Our Mission
We are a network of successful Realtors empowering women to exercise their potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders.
Back to Top
Our Vision
Through our influence as successful business professionals, women will effect positive change in the profession and in the broader community.
Back to Top
Local Chapter History
Back to Top
History of WCR
In 1924, the California Real Estate Association formed a Women's Division after members founded the idea on a train ride home from the National Association's convention in Washington, D.C.
Fourteen years later, Joseph Catherine, the 1938 president of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (then called the National Association of Real Estate Boards) encouraged the formation of the Women.s Council after being impressed by the California group and the immense potential of women in real estate.
At the time, NAR was already 30 years old and most decisions were still made at the Local Board level. Unfortunately, most Local Boards were still resistant to women. However, the National Association was ready to recognize women in real estate and a positive vote resulted in the formation of a women's division at the Annual Convention held in Milwaukee in November of 1938. Thirty-seven ambitious women represented nine states at that meeting and WCR's inception.
Through the decades, WCR's membership growth reflected the vast number of women choosing a career in real estate. Women began to recognize the immense benefits of careers in real estate combined with a WCR membership, including:
- Salaries equitable to men's since "commission in commission".
- Flexible work schedules allowing REALTORS® the ability to raise a family and have a career instead of choosing one or the other.
- A support system of women in the same field garnering many friendships, networking capabilities and referrals.
- Gaining confidence through association with other professional women REALTORS®.
- Recognition for their own achievements and success as well as inspiration and courage to strive for greater successes.
In 1984, WCR established the Leadership Training Graduate (LTG) designation. Courses covering communication, personal power, group dynamics, meeting management, leadership, public speaking and technology were part of the program, which fostered leadership and professionalism in career and personal life.
In 1989, WCR established the Referral & Relocation Certification (RRC) and in 1994, the RRC was incorporated into the LTG program.
1998 saw the creation of the annual WCR Leadership Academy, which in its very first year won the prestigious Leadership Development Trophy in Chapter Relations from the American Society of Association Executives. The Academy provides over 200 local chapter presidents-elect with in-depth chapter management training so that they embark on their year truly equipped to lead their chapters with confidence.
In 1999, the Council approved a Statement of Diversity: The Women's Council of REALTORS® empowers its members to embrace and celebrate diversity in the marketplace.
WCR publishes Connections and the Referral Roster. Connections is particularly unique in that it offers articles on business and personal growth topics specifically targeted to real estate professionals, especially women. The Referral Roster is a critical resource for WCR members, which lists the entire membership and provides links for referrals. WCR's Web site, launched in 1996, is an additional referral tool with daily updates to all member records and over 20,000 active hotlinks to members' e-mail addresses and Web sites.
At the 2003 National Conference in San Francisco WCR launched the Performance Management Network Designation.
It's a next-generation REALTOR® designation designed from the ground up to bring you real-world skills that will keep your business out front and on top of a dynamic real estate market. The first course in the new curriculum, Effective Negotiating for Real Estate Professionals, premiered at the National Conference with record-breaking turn out. With 330 students, it was the most highly attended initial offering of any WCR course to date.
Today, with more than 260 Chapters and 14,000 members, WCR is the 17th largest U.S. Women's professional organization and has one of the most successful communication networks in the NAR family. Chapters include men and women who support the objectives of WCR and are interested in serving the industry, the community and fellow REALTORS®.
Back to Top
Benefits & Services
WCR Operating Values
- Community
We are a family of real estate professionals, unique in our focus both on business and personal development. Through participation in WCR, we encounter a support network, ready and willing to help us achieve our individual potential for success.
- The Power of Relationships
We believe that success in business today requires positive, productive relationships. WCR provides an environment in which we can form, nurture and maximize relationships at many levels, from bottom-line business transactions to ongoing mentoring for career development. As WCR members, we share freely of our time, talent and experience because we know it will come back to us many times over.
- Professional Credibility
WCR membership is a sign of credibility. We are established career professionals. We operate based on a shared value system of integrity, consistency, creativity, compassion and a commitment to excellence and continued development. We believe that these are the skills and qualities that will advance the real estate profession.
- Participation
We believe that participation increases membership value. We believe that WCR members who get involved build stronger relationships, and gain information, new skills and ideas by applying what is learned. Participation is the opportunity to contribute to change, and to be changed, personally and professionally.
- Inclusiveness
We believe that the membership experience is enriched through the celebration and encouragement of our differences . in background, experience, perspective and opinion. At the same time, the strength of the organization lies in what unites us all . our shared values.
Back to Top
In Their Own Words
WCR has been making a difference in the lives of its members for over sixty years. We think the following quotes from WCR members through the years demonstrates the value of this growth experience.
My whole viewpoint with respect to real estate has changed. Not only do I make more commissions . I get more pleasure out of my work. (1938)
Helps me think like a man, conduct myself like a lady and work like a dog. (1959)
A great mirror in which I may take a look at myself, a full-length look, and from which I can go with self-confidence. (1963)
A bond of tribal knowing. It is not clear to me what we women know, but it is a great source of support and power. (1972)
Besides the newsletter, education, friendships, ideas and information, it really jacks up my enthusiasm to see others doing well. (1975)
All those women, all that energy, all those brains and all that imagination; what a powerhouse! (1978)
An amazing mix of professional relationships, dynamic friendships and deep-rooted strength, integrity and caring. (1997)
The recognition, support, encouragement and role models I need to trust and believe in myself. (1997)
Place where top producers are willing to share information and techniques, to brainstorm, and just be friends. (1997)
A safe area to learn and connect with the pros, to stretch and stumble with my peers and to accelerate my professional and personal life. (1997)
I'm no longer the mouse in the corner. When somebody "moves the cheese" I go find more! Through my involvement in WCR, I have become a stronger, more confident person, able to achieve things that I never thought of. (2001)
1978 WCR National President Vivian Osborne reflecting on her early experiences in real estate (1999):
I was a little uncomfortable because I was the only woman in my [real estate licensing] class. I think I surprised them when I ended up with the highest grades. The instructor suggested I go for my broker's license, which I did.
The builders would give a one percent commission to the brokers, mostly men, and I would get a 69-cent bottle of wine. One day I got tired of it. After a sale a builder said to me, "I've got a nice bottle of champagne for you." I said, "I don't want a bottle. I want a check." And I got one.
In my 50 years in real estate, on the whole I'd say I.ve had a very satisfying career.
Back to Top
Local Chapters, National Strength
Real estate is a full-time job. And then some. So when you make an investment of time, you expect it to pay off.
At WCR we understand. We focus on bringing our members concrete programs that yield tangible results.
That's possible thanks to WCR's unique structure, the foundation of which is our nationwide network of local and state chapters. It's the best of both worlds: the strength and continuity of a national profile, with the responsiveness and accessibility of chapters close to home.
It's this combination that makes WCR different. And it allows us to bring you more programs, more networking opportunities and more ways to build your business than any other REALTOR® organization.
Back to Top
Our Long-Term Goals
- To be a catalyst for individual growth and achievement through chapters that are positioned as the business resource in their REALTOR® communities.
- To be an important source of information, education and business contacts that REALTORS® need to develop relevant skills and professional credibility in a changing business environment.
- To be a network of strong, active chapters that deliver significant value for the time and talent members contribute.
- To be a trusted support system for an increasingly diverse profession.
- To be a strong, viable organization with the human and financial resources and flexible structure needed to take advantage of opportunities in a changing environment.
Back to Top
Information & Resources
Staying on top means staying in touch. So WCR brings you a range of valuable, up-to-the-minute sources of information.
Back to Top
Connections
Magazine brings you the timely, practical information on essential real estate topics, as well as professional development and personal growth - with articles written by trusted experts. It's also a great source of news about WCR. Connections is free to WCR members and arrives six times a year.
Back to Top
Referral Network and the Referral Roster
Ask a WCR member what the most valuable benefit of their membership is and, chances are, most will say "referrals." In a recent survey, 60 percent of our members reported using the referral networking the last 24 months. What does that mean for you? It means that, on average, our members close 1.9 WCR referrals annually. The backbone of our referral network is WCR's annual member directory, the Referral Roster. It's your link to tens of thousands of real estate professionals nationwide who are ready and willing to put qualified referrals in your hands. Your listing in the Roster is free with your membership. And additional advertising opportunities are available to increase your visibility even further.
At the heart of everything we do at WCR is a belief that by working together our members are more successful than they would be alone. So your WCR membership opens up a world of networking and referral opportunities, including local, state and regional meetings, workshops and special events.
Back to Top
MOCA
Want to send and receive referrals by e-mail? Network on-line with a community of supportive and committed professionals? Look up another member's e-mail or home page address? You'll have all this at your fingertips, because as a WCR member you'll have access to MOCA (Members Only Conferencing Area) where you can participate in discussion groups or drop in to the on-line Referral Center. It's a whole new reason to be a WCR member.
Back to Top
Professional and Personal Development
When you become a WCR member, you also become a member of your local WCR chapter. Meetings and events held by these chapters complement our national referral network by helping you develop business contacts, friends and mentors right in you area. Most chapters hold monthly meetings, organize committees and stage events -- all activities in which you can become involved to expand your network.
Likewise, WCR state and regional chapters also hold events designed to increase your business opportunities and develop your skills and talents. Finally, two national meetings are held around the country each year, during which members come together to conduct Council business, participate in education programs and make contacts and friends from all over the nation.
Back to Top
|
