At Alabama REALTORS®, our theme for this year is “CAN DO!” and we certainly have done a lot in a short amount of time! It has been a busy first two quarters for our association.

We had a great start to the year with our 2^nd Annual Capitol Conference held in Montgomery in February. With over 250 members joining us from across Alabama, it was a productive meeting filled with great programming, learning, and networking.

Additionally, Alabama REALTORS® has continued its partnership with several local boards to provide our members with some valuable professional development courses to help you earn designations and certifications such as the Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE), Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), and Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) to name a few. We also hosted a series of fair housing courses throughout the state in April in recognition of Fair Housing Month. You can always check out the Association’s website for a schedule of upcoming classes.

In May, members of the Alabama REALTORS® Executive Committee, along with over 80 of our members, made the annual trip up to Washington, D.C. for NAR’s Legislative Meetings. This is always a favorite of mine because we get to see our members in action, advocating on issues that impact us as real estate professionals. After an afternoon of hill visits meeting with each individual Alabama representative or senator, we hosted our annual Legislative Reception in the historic Kennedy Caucus room. If you have never attended NAR’s Legislative Meetings, I encourage you to join us next year in Washington, D.C.

Finally, we just wrapped up our 2017 Regional Meetings across the state. The idea behind these local meetings is to provide our members with a convenient and affordable way to stay up-to-date with real estate issues in your area and across Alabama, and I think we were able to do just that! Each meeting consisted of a one-hour information-packed session followed by a reception to allow time to network and visit with fellow REALTORS®. We have really enjoyed hosting these Regional Meetings and hope you, our members, find them as valuable as we do.

So, what’s next? The 91^st Annual Convention and Trade Show is scheduled for October 1-3 in Montgomery. We have come up with a great program for this year including professional development, industry updates, and networking opportunities with fellow REALTORS®. So mark your calendars and make plans to join us in the Capitol City for another great convention!