Property Profiles
A Golden Century
The Board of Realtors celebrates its 100th anniversary, proving the value of working with professional real estate agents then and now.
BY
Kathleen Leighton
PHOTOGRAPHY
iStockphoto/Michael Braun

When celebrating a birthday, gifts are usually given to the person having the birthday. But the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors has decided it is better to give than to receive, so as the National Board of Realtors celebrates 100 years of doing business, it’s going to give back to the community — in a big way.

There are more than 10,000 Realtors in the Kansas City metro area,” says Linda Cone, an agent with Reece & Nichols and Northland Regional chairperson for the Board of Realtors. “So instead of planning a big party for all those people, we decided to take the money a party would have cost and put it back into the community.”

That translates to the group awarding 10 $10,000 grants to nonprofit, nonreligious organizations in the Kansas City area. Realtors who volunteer for various organizations have been nominating them for weeks, and the awards will be announced at a dinner at the Liberty Memorial this month.

“I’m on the board for Heartland Habitat for Humanity, and that’s the organization I nominated,” Linda says. “So many Realtors are involved in worthy organizations.” More than 300 applications for grants were received, a number Jim Gamble, past president of the Board of Realtors, calls “overwhelming.”

“Personally, I have always believed that you get what you give, you reap what you sow,” Jim says. “I’ve always believed in giving back to the community, and that’s why I support the decision to award the grants. It shows people that Realtors are an integral part of the community and are driven to make Kansas City a better place to live.”

Jim nominated Hands & Hearts for Children, which has an annual fundraiser for Children’s Mercy Hospital. Last year, the fundraiser netted $650,000.

The Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors (KCRAR) is one of the largest trade associations in the area and helps Realtors further their careers by providing legislative advocacy, ethics training and educational courses. And since 54 percent of all Realtors are women (average age 56), a Women’s Council of Realtors is in place to empower women to be the best they can be.

“The services of a Realtor are very important,” notes Rosemary Vitale, broker/Realtor with Reece & Nichols. “Realtors bring a lot to the table, including market knowledge, negotiation skills and the ability for one-stop shopping. Realtors are very important in the buying and selling process. We know and respect the value of teamwork and are committed to working together to provide a remarkable experience.”

It’s been a rough year for real estate. Rosemary calls the market “cyclical” and says there are a lot of conditions affecting it right now. Realtors have been logging lots of hours to get that “Sold” sign planted in front yards.

“When you sell a home, you actually have to sell it to three people,” Linda says. “The first being the real estate community  because 50 percent of all homes are sold by someone other than the listing agent. Then you need to sell it to the buyer, and finally you have to sell it to the appraiser, who decides if it’s a value or not. Many hours go into the selling of a home. We can easily work 12 hours before we even get the listing.”

When owners put their home on the market, the fee to sell it can vary, depending on the services they want. That fee is governed by the Federal Trade Commission and is usually (but not always) 6 percent. A real estate agent providing full service takes photos, prepares a description of the property, places multiple photos on a variety of websites and provides a floor plan. The fee that the seller pays up front is split between the listing company and the selling company. So, if the seller is paying 6 percent, 3 percent will go to each company.

Despite the long hours most Realtors work to sell each home, many of them volunteer in the community in some way, whether it is at a school, church or nonprofit organization. Putting the spotlight on their volunteer efforts identifies this as a group willing to give back to the community. And the $10,000 grants are a pretty big spotlight.

“Realtors are business people, and it’s important for the community to recognize that we are involved,” Linda says. “We care, and we do give back.”