TV, Radio Ads Urge Consumers to Call a REALTOR®

The $40 million campaign kicks off on Jan. 15 and explains how REALTORS® can help buyers and sellers navigate today's real estate market.
REALTOR® Magazine Online
A new $40 million television and radio campaign that explains the opportunities, challenges, and advantages of buying and selling a home in today’s market will kick off on Jan. 15.

The commercials are the latest installment in the association's long-running Public Awareness Campaign. They stress that all real estate markets are local, and urge consumers who are thinking about buying or selling to contact a REALTOR® to learn about the conditions in their community.

“Many media reports about trends and developments in the housing market are on a national level and don’t capture what’s happening in individual communities across the country,” NAR President Pat Vredevoogd Combs said at a press conference on Tuesday. “As local real estate market conditions continue to evolve, savvy consumers rely on the guidance of real estate professionals who are immersed in the industry.”

When Experience Matters

The new advertising initiative, “Every market’s different, call a REALTOR® today,” explains the value of REALTORS®’ experience and insight into their local markets.

With a national median appreciation rate of more than 50 percent over the past six years, followed by a slowdown in sales in some markets, buyers may be worried about the timing of their investment. With more homes on the market, however, many buyers have increased negotiating power. A REALTOR® can help them structure the best deal.

On the flip side, sellers need help positioning their home in a competitive marketplace and in attracting and engaging serious buyers.

“Home ownership is a safe, secure way to build long-term wealth,” Combs said. “Buyers and sellers have different concerns as their local markets change, but our REALTOR® members handle hundreds, if not thousands, of real estate transactions over the course of their careers and can counsel and guide consumers through the process.”

Expands on Print Media Campaign

The television and radio ads that will begin running on Jan. 15 and Jan. 29, respectively, expand on a print media campaign that NAR launched in October 2006. That campaign was titled: “It’s a Great Time to Buy or Sell a Home.”

Now in its 10th year, the NAR Public Awareness Campaign has helped millions of consumers realize the value of using a REALTOR® to help them buy or sell real estate. And according to annual tracking research, the commercials are making a big impact. The percentage of consumers surveyed who are more likely to hire a REALTOR® than a real estate agent who is not a REALTOR® has risen from 51 percent in 1999 (the first year of the survey) to 64 percent in 2006.

The 2007 campaign includes two themes:

    • “Good Time to Buy” highlights favorable conditions for home buyers and
      explains how a REALTOR® can help buyers make smart decisions in their local
      marketplace.

    • “Know How to Sell” explains how REALTORS® can help sellers position their
      homes in a competitive marketplace to attract and engage serious buyers.

Ads Run Through November

This year marks the most extensive outreach effort since the Public Awareness Campaign began. Ads will be broadcast nationwide from January through November and will air more than 8,750 times on national TV and radio outlets and more than 25,000 times on local radio stations through a national buy.

Print, billboard, bus shelter, and poster ads are available to local and state associations to use in their own outreach efforts, and REALTORS® can download Web banners for their own Web sites.

“In some parts of the country, it may be the best time to buy a home since 2001,” Combs said. “But real estate is cyclical. Home buyers should act before their window of opportunity closes, and sellers need to think about how to prepare and market their home effectively.”