A common question from NAR members is: What is the association doing to ensure REALTORS® remain competitive with industry disruptors? We asked National Association of REALTORS® President Charlie Oppler, who offered a different way of framing the query. “When we talk about people trying to disrupt the business, they’re trying to reach the consumer in a different way that maybe I can learn from,” Oppler tells NAR Chief Storyteller Janelle Brevard in the second installment of a quarterly presidential chat video series. “We’ve always talked about Zillow as a disruptor. I look at Zillow as a company that’s in our business, so what can I learn from them?”

In the video, Oppler also addresses other important happenings in the REALTOR® world:

• The Department of Justice’s reversal on the settlement with NAR: “We were shocked at their actions. … We are confident in what we do—that we’ve always promoted a pro-competitive landscape.”
• Solving the affordability crisis: “We’re working to look at solutions, including repurposing commercial properties that are vacant or office buildings that won’t have the same use in the future.”
• Minority homeownership and how NAR’s mentorship program, NAR Spire, will help: “We know that we’ve got to do more education of our members so that they can better serve minority [customers].”

In case you missed it, go back and check out the first installment of Oppler’s presidential chat series, in which he recounts how far the real estate industry has come during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. And to stay on top of industry news and insights, subscribe to REALTOR® Magazine’s Daily News e-newsletter.