{"id":28191,"date":"2024-08-29T15:34:46","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T20:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/learning-opportunities-abound-at-2024-shaping-texas-conference\/"},"modified":"2024-08-29T15:34:46","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T20:34:46","slug":"learning-opportunities-abound-at-2024-shaping-texas-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/learning-opportunities-abound-at-2024-shaping-texas-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Opportunities Abound at 2024 Shaping Texas Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"The 2024 Texas REALTORS\u00ae Shaping Texas Conference in Grapevine brought together more than 2,000 REALTORS\u00ae from all over Texas to discuss the latest real estate issues, connect with colleagues, and conduct association business. The event equipped members with actionable insights and tools to better showcase their value as real estate professionals.\nKeynote Kicked Off (pun intended) the Conference\u00a0\nNFL Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith took attendees in the standing-room-only Opening Session through his journey, on and off the football field. He delivered a powerful message of leadership and overcoming adversity. \u201cChange is scary if you\u2019re not willing to adjust,\u201d said Smith. \u201cWe have a lot of changes in this industry, and we have to be open and ready.\u201d\u00a0\nImmediately following, attendees enjoyed a fun evening at the \u201880s-themed Welcome Reception featuring the cover band, the Spazmatics.\u00a0Thank you to the local Boards\/Associations in North Texas that sponsored the event. \nEducation Takeaways\nAn assortment of educational sessions, panels, and forums were offered to drive personal and professional growth.\nAt the \u201cFarm &amp; Ranch 101 for Residential Agents\u201d\u00a0session, instructor Megan Turnipseed led an overflow room through the differences between residential and land transactions. Turnipseed focused on the logistics of farm and ranch properties and also walked attendees through redlines of upcoming changes to farm and ranch forms.\u00a0\u00a0\nDuring the \u201cWhere Have All the Houses Gone?\u201d session, former Texas REALTORS\u00ae Chairman Shad Bogany discussed the factors affecting affordability in Texas: inflation, high demand, rising property taxes, and local regulation. \u201cNIMBYs are also a huge threat to housing affordability,\u201d said Bogany. \u201cEveryone wants shops and restaurants in their neighborhoods\u2014those jobs don\u2019t pay much. Where are the workers supposed to live?\u201d\u00a0\nCraig Grant, CEO of RETI (Real Estate and Technology Institute), provided an overview of artificial intelligence and AI tools during \u201cWorking Smarter With AI.\u201d Grant also gave tips on using AI tools in your real estate business, as well as its pros and cons. \u201cAI tools use existing content to create new content without providing any sources, accreditation, or compensation to the creator of the original source of content. That can cause legal problems.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\nInstructor John Young, REALTOR\u00ae with RE\/MAX Excellence Realty in Greater Washington DC Metro area, talked about different types of disabilities and interacting with clients with disabilities at \u201cThe Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of Serving Clients with Disabilities\u201d session. Young\u2019s worldview has been greatly informed by his 15-year-old autistic daughter. \u201cThere is not one set of rules, one book, one set of tips for working with disabled people. Every disabled person is different,\u201d said Young. \u201cOne thing to remember is to always speak to disabled people the same you would talk to anyone else.\u201d\nDuring \u201cIs This Listing Real or Not?\u201d, instructor and Texas REALTORS\u00ae member Candy Cooke talked about seller-impersonation scams, how to spot them, and what to do if you or your clients become a target. \u201cThese scams are effective because they exploit the trust that buyers have in sellers, create urgency to force quick decisions without due diligence, and exploit fear of losing a deal,\u201d Cooke said.\u00a0\nInstructor and Texas REALTORS\u00ae member Alisha Austin stressed during \u201cValue is not a Four-Letter Word\u201d how to show your value to clients and the public. She said to figure out your \u201cwhy\u201d and let people see your authenticity. \u201cStop talking about how many sales and how much money you\u2019ve made. People want to know what you\u2019re going to do for them, not other clients,\u201d said Austin. \u201cShare what you\u2019re doing when you are not making money\u2014things that you\u2019re doing to improve yourself.\u201d\nBarney Schwartz, Risk Manager\/Insurance Broker of Assured Partners, offered advice on how to avoid having a claim filed against you and ways to protect yourself from cyberattacks at the \u201cThat Suit Doesn\u2019t Look Good on You\u201d Risk Reduction Forum. He discussed the importance of documentation for every scenario, understanding the seller\u2019s disclosure, responsible tenant screening, password safety, and he voiced enabling multi-factor authentication on all your accounts. \u201cIf you take nothing else away from this session today, I want you to know about the importance of multi-factor authentication.\u201d\nDuring the Governmental Affairs Forum, \u201cForward to the Future: A Sneak Peek into the 2024 Election,\u201d keynote speaker David Wasserman, Senior Editor and Elections Analyst for \u201cThe Cook Political Report with Amy Walter,\u201d provided an insightful analysis of the upcoming presidential election, saying it was too close to call a clear advantage for either candidate. He then analyzed key state races across the U.S. and a detailed breakdown of key Texas House and Senate races with tight margins and possible underdogs.\u00a0Tray Bates, Texas REALTORS Vice President of Government Affairs, recounted wins from the 88th Texas Legislature and shared the strategic plan \u201cRising to the Challenge: Ensuring Texas REALTORS\u00ae\u2019 Continued Influence\u201d to prepare the association for the future.\u00a0\nDuring the Public Policy Forum, Luis Saenz, former Chief of Staff to Gov. Greg Abbott; Logan Spence, former Chief of Staff to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick; and Gavin Massingill, former Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen, shared stories about the work, stress, and collaboration needed among these offices and with legislators from both parties. When asked about the most critical issues facing the state, Spence said, \u201cWe are growing so fast here in Texas, we see water, electricity, and highways as big needs. We need to make sure the Texas economy continues to thrive as it has done for so many years.\u201d All three speakers emphasized that Republicans and Democrats working together through tough challenges on bills that affect Texans was key in the continued success of the state.\nPublic Policy Positions\nThis year, the policy committees have been hard at work, holding 29 meetings and dedicating approximately 75 hours of committee time, totaling an impressive 1,850 volunteer hours. The committees reviewed and reaffirmed 32 policy positions, addressing longstanding issues such as property taxes, infrastructure projects, land use, and transactional concerns like title insurance and HOAs. Notably, new policy positions were introduced this year, including approaches to tackle squatters, deed or lease fraud, rising insurance rates, and fair housing protections.\nIn a survey conducted over two weeks in July and August, 1,408 members responded, showing strong support for our efforts. A remarkable 73% agreed that Texas REALTORS\u00ae is doing a good job, a 2% increase from last year. Every policy statement received overwhelming endorsement, with the new policy on squatters receiving the highest support at 99%, even surpassing the 96% support for our stance against taxing real estate services. Clearly, the issue of squatters is a top concern for our members.\nTexas REALTORS\u00ae\/REACH Labs Innovation Showcase:\u00a0Battle of the Best Pitch\nThis annual event featured a pitch battle, \u201cShark Tank\u201d-style, among four innovative real estate tech startups: Curb Hero, Jointly, KeyPleaz, and Pitch59.\u00a0 The CEO of each business made a five-minute pitch followed by Q&amp;A. The winner, chosen by audience members, was Pitch59.\u00a0\nCongratulations to the 5 Winners of the Shaping Texas Challenge!\u00a0\nOver 500 attendees played the Shaping Texas Challenge game in the conference app. Congratulations to the five prize winners: \u00a0\n\n1st prize (football signed by Emmitt Smith): Melissa Esau, Fort Hood\u00a0\n2nd prize ($100 Amazon gift card): Donna Bocanegra, Wichita Falls\u00a0\n3rd prize ($100 Amazon gift card): Sara Cullen, MetroTex\u00a0\n4th prize (Texas REALTORS tote bag and goodies): Kim Holson, Longview\u00a0\n5th prize (Texas REALTORS tote bag and goodies): Mary Margaret Davis, Greater Fort Worth\u00a0\n\nInstallation Gala\nGold standard was the theme of the Texas REALTORS\u00ae Installation Gala, which was reflected in attendees\u2019 attire and the d\u00e9cor of the event. After entertainment by acclaimed singer-songwriter Kelly Willis, 2025 association leaders were installed by emcee and installing officer Cindi Bulla, 2020 chair of Texas REALTORS\u00ae:\u00a0 Tony Lloyd as Secretary\/Treasurer, Jennifer Wauhob as Chairman-elect, Jef Conn as Immediate past chairman, and Christy Gessler-Whetsel as Chairman.\nIn her remarks, Gessler-Whetsel spoke of the Japanese practice of Kintsugi, the art of repairing chips and cracks in fine China by gluing them back together with gold. She explained that family and friends, mentors, and other REALTORS\u00ae on her leadership journey are the gold that puts her back together after challenging times. She also thanked Texas REALTORS\u00ae President and CEO Travis Kessler and his wife, Shelley, for decades of service to the REALTOR\u00ae family. Kessler will retire at the end of March 2025 after more than 40 years working for the REALTOR\u00ae association.\u00a0\u00a0\nThe following 2025 Regional Vice Presidents were installed for a two-year term beginning December 1, 2024: Region 2 \u2013Jamie Dalzell, Abilene; Region 3 \u2013\u00a0Alberto Vazquez, Arlington, and\u00a0Brenda Taylor, Greater Lewisville; Region 4 \u2013\u00a0Amanda Phillips, Greater Texoma, and\u00a0Bill Cox, Collin County; Region 5 \u2013\u00a0Kelly Raulston, Greater Tyler; Region 6 \u2013\u00a0Wayne Dunson, Odessa; Region 7 \u2013\u00a0Stephanie Besett Ryan, Four Rivers; Region 8 \u2013\u00a0Kandi Luensmann, Fort Hood, and\u00a0Sarah Norman, Bryan College Station; Region 9 \u2013\u00a0Angie Williams, Lufkin; Region 12 (MetroTex) \u2013\u00a0Johnny Mowad,\u00a0Ginger Gill,\u00a0Hanne Sagalowsky,\u00a0Franceanna Campagna,\u00a0Kendra Norwood,\u00a0Michael (Kevin) Caskey, and\u00a0Richard Gregory; Region 13 (San Antonio) \u2013\u00a0Will Curtis\u00a0and\u00a0Cortney Gill; Region 14 (Houston) \u2013\u00a0Michica Guillory,\u00a0Deborah Spangler,\u00a0Jo Ann Stevens,\u00a0Michael Wong,\u00a0Shae Cottar,\u00a0Thomas Mouton,\u00a0Karishma Asrani,\u00a0Tina Wilcher; and Region 15 (Austin) \u2013\u00a0Job Hammond\u00a0and\u00a0Teresa Scott-Tibbs.\nThe 2025 Executive Board Appointees included Janna Burton, Bryan-College Station; Leah Cox, Waco; Christine Molis, Greater McAllen; Jemila Winsey, Houston. The Commercial Appointee included Daphne Zollinger, Greater Denton Wise County.\nInstitute Societies and Council Actions\nChristy Gessler-Whetsel installed the 2025 board for REALTORS\u00ae Land Institute, Texas Chapter: Chip Bubela as President, Chandra Stout as President-Elect, Loni Jones as Secretary, Clayton Pilgrim as Treasurer, Megan Turnipseed as Past President, Carroll Bobo as Director, Jodie Rapp as Director, Kasey Mock as Director, Clay McCullar as Director, Clay McCullar as Director, Lani Rust as Director, Doyle Spenser as Director, and Denise O\u2019Brien as Chapter Administrator.\nAt the Texas Women\u2019s Council of REALTORS\u00ae awards luncheon, State President Cathy Heshmat celebrated industry leaders. Awards were presented to Shadrya Patton, Fort Bend, Member of the Year; Sharon Eddings, Conroe, for Entrepreneur of the Year; and Texas REALTORS\u00ae President and CEO Travis Kessler, who received the Affiliate of the Year award.\nThe Texas Residential Real Estate Council (RRC), joined by Tricia Nekota, National RRC President, Hawaii, participated in a roundtable discussion focusing on business development, marketing, advocacy, and networking.\nGlobal Partnerships\nThe Global Reception, a conference highlight, celebrated the ongoing partnership between Texas REALTORS\u00ae and AMPI. This event included a gift exchange and a presentation that honored the commitment of both organizations to strengthen cross-border real estate collaboration. The reception underscored the importance of our partnership and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by Emilio Rojas Cobian, AMPI President and Gabriela Hernandez Chargoy, International Director. The MOU sets forth the understanding of the parties related to connecting and establishing a mutually beneficial relationship for its respective association members.\nThe AMPI delegation also attended the VIP Dinner and the Installation Gala, which provided additional networking opportunities with key figures in the real estate industry. These gatherings celebrated leadership and the installation of new officers, further cementing the collaborative spirit between Texas REALTORS\u00ae and AMPI.\nBoard of Directors Meeting\nThe Texas REALTORS\u00ae Board of Directors met on the final day of the conference to conduct the business of the association and hear important updates. \u00a0\n\nTexas Real Estate Commission Chairman Scott Kesner and Executive Director Chelsea Buchholtz encouraged REALTORS\u00ae to seek innovation, ensuring members that TREC wants to support REALTORS\u00ae while upholding its mission to protect consumers. They spoke of proposed forms changes, improved timelines for enforcement activities, and a new rule allowing more time for broker succession after the death of a designated broker of a business entity.\nNAR 2026 First Vice President candidate Colin Mullane, a broker from Oregon, assured members that \u201cwe do our best work when stuff gets hard.\u201d He also promoted the value of the three-tiered agreement of national, state, and local associations.\nNAR Region 10 Vice President Marvin Jolly encouraged members to continue to check facts.realtor for the latest updates related to the settlement. He also shared that NAR has come out against a proposal for rent caps, saying it would actually make housing less affordable.\nTexas REALTORS\u00ae General Counsel Lori Levy provided an update on how the NAR settlement affects REALTORS\u00ae in Texas and explained several form changes. She pointed out that the changes increase the choices for how brokers and their clients conduct business.\nKenzie Honey, Finance Director of the Abilene Association of REALTORS\u00ae, was honored for earning the REALTOR\u00ae Association Certified Executive (RCE) designation.\nMichael DeHart was recognized for his upcoming retirement after 14 years leading the Fort Hood Area Association of REALTORS\u00ae as its association executive.\nSecretary\/Treasurer Jennifer Wauhob provided an update on the financials of the association, presenting a balanced budget that includes annual dues of $117 per year (unchanged since 2012). Directors approved an Issues Mobilization\/Political Advocacy Fund assessment of $30 per year and a Legal Fund Assessment of $10 per year, an increase from $5 previously.\nDirectors received updates from all association committees on recent activities. The board also approved the association\u2019s 2025-2026 Strategic Plan.\n\nLook for a full recap with photos in the upcoming September\/October Texas REALTOR\u00ae magazine. See y\u2019all next August in Houston.\u00a0\n\u00a0","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2024 Texas REALTORS\u00ae Shaping Texas Conference in Grapevine brought together more than 2,000 REALTORS\u00ae from all over Texas to discuss the latest real estate issues, connect with colleagues, and conduct association business. The event equipped members with actionable insights and tools to better showcase their value as real estate professionals. Keynote Kicked Off (pun [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28191\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pintailcos.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}