also enable us to tailor our benefits and features, develop targeted initiatives, and align the results with the CAR strategic plan to make necessary adjustments.

If you have additional comments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at tadams@ ColoradoREALTORS.com or 303-785-7112.

A heartfelt thank you to all members who participated in the survey. Your feedback is invaluable to shaping the future of CAR and enhancing your real estate career.