Know Your NAR Marketing Standards

– Crystal Vagnier – Select Group – Writer/Editor

The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Standards of Practice for Advertising isn’t something to be lax on. Article 12-5 and Article 12-9 from the NAR Code of Ethics state that agents must be transparent in disclosing their brokerage associations in all licensure, advertising, and marketing information on all platforms and websites. To violate this ethics code can be costly; a $450 fine.

Agents must list their brokerage affiliation clearly on all web pages, for example, listing the affiliation on the “About” section on Facebook will not make the cut, but adding the association to your Facebook business profile name will.

It is up to the brokers to educate their agents on the proper practices for advertisement, and for new agents to reach out to experienced agents and brokers to receive advice and guidance on NAR’s ethics standards. Ralph Holmen, NAR’s general acting counsel, has commented that the association does not provide detailed guidance on how marketing should be done, but instead relies on the brokers and agents themselves to execute common sense ethical advertising across all platforms. Given that warnings are not issued and fines can be given out for the first offense, it is the agent’s burden to hold one another accountable.