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How Can I Really Measure the Return on My Dues Investment to the REALTOR® ASSOCIATION IN ARIZONA?
Updated December 2008
This is a fair question and is posed often to staff and officers. Much of what the REALTOR® Association does is quietly carried out and without much fanfare. The return, in many instances, is intangible: friendships gained, leadership training received, education and information obtained. These all contribute to a member’s “bottom line.”
There are some returns that can be measured. The following represents a conservative and partial picture of the monetary effect the activities of the REALTOR® Association have had. These are activities on the state level, which present only a partial picture of the dollar benefit derived when all the local and national activities of the REALTOR® Association are considered.
Several legislative initiatives and “fights” over the years have saved each member, based on a conservative estimate, $5,412 annually. Activities include:
  • initiative to stop a transfer tax on real property transfers
  • negotiations to retain development costs at acceptable levels
  • requiring municipalities to provide water status in rural or non-Active Management Areas of our state
  • continuing to fight to defeat a state sales tax on services
  • continuing efforts to keep regulatory paperwork from growing
  • advocating reasonable water rights disclosure and availability
  • preventing outside organizations from obtaining licensee email addresses from the ADRE
  • clarifications to the Employer Sanction law effecting independent contractors.
  • advocating against proposed unreasonable disclosure requirements outside the REALTORS® expertise requirements and expectations
  • maintaining statewide permission for display of for sale signs in HOAs
  • mandatory licensing of loan originators.
  • defeating onerous water legislation
The Legal Hotline, if used just once in a year, reflects conservative estimated savings of $475. The Association’s standard real estate forms represent estimated savings of $428 per member per year based on the development and production costs if done on a company-by-company basis. Also, the ability to access standard forms in an electronic format (ZipForm) provides an average savings of $99 annually.
SureClose, the leading Transaction Management Platform, is a new cost savings benefit provided by AAR to its members. Usually there is a $2,500 fee per broker associated with set up for the program. AAR has negotiated this down to $500—a savings of $2,000! The vendor also has agreed to charge no per transaction fee (usually $15-25 per file) and include seven years of FREE online file storage (usually $1.50 per file).
There are many other tangible and intangible returns, some of which members must place their own personal value on. There are annual savings based on participation in the many AAR and NAR “group purchase” programs. Quick access to industry information and reduced costs for education/training sessions provided through the REALTOR® Association vs. outside vendors have varying degrees of measurable value based upon level of participation.

Two other areas are often overlooked: the value of volunteer time and the value of the REALTOR® brand name. The hours of combined experience and expertise of REALTORS® across Arizona in developing meaningful programs and services have tremendous value. In 2007, approximately 16,329 volunteer hours were devoted by fellow REALTORS® in:

  • effecting legislation
  • providing standard real estate forms
  • developing education and training
  • training for and implementing due process in Professional Standards/arbitration and mediation
  • formatting legal services
  • representing Arizona real estate interests regionally and nationally
  • investigating potential valued-added services for the workplace
  • conducting the business of the Association
Basically, we are talking about “consulting value.” Placing a “modest value” of $175/hour, the value of the volunteer expertise from which all members benefit is $2,857,575 or $60 per member.
A 2007 study conducted by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® determined that the REALTOR® brand name and national legislative wins result in approx. $4,650 per year per member, of which AAR membership is one-third ($1550).

Each member receives a measured return of $9,788 on their annual (AAR) dues investment of $150.
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