An Interview with 2010 TAR President B. J. Swinehart

BJ Swinehart PhotoOur 2010 TAR President, B. J. Swinehart, is a REALTOR with RE/MAX Preferred Properties in Knoxville, Tennessee.  She holds the ABR, CIPS, CRB, CRS, and GRI designations.  This interview was conducted in late November, 2009, shortly after she assumed office as TAR President.


TAR: What are the biggest challenges facing TAR's members and member firms today?

BJ: The economy - It's defiantly taken a toll on our members. Firms are having trouble with agent retention, and suffering from "company-hopping" agents trying to find new work. It's hard to recruit new agents because it's costly to train, and not many people are coming into the business.

TAR: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing TAR as an association next year?

BJ: TAR is faced with the same problem that other large associations are facing - retention of members, which is another side-effect of the economy. Services cost more today to provide for members, but there are fewer funds to pull from to provide those services.

TAR: What are your personal priorities as President of TAR in 2010?

BJ: #1 is to help members succeed and to keep an open line of communication from the top down (Board of Directors on down to individual agents). We also want to cut out non-essentials, but keep basic and important services for members. And we need to keep on top of legislative issues affecting members.

TAR: How has the real estate business changed since you first got into the business? In what ways is it better?  In what ways is it worse?

BJ: I entered in the business in 1981, which saw interest rates at an all-time high, now they're at an all-time low. You used to have to co-show houses and meet clients in person every time. There was no email, fax, pagers, and few cell phones. And there were no standard contracts, so you had to read EVERYTHING that came across your desk extremely carefully.

Home inspections are something that came about not long ago, which have left a lot of room afterward for renegotiation.

Changes for the better: technology has enabled us to negotiate from a phone wherever we are, text, email. We spend less time in an office, attached to a phone, and have more time to get out in the community or do other things like take a vacation. REALTORS never had the opportunity to take vacations before!
TAR: We know that the typical TAR member may be totally unaware of what TAR does and how TAR affects his/her real estate business.  Do you see any ways could TAR have a greater positive impact on the day-to-day success and experiences of the typical member?
BJ: Actually, I believe that the typical member is more aware of TAR's services than ever before. They get the TAR DIGEST; use the Help lines, etc.  I want them to continue to use those and encourage them to remain in contact with their local associations and boards.

TAR: What do you think are members' biggest misconceptions about TAR?

BJ: I called up a few agents and asked them this question. Some felt TAR is nothing more than a travel brokerage for the elite of our industry to wine and dine themselves on the member's dollar. Others feel that leadership is "unapproachable" and do not share the same views of average agents.  It's a terrible misconception, but nonetheless a perception that we need to change.

TAR: Polls continue to show that, while consumers will usually seek professional help in buying or selling a home, REALTORS still don't rank very high on the opinion polls of trusted or ethical professions.  What can TAR do about this, if anything?

BJ: This is hard to define. We can work to educate members on how to show value to consumers and earn their trust. For example, REALTORS are unique in the fact that we don't always get paid for every service we do, and we take a huge amount of risk. We can even do our jobs 3 or 4 times per house and never get paid. The public often doesn't understand this.

Many times, the REALTOR'S own money and time are put on the line. REALTORS need to learn how to do a better job at showing consumers how we spend time, the costs on our side of a transaction, etc.

TAR: The Internet has had a dramatic, paradigm-shifting impact on real estate and other industries. Do you think REALTORS have kept up with (or even surpassed) their customers and clients in adapting to the Internet and using the tools that the Internet now offers? How could we improve?

BJ: I think most REALTORS have always been ahead of the game. They have the entrepreneurial spirit and drive that forces them to adapt to the newest technologies and use them in interesting ways to benefit their business.

I don't think I could go back to the way things were in the "old days." We need to keep up with new trends, such as artificial intelligence. For example, I believe that before too long we'll have virtual listing presentations.

TAR: If a brand new REALTOR came to you and asked for your advice on the skills and know-how that he or she would need to be successful in real estate today, what would you advise?

BJ: Education, education, education!!! I would tell them the first thing they should do is get their GRI designation. Then they should continue to grow and earn additional designations.

They should practice some sort of mentoring program with an experienced agent where, in exchange for helping with some of the grunt work, they receive valuable knowledge.

They should practice and rehearse scripts, what to say and what not to say, and most importantly, get a GPS. I don't think I could live without one!

TAR: When 2010 is just a memory, what do you hope TAR will have accomplished or become in 2010?

BJ: I hope we will have been successful in protecting our members' livelihoods.

I hope that we will be able to look back and see that we steered legislative and regulatory issues in favor of our members and consumers.

I would like for members to continue to have relevant services, and would hope that we educated them on the availability of those services.

I want TAR members to know that the lines of open communication are there, and that leadership does care about our members.

Those in leadership are often referred to as "servant-leaders." I completely agree with this. Being a leader is such as sacrifice, of time, money, etc., but we are so honored to have that position, so we can really make a difference for our members.

Things are changing for the better. You can almost feel it around you. I believe the market is going to go up, and consumers will become more comfortable with spending again.

I'm excited about those who are currently REALTORS. They have survived a downturn in the economy, one of the toughest ever for our industry, and now have the perfect opportunity to reinvent themselves and come out stronger than before!