South Carolina real estate brokerage drops Realtor affiliation 

The largest brokerage in the Columbia, S.C., metro area has dropped its Realtor association membership, saying too many of its agents balked at paying $431 in annual dues in December 2010.

Russell & Jeffcoat Real Estate Inc.'s roughly 450 agents still have access to the multiple listing service (MLS) in their market, Consolidated MLS, which is independently operated by brokers and not Realtor-affiliated.

But Russell & Jeffcoat agents can no longer call themselves "Realtors" -- a term trademarked by the National Association of Realtors -- or take advantage of Realtor association member benefits like education and standardized forms and contracts.

The brokerage, formerly known as Russell & Jeffcoat Realtors, this month stripped "Realtor" from its name, substituting the more generic "Real Estate." Visitors to the company's website are now invited to "find an agent" rather than a Realtor.

more...

To view this premium content sign in to your Premium Member account.

Premium Members have full access to all news archives & premium content.

Purchase Professional Membership for $199/year OR
Premium+ Membership for $149/year OR
News Membership for $69/year

Buy Now

Advertise with Inman

All rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.