Board of Realtors provides services to community

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By Tanya Canino
Bonanza Editor, tcanino@tahoebonanza.com
May 4, 2008

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The North Lake Tahoe Bonanza asked Karen Marsa, executive vice president of the Incline Village Board of Realtors to explain how this organization serves the Incline Village and Crystal Bay communities.

Tell us about the Incline Village Board of Realtors office and its staff.
There are only two of us here, myself and Katie Schilling, our customer service manager. We run the operations of the board office and the Incline Village Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. We are located at 924 Incline Way, Suite I, Incline Village, NV 89451.

What is IVBOR’s purpose?
We serve as the voice of real estate and private property rights, along with the delivery of programs, products and services to our membership, including observing and supporting professional standards through the Code of Ethics. Community involvement and support is also a major focus of IVBOR. We are also responsible for managing the finances of the board and MLS, to enable the Realtors to practice their profession with the most up-to-date technology and resources.

When was it founded?
The Incline Village Board of Realtors was chartered by the National Association of Realtors on Nov. 18, 1970.

What activities does it do?
We are involved in many community activities, through our Realtor Community Outreach program, which supplies Realtor volunteers for community nonprofit fundraising events. Additionally, we support our schools through college scholarships annually. The Realtors are a large part of the Incline Village community in every aspect, including several clubs and organizations.

What services does it offer?
The board provides the ability to market real estate for the benefit of buyers and sellers in our area and beyond. We provide Realtor continuing education for real estate licensees to maintain current, valid real estate licenses. We provide products which enable our Realtors to engage in their profession with the latest tools and equipment. Additionally, through our Tuesday MLS meetings, we provide the opportunity for our affiliates to market their services to our Realtors, along with allowing our Realtors to showcase their listings through our Open House Tour.
Why would an agent want to become a Realtor?
The use of the term “Realtor” is reserved for those Realtors who are members of the National Association of Realtors, which numbers over 1.2 million members nationwide and internationally. The network, tools, services, and national exposure are invaluable. The National Association of Realtors is also greatly involved in legislative, legal, and political matters affecting private property rights and Realtors, in general.

How many members are in the IVBOR?
We have just under 300 Realtors presently (including all primary, secondary, MLS only, etc.), with new members joining weekly. We also have almost 80 affiliate members as well.

How many members are full-time Realtors vs. in the business part-time?
This is a hard question to answer as a Realtor’s commitments and involvement changes from time to time, depending on professional and personal needs. However, that is the upside of being a Realtor, the flexibility.

How does the current number of members compare with past years?
We have been able to keep the Realtor number around 300 for the past four or five years.

Does the current economic issues affect the IVBOR’s membership numbers?
Actually, our numbers have netted around the same, with some dropping out and several new members joining us.

Can you comment on how real estate in Incline Village is doing today compared to last year, or the past few years?
The sales are a little slower than this time in the past, however it always picks up in the late spring and summer. We have a strong market in light of the fact that we are in such a beautiful lakeside community, which has restrictions on growth. There will always be people who want to purchase second homes or primary homes here in Incline Village and Lake Tahoe in general.

What resources does IVBOR offer the community, home buyers and sellers?
We have an extremely knowledgeable cadre of local Realtors, many of whom have lived here for decades, and know the market inside and out. Additionally, most of our Realtors have their own Web sites which can be searched by potential buyers and sellers. The North Lake Tahoe Bonanza also has a link to our MLS, which is searched by many potential buyers and sellers. In addition, as I mentioned before, the Realtors are a great community outreach volunteer resource.

What aspect of the IVBOR do you feel is least underused by the community?
We have a great “user friendly” Web site, which I do not believe many people know about, www.inclinerealtors.com. Here you can find the names, addresses, e-mails, and other information for all of our Realtor and affiliate members and broker offices. The Web site provides links to other useful information such as TRPA, Nevada Real Estate Division, IVGID, and Washoe County.
and the other Nevada Associations of Realtors. Our telephone and fax numbers are listed as well and we are always happy to talk to the public and answer any pertinent questions.