Realtors Launch Major Ad Campaign

The National Association of Realtors launched a major ad campaign to convince buyers that "It's a Great Time to Buy." Many Realtors are hurting as sales volumes have declined tremendously in the bubble markets. For example, in Los Angeles County, according to DataQuick, sales are down 31 percent compared to September of 2005. In Loudoun County, suburban Washington, DC, the dollar value of property sold has fallen 44% from last September.

"Look for NAR's advertisement during the weekends of November 3-5 and 10-12 in six leading U.S. newspapers: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and Los Angeles Times.

The ad encourages consumers to ignore the negative media coverage on the current housing market and reminds them that the time is right to buy now, for several reasons:

• Interest rates are low
• A good inventory of homes is available
• Prices have stabilized and are starting to rise
• The future of the housing market and the economy is positive
• Housing is a great investment, with average home valuations increasing 88 percent in the last 10 years

The ad closes with a call to action to contact your REALTOR® or visit REALTOR.com.

NAR is publicizing this message to the press through news release, media outreach, and selected television interviews.

In January 2007, NAR will take this message to the airwaves with television and radio commercials."

The National Association of Realtors is interested in thier membership and is not there to give prudent advice to potential homebuyers. Don't be fooled by their soft landing talk! In the bubble markets this will be a hard landing!

Update: Check out this spoof of the Realtors' Ad and also Big Picture's Excellent Analysis of the Ad.