Realtor Party — that’s where I’ve been for the past 10 days. Many other Realtors were there. All ages, a gamut of different backgrounds, some newbies, some veterans — more than 1,000 of them in Sacramento alone and more than 8,000 in Washington, D.C. It was, er, it is quite the party!
When it comes to politics, most people have their stance. When it comes to politics for Realtors, we are no exception. But in a different way.
The Realtor Party isn’t an official, recognized political party, but with more than 1 million members and being the largest trade organization in the United States, you might say that Realtors are a voice to be heard.
In Sacramento and Washington, D.C., in two separate events, Realtors descended en masse on the state and national capitols during the past two weeks for our annual midyear legislative meetings. We were there to rally for a cause — homeownership!
And, yes, we actually sat down in our respective representatives’ offices in the actual Capitol buildings and talked with them about our cause. We have found that our efforts toward our cause are more effective with face-to-face sitdowns — kind of like our business.
Now, just for the record, all real estate agents are not Realtors. You might wonder if your agent is a Realtor. He or she probably is. Unlike non-Realtors (aka real estate licensees), Realtors are the agents who commit to this cause financially and/or by representing geographic areas and showing up at these legislative events. And maybe more importantly, they subscribe and are held accountable to a high code of ethics. You can expect more from a Realtor.
Whether advocating for the local or national interests of homeownership or personally serving our clients with a high bar for professionalism, Realtors have the interests of our clients — and friends, family and fellow community members — foremost in our minds and actions. We really do enjoy the service we give toward the principle of homeownership, and you, the people of homeownership.
— Paul Suding, a real estate agent with Cool Santa Barbara Homes and Village Properties, is president of the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors. He can be contacted at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 805.455.8055.
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