Drive With NAR

The existing housing stock isn’t built to meet increasing consumer demand for greener living. So, if your buyers want a high-performance home, they’ll likely need to retrofit a property with energy-efficient features. That may sound like an expensive process, but there are financing options to help your customers reach their goals. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two sustainable housing experts about the green financing avenues every agent should know. This episode is sponsored by the Center for REALTOR® Development.

Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely experience. You are solely responsible for everything that happens with your business, and that kind of pressure can feel heavy at times. Real estate professionals, who are small business owners, need a safe space to express themselves and find camaraderie around common challenges and goals. Taking care of your mental wellness is part of practicing safety. Host Tracey Hawkins speaks with two experts who are creating these spaces for real estate professionals.

Not everyone understands or recognizes the vital role that diversity, equity and inclusion plays in real estate. Some even see the DEI movement overall as unfairly hostile toward people who are perceived to be privileged. This is a misguided notion—but one that real estate pros must confront in their quest to support a freer, fairer real estate market. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two real estate pros who are part of underrepresented groups and fight every day against biases and stereotypes.

When you’re explain to clients and prospects what you do and why your services are worth it, don’t leave safety out of the conversation. You can use your knowledge of how to protect customers, properties and transactions from physical and cyber harm as a point of differentiation and value. Help buyers and sellers understand why they’re safer in the hands of a well-trained real estate professional, and they could become clients for life. Host Tracey Hawkins talks to two practitioners who have different ways of infusing safety best practices into client consultations.

Real estate professionals consider their business plan their Bible, especially at the start of a new year. But chances are good that potential curveballs in the housing market may throw you off your goals as the year progresses. What’s important is how you respond and adjust your plan of action in these challenging moments. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two practitioners who have advice for what to do when you realize you need to make changes to your business plan in order to stay on track.

Many real estate professionals strive to be authentic on social media, but where is the line in the sand? What you say about your clients, your listings and yourself could reveal valuable information to bad actors who may be looking online for an easy target. Host Tracey Hawkins speaks with two social media superstars in the real estate profession about the online boundaries they set to protect themselves and their clients' privacy. One of them says she knows of a sale contract that was canceled over a social media post.

Many real estate agents who are frustrated with their business amid a stalled housing market may be thinking it’s time for a change. They might be tempted to seek greener pastures at another brokerage where they think their growth will be better supported. Recorded at NAR NXT, The REALTOR® Experience, in Anaheim, Calif., host Marki Lemons Ryhal invites three brokers onstage in front of a live audience to discuss what they're doing to strengthen agent retention and keep talent from giving up in difficult moments and walking out the door. Their strategies include making sales meetings a can’t-miss event, boosting education and training programs and underscoring a close-knit company culture.

The real estate market is changing on a daily basis, and the housing data you’re looking at today may not be relevant tomorrow. So, how do you know which statistics to pay attention to, and how reliable can they be? Host Marki Lemons Ryhal goes behind the numbers with real estate pros Barb Betts and Mark T. Donnelly, both of whom have developed specific strategies around applying industry research to their business and sharing actionable data with their customers. They say the best data you can find lies within a tool you likely use every day.

When real estate professionals develop a comfortable work routine, it's easy to fall into patterns of practice that potentially could put you at greater risk. An agent with more than 20 years of experience and one who's been in the business just under a year talk about their impressions of safety in the industry.

Real estate professionals can honor military veterans by getting educated about how VA financing works. This knowledge will help agents bust pervasive myths that sometimes put military home buyers at a disadvantage in the transaction. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal discusses serving those who serve with two military experts who teach NAR’s Military Relocation Professional certification. Hear why they say military clients may require extra support in the homebuying process. 

Even if your personal data, like passwords, credit card numbers or transaction details, are in the hands of cybercriminals, there are steps you can take to minimize the potential damage. Of course, it would be more advantageous for real estate professionals to make a habit of following these best practices before their data is at risk. Host Tracey Hawkins speaks with IT expert Burton Kelso and Marki Lemons Ryhal, host of sister podcast “Drive With NAR: The REALTOR® to REALTOR® Series,” who tells an alarming story about what happened once when she posted her location on social media.

The National Association of REALTORS® is at trial defending the American MLS model, which is being challenged in two class-action antitrust lawsuits. The first case in Kansas City, Mo., known as Sitzer/Burnett, is happening now. And the outcome could have a lasting impact on the way real estate transactions operate. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks to NAR Chief Legal Officer Katie Johnson to help you get the details you need to know about this important moment for the real estate industry. Get updates on the trial, as well as information on actions you can take to support NAR’s position, at competition.realtor.

The cyberattack on MLS vendor Rapattoni, which took down 23 MLSs nationwide for weeks in August, has left real estate agents and brokers wondering how they can prepare for the next time something like this happens. (After all, hackers are virtually guaranteed to target MLSs again in the future.) Podcast host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two members of NAR’s MLS Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board, who delve into the issue and offer cybersecurity action items real estate pros can take now.

“There is no such thing as privacy.”

That’s a warning from national real estate safety trainer and educator Tracey Hawkins when it comes to how practitioners operate online. All the tools real estate agents and brokers use on a daily basis—even Google—are capturing their personal data and that of their clients, Hawkins says. And new real estate technology enhancements, like artificial intelligence, are helping cybercriminals find new ways to infiltrate private data.
Hawkins joins host Marki Lemons Ryhal to talk about how real estate agents and brokers can plug the security holes in their business while exploring new innovations in the industry. Nashville, Tenn., broker Brian Copeland joins the conversation to talk about where agents need the most cybersecurity training and how that affects a company’s brand.

Though real estate agents are independent contractors, brokers are wise to offer safety training and other resources to help agents protect themselves on the job—partially to avoid possible liability. Brokers who have built safety programs for REALTORS® at their companies discuss how they did it and how it’s helping.

Real estate technology developers aim to solve pain points in the transaction. But unless they have intimate knowledge of how the real estate business works, how do these developers know whether their products are making a difference for you? That's where real estate pros come in. You can work with developers to offer insights into how their solutions are working in the market and what they can do to bring more value to agents and their clients. Join host Marki Lemons Ryhal as she discusses technology with two pros who are exploring the future of real estate.

When Jenean Watson was searching for an avenue to give back to her community, she tapped her local REALTOR® association in Sacramento, Calif., for ideas. That opened doors leading to the creation of a homebuyer expo, which now educates hundreds of underserved would-be owners. Watson joins 2020 Good Neighbor Linda Brown—who builds tiny home villages for people experiencing homelessness—and host Marki Lemons Ryhal to discuss how to build a plan of action for your philanthropic passion. Remember, the REALTORS® Are Good Neighbors campaign has a well of suggestions for community service projects to get you started. Pros looking to expand their current charitable efforts can learn about support from the Good Neighbor Awards and Volunteering Works programs.

Many of your clients want to upgrade their home or commercial space to be more energy efficient. But the question is: What do they need to invest in to achieve that goal? Should they replace all their windows? Purchase all-new Energy Star appliances? Install a new HVAC system?

Location is a determining factor when deciding which green upgrades will earn the greatest return on investment. But there isn’t universal agreement. For example, while 36% of REALTORS® say solar panels increase the perceived value of a property, 30% say they have no effect, according to NAR’s 2023 REALTORS® and Sustainability Report. So, how should you advise clients who are considering energy efficient property updates?

Two REALTORS® who work in the sustainability space in their markets share insights into how they help clients with their energy goals.