MIBOR in the MINI...

Congratulations to all of our members who completed the One America Mini Marathon on May 5! We have received several pictures from you, wearing your commemorative MIBOR 100 t-shirts. We will hold our drawing for the $100 BlueMile gift card on Thursday, May 10. Keep sending your photos in today to be qualified! 

Here are a few of the photos we have received so far! E-mail yours today and you could win!

  


   

  

Congratulations from NAR President Moe Viesi

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) President, Moe Viesi, recently sent us a video message to congratulate MIBOR on 100 years of service. Mr. Viesi was unable to make it for the Centennial Celebration in January, but was kind enough to send us his greetings. Beyond saying congratulations, he also recognized the Building a Living Legacy: Centennial Project and the commitment YOU made to lift up a neighborhood and help reverse homelessness in central Indiana.


Here is Moe Viesi's message



The celebration is far from over. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to commemorate our 100 years of service in central Indiana. This is truly a special time. However, we're not just looking back...we're looking forward. And the best is yet to come.


Visit www.mibor100.com today to join the celebration!

Giving Back to the Community

On June 8, MIBOR members will team up with The REALTOR® Foundation for a volunteer day, in continued celebration of our Centennial. Volunteers will make a difference for several REALTOR® Foundation grant recipients and neighbors of last year’s Building a Living Legacy neighborhood, St. Clair Place. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., volunteers will focus on projects including painting, cleaning carpets yard work and organizing donations. Please join us! Contact Claire Belby at clairebelby@mibor.com and let her know where you would like to volunteer your time on June 8. Visit www.mibor100.com for a list of locations and more information.

Volunteerism deeply rooted in MIBOR history…

Volunteerism is not a new thing in our industry. Over the years, MIBOR members have showcased their civic pride in a variety of ways. When the MIBOR Board of Directors discussed forming the MIBOR Foundation (Now the REALTOR® Foundation) in 1984, they were driven by a desire to give back to the community.

“For a lot of us, we felt that there was something missing in our Board activities. But we could not quite put our finger on what it was…when it came to our relationship with the community, we would often enjoy the benefits of our relationship with our community, in terms of sales, profits and success in the industry,” said Don “Pooch” Hunter former Foundation member. “In order to keep that flow going, we needed to cultivate a relationship in which we could also give back and strengthen the very community that helped strengthen or organization. It was reciprocal.” – Excerpt from REALTORS®: Opening Doors For 100 Years

Even before the MIBOR Foundation was formed, our members regularly engaged in volunteer activities.

“The Board organized a number of activities designed to improve communities and strengthen neighborhood development including neighborhood cleanup projects, small home-improvement initiatives, tree plantings, and playground installations. In the early 1980s the Board developed a project called “Operation Cooperation.” Members worked with residents in the Forest Manor development to clean yards, paint homes and plant flowers and shrubbery around the neighborhood. To celebrate the Board’s 75^th anniversary in 1987, the Foundation focused on cultivating an ongoing partnership with New Hope of Indiana, a medical treatment facility for mentally – and physically-handicapped children in the region. The Foundation also worked with the Indianapolis Parks Foundation to help raise money to renovate parks throughout the city.” –Excerpt from REALTORS®: Opening Doors For 100 Years

REALTORS® have continued to give back to the community in recent years as well. Just this past year, MIBOR members donated $500,000 to lift up an emerging neighborhood through the Building a Living Legacy Centennial Project. MIBOR worked in partnership with the John H. Boner Community Center, Indy-east Asset Development Corp, and other partners for more than three years to renovate and/or build 32 homes, which (the number selected to represent 32 NFL cities) to house 32 families coming out of, or on the verge of, homelessness. Each home provides permanent supportive housing on a continual basis with vital social services provided by the John H. Boner Community Center. Throughout the project, members have spent a lot of time in the Building a Living Legacy neighborhood, cleaning up trash, planting flowers, laying down mulch and more – a true testament of the commitment made to this project.

As we look forward, there is no question that the philanthropic giving and volunteering will only continue to grow within our industry. Have you played a part? If you’re interested in getting more involved, please connect with us. 


Lacey Everett
MIBOR Communications Specialist

REAL to Past President – Larry’s Ride

They say the REAL classes are used to identify future leaders of MIBOR. But that doesn’t mean me, right? I am a relatively new member and an appraiser so they obviously don’t mean people like me when they say that, right? Well, as I found out the road starts with a single first step…

I applied for REAL with very little understanding of what MIBOR does, let alone what was included in the REAL program. In what I am sure was a case of charity to the lonely appraiser applicant, I was selected to be part of the class. I spent most of the sessions saying things like “I didn’t know MIBOR did that…” and “I have lived in Indianapolis my entire life and didn’t know that was there…” and “Wow, that is really cool!” At one of the sessions the moderator (aka the person running the show, your coach, mentor and all around great person) asked our group if anyone was interested in applying for the MPAC Board of Trustees. My response was “What is MPAC and why do they need a Board of Trustees?” Oh, that is the political action committee. Well, I like politics, right? So I said I would be interested. Little did I know I had just taken step two.

So now I am on this MPAC Trustee thing with nothing in my skill set except my good looks!! Oh, and I had been through REAL. It was then that I realized how much the REAL program gave me the skills to be a productive part of the group. When the trustees discussed issues, I would invariably start my comments with “Well, in REAL, we did/discussed/heard…”  There I was with all of these veterans of MIBOR collectively possessing a Fort Knox worth of experience and knowledge. But I was holding my own because of REAL.

Now I have been through REAL and sat on the MPAC Trustees for a year. Time to retire, right? Time to hang up the cleats and retire the jersey. This good ole boy has reached the apex of his talent limit.

Wait… What?? There’s an opening on the MIBOR Board of Directors? What does that have to do with me? You think I might be a good candidate? Why? Because I was did REAL? Oh, well that makes sense, I guess.

I remember from REAL these Board of Directors people set the direction of the organization. Now I am one of them. This group must be crazy allowing me in the room. But look, there are several of my REAL classmates on the Board with me. I know these guys! This is fun! And you know what, that MIBOR staff actually gets things done. This isn’t a waste of time. In fact, this is the only professional organization I have been involved with that actually sets goals and gets them done. What’s that, Heather (my wife)? Yes, I do talk a lot about MIBOR these days. It is fun because we actually get things done! Okay I will try to talk about something else. Did I mention you have pretty eyes? Silence…

Now it is REALLY time to retire. REAL, MPAC and now the Board!!! Look ma, your boy did good! He soared with the eagles. What are those guys whispering about? Do I have something sticking out of my nose? Yes, I need a haircut, but you don’t need to stare at me. Executive Committee? No, no, no. You have confused me with someone else. I must have had too many cocktails because I think they just asked me to run for Secretary/Treasurer – Elect. Well, I like serving on this Board and four more years of it would be cool, but I really need to work on other topics to talk to Heather about!

On the big stage giving a speech at the Ball as incoming President. Good thing those bright lights keep me from seeing the audience. I need to blink my eyes. What? My year is over? Now I am officially a Past President? My picture goes on the wall with all those giants of organization. Doesn’t seem real. The one thing I still want to do is be the Moderator (remember the coach and all around good guy) of REAL. Which happened. My REAL class was good, but this class will be great! Not because of my influence, but because I learned when leading great people, the best move is often to get out of their way.  

What a ride. All I did was fill out an application for REAL. I took that first step. I put myself out there into a world I knew very little about. It was more than a little scary. And I wouldn’t change the ride. If asked, my advice is run, don’t walk, run your REAL application to MIBOR. You may not have the same ride as me, but you might. And that is worth the time to fill out the application. 

Larry Mitchell
Mitchell Appraisals
REAL Moderator, 2011-2012
MIBOR Past-President, 2009

Local REALTORS® Award $500 to Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation

As you know, from our post earlier in March, REALTORS® throughout central Indiana volunteered at local service organizations on Leap Day for the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® (MIBOR) Day of Service.

Monika Mueller, Sara Beth Skidmore and Tod Richardson from RE/MAX Metro helped the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF) move their food pantry to a new location. HVAF was also the winner of a $500 cash drawing, organized by MIBOR.

“We were so excited to have this opportunity,” said Mueller. “Since they’re located only a block from our office, it’s nice to be able to make a difference on a hyper-local level. It is additionally rewarding to have the opportunity to present HVAF with a $500 check, to further support the services they provide to veterans in need in our community.”

HVAF is a United Way non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating homelessness for veterans and families through prevention, education, supportive services and advocacy. HVAF provides supportive, structured housing to Indiana veterans with the assistance necessary to ensure successful independent living in the community.

“We are very grateful for the help Monika, Sara and Tod provided in helping us relocate and organize our food pantry,” said Debra Des Vignes, marketing coordinator at HVAF. “We are equally grateful for the donation from MIBOR. Each gift we receive is an investment in helping to eliminate homelessness for veterans and their families.”

It's YOUR turn - share ways that you give back to our community by commenting below! Register for our Volunteer Day on June 8! Get Involved this year, visit www.mibor100.com for opportunities.

MIBOR Beyond 100…

Setting the Stage for 100 More Years

On Jan. 3, 2012 your organization had a Birthday. A milestone birthday! We turned 100! While we have been preparing for this celebration for some time, we are now relishing in what it means to be 100 years young. 

Not many organizations or companies make it this long, but I say 'young' because we still have work to do. And while none of us will likely see the organization's 200th birthday, we are destined to ensure that the generations to come are well equipped when that next milestone approaches. 

MIBOR’s Board of Directors has set goals that we know have relevancy beyond 100 years. Number one of those simple goals is to ensure a healthy, vibrant real estate market exists throughout the central Indiana region. That entails a lot of variables coming together. One way is to maximize the effectiveness of organizations whose missions it is to increase jobs, wages and labor force. 

MIBOR is not just talking the talk, we are walking the walk as well and maximizing the ability to create and maintain jobs. REALTORS® have seats on the Boards of those organizations to help forge direction and strategies for success.  Investments are made in issues and projects that will be catalysts for improving the quality of life, the assets of our region. Investments in ensuring that planning for our communities is deliberate and inclusive. 

Stay tuned to this blog to see what MIBOR has been doing to reach goal No. 2 and what you can do to help!

Steve Sullivan

MIBOR CEO

More Than Just Opening Doors...

The official Centennial Celebration, i.e. The Ball, is over but the celebration and remembrance of the past 100 years continues.

  

I love MIBOR’s Centennial slogan, REALTORS®: Opening Doors for 100 years, however, our members have been doing so much more than just opening doors.  They’ve been appraising, inspecting, mortgaging, insuring and cleaning them.  They have built and supported communities and continue to strive to make Central Indiana the best place to call HOME.

The real estate industry has experienced a lot of change in 100 years from wars, depressions, recessions, civil rights and more.  We have faced our own challenges and will continue to do so.  

The “.com era” has brought with it new technologies and opportunities that have enabled the real estate industry to be more efficient than those before us ever dreamed possible.  This era has also brought along new competitors and business models…also challenges that those before us never dreamed of.

As I said in my speech at the Centennial Ball, 'change often breeds fear, however, it also brings opportunities…opportunities to challenge us and force us to be better.  When we embrace change and challenge ourselves, life really begins!'

As leaders of our companies, communities and industry, I urge you to not be afraid of change, but rather embrace it and the opportunities that come with it.  

Get involved. Take pride in where we've come from and embrace the fact that YOU are a part of our industry's future, and the future of our region. 

Together, we will make 2012, our Centennial Year, a year to remember!

Debbie Morris

MIBOR President, 2012

www.mibor100.com

www.facebook.com/MIBOR

www.twitter.com/MIBORBoard 

REALTORS® Made a Difference on Leap Day

Thank you to our members for volunteering your time, service, donations and blood during our February 29th REALTOR® Day of Service!


We encouraged you to use Leap Day as an opportunity to make a difference, and you showed central Indiana that REALTORS® recognize the importance of giving back to their community. 


Twenty-one units of blood were collected by the Indiana Blood Center at the blood drive held at MIBOR – a significant impact as the Blood Center faces shortages this month. 

Monika Mueller and a group from RE/MAX Metro helped the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF) move their food pantry to a new location. HVAF was also the lucky winner of our $500 drawing.


“We were so excited to have this opportunity,” said Mueller. “Since they’re located only a block from our office, it’s nice to be able to make a difference on a hyper-local level.”


Volunteers from Carpenter, REALTORS® helped the Gennesaret Free Clinic stuff, lick, stamp and prepare a mailing of 1,000 invitations to their “Arts for Beds” program, a huge fundraiser for the organization. 

“We shared stories about things we have done besides sell real estate and discussed current events,” said Pat Williams, MIBOR member and past president. “It seems like such a small thing, to offer our morning to help, but it was a great time for all of us and saved the clinic a lot of time.”


Cindy Marcum and Dianna Grindean from Prudential Indiana Realty Group volunteered at Shepard Community, helping in the kitchen and sacking groceries for families.

“They do so much for inner city families, including feeling the children at their center who come for pre-school through 3rd grade, after school care and summer camps each year,” said Grindean. “They are a wonderful organization and we sure enjoyed volunteering there today.”


Additionally, several agents from Keller Williams Indy Metro North devoted time to raising sponsorship dollars for the Del Mi Boy Scout Council of Indianapolis. 


Member, Bill Hacker, and volunteers from RE/MAX Legends Group helped paint rooms and corridors at the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis. 


Patty Morton with Prudential Realty volunteered at Second Starts, a not for profit charity whose mission is to help the homeless start over again. 


Affiliate member, Mary Abella, volunteered at Catholic Charities’ Christmas store.  


Member, Sue Cory Bowers donated and volunteered at Sanctuary of Shelbyville (S.O.S), a home for abused and homeless women.


Member, Debbie Hines, donated and volunteered at Covenant Foods Pantry.


Member and past REALTOR® Foundation President, Regina Jones, volunteered at Ben Davis Christian Church, helping with spring cleaning projects.


We know that numerous other REALTORS® and Affiliates volunteered their time, service and donations yesterday. To everyone, we say thank you again for making a difference!

The Power of Collaboration

Earlier this month, I attended the opening of the Chase Legacy Center, the new community center on the campus of Arsenal Technical High School on Indianapolis’ Near Eastside. It’s one of the signature achievements of the Super Bowl festivities. A crowning achievement, really, particularly for the residents and future residents of a neighborhood that has never before been graced with a rec center, YMCA or Boys and Girls Club.

As I stood listening to the Tech drum line bring the place to life and the dignitaries comment, one after another, about the impact the place will have on a neighborhood and its families, I felt pride (and a tear or two) to be there on behalf of REALTORS® and all the affiliated real estate professionals who know a thing or two about neighborhoods and families. It’s true that the Legacy Center is not part of MIBOR’s Centennial Building a Living Legacy project. Building a Living Legacy is about homes and the stability and security that comes from waking up each morning in a place that allows you to know that anything good you want for your life is achievable. The Center is part of the package, however. Just like the Building a Living Legacy homes are part of the package. Each is part of this sense of place; a place that has been energized and ignited because many people and many groups of people cared and then collaborated.

That’s what hit me the most on the day of the Legacy Center opening. REALTORS® have not only understood the need to help others, but the power of collaboration in order to achieve great things for others since the beginning of their organized history 100 years ago. The REALTOR® Foundation has been the leader in that effort for more than 25 of those years, providing structure to the way the real estate community helps others, but is was happening long before that.

Being part of the team that compiled the history for the book and video that celebrate MIBOR’s Centennial allowed me to see in the early copies of the minutes and in so many photos that REALTORS® never really wanted to do it all themselves. They collaborated in those very early years and in all the years since with builders, affiliates, chambers of commerce, government and so many others to create an industry that helps families and neighborhoods. It’s a great model that continues today. The power of collaboration is real and tangible. If you want to see an amazing example, drive through St. Clair Place to see the renovated Legacy homes, new street lamps and sidewalks and stop by the Legacy Center on Tech’s campus. You’ll see it around you. 

Claire Belby
Communications Director, MIBOR

REALTOR® Day of Service 2012

What an amazing time to live in Metropolitan Indianapolis, especially with a Super Bowl, here, in a couple of weeks. It really is an incredible opportunity for our city to shine. It is our time to shine too. We should take this chance to show our community who we really are as well. It is our 100th Birthday after all, we deserve it.

This year we have a super opportunity on February 29th, Leap Day. We all have an extra day in our lives this year. An extra day….and personally, I don’t want to waste it. What should I do?


The answer is easy. REALTORS® have been selling homes in Indianapolis for 100 years, and they have also been serving the community for 100 years. Everyone has a project, cause, organization or group that they are passionate about! So we have decided to designate February 29, 2012 as REALTOR® Day of Service in central Indiana!


This year instead of having a planned event for REALTORS® and Affiliates to work on as a group, the idea was to let people choose their passion, and give back in a way that was meaningful to them. Your office may plan a group event; you might volunteer at your child’s, grandchildren, niece or nephew’s school. You may grab three co-workers and volunteer at a shelter, or soup kitchen. Your MIBOR Division might plan to volunteer at a local food pantry, or local school event. Or, since it’s the last day of the month, and time is precious, you may consider something less time intensive but just as powerful. For example, you can donate blood! MIBOR will host a blood drive at the MIBOR office on the 29th – it’s simple and takes minimal time. You can also donate items to a shelter (click here for a list of REALTOR Foundation grant recipients), the Salvation Army, Goodwill store or your favorite charity. Or take a walk down your street and pick up trash. Every little bit helps!


The more I write about this the more excited I get. Think about it, a day I haven’t had for 3 years and won’t have again for 3 more years. I want to make the most of it, don’t you? Take this opportunity to do something you are passionate about, and make a difference in someone else’s life. 


Lastly, please tell us what you have planned at www.facebook.com/MIBOR , and your charity could win a $500 donation. We want to celebrate your great work in our communities, and thought there was no better way than to give back, in your name, to those in need.


If you need more ideas on how you might participate in the 2012 REALTOR Day of Service visit http://www.mibor100.com/dayofservice.html.