Many often minimize or even diminish the work of a REALTOR®. The media, for example, has questioned the relevance of a REALTOR® in the search and sale of homes. They question our integrity and our capacity to do right by the consumer. Really?

I almost chuckle when I think of those types of misconceptions, especially when REALTOR® join together in so many ways as the strong Association and lobbying organization we are on behalf of homeownership and private property rights.

The Broker Involvement Program that is mentioned in the feature on page 14 and Insider on page 24 is one of those ways. Massachusetts was an early adopter and beta test site of the NAR program that heightens the effectiveness of Calls for Action by sending emails to agents through their brokers asking them to take part in a Call for Action on important industry-related regulations and legislations. Brokers can sign up for this program through the NAR REALTOR® Action Center, and the rest is automated. Our numbers are high for the brokers who have signed up, but my hope is that every single broker office will register to be part of the essential program that allows us to collectively fight for homeowner rights.

Another way we make our voice strong as consumer advocates is through our REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill. Plan to attend this important event on Beacon Hill, June 4th. It is a great opportunity for us to share our views on the real estate industry with our legislators and let them know we are working on behalf of property owners year-round. For those who can make the trip to Washington, DC in mid-May for the NAR Midyear meetings, we will have an extraordinary opportunity to participate in a special REALTOR® Rally on Capitol Hill. This will be a chance of a lifetime for REALTOR® to stand together in the thousands and let the country see our passion and commitment to homeowners nationwide.

We are concerned about homeowner rights, their oppor-tunities to purchase a home and possibly sell it, even under dire circumstances such as a short sale. We have supported and fought for issues that have changed the industry for the better and will continue to support and fight each day so that our industry will remain strong and so consumers can achieve the American Dream. They need us. They need a REALTOR®.