The Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors used the last GCAR Information Gathering (GIG) of 2013 to debut its new online resources and attend to annual business, including announcing the board members for 2014.
Mark Blazek, president of the association, opened the meeting with good financial news: GCAR’s expenses in 2013 were down compared to 2012 while net operating income was up.
GCAR membership remained stable from 2012 to 2013, with only a slight uptick in the number of members. “Our membership is consistent in a market that isn’t consistent,” Blazek said.
Blazek spurred applause when he said GCAR and MLS membership dues will not increase in 2014.
Blazek also announced that GCAR offered Realtors 180 hours of free continuing education credits in 2013.
Equally impressive was the amount of money raised for Real Estate Policy & Advocacy (RPAC), the voice of Realtors on Capitol Hill. Although GCAR has hoped to raise approximately $17,600, it more than doubled that amount, raising pennies shy of $37,340. Blazek’s only disappointment: a mere 33 percent of association members donated money. He said he’ll be shooting for 60 percent in 2014. “You know what RPAC does,” he said. “It keeps us in business.”
Next, Blazek premiered GCAR’s new online resources and detailed the advertising efforts that would be generating leads for Realtors who sign up on the site. Online, the organization’s resources can be found at gcar.net, with commercial listings available at commercial.gcar.net and residential listings accessible at homes.gcar.net.
“We made the investment in new online platforms, which have been under development for the past several years, as a way of securing our place as an industry leader and standing out among the ever-increasing competition,” Blazek says in a press release issued after the meeting. “Our new technology-focused approach to real estate serves as a foundation for the future sustainability of our business and will aid in enhancing the extraordinary value the association and our members provide to consumers.”
Lastly, Blazek announced the new board members for 2013. (See the cutline for the photo on page 13.) He was pleased to announce 515 members had voted, up significantly from 240 in 2012.
The next GCAR event will be its annual Trunk or Treat fall festival, to be held Thursday, October 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the association, located at 2963 Amnicola Highway.