Realtors(R) Celebrate a Century of Progress

WASHINGTON, May. 15 /PRNewswire/ --

WASHINGTON, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Realtors(R) celebrating the National Association of Realtors(R)' centennial this week during the Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo had an opportunity to put real estate's advances over the past 100 years into historical context during last night's Centennial Gala. Jim Rasenberger, author of America 1908: The Dawn of Flight, the Race to the Pole, the Invention of the Model T and the Making of a Modern Nation, was the featured speaker at the event, which was attended by more than 1,200 Realtors(R) and guests.

"1908 was a year that marked a psychological shift in America," said Rasenberger. "Americans believed anything and everything was possible. Like the Model T, which helped expand people's horizons in bringing affordable automobiles to the masses, Realtors(R) began expanding the vision of homeownership - they believed that we should not just be tenants of the American dream, but owners of it."

The century since NAR was established has seen numerous demographic shifts. The country's population has more than tripled, from 87 million in 1908 to 300 million today. At the turn of the last century, fewer than half of U.S. households owned their own home; in urban areas, three-quarters of the population were renters. Today, homeownership approaches 70 percent.

Rasenberger told the audience, "We owe those who began this association a debt of gratitude for helping to make America more prosperous and fairer place to live."

Realtors(R) themselves have changed, as well. NAR's current membership is predominantly female - 60 percent of all Realtors(R) are women - but in 1908, only one out of five women worked outside the home. The membership also reflects the country's growing diversity - 15 percent of Realtors(R) are members of a minority population, and more than 25 percent of Realtors(R) who joined NAR since 1999 are minorities.

"For 100 years, Realtors(R) have been bringing America home," said NAR President Dick Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif. "As our nation has evolved, so has our profession. But one thing remains constant - Realtors(R)' commitment to the principles and promise of an industry inexorably tied to the American dream."

The National Association of Realtors(R), "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Information about NAR is available at www.realtor.org. News releases are posted in the Web site's "News Media" section in the NAR Media Center.

REALTOR(R) is a registered collective membership mark which may be used only by real estate professionals who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS(R) and subscribe to its strict Code of Ethics. Not all real estate agents are REALTORS(R). All REALTORS(R) are members of NAR.