I am just back from our Inaugural convention of the Georgia Association of Realtors. We have two conferences a year. I used to try to make more of them but work and family sometimes get in the way.

The conventions are a time of education for most of the agents in the state. Many of the local boards try to offer continuing education on a regular basis-offering classes several times a year. Some of the boards or councils do and then others are too small to offer them.

We are fortunate that as close as many of the counties are, we can generally ride to Valdosta, Glynn, or Camden to pick up a class or two. Yours truly will be taking some on-line classes at Coastal Pines as well. My license will renew in the next year or so, and we do have education requirements that have to be met.

The real estate industry has been regulating itself since 1913 under the eyes of the National Association of Realtors. All real estate agents are not Realtors. To be a Realtor, you have to join the organization and pledge to uphold their standards including The Code of Ethics.

I realize, as it is in any industry, if you have one bad experience, it reflects on the body as a whole, and I am sure our organization is no different-but we do make the effort to uphold our duties to our Clients & Customers, Duties to the Public, and our Duties to Other Realtors.

Our state association does a great job of offering to us the education we need, some reminders of things and ways we can do our jobs better, and of course the camaraderie with fellow Realtors. As an industry, we try to make each transaction better than the one before. Thank you for allowing us to work with you. We appreciate your trust.