With somber music playing in the background, new National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) President Kevin Sears addressed members for the first time in a short video Jan. 11, lamenting previous President Tracy Kasper’s recent resignation and the Burnett trial outcome, while expressing that there will be brighter days ahead for the 1.6 million-member organization.
“While this title has come earlier than expected, please know that I am ready, willing and able to lead this association as your president,” Sears began in the two-and-a-half-minute video released on NAR’s website. “Like many of you, I am saddened by Tracy Kasper’s resignation. I know I speak for many of you when I say we appreciate her service and years of dedication to the association.”
A 30-year real estate veteran from Springfield, Massachusetts, Sears is the broker/owner of Sears Real Estate, and specializes in single-family brokerage and property management. He has served in numerous leadership positions at the local, state and national association levels, including 16 years as a member of the NAR board of directors and 23 years as a federal political coordinator.
“It’s understandable that you may have questions, and we will do our best to address them,” he continued. “But I think you will agree that our primary focus must be on furthering the business of the association. Which means we are fully engaged on the legal, business and advocacy challenges that are top priority to you and the clients that you serve.
“On the legal front, we recognize the significance of the Missouri class action lawsuit and copycats we are seeing elsewhere. We understand what is at stake for our members, brokerages, associations and most importantly the consumers. Along with our in-house lawyers and outside counsel, the leadership team is focused on executing the best strategy moving forward.
“Throughout all these efforts, we intend to use every opportunity possible to communicate NAR’s pro-consumer, pro-competitive values and mission. Your feedback has been important as we work to do just that. And we thank you for all the ideas and recommendations you’ve provided.”
Shortly thereafter, in a public post on LinkedIn, NextHome Co-Founder and CEO James Dwiggins scoffed at the video, advising Sears and NAR to be more transparent.
“To be clear, my remarks have zero to do with Kevin Sears,” he wrote. “I don’t know him, and he’s just following the structure that has been in place. But this corporate messaging has to stop. The REALTOR® community doesn’t need to hear scripted messaging with music playing in the background, with some politically correct speech reviewed 100 times by their PR team.
“NAR, this is exactly why you are tone deaf and losing the confidence of the entire REALTOR® population. We all want a message from Kevin on his cellphone being recorded by himself speaking directly to the membership. I want to hear how embarrassed he is for the entire community and what his plan is for how he’s going to fix it, starting with real, genuine conversations. We also want to hear from (Interim CEO) Nykia Wright about what she’s doing internally to fix things.
“We’re all adults and understand things are a mess. Stop talking to us like we’re children. This message meant zero to anyone who watched it. Kevin, I am rooting for you to help fix this important organization. Start by ignoring every rule and procedure that’s been put in place for you to follow. Trust your gut, and go with it. I guarantee you the entire REALTOR® community will support you if they see transparency and authenticity. That’s the type of leadership we need right now.”
In a follow-up interview with RISMedia, Dwiggins was more measured, pointing out that NAR is and has been a vital organization for its members in many ways.
“Just be real. Say we’re screwing up, we know it, and I don’t have all the answers, but I’m going to do everything with my power to find them, and if I don’t have anything to report two weeks from now, I’m going to tell you I don’t have anything to report,” he said. “Transparency. Authenticity. It’s basic leadership skills.
“NAR needs to look inward and do a very big, deep dive on what it wants to be. NAR has an incredibly important role in the industry. People who don’t think that are naive to not understand the amount of advocacy work that NAR does. That is an incredibly important part, not only for the real estate community, but for American homeowners and buyers.”
Dwiggins gave as an example NAR’s role in lobbying to allow agents to be employed with 1099 status.
“The work it does to keep that for the industry…if that went away, the industry would not exist, because brokers are not going to employ 1.5 million W2-based agents,” he said. “NAR needs to change, but we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater here. NAR must be very smart about what it needs to do. Morale is at an all-time low, and nobody I know is a big fan of NAR right now. It needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom.
“There’s no logical sense for having so many board members who are mostly volunteers deciding the future of the organization. It needs to be run much more like a business. The largest trade association in the United States needs to start acting like it. NAR needs an outside perspective, not just an inside perspective. Committees need to be run by people who are actually qualified to run them. Just because you’re friends with the president doesn’t mean you get a committee assignment. You get one because your resume shows you are qualified. These are things that NAR needs to do to be a much better organization. The industry will respect them. NAR will have a lot more influence if it moves forward that way. If it tries to hold onto the past, it’s going to have a real struggle.”
Several people commented on Dwiggins’ LinkedIn post. They included James Haber, a New York real estate entrepreneur, who wrote that “the lack of clear leadership has been embarrassing. Even worse is the self-immolation of this once great trade group. We need a strong voice for the real estate industry. Although that voice has been NAR since Teddy Roosevelt was president, nothing lasts forever. If NAR can’t lead, we’ll find someone who will.”
Michael Hickman, CEO of Seven Gables Real Estate, in Tustin, California, wrote that “it’s about time someone had the nerve to say what most of us are thinking. Same old, same old. When will ‘authenticity’ enter the conversation? When will a true professional CEO not report to the president? Long overdue. Conversely, we owe a debt of gratitude to those giving of their valuable time to right the ship.”
And Rajeev Sajja, SVP, digital marketing at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, said the presentation was “boring and hard to watch corporate speak. Be heartfelt and authentic, say how you feel and what needs to change, and talk directly to membership. It’s the most important time for the industry, and we are rooting for you.”
