I’m always amazed at how closely our relationships with our clients mirror our association’s relationship with its members and the Texas consumers we serve.
Take trust, for example. Our clients don’t automatically trust us. We earn that trust through demonstrative proof of our ability and our willingness to put their interests above all else. Once earned, that trust comes not only with a legal burden to deliver a minimum level of service and competency, but also a broader, more powerful moral responsibility for outcomes.
Simply put, we care about more than a successful transaction. The same holds true for our association. Texas REALTORS® has spent the last century—led by members like you and me—earning the trust of fellow members, consumers, lawmakers, and regulators. That earned trust grows exponentially year after year as we become more and more successful in our advocacy efforts. Our collective voice is no longer one of many, but the voice for all things real estate at the local, state, and national levels. With that powerful influence comes epic responsibility to our fellow citizens.
In the days and weeks to come, budget and property tax-rate-setting discussions will be held in local jurisdictions across the state. Because of the disruption in commerce caused by COVID-19, those conversations will be especially painful for cities who rely heavily on sales tax revenue to subsidize budgets. Our REALTOR® voice is too powerful to be bystanders in these most difficult and impactful conversations. Do we have enough reserves? What services must be cut? Can we subsidize with debt? What other revenue sources are available? How can we avoid burdening an already overburdened property tax payer? If we must go to the voters, do REALTORS® support, oppose, or simply inform?
As members, you are the eyes into which your clients and your community will look for wisdom and understanding of the consequences of such decisions. I urge you to work with your local associations to ensure REALTOR® voices are unified. The Texas REALTORS® Governmental Affairs staff will help in every way they can. We must protect our consumers by protecting the market, and that means helping find and broker those answers. Perhaps most importantly, we must rally community engagement and support for those decisions. When Texas history books tell the saga of 2020 to our children and grandchildren, let’s be sure Texas REALTORS® is among its heroes. #ShapingTexas