October is a busy month for Realtors. The market is ramping back up after the slowdown once school started. Not as much to look at, but buyers are more serious.
October is also time for the Colorado Association of REALTORS fall conference. This year the conference was held October 2-6, at the Omni conference center in Broomfield. Several of us from my local association were in attendance. Here’s what we did:
Tuesday was Continuing Education. It’s a great way to devote your time for the required hours of Continuing Ed. So many available classes, for a variety of credits. Power up your listing to maximize performance. RPR- data analytics for buyers and Sellers. How to hold an effective meeting. I received 6 hours of Continuing education credits in one day!
One of the best CE classes was on the Realtor Property Resource (RPR), a program for Realtors only that allows us to have multiple sources of information at our fingertips. We can provide customized booklets and flyers telling our clients what businesses would be a good fit for the location their property is in, helping target potential buyers. We can calculate Return On Investment for our Investment buyers. We have access to flood maps, trade area mapping, and so much more!
Wednesday was for additional free classes. As Managing Broker for my office, I chose to follow the Broker /owner suggested track. Specialized for Broker/Owners, this track offered sessions focusing on broker management and common problems and strategies for success. Topics covered included how to create high performing sales, how to empower agents to find success in today’s industry, techniques for recruiting and retention, plus a legal and legislative update.
Other options included Double your income and Work less; The Customer Rules – Delivering Sensational Service; Negotiating; Energy Efficient Homes; Cashing out- planning your exit strategy; Transparent Future of Real Estate; Realtor code of ethics complaint & professional standards process; The Real Estate Commission complaints and forms updates; and Litigation and Errors and Omissions Insurance. As a Realtor, it’s good to know what situations you could find yourself in that could lead to ethics complaints, and exactly what your E &O insurance covers. And how to stay out of trouble!
Fun that evening included Casino Night.
Thursday was for various business meetings held by State Committees. Most are open to anyone to sit in on, not just committee members. I sat in on the Strategic Think Tank, where leadership asks for presenters within real estate business, and ancillary businesses what they see for the future of Colorado Realtors, and what the State Association can do to help their members. Many interesting ideas. If you don’t subscribe to RealTrends, you should. Other committee meetings included Legislative Policy Committee, Project Wildfire, Professional Standards, Member Services, MLS forum, Risk Management Forum.
The evening concluded with the Inaugural dinner. This celebrates and introduces the leadership team for 2018. We are so lucky this year, our new Chair for the Colorado Association of Realtors is Ann Hayes from Grand Junction. It will be fantastic to have Western Slope representation again.
Friday saw the Mountain District Forum, where all 8 associations gather together to discuss items on the Board of Director agenda that will be voted on that morning. Then the board meeting was held to decide several items that came before the BOD for a vote. These included a name change for the Colorado Association of Realtors. Mission Statement revision.CAR travel policy revision. Plus various committee reports. The results of these votes were discussed at the GSAR luncheon. Hope you made it.
The fall conference has something for everyone. If you didn’t get there this year, plan to go next year. Talk to your fellow Realtors on getting a VRBO or Air BNB to save on hotels stays. Hope to see you there next year!
Enjoy a slideshow of Shannon Kyle’s listings!
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