If all the nearly 1.2 million REALTOR® members showed up at a NAR Conference, there is no city in the U.S. that could accommodate the crowd. So it is just wishful thinking to hope that all our REALTOR® colleagues could one day be together.
But what I want to say to those who did not attend, from those of us who did, is that it was worth the time away from business back home. There is no mistaking that the work we do at these meetings has a direct impact on our industry.
REALTORS® met in San Diego November 13 – 16th to discuss critically important issues—such as our stance on health care as well as energy legislation. FHA secretary Dave Stevens spoke on the reforms taking place in FHA lending. Legislative members took a bow for finally passing legislation keeping banks out of the real estate industry and getting the tax credit extended and expanded.
We saw for the first time the new NAR consumer web site, Houselogic.com. We also previewed the REALTOR® Property Resource database (commonly known as RPR), which will give every REALTOR®—at no charge—access to information on every property in the U.S.
We saw a demonstration of the improvements made to REALTOR.com. We received a report on the successful implementation of the Credit Union and how it has already serviced thousands of members. We heard from the Leadership Team that they approved an extension of the Right Tools, Right Now program that has helped over a half a million members.
If ever there was a doubt as to why we gather, NAR CEO Dale Stinton made it clear: Our Association knows its mission. We are to lead our industry into the future. We are to be bold and to think big. We are to keep REALTORS® at the center of the real estate transaction.
Why do I go to these meetings? Because it makes a difference in how I do business back home.
Now time to get back to business, back at home! — Steve Brown, 2009 NAR Liaison to Committees
I just finished a panel on one of NAR’s newest member benefits that has the ability to transform the way REALTORS® interact with consumers in fundamental ways. I am talking about NAR’s new consumer-oriented Web site HouseLogic that is launching for members here at the REALTORS® Conference and Expo in San Diego, and will launch to a broad-based audience in February 2010.
I am one of the most enthusiastic believers on the Leadership Team of the impact this site will have on our members and how we interact with our clients and consumers. The real benefit of the site is that it isn’t about selling, instead its about providing value to homebuyers and homeowners beyond the sale. REALTORS can sometime be knocked for just being involved with consumers during the sale, but with this site, it will involve us well into the long-term period of homeownership for the consumer. This site will help move REALTORS from just being at the center of the transaction and firmly placing us at the center of the homeownership conversation.
Just as the $8,000 dollar tax credit was an immediate benefit for consumers, so now the HouseLogic consumer Web site is an immediate benefit for members in that it provides countless dollars worth of real estate content that REALTORS® can use in their day-to-day businesses.
The most awesome aspect of this site is that it belongs to you – the members. It is yours to integrate in to every aspect of your business, and the price point for members if free! It just doesn’t get better than that!
And the area of the site that REALTORS® will want to bookmark www.houselogic.com/members is the REALTOR content resource that will allow you to access to the free ready-to-use content.
I hope everyone is as excited about this new tool as I am because we now have the resource in our hands that keeps us at the center of the homeownership dream. – Ron Phipps, 2009 NAR First Vice President
In a couple of days, I will officially assume the role of 2010 President of the National Association of REALTORS®. When I do, each and every member of this organization will become part of my family.
What exactly does that mean? Well, ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that
my own family – including my sisters, my husband and my sons – was built on commitment, mutual respect and love. I have never asked my own family to give me anything that I wasn’t willing or able to give in return. Together, we have made it through some pretty challenging times.
The same is true for my REALTOR® family. As your president, I promise to give you the better part of my life in 2010 – to do everything possible to help you succeed in the business and move our organization forward. I ask that you do the same in return.
Like any family, we won’t always agree. BUT, we can disagree respectfully. I promise to listen to your perspectives and remain open to opposing points of view. And when a final decision is made, I ask that you support it and do everything you can to help us succeed.
I may not be the smartest, brightest, quickest, or most academic person who has ever led this organization, but I believe I am the most passionate about making sure you have the right tools to succeed and outperform the competition in ANY market.
As Franklin Roosevelt once said,” I’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues.”
I am lucky to have a very talented, energetic and intelligent team of leaders to help me in 2010. You have already “met” many of them on this blog. I encourage you all to continue to engage with us, through the President’s Report, and in person in the year ahead. We want to hear from you!
With your help, and working together as a family, I believe we will see the dawning of a new day for real estate in America and keep REALTORS® “On the Rise” in 2010 and beyond. – Vicki Cox Golder, 2010 NAR President
I’m loving being here in my home state of California for the 2009 REALTORS® Conference and Expo in San Diego.
The Conference officially kicks off today, but there have already been so some exciting announcements for REALTORS® that I’m personally pretty impressed by.
Yesterday at the 59 ½ Minutes Session: A Member & Director Forum, NAR CEO Dale Stinton announced the launch of two cutting edge initiatives that will revolutionize business for members and extend our reach to consumers.
First, Dale talked about the REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR). RPR is a comprehensive database of all properties in the U.S.—not just the ones for sale. It will be an online encyclopedia of information on every single piece of property in our country. And it’s for members only.
REALTORS® will be able to annotate this database, too. No one knows a property like a REALTOR®. So if a member knows a garage has recently been added or the roof has been replaced, he can go into the database and make a note of that.
RPR will be a “living” database and will cover 147 million properties when it goes live in the second quarter of 2010. Be on the lookout.
Second, Dale announced the launch of HouseLogic, a Web site aimed at consumers. The site will help us talk right to consumers and educate and engage them on homeownership issues (even advocacy work!) while also providing free content for members to use on Web sites, blogs, and newsletters. Check it out now.
NAR will officially begin marketing HouseLogic to consumers early next year.
Keep checking back on the “Voices of Real Estate” blog for updates on the Conference. We’re just getting started! — 2009 NAR Vice President and Liaison to Government Affairs, Gary Thomas
Wednesday afternoon, I had the honor of presenting one Habitat for Humanity family with the keys to a brand new home – a home that the REALTORS® built.
Now, I have participated in Habitat for Humanity builds many times. Last year, at our Conference & Expo in Orlando, I had the honor of presenting a Bible to the proud new homeowners. But this year was the most special experience I have ever had.
You see, the family we helped have a unique appreciation for what it means to be homeowners. Abdi Farah, his wife, Amran Abdi, are originally from Somalia and spent their early years in refugee camps. Her father moved to the United States in 1993, and works for the U.S. Postal Service. He has been a proud homeowner for ten years.
As new U.S. citiens, Abdi and Amran wanted to have a home of their own to raise their three young children. Thanks to all of you, they now have that opportunity.
As I said at the ceremony yesterday, people might think that in these tough economic times our members wouldn’t want a portion of their conference registration to go toward building a home. But, that’s the difference between REALTORS® and everybody else. Helping people achieve the dream of homeownership isn’t just our job, it’s our passion.
I have never been more proud to represent you as your President. And, on behalf of NAR, I thank everyone who helped to make this family’s dream a reality. – Charles McMillan, 2009 NAR President
In just a few days I will conclude my service on the NAR Leadership Team for the past four years.
I have to tell you, this is a bittersweet time for me. As I look back on the last four years, I realize that NAR has always been a member-driven organization, but never has it provided more or better service to REALTORS®.
Our accomplishments this past year are truly incredible. From extending and expanding the tax credit and keeping the higher loan limits to keeping banks out of real estate, and launching Right Tools, Right Now, which is providing so much help for tens of thousands of members, there wasn’t a single area of the industry that we didn’t have an impact.
I look back on this past year with great pride, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank people who made it all possible.
First of all, there has not been one member who I called on to help who said, ”no.” Every single one of you stepped up and made me proud. Thank you for your time, money, and every contribution. Your efforts will continue to pay off for many, many years.
Second, I want you to know that NAR’s tremendous success in recent years is a direct result of the talent and hard work of the NAR staff.
There could not be a better CEO than Dale Stinton. He rolls up his sleeves and always has creative ideas and thoughts. No idea is discarded without thinking it through. Our new consumer web site, HouseLogic.com, and the forthcoming REALTORS® Property Resource, are going to re-define real estate in the years ahead – and they are a direct result of Dale’s vision and leadership.
Dale has built a staff that is second to none. There is not a single staff member you could call on who isn’t completely willing to help you.
Laurie Janik is the best attorney in the country. Her work with the Department of Justice speaks to her incredible talent and professionalism.
In this new business environment, the organization has never communicated as effectively and frequently as it has in recent years. The officers also are communicating more and are so well prepared to talk about the latest development in the market, and that is a credit to Frank Sibley and his communications team.
Jerry Giovaniello is one of the most respected lobbyist in Washington, D.C. To his credit, you know all of our legislative accomplishments – many of which we thought would never happen.
Thanks to Bob Goldberg, not one penny of your member dues goes to support governance activities of the organization. His dealings with our affinity partners has been unbelievable.
On the International front, we are making tremendous strides. We are preparing members through CIPS to do business with many other countries, and we are building on our bi-lateral agreements. All of this is a tribute to Janet Branton and her staff.
Walk Witek has been working diligently to get each of us engaged in calls for action. We are making great progress here, too.
There is no more sought-after speaker in the real estate industry than Lawrence Yun. He is brilliant and available 24/7 to help members. The research that comes out of his department helps us put deals together and gives us an accurate picture of the real estate market.
Thanks to Mark Lesswing, NAR is at the forefront of the technology world. Mark has been a great asset to the organization and has prepared REALTORS® to do business in this new environment. He, too, is available 24/7 to help members.
There are many other unsung heroes – one of them is Doug Hinderer, NAR senior vice president of Human Resources. He has helped numerous associations and companies with personnel matters. Thank you, Doug.
Finally, I want to thank my long-tim friend, Charles McMillan, for the incredible work that he has done this year. I am so proud to have served with Charles.
As I look toward the year ahead, I can honestly say that our Association is in great hands. The 2010 Leadership Team is an incredible group. I’ve worked with Vicki Cox Golder, Ron Phipps, Moe Veissi, Jim Helsel, Brooke Hunt and Vince Malta for many years. Not only are they great leaders, but they represent just about every area of the business. They work in the field every day, so they know our members needs as well as anyone.
Although it is very hard for me to leave the leadership team, I am grateful for the opportunity, and I hope you all will pursue a leadership role in the greatest trade association in the world. – Dick Gaylord, 2009 Immediate Past President
