While Americans dined on turkey day, a conference in Sydney, Australia, discussed forming a political party of and for real estate agents.
The Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW), a real estate association based in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), gathered on Nov. 27 in Sydney, the state’s capital, for their second annual Industry Summit where real estate leaders declared their desire for a political party dedicated to agents’ needs.
Right now the real estate sector lacks support from the NSW government, which imposes standards on agents that REINSW President Malcolm Gunning said should be lifted.
He added agents have been “lumped in with tattoo parlors, brothels and car yards” in regulations and standards.
The association plans to create their own “political force” in time for elections in 2015 with the ultimate goal to elect a member into the upper house of the NSW parliament.
“Real estate’s place and importance for NSW should not be played down or underestimated. Our profession is critical to the economy and it is time for this to be recognized,” Gunning said.
The association has 25 divisions in NSW that lend credibility to agents and brokers with a membership providing informational summits; online and in-person training; research; data; and lobbying efforts.
