Looking Forward...on Public Education

This year, as we celebrate our centennial, we have had the opportunity to look back on our years of service, on the evolution of the real estate industry, on economic development, neighborhood development and the overall growth of our region.  Through this blog, we have reflected on our achievements, on the challenges we have faced and on the role we have played in our communities.

However, we aren’t just looking back this year – we’re also looking forward. What will the next 10, 50 and 100 years bring? What will our role be as our region continues to grow and change?

A few days ago we launched the MIBOR Membership Survey, which is conducted twice a year and provides valuable member feedback on the services provided to members. We use the results to evaluate performance and guide resource allocation for each budget cycle. For the current survey period, we have streamlined the questions and have for the first time we’ve included questions about an important and timely issue – public education. The questions are focused on member opinions related to public education and MIBOR’s role in advocating in this area. We know that education is critically important to your customers and their housing decisions, and we are eager to know your thoughts.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take the time to fill out the membership survey, which has already been sent to your inbox.

We also welcome you to share your thoughts by posting a comment on this blog. Below are two of the questions that are included in the survey.

1) On which sources do you believe buyers rely for information about schools? 

               1.  REALTOR®           4.      Co-workers / Employers

               2.  Family members     5.      Other sources

               3.  Friends                6.      DON’T KNOW

2) To what extent should MIBOR be involved in the area of education policy?

            1.      Extremely involved     4.      Not very involved

            2.      Very involved            5.      Not at all involved

            3.      Somewhat involved    6.      DON’T KNOW

Answer these questions and provide any other thoughts by clicking “comments” below!

Then and Now...

With the release of the iPhone 5 today, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at one of the first ‘mobile’ phones. 

Remember this?

Wow, we've come a long way, haven’t we?

From paper listing cards to the BLC® Listing Service, from bag phones to smart phones, and so much more - REALTORS® have embraced the many changes in the technology world over the years. 

Did any of you carry a bag phone with you in your early years in the industry? What other changes in technology have impacted the way you do business? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

Looking Back at the Evolution of Giving Back

In 1984, the REALTOR® Foundation was established as the philanthropic arm of the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® (MIBOR) to provide real estate professionals in central Indiana opportunities to give back to the community that has continuously supported our industry.

Last week’s REALTOR® Foundation Awareness Week gave us an opportunity to look back at the impact so many dedicated volunteers have made. It’s inspiring to think about the individuals and families who have been helped — and in turn helped themselves — to achieve a better life through assistance from organizations like the REALTOR® Foundation. A culture of giving back defines central Indiana, and the real estate community is honored to be a small part.

The foundation’s early efforts focused on neighborhood revitalization and beautification, including an annual event remembered fondly among area REALTORS® called Brighten Up Indy. We also worked with Indy Parks for several years rebuilding and revitalizing neighborhood parks throughout the city. But it was a conscious choice made a decade ago that has created lasting impact.

By 2001, the foundation had reached a plateau, both in fundraising and member engagement. We knew then we had to find a new mission that would re-energize and engage real estate professionals to make an even greater impact in the community.

A United Way presentation on homelessness came at just the right time. We were all touched after learning about the many different segments of the homeless population, especially children aging out of the foster care system. Around that same time, then-Mayor Bart Peterson released the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention’s “Blueprint to End Homelessness,” and a concentrated effort to end homelessness in Marion County solidified.

Our new mission was clear.

A decade ago in the fall of 2002, we dedicated our fundraising efforts solely to the issue of homelessness and began educating ourselves on the complexities of the issue and the needs of the homeless population.

That same year, we gave our first two $25,000 grants to organizations that were — and still are —impacting the homeless population in Marion County, Sheltering Wings and Interfaith Hospitality Network.

Organizations like these have been our greatest resource in learning about homelessness. It’s easy to believe that we see the face of homelessness every day in the men and women on the street. The truth is we don’t see the full picture.

One of the largest segments of the homeless population over the last few years has been families. Just a few months ago, the Foundation celebrated its most successful fundraising effort, one with truly lasting effects. The Building a Living Legacy project, in collaboration with the Super Bowl Host Committee, provided homes in St. Clair Place to 32 homeless families.

While an amazing achievement, it only launches us into the next question: What more can be done to transform neighborhoods and help families on their journey to escape homelessness? As we look to the next decade, we’re excited to continue to be a partner in diminishing homelessness in central Indiana.

Bill Hacker
REALTOR® Foundation Board of Director
Chair, Building a Living Legacy Campaign

MIBOR: a Force in Economic Development

Today we'd like to share an article that was recently published as part of a Regional Guide, and included in the Indianapolis Business Journal titled, 'MIBOR a Force in Economic Development Celebrates 100 Years.' The article outlines the role REALTORS® have played and continue to play in the economic development of our communities.

Click here to read. Leave a comment below! 

Responding to a Nation in Crisis...

More than a decade after the 9/11 attacks, we pause to remember the lives that were lost and the sacrifices that were made. 

The 9/11 Memorial on the Canal
in Downtown Indianapolis

Today we'd like to share an excerpt from REALTORS®: Opening Doors for 100 Years titled "Responding to a Nation in Crisis":

...On September 11, 2001, REALTORS® across the country acted swiftly and significantly following the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., Richard A. Mendenhall of Columbia, Missouri, the 2001 NAR President remembered, "At first I was stunned, like the rest of America...Then I realized that as REALTORS® we must respond immediately by saying, 'No victim's family will lose their home as a result of the tragedy.'"

Within 24 hours after the attacks, NAR leaders established the REALTORS® Housing Relief Fund, seeding it with $1 million from Association reserves, to help surviving family members make their mortgage payments. Checks from REALTORS® began arriving at the homes of victim's families within days of the tragedy, including funds from MIBOR, who collected donations during an annual charity golf tournament held in the days immediately following the tragedies.

"I delivered checks to the wives of five victims," noted George A. Naylor, Jr. a REALTOR® from Southampton, Pennsylvania. "It was the first assistance they received, and it meant a lot. One was already behind in her mortgage payments." Ultimately the National REALTORS® Housing Relief Fund collected and distributed more than $8 million to surviving family members. "It's made a major difference in my life," quoted widow Debra Roberts in REALTOR® Magazine in December 2001.

By the start of 2002, American troops were heading to Afghanistan, and once again, REALTORS® made ardent strides to help families in need. As with past military conflicts, NAR agreed to waive membership dues for those who reported for active duty and members whose spouses reported. Patriotism was running high throughout the nation and within the local community. Many REALTORS® in central Indiana posed for their traditional headshot photographs in front of the American flag and ran patriotic quotes in local advertisements. Pride in the city and in smaller communities around central Indiana was also strong...

It's YOUR turn to reflect. Where were you on September 11, 2001? What do you remember about that day, and the days and years that have followed?  Leave a comment below.

Centennial Photo of the Week - Moving Up and Moving Out

Promotional photos like this one inspired
U.S. military men and women returning home from
Germany and Japan to invest in a new home with funds
collected through the G.I. Bill. 

"Soldiers were returning home, and aided by G.I. loans, they purchased homes, returned to work and started young families in new, larger neighborhoods. There was a sudden housing shortage across the nation. A builder by the name of William J. Levitt attempted to answer this demand by constructing a number of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania neighborhoods, working with prefabricated materials and a limited number of home models. These typically were ranch homes that had three bedrooms, an "open-plan" living room, dining room, entrance hall, eat-in kitchen and one bathroom. These homes typically ranged in price from $10,000 to $15,000. The home went up quickly and filled up quickly. Soon the model for such neighborhoods, known at "Levittowns," spread across the nation, including central Indiana. New subdivisions in Indianapolis quickly expanded the city limits with developments north and west of the White River, along Allisonville Road and east to Fort Benjamin Harrison, east and west Washington Street about four miles from the city center and along the main southern arteries." -- Excerpt from "REALTORS®: Opening Doors for 100 Years" by Todd Gould (Chapter 6)

Visit www.mibor100.com to get your copy of the book today!