PROView - January 2009 - (Page 2) Chairman’s Notes Learn from the Past and Embrace the Future by Victor Adamo, Chairman of the Board It’s with great pride I introduce myself as the 2009 Chairman of the Pinellas REALTOR® Organization’s Board of Directors. I bring with me a great care for you as a member of our association, and I genuinely care for the well-being and prosperity of our businesses. From the day I closed my first transaction, a $20,000 sale to an investor 25 years ago, I’ve been in love with this business. Through the years we have seen many changes, some good and some not as good, and we have prevailed. I remember the MLS book. I remember the Realtron computer, which gave us the first-ever printout of the MLS on thermal paper – paper that rolled up and with ink that disappeared after five minutes. I remember asking my then-broker what the heck a fax machine was as it entered the office. I remember making a sale the first week of getting my first cell phone. I remember onepage contracts and the introduction to buyer agency. Do you remember too? As REALTORS® we have seen lead-based paint addendums, latent defects, radon gas, mold inspections, professional home inspections, coastal construction control lines, property tax disclosure, homeowner association disclosures, energy efficiency ratings, flood zones, open permits & Force Majeure. Is there anything else they can throw at us REALTORS®? With every new development we learn and we grow with each new task demanded of us. These days we have Internet-based MLS, emails and email prospecting, websites, and PDF documents – enabling you to send contracts anywhere. Now we text message offers back and forth. Today’s new technologies have really changed the way we do business. There are some definite signs of the upside of some of the changes we’ve seen. We no longer have to drive across town to present offers to a listing agent. We don’t have to go to a seller’s home along with the listing agent, only to then wait outside in the front yard while the seller and listing agent discuss an offer. I’m sure many of you remember those days. To those of you belonging to Gen X and Y; yes, we really had to do that stuff… Over 25 years as a REALTOR® I have been though many ups and downs. I know that over the last few years our market has changed and we certainly continue to face challenging times. There is one thing I can say, though, and that is that each kind of market always comes back and stabilizes. As your incoming Chairman, I care about your needs and our industry as a whole. Behind you, each and every day, is your association. Through the years, the first and foremost constant for me throughout my career was that my family was behind me. The second constant was that our local association was there to guide me, train me, and keep me informed along the way. We sometimes do not realize how lucky we are to have PRO helping all of us to succeed. PRO has accomplished some fantastic things through the years for all our benefit. The list is endless and you will see some new innovative things in the coming year. I encourage all PRO members to consider serving PRO in some capacity or another. Attend the leadership retreat, serve on a committee – maybe grievance or public affairs, or become a board member. I also encourage you to recognize our most important responsibility: to protect our industry by supporting RPAC. As your Chairman I will have the great privilege to work with 12 devoted, wonderful board members as well as our committee chair persons and the wonderful staff at the Pinellas REALTOR® Organization. I’m proud that you have put your trust in me to be your Chairman for 2009, and I know that 2009 will be a fantastic year in real estate for all of us. We will no doubt continue to see changes and it’s important for all of us to embrace the future – together. 2 PINELLAS REALTOR® ORGANIZATION January 2009
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