real estate review
By Ethan C. Nobles, director of media relations for Arkansas Realtors Association

Jim Furr is the first realtor from Jonesboro selected to serve as president of the Arkansas Realtors Association – a fact that underscores the notion that realtors in Craighead County are becoming increasingly involved in the ARA.

Furr, 2006 ARA realtor of the year, assumed the role of the state association’s president on January 1. His presidency and the involvement of other local agents in ARA activities can be viewed as further evidence of the growth of the city. Let me explain what I mean.

Jonesboro realtors, in the past, simply weren’t as involved in the ARA as they are now. A decade or so in the past, you didn’t see Jonesboro realtors heavily involved in ARA projects such as fundraising for Arkansas Special Olympics or donating to Arkansas Realtors Political Action Committee (ARPAC).

That’s all changed over the past few years and now Jonesboro realtors are among the strongest supporters of ARPAC and can always be counted on to help raise money for Arkansas Special Olympics – the charity to which ARA has contributed more than $1.5 million to since 1986.

We can go back a few years and see a significant increase in donations from the Jonesboro board to Arkansas Special Olympics. In 2007, Jonesboro realtors raised $3,620 for the charity, an increase of 64.6 percent over $2,199 raised in 2003.

Furthermore, at the ARA we’re seeing a lot more initiatives put before the state by Jonesboro realtors than we have in the past. For example, Furr chaired the task force charged with developing the guidelines for the ARA’s Award for Excellence program, which annually recognizes the top realtors in the state.

Here’s another example. Judy Furr – Jim Furr’s wife and a Jonesboro city alderman – is spearheading the development of Project Realtor Restore. That program is based on Project Jonesboro, a community development effort that was put in place to help clean up run down parts of the city.

Project Realtor Restore, then, is being developed to benefit communities throughout Arkansas and it’s based on something that started in Jonesboro.

That brings us back to Jim Furr. His election as ARA president simply emphasizes a trend that has been brewing in Jonesboro – all ARA presidents boast an exemplary record of service to both their communities and the state association.
However, it does cause one to reflect on the increasing involvement of Craighead County realtors in the ARA. That involvement has picked up considerably over the past decade, so what’s changed?

Simply put, Jonesboro is a growing area. When an area grows, more houses are sold and the number of realtors in the area increases proportionally. When you have a large group of realtors in an area, it’s only natural that their involvement in the ARA will increase, too.

Looking back a few years, we can see a significant increase in the number of realtors in Craighead County. In November 2007, there were 323 members of the Jonesboro board, an increase of 36.3 percent over 237 members in November 2007.

Another point worth mentioning is that membership of the board increased by 13 members in 2007. That may not be a huge increase, but it is significant when one considers the large amount of negative news this year about national real estate markets might serve to discourage people from becoming realtors.
In Craighead County, the trend has been for the number of realtors to increase. That’s not hard to understand when you consider the area has a solid housing market.

Through October, there were 916 single family residences sold in Jonesboro – down slightly from 929 homes sold through the first 10 months of 2006. Last year, by the way, was the second best year on record in Craighead County in terms of the real estate market, so one could make the point that the current market in the county is on par with a record year. That’s not bad at all.
Meanwhile, the average price of homes sold through October in Jonesboro was $136,462 – up 2.2 percent from $133,487 through the first 10 months of 2006.

Furr said one thing he hopes to achieve as ARA president is to tell people across the state about the good things happening in Jonesboro. He said the city boasts a strong housing market, solid economic fundamentals and a great growth rate. The people of Jonesboro have a fantastic story to tell, and Furr said he will be proud to do his part to make sure people hear it.

Furr said a primary role of an ARA president is to serve as an ambassador for realtors throughout the state. But, he pointed out that the president is also fortunate to act as an ambassador for his community.

Furr added that he’s lucky that he will undertake his role as an ambassador with his wife, Judy, another great spokesman for the city of Jonesboro.