Realtor History
The first attempt to form a national real estate association was in 1891 and it collapsed after 19 months.
Two other attempts failed as well.
But then at 10 AM on May 12, 1908, 120 real estate men representing associations from 13 states met in Chicago. The idea was to "unite the real estate of America for the purpose of effectively exerting a combined influence upon matters affecting real estate interests.
They hired a general counsel and an executive secretary, and appointed some standing committees to look into a Code of Ethcs, how real estate was being taxed, state and municipal legislation and the organization of local exchanges - MLS.
Texas real estate professionals founded the Texas State Realty Association on April 22, 1911, with very lofty goals for drafting a licensing bill following the California licensing act. It floundered for years.
In 1916, the name of the national association was changed to the National Association of Real Estate Boards.
But it wasn't until 1949 that we approved being called Realtors and adopted the R logo. It was invented by a broker from Minneapolis named Charles Chadbourne.
It adopted a strict Code of Ethics in 1913, with the Golden Rule as its theme. It was the second business group in the nation to have a code for its members.
The Texas association was founded in Dallas in 1920. William P. Hobby was governor and Woodrow Wilson was president. Like the national, it set as its goals the establishing and policing of ethics, education, and legislation. Lawrence Miller of Dallas was the first president.
The Real Estate license act was established in 1939, but it wasn't until 1949 when the Real Estate Commission was established. Governor Beuford Jester was governor. By then 14 other states had such commission.
That year a fellow called Big Charles - Charles Ladd of San Antonio was elected president. He had been born in Wyoming, run a ranch in Colorado. He claimed to have brought 100,000 families to Texas by spenging over $3 million on railroad tickets to get them here. In south Texas he subdivided land and built houses for 22,364 families.
Our first local president was V.J. Schmidt. He became president in June, 1953. *8 years later he was Realtor of the year.
His accomplishments included
1. A stock subscription campaign to begin a state real estate magazine.
2. 21 regional classes each year
3. Providing legislative bulletins to all members
4. Establishing a tape library
5. Establishing a speakers' bureau from TREA
6. The establishing a program for selling ads for the Landsman, the first Texas Real Estate magazine.
First MLS was 1952. First tried in 1923.
Ebby Halliday 1st named to be Realtor of the year in 1963.
BILL CHERRY, REALTORS
DALLAS - HIGHLAND PARK
OUR 45TH YEAR SELLING TEXAS
214 503-8563
WEB SITE
COPYRIGHT 2009 - WILLIAM S. CHERRY
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I've read the history before, and it amazes me that there were real estate agents back in the 1800's and early 1900's. It seemed like land was just "claimed" back then, not bought and sold. You put a stake in the ground, and the land was yours.