Dear CAR member,
Last week, I promised to keep you as informed as possible about the crises at the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.
First, with respect to the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS®, as many of you know, GSDAR has, in recent weeks, been roiled by the departure of their CEO following allegations of wrongdoing, as well as a lawsuit by former employees.
I issued a statement on this matter a couple of weeks ago, which you can find on C.A.R.’s website here. As I mentioned in my statement, we have been exploring all possible avenues of action that fall within our purview. I want you to know that while we have limits to what we at C.A.R. can do, we are aggressively pursuing all available options. We have been engaged in discussions with GSDAR and been promised cooperation. We had hoped to have a separate independent investigation, but there are limits given the active litigation on this matter.
We sincerely hope GSDAR will take concrete actions that address the many issues facing that Association and our shared members. The trust of our members and our integrity is at risk if we don’t all address these matters immediately and efficiently. We invite anyone who has information on this matter to please email GSDARinput@car.org. Please note, we may not be able to keep these messages confidential due to the legal proceedings.
Next, with respect to NAR, it is completely understandable that members are extremely upset by the allegations of serious wrongdoing, as they should be. There are many of us who are calling for strong accountability. I’m also extremely upset by what has been going on and what we’ve been learning in the past several days.
As I said in my initial statement regarding this matter, we all are looking forward to the steps NAR will take to heal our community and make our profession safer and more equitable. I have also told many of you that I am committed to being as transparent as possible and keeping you informed as all of this unfolds.
Thus far, NAR has held Executive Committee briefings of which I have been a part of, and I want to let you know that there is much going on at NAR in terms of actions and consequences. I also want to say there are many good people at NAR – staff and members – who are dedicated to their jobs and positions.
During this watershed moment, let us give these individuals a chance to fix these devastatingly difficult problems, problems that occurred over years and that can’t be fixed overnight. NAR’s Executive Committee knows their organization must rebuild the trust it has lost, and they understand how important – and urgent – it is to take the necessary steps to create a more safe, respectful and fair work environment and culture.
So, let’s acknowledge the reality that meaningful change doesn’t happen quickly, much as we all would like it to, and that we need to give our national association a chance to demonstrate the depth of their commitment to making significant change by seeing what changes they are going to be making in the days and weeks ahead.
When I first became involved at NAR 13 years ago, I did so against the advice of my aunt who’s been a REALTOR® for 45-plus years. She told me the organization was too big and that I wouldn’t be able to make a difference. But I believed differently then, and I still believe differently now. I believe we – collectively – can make a difference, and I know for a fact that there are so many of you who believe the same thing.
That’s why we’re involved with organized real estate, and that’s why I remain so deeply involved in making sure our industry, our associations, and our profession will not only survive these challenging moments but also rise above them.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Branchini
2023 C.A.R. President