Helping the community and client is key for Board of Realtors

New realty board members elected

By ERIKA KIRSCH Western News Editor

Although the real estate market has slowed nationwide in the last few months, the business is still quite busy for the Realtors who head the Lincoln County Board of Realtors.

"The market has slowed down, but not as much as you think," said Realtor Mark Roberts.

Several years of experience combine to bring the knowledge necessary to oversee the real estate market in Lincoln County. Nominations for board president, vice president and secretary were made on Aug. 1 and the new officers will be sworn into office on Sept. 5.

There were three Realtors in the running for president. Sam Shupe, the newly elected president, has been a Realtor for three years and currently works for Northwest Montana Real Estate in Troy. He has previously been a member of the Lincoln County Board of Realtors.

As president, Shupe works with the board to ensure the rules governing the profession are followed. He helps to set standards for the profession. The board also makes sure Lincoln County real estate offices follow the national and state laws of real estate, works on fundraisers and provides scholarships for area students, Shupe said.

New this year, the Lincoln County Board of Realtors will be providing a $500 scholarship to a local Flatehead Valley Community College student. Formerly, the scholarship was provided to a high school student, but the applications were few. The board also donates to the Coats for Kids program, Relay for Life and Wings.

Mark Roberts ran against one other contender for the position of vice president of the Lincoln County Board of Realtors. He will be sworn in as the new vice president on Sept. 5. Roberts has been a Realtor for four years in Libby and was previously a Realtor in Tennessee. He works at Montana Country Real Estate.

This is Roberts' first time on the board of Realtors. He wants to ensure compliance issues are reviewed. He has a goal of "keeping things straight and helping the community," he said.

Donna Hall ran unopposed for the position of secretary for the Lincoln County Board of Realtors. Hall has been in the real estate business since 1985. Hall works at Montana Homes and Lands.

Members from each real estate office in Libby, Yaak and Troy make up the Lincoln County Board of Realtors. There are currently 60 members on the board and each member votes on the best candidate for each position. Real estate offices in Sanders County, as well as Eureka, are members of the board. Eureka also has a separate board, but may belong to the local board and the Kalispell board, Hall said.

The Lincoln County Board of Realtors is a smaller board and it's important to comply with all the state and national rules and regulations of selling real estate, Hall said. It's also crucial to assist clients.

"It's nice having satisfied buyers and sellers," she said.

Currently, the terms for each position are one year. However, the terms may be extended to two-years in the future. The board will be discussing terms and working on the bylaws throughout the year, said the three newly-elected members.