President's Update: The Impact Serving has had on Me

As I near the end of my term as CCIAOR & CCIMLS President, I have the opportunity to reflect on the achievements we have made as an association this past year and, on a more personal level, the impact it has had on me.

I started my association involvement many years ago when I decided to serve on a committee. Over time, I subsequently ended up serving on many more. Although I never had a long range goal of running as association president, in retrospect it was a natural progression in my real estate career. I learned long ago that when an opportunity presents itself and a challenge is accepted, the results put you exactly on the path you were meant to be on.

The perspective I brought to my presidency this year was as an active REALTOR® who works alongside you every day. I face the same challenges you do and I hear the same concerns. I got involved not only to support our association and to further my own knowledge, but to also help find solutions and raise the tide for all of us.

The Year in Review

As I entered into this year as President, I had three major goals:

• To raise the level of professionalism in our industry
• Encourage increased membership involvement
• To support our staff who does an amazing job of supporting all of us on a daily basis

2018 was the first year of our new strategic plan. On the association side we focused on professionalizing the industry and advocating for our members and their clients. On the MLS side, we focused on making the process simpler and ensuring more accurate data for our members and the public. We made significant strides on both these strategic plans.

One of our main accomplishments was the launch of a Professionalism Task Force that has recommended a revamp of our education classes and a focus to bring needed professionalism to the industry. The results of this will be a Cape Cod Real Estate Specialist designation launching in 2020. Look for more exciting information on this to be rolled out in 2019. We also laid the groundwork to raise the bar in the education and professional development we offer to our members and to make it more relevant to today’s REALTOR® and their clients.

We are also seeing an increase in our members becoming involved by joining committees and task forces, and in showing an interest in running for leadership positions. Membership involvement has also increased in areas such as REALTOR® Day on the Hill, and various association events. We’ve also seen an increase in RPAC investments and for the first time in more than 5 years we will meet both our RPAC participation and dollar goal.

We took our advocacy for homeowners to the next level by leveraging REALTOR® Party funds, which resulted in defeating a proposed real estate transfer tax in Chatham and passing a new “Raze and Replace Bylaw” in Mashpee.

Looking Forward

It’s always gratifying to see members find value in becoming involved with our association by serving on committees or filling leadership positions. I have gained so much through my own involvement and I truly appreciate sharing that with all of you and having you gain the same perspective and benefits.

It has been a good year for our association and a rewarding year for me. Though it had never been my long range goal to serve as president, I am grateful to have had the opportunity. I am honored to have served as our association president and it’s been a pleasure to work alongside our leadership team and amazing staff.

We have a strong association and I feel confident about our path moving forward. We have a defined strategic focus, dedicated leadership, and a membership that continues to be involved and committed to raising the bar. The Cape Cod Real Estate Specialist designation will be another step along that path. As we move forward into the new year I challenge you to ask yourself an important question – how do you communicate your value as a REALTOR®?

I look forward to continuing to serve next year as immediate past president, and working alongside our incoming president Joe Arnao, president-elect Greg Kiely, and you as a Cape Cod REALTOR® helping to raise the bar of professionalism in our industry in 2019 and beyond.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve!