Did you know that HAR has not raised its dues in three years? And at the same time, HAR has vastly increased the number of services and tools that it provides to you at no additional cost. During the same period inflation has increased by more than 10 percent, but HAR believes in being a good steward of your money and manages it for the greatest benefit to the membership. 

After being on the board of directors for the last five years, I have seen first hand all of the benefits that HAR provides to its members—most at no additional charge or fee. I am not sure the entire membership is aware of those benefits though so I wanted to make sure you know what you are getting for your money.

Obviously, the first place to start is HAR.com. We have the best real estate Web site in the country, and we are able to maintain its quality and security by having timely payment of HAR dues each year. HAR.com is the only local Web site to regularly rank among the top 25 most frequently visited real estate sites in the country. We are also averaging almost one billion (yes, billion with a B) hits every month from more than 900,000 unique visitors each month. And your listings are there. We also partner with Google, Chron.com, Realtor.com and others to maximize the exposure of your listings.

We promote the Web site—and your listings—with print ads in the Houston Chronicle, Houston Business Journal, Galveston County Daily News and other publications. We have nine billboards throughout the greater Houston area, including one in Spanish and one in Vietnamese. We also have a year-round TV commercial campaign promoting the value and encouraging the use of Realtors®.  Each advertisement ends with the same “Ask Your Realtor” tagline. Spanish language radio ads round out the ways that we promote the site.

And this isn’t just about HAR.com. You also receive a free Realtor® Web site just for being a member. More than 17,000 of you have taken advantage of this amazing resource, just as more than 1,100 brokers have taken advantage of the free office Web sites.

School Finder, High Rise Finder, Golf Course Finder, LeadConnect, LeadCall, Appointment Manager, Open House Manager, text messaging notification of leads, MCE courses, new Web site infrastructure, representation at all levels of government to protect the industry and private property owners, the Houston Realtor magazine, innovative Microsoft Virtual Earth mapping— all included in your annual dues to HAR.

We have also made it easier than ever to pay your dues. Just go to www.har.com/dues to pay with any major credit card or Telecheck. It won’t even cost you the price of a stamp. See…that is another example of how we are saving you money!