By Sondra Barrett, President
Can you believe it? 2020 is upon us and it seems like it will be a very different and improved market. As the president of NAIBRS, I enjoyed taking the position promoting new construction as a way to build our communities. I am a lifelong real estate professional as well as advocate for building homeownership as a way to build family wealth.
One of the key definitions for our organization is the tagline that embodies our mission-UNIFY, EDUCATE, GROW. To this end, I am commenting on the different areas on what we have done as an organization.
UNIFY
One of the key accomplishments this year is to expand our Board of Directors by adding industry leaders that are critical to the real estate sector. These include adding Jim Pippin, with Fannie Mae and Ed Currie, with Associated Bank. Both are accomplished veterans and will add the expertise firepower to take the organization to the next level.
Our plan for 2020 is to onboard several additional industry leaders to our leadership team, including builders, vendors, MI companies, and others that are both passionate and accomplished to take us to the next level. We will plan more housing summits to connect our members to builders, lenders and real estate professionals, and catalysts who as a collective group want to improve homeownership.
We are currently a 3000+ member strong organization, and will add a focus to increase membership across the country. With help from sponsors such as GO Mortgage, we will focus on expanding into new markets in Texas, Wisconsin, and others. I want to call out GO Mortgage for their generous financial sponsorship as a corporate partner….special thanks to their CEO Chad Jampedro!
EDUCATE
One of the key accomplishments this year has been the creation of a New Construction Specialist designation and class (taught by our own Jim Pesavento, certified trainer!). Please see the recent press release referencing industry leaders like Tom Truong, former president of AREAA (Asia Real Estate Association of America). The class was at 100% capacity and had incredible feedback. If you are interested in becoming a NCS, please email us at [email protected]. For 2 hours and $50.00 (very reasonable for class + certification), you can differentiate yourself in today’s competitive and rapidly expanding new construction market. A recent Zillow study found that 64% of all home buyers are considering new construction. It is the largest segment of buyers in the market, yet has the least available training for real estate agents. That is what makes the NCS education and designation invaluable for agents interested in capitalizing on this untapped opportunity! Our plans for 2020 include expanding this NCS program to several more states and add continuing education to our curriculum. Stay tuned in IL as it will be our first CE approved state! Also, we will be adding thought leadership and economic news from our experts (Nancy who has a masters from Duke University!)
GROW
Many of you have heard Jim Pesavento dynamic presentations around Lot2Home. Jim has been visionary in his process on how to leverage thousands of vacant properties, in-lots, and tear-downs as a way to enhance differentiation to win listing. More importantly, the program creates a win-win for everyone. In Chicagoland alone, we have over 100 opportunities that can leverage the power of the MLS and double the marketing exposure of our agent partners listings. If all 100 opportunities convert into new construction, just imagine – we just created 300 new jobs (source: NAR Analysis regarding impact of new construction jobs).
Our plans for 2020 including expanding nationwide into multiple states. With our value proposition, we expect to reach new markets and members who can refer business to each other.
One of our key missions is also to give back to communities. Not only do we promote rebuilding, we also encourage our members along with ourselves, to give back to great causes that align with our values. More information and news coming!
It has been an honor serving you as president of NAIBRS. With all of us working together, we will have an outstanding 2020 with many great successes– one new homeowner at a time.
Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!
Sondra Barret President, NAIBRS
With Board Members: Paul Imura, Jim Pesavento, Jeff Cook, Jim Pippin, Ed Currie, and Lindsay Kozlowski
