By Staff
special to The Star
Nov. 24, 2002
NEW ORLEANS Two representatives from the Meridian Board of Realtors were among thousands who attended the National Association of Realtors 2002 Annual Conference and Trade Exposition.
Cathy Feltenstein, 2003 president of the Meridian Board of Realtors, and Laura Miller, association executive, attended the event that took place Nov. 8 -11.
Among the topics covered: trends in online property listings; the latest in industry technology tools; new challenges in the insurance industry.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., told people at the conference that "banks should not be allowed to expand their existing powers at your expense."
Shelby is a cosponsor of the NAR-supported Community Choice in Real Estate Act. He could become chairman next year of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, NAR built a home for a New Orleans family and turned the keys over to them during the conference.
That project continued a new NAR tradition of building a Habitat home in the city that hosts its annual conventions.
The NAR also launched its new Housing Opportunity Program an initiative designed to empower and encourage Realtors to become aggressive advocates for successful, credible and viable housing opportunity programs.
Realtor community service also was highlighted as the association honored recipients of Realtor Magazine's third annual Good Neighbor Awards before an audience of 6,000 at the convention's general session.
The Good Neighbor Awards honor ongoing volunteer efforts of Realtors who are making exceptional contributions to improve the quality of life in their communities.
NAR president Martin Edwards Jr., a partner in Colliers, Wilkinson and Snowden Inc. in Memphis, presided over the awards ceremony.
Feltenstein said the conference provided an "excellent opportunity" to reconnect with colleagues from other areas and to calibrate her profession and business practices with new developments in the industry.
The National Association of Realtors is America's largest trade association, representing more than 840,000 members involved in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate industry.