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Each week on The Download, Inman’s Christy Murdock takes a deeper look at the top-read stories of the week to give you what you’ll need to meet Monday head-on. This week: Now that the Texas speech bill is dead, NAR prepares to tackle the topic at its midyear Legislative Meetings.
Since it went into effect in November 2020, Standard of Practice 10-5 has courted controversy while seeking to ensure that members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) put the best possible face on the industry and on their individual businesses.
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While NAR has attempted to explain the specifics of the SOP, many members argue that it violates their right to free speech. Now, following its multimillion-dollar settlement in the commission lawsuit and the onboarding of new counsel, the trade group is showing signs that it’s hedging its bets when it comes to the controversial rule.
NAR considers Code of Ethics changes regarding speech by Jim Dalrymple II
In an appendix to this year’s agenda for its Legislative Meetings, running from May 31 to June 5, a note indicated that NAR has identified part of the Code of Ethics and one of its policy statements as “sources of potential risk” or potential legal liability.
The Code of Ethics rule bars Realtors from using “harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs” based on any number of protected classes, while the policy statement indicates that members of the trade organization can face disciplinary action for violations of the Code of Ethics.
The agenda states that any changes under consideration are meant to add “clarity” and “to reduce risk to state and local associations and their volunteer leadership.” The consideration comes amid the hubbub surrounding a bill in the Texas legislature that was designed to push back against trade groups’ speech rules, with implications for the real estate industry in particular.
That bill, however, died in a House committee on Wednesday following its passage in the Texas Senate.
EXTRA: Texas hate speech bill ‘dead’ as NAR considers ethics code change
As you consult your own moral compass, provide leadership to others and balance personal perspectives with professional obligations, this week, Inman contributors had plenty of food for thought to help you navigate today’s treacherous cultural divides.
Realtors must uphold professional ethics. Discrimination harms us
The real estate industry prides itself on professionalism and ethical conduct. When it comes to LGBTQ+ clients and colleagues, broker Justin Ziegler writes, it’s time to put words into action.
EXTRA: Parents, families and allies of LGBTQ+ kids, it’s time to step
Lead with Fire: Act with confidence, clarity (even if your voice
Confident leadership is woven from truth, not titles. You build it from the inside out, Debra Trappen writes in the latest installment of her Lead with Fire series.
EXTRA: The top 10 characteristics of a great real estate
How this ‘Truman Show’ moment may unravel NAR’s
Tanya Monestier’s appeal to the commission settlement isn’t just a legal challenge, compliance expert Summer Goralik writes. It’s a reality check the industry didn’t see coming.
EXTRA: How has being a buyer’s agent changed in the past year? Pulse
Christy Murdock is a writer, coach and consultant and the owner of Writing Real Estate. Connect with Writing Real Estate on Instagram, and subscribe to the weekly roundup, The Ketchup.
