February 11th - 2008

Consumers want more commitment, aftercare from REALTORS®

REALTORS® are seen as professional, knowledgeable and communicative according to a recent OREA online consumer survey.

REALTORS® are seen as professional, knowledgeable and communicative according to a recent OREA online consumer survey. However, consumers want more client commitment and service after the transaction is complete.

The survey, completed by over 500 consumers, was designed to gain a better understanding of consumer attitudes and opinions towards residential REALTORS® and the Consumer Advertising Campaign. Respondents from across Ontario completed the survey through a Web site hosted by a leading Canadian online survey hosting provider.

The survey asked respondents if they had ever used the services of a REALTOR®, and what their level of satisfaction was with the service they received. They were also asked to rate the value of using the services of a REALTOR® as well as specific areas of service such as knowledge, commitment, honesty, etc. Several other questions covered the respondents’ knowledge and opinions regarding the television advertisements that ran last year as part of the Consumer Advertising Campaign.

When asked if they had used the services of a REALTOR®, 53% answered YES. The majority of respondents (74%) rated the overall value of a REALTOR®’s services as Highly Valuable or Valuable and only 4% said Not Valuable. The service factors with the highest level of satisfaction were Professionalism (80%), “Knowledge” (78%), and “Communication” (78%). In contrast, the highest levels of dissatisfaction were for “Cost/Commission” (19%), “Post-transaction Service” (12%), and “Honesty” (10%).

Respondents agreed fairly strongly with the statements that REALTORS® provide market knowledge, help avoid hassles and complications, ensure things go smoothly and save time. Statements that REALTORS® save money and “are a must” received the highest levels of disagreement in the survey.

Consumer Advertising Campaign
It appears from the survey results that the two REALTOR® ads that were shown on television are familiar with most consumers. First, respondents were asked unaided if they recalled seeing any advertisements pertaining to REALTORS® within the past six months. Almost half (43%) said yes. Next, respondents were shown the “Mother-in-law” and “Personal Trainer” television advertisements and asked if they recalled seeing them on television. In response, 69% said yes and 29% said no for the Mother-in-law ad, while 61% said yes and 38% said no for the Personal Trainer ad.

One finding in the survey was that more than half of all respondents (55%) said that they would use the services of a REALTOR® in the future: only 2% per cent said they would not and another 35% said “maybe.” Results show that a higher percentage of younger individuals (as compared to the older demographic) are unsure whether they will use the services of a REALTOR® in the future. Consumers who previously used the services of a REALTOR® were not only more likely to use a REALTOR® in the future but were also more aware of REALTOR®-related advertisements.

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For more information contact

Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.

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