The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® was
founded as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges on May 12, 1908 at
the YMCA Auditorium in Chicago, IL. With 120 founding members, 19 Boards,
and one State Association, the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges'
objective was "to unite the real estate men of America for the purpose of
effectively exerting a combined influence upon matters affecting real estate
interests."
In 1916, the National Association of Real Estate
Exchange's name was changed to The National Association of Real Estate Boards.
The term “REALTOR,” identifying real estate agents as
members of the National Association of Real Estate Boards and subscribers to its
strict Code of Ethics, was devised by Charles N. Chadbourn, a past president of
the Minneapolis Real Estate Board, and was first used to designate members of
the Minneapolis organization. The Minneapolis Board gave all rights to the word
"Realtor" to the National Association in 1916.
In 1949 and 1950 respectively, the Patent and Trademark
Office registrations for the term REALTOR® and the REALTOR® emblem were
approved. Dictionary publishers began to list the definition of "REALTOR" as a
member of the National Association in 1967.
In 1974, the name of the National Association of Real
Estate Boards was changed to the National Association of REALTORS®.
In 1989, the Association adopted The Voice for Real
Estate as its theme and as part of its official logo. Along with this theme, the
Association encouraged more members to include the REALTOR® emblem on their
business cards and stationery.
In 1998, a national
Public Awareness Campaign was launched to educate
consumers about the vital role REALTORS® play in the real estate transaction.
The Association became the largest trade association in the
United States in the early 1970s, with over 400,000 members. Today, the National
Association of REALTORS® has over 850,000 members, 54 State Associations
(including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) and more than 1,500 local
Associations. Above information courtesy
of www.realtor.com |
