Last week, I wrote about how real estate is generally considered local. When most people think of real estate, three words come to mind: location, location and location. In general, Realtors help property owners in the same communities in which they live and work.
As I joined Realtors from all over the country for NAR NXT, the National Association of Realtors’ fall conference in Orlando, Florida, I was reminded of how important having a network of fellow professionals is.
An estimated 12,000 Realtors and industry stakeholders from all 50 states, several U.S. territories and 60 countries took part in NAR NXT. While it was great to catch up with fellow colleagues, the conference was certainly not all fun in the sun. Participants were able to choose from more than 100 education sessions and interact with almost 400 exhibitors at the real estate industry’s largest trade show.
Before NAR NXT, NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith released a great summary of the convention that read: “Realtors are ready and set to grow at the industry’s preeminent gathering for real estate professionals. Realtors and real estate professionals worldwide will join one another to learn, share best practices, network, give back to the Orlando community and focus on what’s new and coming soon to our ever-changing industry.”
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who has presented to our association numerous times, shared his latest outlook for the residential housing market and presented his commercial real estate and economic forecast. Yun’s expertise was certainly met with excitement.
From the world of politics, Karl Rove, political strategist and former deputy chief of staff for President George W. Bush, and April Ryan, CNN political analyst and TheGrio White House correspondent, discussed the impact of the 2022 elections and provided their 2023 outlook during the Federal Legislative and Political Forum.
The wide range of speakers at NAR NXT allowed for Realtors to learn from the best in their respective fields. Jay Shetty, bestselling author of “Think Like a Monk” and media game changer – with more than 50 million social media followers – also addressed attendees.
For sports fans like me, there was an especially interesting speaker. Venus Williams – legendary tennis champion, seven-time Grand Slam winner, entrepreneur and philanthropist – joined 2022 NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith for a chat. These sessions have been the highlight of many past meetings.
NAR NXT also included forums about regulatory issues, emerging technology and real property valuation.
Finally, the association’s board of directors met and deliberated issues that impact NAR members’ daily business.
After 2020, I can almost guarantee that none of us who attended took for the granted the joy of meeting together in the same place. In the coming weeks, I look forward to updating folks on the changing landscape of the real estate market and industry.
Realtors across the country and world work in their communities every day to meet the property needs of those around them. That’s Who We R.
Founded in 1912, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is the voice for real estate in Greater Chattanooga. A regional organization with more than 2,700 members, Greater Chattanooga Realtors serves Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. The association is one of approximately 1,100 local associations and boards of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors. Greater Chattanooga Realtors owns and operates a Multiple Listing Service that is one of approximately 600 MLSs in the country and services more than 3,000 MLS users. Local association membership is comprised of Realtors servicing the Greater Chattanooga area and specializing in a variety of disciplines, including appraisal, commercial, industrial, land, multifamily, property management and residential. Affiliate members who represent related industries work alongside these Realtors, including mortgage lenders, home inspectors, title and closing services, pest inspection and control services, and insurance providers.