Mediaboss Marketing

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Akron and Cleveland aren't known for their warm and fuzzy relationship.

Yet two real estate boards, representing 4,500 professionals in Northeast Ohio, are considering a merger that might blur lines between the cities and build a stronger, unified voice to highlight housing issues in the region.

Across the country, nonprofit groups that represent real estate brokers and agents are talking about consolidation. Faced with changing technology and a challenging housing market, these local boards are fighting to stay relevant, effective and affordable for their members. Now the Cleveland Area Board of Realtors and the Akron Area Board of Realtors could become one large organization, in an effort to combat the loss of dues-paying members.

Leaders of both boards say the discussions are still in their infancy. But they're hoping to know this year whether they can pull off a smooth marriage between two major metropolitan real estate boards. As local governments and other nonprofits groups talk up regionalism, proponents point to an Akron-Cleveland real estate board as a model that can work -- and one that might encourage other, smaller boards to join.

"There are a lot of agencies in Northeast Ohio, and there are a lot of organizations that are doing great things," said Howard "Hoby" Hanna, president of Howard Hanna Ohio and a member of a task force discussing the potential Cleveland-Akron deal. "But sometimes, they're doing the same thing. ... If there was a little bit more consolidation, we might get more done."

Chartered by the 1 million-member National Association of Realtors, local real estate boards represent the interests of members, including residential and commercial real estate brokers, agents and appraisers.

Put simply, these boards aim to make the profession professional, through a code of ethics, common practices, education and shared market information accessible through private real estate listing services.

Nearly 1,400 Realtor boards and associations are scattered across the United States. Seventy-two percent of them have 300 or fewer members. Eight, in cities including Miami and Houston, are super-sized, with more than 10,000 members. AABOR and CABOR fall in the middle, with 1,367 and 3,147 members, respectively, according to the Ohio Association of Realtors.

A more regional board would provide the same services and support, with greater efficiency, said Joanne Zettl, chairwoman-elect of the Cleveland board and a Realtor with Street Sotheby's International Realty.

For consumers, she said, a merger could mean that real estate agents in the region will be better informed, with access to national speakers and higher-quality education on housing issues.

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Cleveland, Akron real estate boards may merge their houses, reflecting a consolidation trend