The Rob Report: November 2018
November 2018
Greetings WCAR Members!
I recently had the good fortune to sit down with an outstanding businessman, large firm owner and member of our wonderful REALTOR® association. During our discussion, it became clear to me that we must do a better job of showing all of you the value that you receive as a member of WCAR. I would hate to think there are members who pay their dues just because they “have to” without understanding all that WCAR gives them and offers them.
By now, I’m sure most of you realize that there is an important distinction between being a real estate licensee and being a REALTOR®. We all know that you and your REALTOR® peers subscribe to a “Code of Ethics” and by doing so, you raise the bar of professionalism in our industry. Studies show that those who get their real estate licenses and then earn their R® will go on to greater financial and personal success during their careers in the industry.
So, by being a member of WCAR, you automatically have a leg up, and if you further choose to take advantage of the services we offer, you enhance your chances of great success in the industry. WCAR has a tremendous Professional Development department, where you can satisfy your TREC continuing education requirements and take classes in elective areas that will broaden your knowledge of real estate. My mama was a teacher. She used to tell me that the more you learned, the better prepared you would be to handle what’s thrown at you during your life. She was right. Please take advantage of our offerings. Look at our Website (wcartn.org) and watch for new classes that we add to enable our members to grow.
We offer sensational Advocacy, which, whether you know it or not, probably saves you more money in a year than the cost of your dues to NAR, TN REALTORS® and WCAR. Our Government Affairs department, working in concert with the volunteer committee and the state and national committees and leadership, help stop unwanted government regulation and attempts to get into your pockets through new fees and taxes, such as a tax on services (commissions). Imagine if you not only had to pay Uncle Sam on the money you made, but also had to have an additional slice taken out every time you closed a transaction, which would go into the State coffers. That sort of tax could cost the average mid-range producing REALTOR® thousands of dollars annually. We work hard to stop that sort of thing from happening. I hope you all appreciate this, and I hope you invest in RPAC to help in the fight.
We have aligned with Realtracs to provide our members with an outstanding Multiple Listing Service that makes property listing and searching a breeze….and we are happy to have the Realtracs folks offer classes to boost your knowledge of what you can do with the system. Those classes are usually held on Friday’s here at WCAR.
WCAR presents a many wonderful networking and recognition events throughout the year, from our annual golf tournament to benefit the REALTOR® Good Works Foundation, to our new Celebration of Excellence Awards. We average an event a month, and the staff and volunteers work hard to make sure each of these events is successful and fun for the participants. Please try to take part in as many of these events as you can, and watch for announcements in your Monday RoundUp and through other communication pieces from WCAR.
To wrap it up, that bright businessman I mentioned at the start made me realize we need to make sure our 2600 members are informed and appreciative of what WCAR has to offer. I hope this helped.
Rob Wigton
WCAR Executive Vice President
November 2018
October 2018
Septmeber 2018
July 2018
