Association-Vendor Relationships: How They Can Help You Bring Your Clients Home  

Real estate licensees rely on a host of services to conduct a successful business. Over the years, NVAR has received countless inquiries from members regarding our relationship with some of those service providers, including multiple listing service, forms vendors, electronic lockbox system vendors and others. We’ll try to “cover all the bases” so that you can “hit the ball out of the park” in 2014! NVAR’s relationships with MRIS, Sentrilock and InstanetForms are  explained.

MRIS: YOUR REGIONAL MLS VENDOR
Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS) is the multiple listing service used in the D.C. metro area and beyond. The MRIS footprint covers parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware, most of Maryland, D.C. and northern and central Virginia. 

“NVAR is one of 27 MRIS shareholders, but MRIS has its own Board of Directors, leadership, financial accounting and bylaws.”

NVAR is one of 27 MRIS shareholders, but MRIS has its own Board of Directors, leadership, financial accounting and bylaws. As such, it functions as an independent company. As a major shareholder, NVAR has some input regarding decisions at MRIS, based on board of directors and committee representation. However, while NVAR does have some influence, we cannot dictate or dominate MRIS policy. 

Our members sometimes think that when they pay dues to NVAR, MRIS membership is included. Membership in MRIS is optional. Our members pay NVAR dues once a year in the fall. Once licensees become a member of MRIS, they pay a quarterly fee directly to MRIS through automatic deduction from a bank account or credit card. Members of local real estate associations receive a  discounted rate from MRIS. 

AUTOMATIC DUES PAYMENT
We are often asked why NVAR does not allow automatic bank or credit card deductions for dues payments. To protect our members’ financial privacy, NVAR chooses not to store your important banking information – a key requirement for facilitating that type of transaction.

SENTRILOCK®: YOUE LOCKBOX VENDOR
Sentrilock® , a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Association of Realtors®, provides electronic lockbox services to a multitude of local associations in the D.C. metro area. NVAR is a member of the Regional Lockbox Consortium (RLC), a group of more than 20 local associations, which analyzes lockbox systems and negotiates product and pricing for RLC members. 

As an RLC member, NVAR has representation on its board of directors and also the negotiating team that analyzes future contracts with lockbox vendors. At NAR’s request, NVAR also is represented on the Sentrilock® Board of Directors. 

As a member of NVAR, you may opt to procure services from Sentrilock®. Your annual payment of $85 is made directly to Sentrilock® and is not included in the dues you pay to NVAR. 

The NVAR Board of Directors has authorized a subsidy of member payments to Sentrilock®. This is why the Sentrilock fee you pay as an NVAR member is so much lower than the fee paid by members of neighboring associations. It is a member benefit.

INSTANTFORMS; YOUR FORMS VENDOR
Instanet® is the vendor that provides electronic forms to NVAR members. NVAR copyrighted forms are free to our members, and our members only. Our agreement with Instanet® also provides NVAR members with Doc Box™ , which is Instanet’s® transaction management system. 

Also Included in the package for our members is Instanet’s® e-signature solution, Authentisign™. The forms, the transaction management solution and Authentisign™ are all provided through NVAR at no cost to members. It is one of the many member benefits provided by NVAR. 

To learn more about these and other valuable benefits, visit nvar.com/benefits.

Maggie Mueller-Tyler is the Chief Operations Officer for NVAR