NCAR Loses 857 Members in February

Enrollment in the North Carolina Association of Realtors (NCAR) took another dive in February 2009, shedding 857 members, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina all added members in January 2009. The NCAR membership roll of 37,758 as of 2/28/2009, is the lowest since June 2006. This is 2.22% below the January enrollment of 38,615 and 10.04% below the 2/29/2008 enrollment of 41,970 making for a 12 month loss of 4,212 members. Membership in NCAR peaked in November 2007 at 43,569 and the current roll of 37,758 represents a loss of 5,811 members or a 13.34% decline since then.

Gimme Gimme Gimme

In a letter last month to the Raleigh News & Observer, Julie Woodson of the NC Association of Realtors comes with Lexus cupholder in hand for a government handout of $15,000 per home sale which, by strange coincidence, is also the amount of a 6.0% commission on an average home price of $250,000.

NC Realtors have spent millions to stop a 0.4% transfer tax which would help local governments deal with growth by providing communities with services that add real value to real property, not the Ponzi style value of the housing bubble that got us into this economic mess.

It takes some nerve to ask for 15 times more than you’re willing to concede. If NC Realtors want government assistance and for "all parties to work together" they might stop wasting their members’ money attacking government in the first place.