Awards are open! / New app soon / GRI courses / & More
The Real Estate Insider
The Voice of Real Estate
Special thanks to our 2023 Gold Partners:
A Word from Your 2023 President

Dear Fellow EMTAR Members,
 
I hope you and your loved ones enjoyed the Christmas holiday season and that your New Year is off to a great start.
 
As your 2023 president, I am excited to continue the strong legacy of leadership and service that our Association has been known for since its founding almost exactly 54 years ago, on January 16, 1969. With more than 1,400 fellow REALTORS®, we have become a vital part of vibrant, growing Eastern Middle Tennessee.
What a joy it is for me to walk alongside you in helping our clients achieve the American dream while strengthening our cities, communities, and neighborhoods.
 
As we enter 2023, your EMTAR leadership is focused on several important efforts to keep us moving forward. These include:
 
1.  Coming soon, the unveiling of a new mobile app called myEMTAR, a handy, accessible, no-cost tool to help our members stay connected and to share timely updates, news, and opportunities. I am thrilled about the app and the ways it will enhance the value of membership. (Please stay tuned for a separate announcement when it launches.)

2.  Laying groundwork for a new EMTAR leadership academy, a vital step toward cultivating aspiring leaders in our Association and the real estate industry on the local, state, and national levels.

3.  Continuing to offer a full menu of excellent CE courses to help you not only complete your Tennessee licensure requirements but also to grow stronger in your service to clients. These include six GRI classes in 2023. (See more details below.)
 
Education, leadership, and technology: these are three of the key ways that we will work hard to equip you to seize opportunities and thrive as a REALTOR® in the year ahead.
 
On a personal note, we know that real estate is closely connected to family. After all, we are helping families to find their way home, to grow together under one roof, and to create lifelong memories and a lasting legacy through the places where they live, work, and play. For me, being installed in December as president by my mom, who is also a REALTOR® and longtime EMTAR member and leader, was a very special moment. It was also a reminder of the value of sharing the important work we do with the next generations of real estate professionals and servant-leaders.
 
Here’s to more legacy building, making family memories, and serving our community together in 2023 and far beyond.
 
Thank you,
Eddie Rockensock
 
P.S. Be sure to apply to serve on a 2023 EMTAR committee if you haven’t done so yet! Being engaged in the Association as a leader is impactful, rewarding, and fun.
*Apply* for EMTAR Awards of Excellence
The application for EMTAR's 2022 Awards of Excellence and the registration for our banquet on Thursday, March 30, are open HERE. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 1.

We hope you'll plan to join us at Farm Bureau Exposition Center in Lebanon, beginning at 6 p.m. on March 30, for this year's gala dinner and awards celebration.

Among other highlights, we have a new award level this year. SAPPHIRE was created and other levels were adjusted. Sapphire will honor and recognize those who have closed in excess of $20 million during the calendar year of 2022.

Awards applications must be submitted online only! No paper applications will be accepted.

For more details and instructions, visit this link.
JOIN US FOR EMTAR's POWER HOUR! Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, 9:00-10:00 a.m. @ EMTAR

With tax season just around the corner, start your year off correctly and prepare for your tax return.

REALTORS® and Independent Contractors are facing a long list of tax changes for the 2022 filing year. New and complex rules, annual inflation adjustments, and tedious documentation can impact any taxpayer without a plan or expert guidance. Reduce your stress this tax season and join us for EMTAR's monthly POWER HOUR featuring one of Wilson County's very own, J. Alan "Woody" Hayes, CPA. 

With more than 20 years' experience in public accounting, Alan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the firm he founded in 2003 in Mt. Juliet.
Join Us for Our Membership Lunch, Wednesday, Feb. 1
Join us for the first of five EMTAR Luncheons that are provided to the membership annually. 
This Luncheon our Guest Speaker will be Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto. 

Mayor Hutto will present this year's State of Wilson County address. You'll learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly for Wilson County, seeing what's on the horizon when it comes to growth, education, financial status, and more. 
Six GRI Designation Courses Set for 2023
We are excited to host six Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) courses in 2023, led by instructor Bobby Wood, a longtime EMTAR member. The courses are GRI 401-406, and each carries six hours of CE credit. To learn more and register, see the specific course titles in the Education section of the newsletter below or visit this page.

If you are ready to boost your career, the GRI is an excellent designation to pursue. The GRI takes REALTORS® from professionals to consummate professionals. It can also help you make more money! How? By showing you the industry's nuances—and helping you better understand consumers, business, and technology.

The GRI curriculum ensures your expertise in a variety of areas, including:
  • Business Skills
  • Market knowledge
  • Systems and tools
  • Avoiding setbacks, fines, and lawsuits

The beginning of the year is a great time to start or continue earning your GRI!

MLS Market Updates

Each month EMTAR provides an Infographic on sales data (click on the graphics for December 2022).

EMTAR is providing Local Market Updates for Wilson, Smith and Dekalb counties. To download the quick Infographics and Realtracs reports, click the button below.

These reports are also usually announced mid-month on the EMTAR Facebook page, where you can share them within your sphere of influence.
EMTAR dues were due December 31. After that date, a $50 late fee was assessed, and now that January 15 has passed, another $50 has been added to unpaid dues.

All members may pay online by logging into your account on the EMTAR website. As a reminder, NAR's Special Assessment for the Consumer Advertising Campaign was $35 for 2022 and will be $45 for 2023. In light of that, the total dues members pay will rise by $10 to cover the assessment.
*Reminder* Apply to Serve on a Committee
Is this your season to help lead our Association forward? 

2023 EMTAR Committee Applications are available. Each year, interested members who would like to be involved and serve on a committee may fill out the Committee Application request form. You'll be prompted to select your top three choices. A committee appointment will serve for at least two years consecutively.

*A list of committees, their descriptions and the Committee request form is posted HERE.*
TNEX & Day on the Hill: February 6-8
Tennessee REALTORS® will host its 2023 Tennessee Excel Summit (TNEX) on February 6-7 at the Embassy Suites Downtown Nashville, and then its annual Day on the Hill (DOTH) on February 8 at the Tennessee State Capitol.

EMTAR will have a bus to take members to and from Day on the Hill, where we will meet with our elected state senators and representatives to discuss issues that are vital to private-property ownership, REALTORS®, and the real estate industry.
YPN Members Give Advice on Thriving Past the Five-Year Mark

"Recently, realtor.com published a study of findings on what real estate professionals believed were their top issues when building a successful business. Part of their #thrivepastfive campaign, the study’s purpose was to understand better what real estate professionals needed in those first few years of business to create sustainable and long-term success. The first five years of business are crucial in determining long-term success. Even more important, those first two years can make or break an agent . . ."
EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS
EMTAR provides a range of professional development offerings for our members. Click below to learn more and get ready to learn. Thanks!
Tennessee has changed the process for checking your license status and CE. Licensees are now responsible for monitoring your own education. Local associations cannot look up your information. You must register your license number with CE Broker, the official CE tracking system of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TREC).
Upcoming classes include:

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 (9:00 AM to 12:00 PM)
3 CE Hours
Instructor: Danielle Longdue

Thursday, January 26, 2023 (12:30 PM to 4:30 PM)
4 CE Hours
Instructor: Susan Barnette

Friday, February 10, 2023
6 CE Hours
Instructor: Bobby Wood

Friday, March 24, 2023
6 CE Hours
Instructor: Bobby Wood

Friday, April 7, 2023
6 CE Hours
Instructor: Bobby Wood

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 (9:00 AM to 12:00 PM)
3 CE Hours
Instructor: Danielle Longdue

Friday, August 18, 2023
6 CE Hours
Instructor: Bobby Wood

Friday, September 15, 2023
6 CE Hours
Instructor: Bobby Wood

Thursday, October 12, 2023
6 CE Hours
Instructor: Bobby Wood
EMTAR
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