DENVER — Two members of the Inman News editorial team have been recognized for their work in 2016 by the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE). Honorees of the organization’s 67th annual journalism competition were celebrated tonight with a ceremony and reception at NAREE’s annual conference.
Inman Senior Writer Amber Taufen earned a gold award in the category of “Best Economic Analysis” for her deep dive into the compensation structure of the largest trade organization in the country: The National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Taufen used 990 tax forms from 2012, 2013 and 2014 to look at the revenue and expenses that NAR reported for those years and reported that “its largest expenditure, by far, is employee compensation and salaries.” The article, published in June 2016, was accompanied by comprehensive infographics.
Andrea V. Brambila (left) and Amber Taufen
Read: Where NAR spends its money: Employee compensation
In addition, Inman Deputy Editor Andrea V. Brambila took home three awards.
She won Silver in the category of “Best Online Residential, Mortgage or Financial Real Estate Story” for her July 2016 story about criminal history-related barriers to housing.
“In the age of Black Lives Matter, backlash against ‘three strikes’ laws and a movement to ‘ban the box’ asking about criminal conviction history on job applications, there is change afoot in the interpretation of a law that most real estate agents and brokers are familiar with: the Fair Housing Act,” Brambila wrote.
NAREE 2016 award winners
Read: Why denying housing to former criminals could be discrimination
Brambila was also recognized with an honorable mention in the category of “Best Economic Analysis” for her exploration of Re/Max’s buy-back spree.
This story started out as a simple press release, and Brambila used public Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and an interview with Re/Max’s founder to track how the franchisor’s business model has changed over time.
Read: Why Re/Max shelled out $100M for regional franchise rights this year
Brambila’s article on the end of a long and bitter litigation battle between archrivals Zillow and Move also won an honorable mention in the category of “Best Breaking News Story.”
Read: Zillow and Move settle trade secrets lawsuit for $130M
The Inman News editorial team works to cover the real estate industry (for the real estate industry) accurately and intelligently for its sharp and vocal readership.
Inman congratulates all of the award winners of NAREE’s 67th annual journalism competition for their diligent, creative and enlightening work, including the editorial teams at the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Real Deal and more.