What is a Realtor and why should I care?

Congratulations! You just received your real estate license in the state of Idaho. You now have the ability to represent buyers and sellers in real estate transactions.

So are you officially a Realtor now? Well, actually no.

You are just a real estate licensee, but you may elect to join your local Realtor association if you so choose, but why would you? Don't you already have everything you need? What does the Realtor association have to offer and why would you spend the money every year to be a part of it? How about, ethics, advocacy, education and community outreach to name a few? There is no other group on this planet that has a voice for property rights like the Realtor group does. The Realtor organization is a rare one, as it is essentially a group of competitors who have come together for the common good for both the real estate industry and the community that we call home. Because of this, we have the ability to reach all the way from Kootenai County to Washington, D.C.

My name is Danny Davis, and I am currently serving as the 2015 president of the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors. The Realtor organization as a whole is currently in the process of raising the bar for the entire industry. It is our goal to create a higher level of requirements that every association has to adhere to, and at the same time doubling down to provide even more service to both the industry and our communities. The playground that was donated to Person Field is a great example of giving back to the community. This was paid for with money both from the National Association of Realtors as well as the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors.

Remember the new planning and zoning ordinance that Kootenai County was trying to adopt last year? Through national Realtor connections our local association sent this entire plan to a law firm in Boston that specializes in planning and zoning. $50,000 later we had a comprehensive opinion and additional perspective on the plan we were able to submit to Kootenai County commissioners to aid in their process. The commissioners eventually elected to not pursue the proposed land use code. I can assure you that we will be doing this once again when the next plan comes around for adoption.

Did you by chance purchase your home through an FHA program? If you own your own home, did you write off your mortgage interest last year? Maybe you're an investor, have you ever completed a 1031 tax deferred exchange? All of these programs remain in existence because of your local, state and national Realtor organizations. Once a year your local Realtor association sends a representative to Washington, D.C., to speak about these very issues. This year was my turn, and I was able to be part of a large state group that met face to face with Sen. Risch, Sen. Crapo, Rep. Simpson and Rep. Labrador. It's no secret that the federal government has every tax program under the microscope, and your local Realtor group was there protecting the real estate industry to ensure your ability to buy and sell real estate remains intact.

So how is it that Realtors get to sit at the table and have a voice with our state elected officials? Last year your local Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors raised more than $32,000 from donations of its members to the Realtor PAC. This was combined with every other association within the beautiful state of Idaho to create a grand total of more than $263,000 in Realtor PAC donations. These are not annual dues, but donations made voluntarily by members of your very own community who believe in the American Dream and the overall protection of property rights.

Your local Realtors are also looking forward, as we have donated $10,000 to the Coeur d'Alene 2030 project and have a board member sitting on this commission to help make our community as great as it can possibly be. As I said before, there is no louder voice for the protection property rights and the call for the highest of ethical business practices in the real estate industry. For both commercial and residential real estate, your local Realtors are there representing your real estate interests not only in the transaction but long after the closing table.

Trust an expert....call a Realtor. Call your Realtor or visit www.cdarealtors.com to search properties on the Multiple Listing Service or to find a Realtor member who will represent your best interests.

Danny Davis is a real estate broker and the 2015 president of the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors. Danny and the association invite your feedback and input for this column. You may contact them by writing to the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors, 409 W. Neider, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815 or by calling (208) 667-0664.