Annual conventions of professional and trade associations are usually uplifting events – rally gatherings that celebrate the achievements of the past year and pump up the attendees with enthusiasm for the future.   It will be interesting to see if the yearly gathering of the National Association of Realtors, slated to assemble in Las Vegas in mid-November, will find a way to establish an exuberance of optimism among the 20,000+ members and vendors who generally attend the event.  

Such a task will not be easy given the state of the real estate economy for the past year and a half. But we are confident that somehow, most attendees will leave the conference ever ready to proclaim to the world, “Now is a good time to but.” The remaining few might well be asserting, “Now is a good time to sell.” 

PS: In May 1908, 120 men gathered in Chicago with the goal to "unite the real estate men of America." What emerged from that meeting in 1908 was the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges, which 100 years on thrives as the National Association of Realtors. NAR is kicking off the Centennial Year this November at the convention in Las Vegas with Bill Cosby as the Featured Guest Speaker.