Realtors Help in Flood Relief

I am a Realtor. Not all real estate salespeople belong. But, for those of us who do, each of us ascribes to a written code of ethics, higher than what is required by the state's department of licensing. We also work within our communities to further the interests of real property owners. Of late, our organization has spearheaded continual efforts by the State Legislature to increase the excise tax on the sale of all real estate throughout the state. When I started in 1972, the excise tax was one percent and the medium sale price of homes sold was considerably less than it is today. Since then, the excise tax has grown to well over 1.8% in many communities of the state. Obviously, the medium sale price of a home likely exceeds many hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As I said, not all real estate salespeople are Realtors. I am proud to hold that distinction. This week I am particularly proud to be a Realtor because of our efforts to help flood stricken communities with aid and assistance. I received the following email from Pat Maddock, President of the Tacoma Pierce County Association of Realtors, concerning our continuing efforts to provide relief.

The email states, “Yesterday, the Executive Committee of the Washington REALTORS voted to deliver $50,000 in assistance to the local REALTOR associations in the Washington Flood damaged counties. So, they could help the REALTOR families whose lives have been so severely disrupted by the recent flooding. Sitting in that meeting I was very impressed by the unanimous vote by our state leadership to do the right thing, at the right time. During that meeting it was announced that the Louisiana Association of REALTORS has already been in contact and they are sending a check to help in the relief effort, too. They did not hesitate to do so, remembering that the Washington REALTORS (that's you and me) were the first to send assistance following Hurricane Katrina and that was more than $70,000. Also during that discussion a call came in from the Seattle King County Association President, Dan Kennedy, saying that SKCAR, with their 8,000 members would add $5,000 to this cause. Immediately Karen Schweinfurth, the Snohomish County-Camano Island Association President added $2,500 from her association and this morning, your Board of Directors here at the Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS voted to match the Snohomish donation. I was equally proud of them but they went a step farther and that's where you and your adult family members come in. In fact, we can't pull this off without YOU!

“As a former FEMA employee, I can attest that following a major flood event there is an endless list of unmet needs. They take many, many forms and they are real and some are dire. Well, having spent hours on the phone with emergency management officials from federal, state and local agencies over the past twenty-four hours I can tell you that in some ways they are desperate...desperate for help. Yes. The cash donations go a long way but they need helping hands, too. They need bodies and they need them now. The media hasn't even scratched the surface in terms of the length and breadth of this most recent Washington disaster and the degree to which it has affected families throughout the area. We can help.”

Yes, through the efforts of all people, wonderful things can be accomplished.