A Message from Our President

Greetings, fellow REALTORS®!

Can you believe it’s already May? With the NAR Settlement results, it feels like we’ve lived an entire year in just a few months. Our industry is on the brink of significant changes once again. Today, I was reminding the agents in my office about the many times throughout my career when we had to adapt to an ever-evolving environment. We've weathered a housing crash, learned the ins and outs of short sales, figured out how to inspect bank-owned properties with no utilities, and navigated the idiocracy known as the CFPB (if you know, you know).

Reflecting on these experiences got me thinking about all the transformations in our industry we've seen over the years. So, here's a little history lesson for you:

Early Beginnings

Pre-20th Century

• When Cows Were Landmarks: In the 19th century, buying property was as simple as asking, "Hey, Bob, mind if I buy that piece of land where your cows hang out?" Early real estate firms emerged in cities, started by folks tired of guessing land boundaries.

20th Century Developments

Early 1900s

• REALTORS® Get Fancy: The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) was founded in 1908, with members deciding it was time to get serious about real estate. Imagine a room full of people in top hats agreeing, "No more selling swampland in Florida, okay?"
• License to Sell: California introduced licensing in 1919. Agents now had to pass exams, knowing the difference between a bungalow and a ranch, and proving they could do more than just say, "This is a house."

Mid-20th Century

• Cheat Sheets for REALTORS®: The 1960s saw the introduction of Multiple Listing Services (MLS), allowing agents to share listings. Suddenly, remembering every house for sale in town wasn’t necessary—thank goodness, because there were way too many!

Late 20th Century

• Computers and Ctrl+Z: The 1980s brought computers to real estate offices. Agents quickly learned the magic of "Ctrl + Z" while typing up listings.
• Pajama House Hunting: By the 1990s, online listings meant buyers could browse houses at 2 AM in their pajamas, a convenience agents found both a blessing and a curse.

21st Century Transformation

Early 2000s

• Digital Treasure Hunts: Websites like Zillow turned house hunting into a digital treasure hunt. “Honey, look! This one has a pool and a mysterious dark room we can turn into a home office!”
• CRM to the Rescue: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems helped agents remember clients better than ever. "Remember that couple with three dogs who wanted a big yard? Let’s check the CRM."

2010s to Present

• Social Media Madness: Agents embraced social media, posting glamorous photos of homes and occasionally their lunches. "Selling homes and showing off avocado toast—talk about multitasking!"
• Virtual Tours and AI Magic: With virtual tours, clients could “walk” through homes without leaving their couches. AI started helping agents predict market trends, though it still struggled to explain why someone wanted a pink kitchen.
• Rule Overload: New laws kept agents on their toes, ensuring they knew the latest regulations. "Great, another rule. Just what I needed—more bedtime reading material!"

So, why am I sharing this history with you? To reassure you that WE ARE GOING TO BE OK!! From barn deals and handwritten contracts to digital listings and virtual reality tours, the real estate agent career has transformed significantly. Because that's what we do... evolve. When we get knocked down, we get back up, brush ourselves off, and return to the game. We will survive and thrive through these new changes. That’s Who We R!