As has become a habit we can't seem to break over the last decade, Berna and I spent the last week in Anaheim at the National Association of Realtors Conference and Expo. Obviously, this is not a priority for most Realtors in this economy, as this was by far the thinnest attendance of any conference we've attended. We are generally the only Tooele County Realtors that attend. There are good things and bad things about the attendance, as it was easy to move from room to room without the huge crowds of the past, and the venue itself at the Anaheim Convention Center was conducive to getting wherever you needed to be with no muss or fuss.
Low attendance can also be a problem, especially if you've been to a few of these. There are only so many "new" technology classes you can attend each year, and low registration means less offerings. You can only go to so many classes on short sales. There are also only so many "motivational" speakers you can bring in with a fresh way to say "buck up, soldier" each year, and the quality of those offerings has suffered over the last few years.
Luckily (or not!) I get to spend many hours attending governance meetings, which are always informational to me. I learned alot about spying on my agents Facebook pages in the Risk Reduction forum and committee. I learned that four the fourth straight year, the Land Use & Environment Committee is heavy on environment and light on land use, and that having me on the Housing Opportunity Committee may have not been the smartest decision they ever made.
But, for all of the negative news that's out there, and the negative sounding comments above, there were some amazing positives as well. There always are. I watched two Realtors receive "Distinguished Service Awards" for decades of service to the industry. I saw an individual that has contributed over 100K to RPAC in his lifetime. I saw all of the "Realtor of the Year" recipients (taking me back to when I was fortunate enough to be so honored a few years ago). I saw standing room only in every committee meeting I attended, full of Realtors doing their best to make this industry, and by extension the Country better. I saw thousands of my fellow Realtors working hard to find a way to stay in this amazing industry, and an Association doing its best to help.
I've been an outspoken critic of the NAR over the years for various things. I can't stand listening to another presentation about how cool Realtor.com is, even though they are using my own dues dollars to complete with me. I hate how they contribute RPAC to everyone in Congress whether they meet my definition of "Realtor friendly" or not. And, until you've sat on a Board of Directors with 700 members, you don't really know the definition of unwieldy!
So, why do I always come home from these things so inspired? Because, I always pick up some little tidbit, or product, or idea that will make my job better, or easier, or more efficient. Something that makes me better able to serve or protect or retain my clients. It's a week I spend with the love of my life Berna, who also is my business partner, where there aren't kids, or Chamber of Commerce stuff or family drama. There's just us spending time together with ten thousand or fifteen thousand or thirty thousand of our closest friends. Nascar Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip calls it "Co-opetition", the act of thousands of type A, competitive Realtors working together for common goals. It's inspiring!
Having it a corndog's throw away from Disneyland seems appropriate. I saw Bank of America executives insisting they were working hard to streamline the shortsale process, while sitting inside their huge, gaudy, tasteless quarter acre "booth" at the Expo (Fantasy Land). I sat through classes extolling the limitless opportunity by getting into commercial real estate (Adventureland). I saw debate over building to standards that would make a home produce more energy than it uses (Tomorrowland). Finally, I saw lots of crime scene tape blocking off a whole floor at the hotel next store (California Adventures!).
So, as I get back to work with all the new stuff I brought home, full of vision and energy, I can't help thinking about whether I'll make the trip next year. Sure is inconvenient and expensive to take the time away. Wait, it's in Orlando! Don't they have another Disney thing back there somewhere? Hmmmmm
Comments(2)