Florida REALTORS® held its first Women in Real Estate conference last August, a sold-out event featuring 2018 NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall, NAR General Counsel Katie Johnson, 2018 Florida REALTORS® President Christine Hansen, and popular broker and speaker Leigh Brown as emcee, along with Florida REALTOR® association executives Teresa King Kinney, RCE, and Dionna Hall, RCE.

Sessions were designed to address a range of topics of interest to women in real estate including “Breaking the Glass Ceiling,” the “Path to Broker Ownership,” and “Balancing Work-Life Responsibilities.”

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“Our goal was to empower women to be the best they could be in all areas of their lives,” says Hansen. “The presenters were so inspirational. They reinforced the need to follow our dreams and stay true to ourselves.”

The South Carolina REALTORS® inaugural event, which coincided with International Women’s Day last March, was billed as a celebration of women in real estate aimed to empower REALTORS® to take their careers and leadership roles to the next level. The “REAL Women: SC Women in Real Estate Conference” featured a lineup of female leaders in the industry, including Mendenhall and Pauline Bennett, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. The $50-per-ticket, one-day event sold out, having attracted more than 300 attendees.

Women in Real Estate August 2018 Florida Conference

Both associations say their conferences were inspired by the California Association of REALTORS®’ WomanUP! Conference and Women’s Initiative outreach program focused on increasing awareness about women’s leadership in the brokerage industry. CAR’s third annual WomanUP! Conference is Oct. 24-25 in San Diego. Florida and South Carolina will also repeat their women-focused events in 2019 .

California’s WomanUP! event is so successful, the association says, organizers are exploring offering it regionally. If you’re interested in hosting a WomanUP! event in conjunction with your REALTOR® conference, contact event organizers at womanUP@car.org.

REALTOR® Emeritus Qualifications Changing

REALTOR® Emeritus, a special membership status honoring those who have maintained REALTOR® membership for 40 years or more, will require one year of service at the national level starting in 2020. Previously, one year of service at the local or state level also qualified. 2019 is the last year REALTORS® with one year of only state or local service will qualify.

Deadlines to apply for Emeritus status in 2019 are April 2 and Oct. 2. For more, contact Mary Glick.

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