Accomplishments...

During this time of year, many like to reflect on past accomplishments and look forward to new beginnings. Our CEO, Steve Sullivan, took time to reflect on his tenure at MIBOR and came up with this short list of accomplishments that he is most proud of: 

• That the overall quality rating of our service by members has improved so dramatically over the years.
• That over 90% of members in 2012 think that MIBOR is headed in the right direction
• Control of expenses over the last decade, including the resulting minimal increase in dues/fees.
• Broker Listing Cooperative® - re-establishing and re-branding the culture of a cooperative. Secondarily obtaining trademark protection for the BLC® Listing service.
• BLC® Policy Committee - the deeper inclusion of brokers in the decision making process.
• Staff Reorganization in 2010 – focused on business services and solutions. Resulted in improvements including response rate and quality of service. 
• Quality of the management team.
• Restructuring of BOD with addition of specialty seats, which ensures not only voice but diverse viewpoints.
• The Building a Living Legacy Project.
• MIBOR.com public website in 1996 – putting listings online which was unheard of at the time.
• The success of the REALTOR® Community Investment Initiative (2006-2010).
• Recreating the for-profit subsidiary resulting in significant annual tax savings.
• Seamless transitions of surrounding local associations and subsequent creation of geographic divisions.
• MIBOR’s second lockbox conversion (approx. 8 years ago) – how smoothly it went.

It’s your turn! What are you proud of this year?

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! 

Our History in Photos...

Listing Sheets...and the Listing Service

Almost 50 years ago, in 1963, this was the typical listing sheet, printed and distributed weekly by the Board. How things have changed! We have certainly grown with the changes and information is at our fingertips whether we are in front of a computer, on our cell phones, tablets etc. 

"For nearly a century, MIBOR had often been progressive in its initiatives to help support and enhance the real estate industry. By January 2002, the Board newsletter, MIBOR InDepth, announced yet another important advancement in the industry: the expanded capabilities of the Internet-based MLS system, a process that the newsletter claimed would '...take the real estate professional to the next level.' MLS books, which were bulky and quickly outdated, were replaced with computer listing software in the 1980s, which linked each broker's individual terminals to a master, web-based source that could be accessed quickly, easily and more accurately. Over the years MIBOR enhanced the technology offerings in order to help REALTORS®  facilitate a transaction that was as efficient as possible."  -- excerpt from REALTORS®: Opening Doors for 100 Years.

It's YOUR Turn: What changes have you been grateful to see over the years?