2021 LCAR President Tom Blefko's Banquet Speech

The following is a transcript of 2021 LCAR President Tom Blefko's speech at the Annual Banquet & Volunteer Luncheon on December 16th at the Wyndham Expo Center:

Good morning! This is certainly a little different than last year at this time when I gave my induction speech to a camera that was sitting on top of my desk at work in front of an audience of ZERO. Little did I realize at that time what our Association and industry was about to experience over the next 12 months.

We were forced with making drastic changes in the way we conducted our business. Just think about some of the following things that we've all had to deal with:

• Presenting multiple offers became the new norm when taking a listing. I know in my office that one listing received 32 offers in two days.
• Inventory levels across our country reached historic lows as we struggled to get our buyer clients into properties that fit their needs.
• We scratched our heads when we would receive multiple offers, all substantially over list price; and we questioned the value of the CMA that we spent hours preparing.
• Then there was the entire appraisal industry that was left struggling to make sense of what they were seeing with skyrocketing appreciation rates.
• It was not out-of-the-ordinary for listing agents to receive agreements from buyers who had never stepped foot on a property.
• And our commercial practitioners struggled with office leases as more and more companies sent their employees home to work remotely -- and who knows if that will change.
• Companies started to rethink how they were communicating with their agents, and agents started rethinking how they were communicating with their clients.
• Supply chain issues stood the building industry on its head, only to be followed up by the cost of materials going through the roof.
• Because of the pandemic, our buyer clients are now reevaluating and questioning what is important to them in a property which is causing us to question our own assumptions of what is important in a property.
• The elevated use of Coming Soon and Office Exclusive listings as a marketing strategy continued to gain in acceptance and popularity much to the dismay of some in our industry.
• And how could I leave 'Zoom' off this list. This program and other similar apps have become standards in our industry where just 18 months ago we didn't even know they existed.
• And finally, on the national level, multiple lawsuits have been filed this past year against our industry that may cause us to change how compensation is paid to agents in the future.

Through all of these industry changes, you, the members of LCAR, have adapted, embraced and welcomed the challenges. I tip my hat to you.

On the Association home front, we have accomplished a lot that I am proud of:

• We revised LCAR's Code of Conduct to more accurately reflect changes that have occurred in our industry over the past couple of years. This document serves as a guide for our members when interpreting NAR's Code of Ethics which makes us all more professional.
• If you haven't noticed already, we've undergone a rebranding which is reflected in the new logo that you see here today and our new mobile-friendly website which went LIVE yesterday and you can access at www.LCARonline.com.
• We are in the beginning stages of communicating with you, our members, in ways that we've never done before. Before you leave here today, be sure to friend, follow and connect with our various social media platforms.
• We continue to raise more money for LCAR-PAC so that we can invest in our relationships with political leaders so that real estate issues will always be front and center.
• We also had a record-setting year raising money for Transitional Living Center as we continue to support their fine efforts in working with those within our community struggling with housing issues.
• And after 47 years, our Executive Vice President, Frank Christoffel, retired. Frank was there at the infancy of our Association and helped grow it to what it is today -- a strong Association with over 1,700 members and affiliates. We now have a large void to fill, but I'm confident that our new President and Board will be up to the task of finding that perfect individual to take his place.

Before I finish, I do have some people that I would like to thank.

• I want to thank the staff at LCAR for doing a phenomenal job during this year of transition. They have handled it like true professionals.
• It has also been a privilege to work with the many men and women who make up our Board of Directors, Association Operations and all our Committees. You are truly the backbone of our organization.
• I would like to thank the LCAR membership. Many members during the year reached out to me with comments, advice and suggestions that helped me mold and shape LCAR into a better organization.
• And finally, I would like to thank my HomeSale family for allowing me the time to devote to our Association. Without your support, I couldn't have done this.

It has been my honor to have had the opportunity to serve LCAR; and I know, as I take a step back, we are in good hands as we continue to blaze a path into the future. Thank you.