By Laura McAlister
Journal Editor
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When the Birmingham Association of Realtors formed, the organization had around 25 members and the population of the Magic City totaled around 40,000.
If that sounds like it was a long time ago, it’s because, well, it was – 100 years ago, to be exact.
The Birmingham Association of Realtors is celebrating its centennial year this year. The theme is “100 Years of Opening Doors,” because as Margi Ingram, chairman of the centennial celebration, likes to say, a Realtor’s job is much more than selling a house.
“What we really want to do this year is enlighten the community and our own association of the significance that Realtors played in the development of the life of the community and the families,” she said. “Realtors do more than sell real estate. They’ve helped the generations realize the American dream by helping them purchase the biggest investment of their life.”
The association also set ethical standards and guidelines for buying and selling real estate that the area didn’t have before. By joining the National Association of Realtors, members of the Birmingham association were also required to pass certain exams and education courses.
The Last 100 Years
The Birmingham Association of Realtors actually dates back more than 100 years. In 1890, a group of real estate men began meeting informally. They had no rules or guidelines to follow, and no special training was required.
Then in 1911, the Birmingham Real Estate Exchange was formed and joined the National Association of Realtors. R.P. David was the organization’s first president.
In 1920, the exchange adopted a new name, the Birmingham Real Estate Board. Things were going well for the association, and Birmingham was growing. In 1926, Robert Jemison Jr., a member of the local organization, became president of the national association making him the first from Alabama to serve as president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards.
Like almost everyone, the association hit hard times during the Great Depression; membership dwindled to almost nothing. But it bounced back and by 1941 had more than 60 member firms.
Times only got better after World War II, which is when the board says its most dramatic changes occurred. Women were joining the association, and a builders institute, which would later lead to the formation of the Greater Birmingham Home Builders Association, was formed.
The creation of the Multiple Listing Service in 1958 was another major change for the organization. The service was formed by 16 brokers and required firms to pay $20 a month to use it. This early version of the MLS was a three-ring binder of mimeographed pages, according to Cynthia Cox Ragland, current president of the Birmingham association.
“And before the three-ring binder it was literally a list,” she said. “That’s how it got the name ‘listing,’ because people would stand around on the street corners with an actual list of the properties for sale.”
In the 1970s, the organization got a new name, the Birmingham Board of Realtors, and also experienced tremendous growth.
Margi joined the organization at about this time.
“We grew from 651 Realtors in 1961 to about 3,300 by 1979,” she said. “That was probably our biggest growth time.”
The association again took a hit in the ’80s because of the economy, but the Birmingham area bounced back.
Aside from technology, Magi said the biggest change in the industry has been the emergence of new neighborhoods in the Birmingham area.
Developments like Liberty Park, Greystone and Ross Bridge have redefined living with more amenities, and upscale condominiums have sprung up in the Over the Mountain area.
“There’s really been a lot of development of communities,” she said. “First there was Inverness, Riverchase, and now there is Ross Bridge and Highland Lakes.
“There also used to be nothing on (U.S.) 280. Now it goes out past Chelsea. It’s just been really exciting to see Birmingham grow in almost every direction.”
The Next 100 Years
The real estate landscape has changed a lot in Birmingham and the Over the Mountain area in the last 100 years. Now, the Birmingham area population exceeds 1 million, and membership in the association is just more than 3,000.
Cynthia knows technology will continue to play a key role in the industry just as it has in the first 100 years of the association.
“Social media is really changing things. Everybody has a Facebook page,” she said. “Technology has just really allowed us to be more efficient and more effective.”
While Margi admitted the past few years have been rough for the industry, she said there are some glimmers of hope that 2011 and beyond will improve.
All you have to do, she said, is look at the past.
“We have been through some difficult economic situations. We had over 4,000 members before this last recession,” she said. “If people can’t make a living doing this, they have to get out until the market comes back.
“Back in the ’80s, our membership went down to a little over 1,000. I do feel like it’s getting better, though. We might still have a few trip-ups, but inventory is shrinking, and existing home sales have picked up this last month.”
Other Realtors agree with Margi’s assessment.
Realtors Rolanda Hollis, Stephanie Robinson and Dorothy Tayloe recently met to finalize the sale of a Mountain Brook home. All agreed the market has taken an upswing since the start of 2011.
“I really do feel like things are starting to pick up and are selling,” Dorothy said. The current climate makes it the perfect time to buy since interest rates are still low, she added.
“We’ve also got some really good listings right now, and the sellers are ready to sell,” Stephanie said.
The Centennial
Expect in the coming months to hear more about the Centennial Celebration.
The association is placing signs around the area – be it on its office building on Independence Drive or on “for sale” signs – with the Centennial Year logo, and soon, Margi said, it will launch a website, www.100yearsofopeningdoors.com.
“We’re working on a blog where people can send their stories about real estate,” she said. “Then we’ll also have a little tableau with stories about the 100 years in real estate. We really want to encourage people to share their stories.”
Cynthia said the purpose of the celebration is to let people know all that the association does, because as Margi said, it’s much more than selling houses.
“Our mission it to protect people’s property rights, but we do other things than just real estate,” Cynthia said. “We’re very active in local charities. We just had a blood drive. We’re having a bowling night for kids. There are just lots of other things we do.”
The association also has plans for an open house in May. Details about the event will be released later.
For more information about the Centennial Celebration and events surrounding it, visit the Birmingham Association of Realtors website at www.barbham.com.