The National Association of Realtors (NAR) was founded as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges on May 12, 1908 at the YMCA Auditorium in Chicago with 120 founding members. [In 1916, the name was changed to the National Association of Real Estate Boards (NAREB). The current name was adopted in 1972.]
In honor of their 100th year Anniversary last year, I decided to pay a visit to NAR headquarters in Chicago.
Being a history buff, I sneaked past the guards and found my way to the archives. Flashing my Press pass from an old Inman Connect, I gained access to the top secret hermetically sealed vault housing the oldest and rarest of written records of the fabled Realtor® organization, where I gently persuaded the archivist to give me a glimpse. I share some of the history with you, dear reader.
Vol. 1 No. 1 of the National Real Estate Journal (March 1910).
These fellows had a sense of humor. The Journal would contain caricatures of the organization leaders. Here’s one of Alexander Taylor, one of the founders, from the 1912 Journal.
Image: Past Presidents
Board of Directors Minutes 1909-1913 cover page. The first Code of Ethics for real estate professionals was adopted in 1913, a revolutionary idea at the time (and perhaps still). Its theme was the Golden Rule.
In the minutes from 1912 was an entry:
“Three members of the Winnipeg Real Estate Board having lost their lives in the sinking of the Steamship Titanic is was Moved and Seconded that a letter of sympathy be sent to the Winnipeg Real Estate Board. CARRIED”
Original corporate seal 1908:
Emblem adopted in 1923
First Presidents:
One of the early Realtor® conferences. Rumor has it Brad Inman was in attendence and got the idea for Real Estate Connect.
Now here’s a rare bird– the official Realtor’s Song, written by Orley Iles in 1954 for the Phoenix Real Estate Board. The lyrics are only known to a select group of insiders sworn to secrecy (and American Idol judges).
About the Name:
The name Realtor® was coined in 1916 by member Charles N. Chadbourn, a past president of the Minneapolis Real Estate Board. The story goes he read a disparaging headline of a real estate professional in 1915 and decided the membership needed to distinguish themselves from others in the real estate industry. The name was adopted by the Executive Committee on March 27, 1916 and later trademarked in 1949. For the rights to the name, Mr. Chadbourn was paid 1/24 the zestimated value of Manhattan, $1.
After getting a glimpse into the history of this 1.2 million member organization, I untied the archivist, Russell Carlson, thanked him, and slipped out the back door.
Russell Carlson
Further Reading:
Field Guide to the History of the National Association of Realtors
Technorati Tags: NAR, National Association of Realtors, Realtors, Chicago
