From September 8th-12th many of our Fonville Morisey Agents and Managers attended the combined North Carolina and South Carolina Association of REALTORS® Conference – “Come Together” and this year it was in the beautiful southern city of Savannah, Georgia. This was an opportunity to partake in educational opportunities while networking with fellow REALTORS® from both states. There was also an EXPO with vendors from various companies offering products that could help build your real estate business. We asked several of our Fonville Morisey family if they’d share their thoughts from the Conference and this is what they had to say -
Sally Bauer, Sales Associate – Fonville Morisey Lochmere
It was my first convention and I loved it. It was well organized, which took the anxiety out of finding my way around. There were many classes and great speakers. I felt that I got a lot of insightful information. I really enjoyed the networking opportunities. We had a dinner on Sunday night, on the river, that allowed us to mingle with other attendees. I met so many wonderful people that I will keep in contact with. Savannah is a beautiful place to hold a convention. There were a ton of things to do outside of the event itself.
Renee Smith, Associate Manager – Fonville Morisey Lochmere
I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to learn, network, and unwind with some of the best professionals in the business. The agenda was full of engaging, and thought-provoking seminars to help you grow your business, and fine tune your skills. One session led by Douglas Smith, “Rising to the Top” was one of my favorites – highlighting the top five things that separate the top 20% of real estate agents from everyone else; simply motivating reminders of what gets you there and can keep you at the top of your game. The Convention includes lots of time to unwind, kick back, and socialize, from Dining on the River Socials, Pool Side Parties, and the annual Dancing with the R’s party, an RPAC fundraiser; there’s plenty of fun to be had! I’m looking forward to the next NCAR Convention!
Eddie Brown, Sales Manager – Fonville Morisey Brier Creek and Jeanette Hussey, Sales Associate with Fonville Morisey Croasdaile provided this feedback as well -
- The Board of Directors voted down 68-57 a proposal to raise member dues by $20 for 2012. Dues will stay the same for 2013.
- Bill Gallagher had a great session on Negotiating Skills
- Zan Monroe gave a rousing seminar on 10 Magic Marketing Miracles
- Eric Stegmann had a great BARCAMP on Technology
- Mel Black had a very informative session titled “BPOs What the……?”
- Pearl Insurance gave daily 25 minutes mini-seminars on risk management in their Expo Booth.
- Inventory of homes nationwide are down from a high of 4 million in 2007 to 2.4 million. However, we are continuing to head in the right direction.
- The most surprising bit of information was that the average price of 2nd homes in the US is $100,000!
- Congratulations to Durham REALTOR, Wendell Bullard who was named NCAR REALTOR® of The Year!
- Brian Copeland gave a great opening ceremonies talk on the importance of being smart when using social media and these were some highlights -
- Share valuable information (positive info too!) on your Facebook page!
- He suggested not to post Open Houses on your Personal Profile on Facebook. Rather, do that on your Business Page.
- Following NAR Guidelines, always have your company name when your postings are of your listings.
Probably one of the most most memorable remarks was -
We as REALTORS®, are the stewards of the land and the homes.
We couldn’t have said that better ourselves!
Thanks to Sally, Renee, Eddie, and Jeanette for contributing to this piece. Please check out our photo album on our Facebook Page as well for more fun memories from the convention!
If you were there, what was the one thing you walked away from the Convention with? We’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment below.
Top Image courtesy of Renee Smith. From l-r: Sue Goodwin, Kim Saylor, Renee Smith, Holly Hayes, Cathy Thacker, and Sally Bauer.
Middle Image courtesy of Renee Smith. From l-r: Renee Smith and Harriette Doggett.
Bottom Image courtesy of Eddie Brown. From l-r: Current RRAR President Stacey Anfindsen, Eddie Brown, and current NAR and NCAR Director and Past President of RRAR John Wood.
