As we enter the second half of 2023, our Association remains committed to providing our members with valuable opportunities to learn, network, and make a difference. From engaging events to educational courses, there is no shortage of activities to keep you connected and informed.

AUGUST 2023

• August 2 – Blingo Bingo!

Prepare for a night of glitz, glamour, and thrilling bingo fun! BlingovBingo merges networking with an interactive experience that isvsure to delight. Join us at 6 pm at WCREALTORS for this dynamic vevent.

• August 9 – Selling the Suburbs: The WCSPECIALIST Series begins live at WCREALTORS!

Back by popular demand, this award-winning course launched in 2015 and was written by REALTORS® who wanted our members to serve the community. Covering topics such as taxing entities, water issues, local governmental jurisdictions, new homes, and septic systems and much more. This course is broken down into eight sessions spanning over four full days of class.

• August 15 – Board of Directors Applications Open

• August 15 – City Update Series:

Dive into an in-depth exploration of the City of Hutto. Join us live at WCREALTORS at 10 a.m. as four different city officials provide updates on what’s new in their respective areas.

• August 30 – Board of Directors Applications Close

SEPTEMBER 2023

• September 13 – TREPAC Bowling: Video Game Edition:

Don’t miss our annual TREPAC Bowling Tournament at Mel’s Lonestar in Georgetown! Dress up as your favorite video game character and enjoy a fun-filled evening.

• September 19 – City Update Series:

Taylor, Granger, and Bartlett: Stay informed about the eastern parts of our county at 10 a.m. at the Board office for an update on these areas.

• September 26 – 2023 Annual WCREALTORS Golf Tournament:

Drive yourself to the Crystal Falls Golf Club in Leander for a day of networking and an above par golfing excellence. This annual tournament is an opportunity to connect with the best professionals in the business while enjoying the beautiful city of Leander.

OCTOBER 2023

• October 2 – Annual Election Commences

• October 10 – Annual Election Ends

• October 12 – Luxury Bus Tour:

Embark on an adventurous day with WCREALTORS Bus Tours, offering an exclusive look at newly built homes in luxurious master-planned communities across Central Texas. Expand your knowledge and experience the finest developments in the area.

• October 26th – Annual Business Meeting:

Stay updated on the year’s successes and meet the 2024 Board of Directors. There’s plenty of news to tune into.

NOVEMBER 2023

• November 9 – D.I.Y. Pop-by Event:

Back by popular demand, this interactive workshop allows you to assemble personalized, thoughtful gifts for your clients, featuring a monthly theme. Imagine the impact of personalized, thoughtful gifts that keep you at top of the mind with your valued clients.

• November 30 – Deck the Halls LIVE auction!

This year we are switching up Deck the Halls and making it a live event for your community and clients! Featuring Santa, cookies and so much more, get ready for a tree-mendously good time! All proceeds will go to the Austin Angels Society.

DECEMBER 2023

• December 7 – The Biggest Event of the Year:

Prepare for an electrifying and enchanting experience at this year’s Installation event! With a theme inspired by fire and ice, get ready for a captivating evening that combines the thrill of contrasting elements. It’s a powerful reminder of the incredible growth and untapped potential found within the realm of opposites. Brace yourself for an event that promises to be as hot as fire and as cool as ice, where magic and wonder converge to create an unforgettable evening.

Stay tuned for more details and updates on these exciting events throughout the next few months. At WCREALTORS, we are committed to providing our members with exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.

It’s time for the Williamson County Association of Realtors’ (WCREALTORS) Community Service Committee to hold its annual Operation I Can Food Drive as part of its annual community service initiative.

The food drive is set to begin on Monday, July 10, and end on Thursday, July 27, with the goal of surpassing the record-breaking success of raising almost 23,000 pounds of food last year. Weigh in and food collection for the event will take place from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, July 28. It will be held at the WCREALTORS office.

It is planned to distribute the donations evenly among eight local charities this year: the Round Rock Serving Center, Hill Country Ministries in Leander, Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry in Taylor, The Caring Place in Georgetown, Jarrell Community Food Pantry, Hutto Community Food Pantry, Operation Liberty Hill, and Saint Vincent de Paul in Round Rock.

As REALTORS® members, there is a huge opportunity to engage their local communities by leaving paper bags with a flyer and business card on residents’ porches. Make sure that you provide a date on which the donated items are to be collected. Not only can you expand your network through this, but it will also show potential clients that you are active in giving back to your community, which is an important aspect of building your business.

If you are interested in participating in this food drive, you can donate canned and non-perishable foods to any participating real estate office in Williamson County. Items needed are canned meats, canned veggies, canned fruit, pasta sauce, rice, beans, cereals, juice, peanut butter, cooking oil, meal helpers, hygiene products, and any other non-perishable items.

This year we are also able to receive monetary donations. Visit wcrealtors.org/ican to donate online or drop off cash envelopes at the Association office. All monetary donations will be evenly distributed among the charities alongside non-perishable items.

For more information, call the Association at 512-255-6211.

Williamson County is a hub for companies such as Dell Computers, the Round Rock Express and the Texas Stars. Plus, we’ve got Sun City, Round Rock Donuts, and even the Two Step Inn Festival and Samsung Electronics.

Despite the market shift that happened last year, Central Texas (especially Williamson County) has continued to show steady growth. Businesses and new ventures are still flocking to this bustling county, which means more residents and ultimately more homebuyers.

This year, Williamson County REALTORS® is celebrating 50 years of Unlocking the World of Real Estate for Williamson County. We started out in May 1973 with only 15 REALTORS® and nine brokers, but now we’ve grown to over 2,400 members and we’re not slowing down anytime soon.

Our mission is simple: to help our members meet present and future real estate challenges in Williamson County and Central Texas, to enhance and promote REALTOR® members’ professionalism, to encourage member involvement in the various communities of Williamson County, and to provide quality services for our members. We take our mission seriously and work hard to ensure our goals and activities are in line with it.

With all the new businesses, homebuyers, and growth in our area, it’s more important than ever to get involved in your communities and your Association to be the voice of real estate in our county. Clients love working with knowledgeable agents who keep up with current happenings in the areas they’re looking to buy or sell. Being the local area expert is a surefire way to stand out from the competition, and WCREALTORS is here to help! We’ve been partnering with local leaders, officials, and communities to open up a wealth of information and make our voice heard.

We have implemented two distinct approaches to provide our members with valuable insights into the communities where they work, reside and conduct business. Firstly, we have reintroduced our City Update Series, which offers firsthand knowledge through educational sessions. These sessions provide an opportunity to interact with local mayors, city council members, school officials and police in a relaxed setting over breakfast.

The City Update schedule is as follows: [insert schedule here]. We believe that these sessions will enable our members to gain a deeper understanding of the issues and challenges facing their communities, and to develop meaningful relationships with local leaders. Our goal is to empower our members with the knowledge and resources they need to make informed decisions and contribute positively to their communities.

Georgetown/Jarrell: June 20 at 10 a.m.

Cedar Park/Leander: July 18 at 10 a.m.

Hutto: August 15 at 10 a.m.

Taylor/Granger/Bartlett: September 19 at 10 a.m.

Our City Updates are free for our members! We hope to see you in June!

The second is the reinstatement of our highly acclaimed Selling the Suburbs: Selling Real Estate in Williamson County (WCSpecialist) Certification course. This award-winning course was initially launched in 2015 by a team of experienced REALTORS® who aimed to equip our members with the necessary skills to better serve the community.

The WCSpecialist course is designed to provide comprehensive knowledge on various aspects of Williamson County Real Estate, including taxing entities, water issues, local governmental jurisdictions, new homes, septic systems, and much more. Upon completion of the course, attendees earn the prestigious Specialist of Williamson County Real Estate designation, which is highly sought after by clients in the home buying or selling process.

The course is structured to promote geographic competency and is divided into eight sessions spanning across four full days of class. Our mission is to ensure that our members are well-versed in all aspects of Williamson County Real Estate, enabling them to provide exceptional service to their clients.

We understand the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and regulations, and our WCSpecialist course is an excellent opportunity for our members to enhance their knowledge and skills. We encourage all our members to take advantage of this opportunity and enroll in the WCSpecialist course.

We look forward to welcoming you to our upcoming course, and we are confident that you will find it both informative and engaging.

Cedar Park/Leander: August 9; Georgetown/Round Rock: September 13; Hutto/Taylor: October 10; Liberty Hill/Jarrell: November 8

To obtain their WCSpecialist Certification, students are required to complete all eight sessions.

The Williamson County Association of REALTORS® takes pride in its 50-year history of serving our members, community and profession. As we embark on the next 50 years, we are thrilled to continue our commitment to Central Texas.

I recently heard something from a speaker who has been in the real estate industry for decades, and I believe that it is an important statement to make to set REALTORS® apart. Every day, we as REALTORS® learn to navigate the real estate industry, but at the end of the day the word industry is lackluster and frankly is not an accurate term for the work that we do.

You see, by definition, the word industry means a group of companies and organizations that all work on similar things. Is this all we are as REALTORS®? Are we a collection of companies and organizations that all work on house-related products? NO! We are professionals who have industry partners to assist in making the homebuying process a rewarding and enjoyable experience for our clients.

By definition, a profession is a group of qualified people who practice a particular set of skills. A profession requires specialized education and training in order to provide a service to others. Doesn’t that fall more in line with what we do? We have formal qualifications based on continuing education, completed exams and professional standards through recognized bodies with the power to deem competence and establish a professional code of ethics.

Referring to the work that we do as simply an industry strips the title REALTOR® of everything that sets us apart. In our profession we as REALTORS® strive to educate ourselves on the communities around us, by attending city/ISD meetings, being active in our communities, the communities around us and within our Associations. We work to be a book of knowledge for our clients who are moving to a new area and must keep current with all of the changes going on around us.

In our profession, we advocate to promote home ownership, to protect real property rights and increase political awareness. We invest in our profession to keep it thriving. We work to give objective information and opinions to our clients, we network with other professionals for our marketing toolkit, we are expert negotiators, we keep current with all the endless transaction paperwork and new forms, we serve as a rock for our clients during the homebuying process. We do this all while maintaining ethical throughout the whole process.

REALTORS® who master their profession find ways to volunteer by serving their local, state and national Associations. For new REALTORS®, the Association is the best way to learn the ropes and become a professional. Here at WCREALTORS, we have all the tools needed to keep current with your community, advocate for our profession and gain real world experience from seasoned professionals.

So the next time you catch yourself talking about the real estate industry, make sure to take a step back and make it about the REALTOR® profession.

It is with the utmost humility that I take on the role of 2023 President of the Williamson County Association of REALTORS®. It is no small honor to be installed as the leader of this remarkable organization. It is a responsibility that I take very seriously. As I have prepared for this role and the year ahead, I have had the honor and privilege to be surrounded by many talented leaders to observe, listen to, and learn from. In the past five years I’ve served as a Director, the Treasurer and the President-Elect of this Association alongside some truly amazing folks that have mentored me and guided me.

During my time serving this Association we have seen a 20.4 percent growth in Williamson County. This staggering growth has directly impacted our profession and our daily work. Judge Bill Gravel said recently “Williamson County has become the Technology Superhighway of the World.” We’ve seen Apple expand, Dell Technologies continues to invest in Williamson County, Samsung arrive on our doorstep, school bonds passed in every city that proposed bonds, road and bridge projects and water infrastructure improvements — all pointing to continued growth in Williamson County housing. Forbes even recently reported Williamson County as one of the fastest growing counties in the country. We experienced this growth and development during COVID, one of the most challenging times in modern history. It was because of outstanding leadership that this was made possible for Williamson County. What a great place to live and do business.

In 2017, I earned my Texas Real Estate Leadership Program (TRLP) designation and committed to a full year of learning and leadership. Our TRLP leader often challenged us to reflect back on what drove us to become leaders and who influenced us the most. So, in preparation to serve, I’ve looked back even further beyond my most recent years of being surrounded by such inspiring leaders. It’s not just the past few years that have brought me to this podium. Instead, it’s a lifetime of learnings and lessons, of efforts to be better and grow more.

As a very little girl my daddy wanted nothing more than a little boy to teach how to re-wire the electric panels, fix the plumbing to the swimming pool pump and repair the lawnmower. He got me! And I was the most helpful flashlight holder a little girl could be. I listened to every word he said and watched closely because I wanted to learn as much as I could. That flashlight came in handy. It was here that I built the foundation for learning to listen and to grow. My daddy taught me so much and I’m so thankful for those many lessons.

As an adult, I raised two kiddos as a single mom and built a real estate career, ultimately building a brokerage in Williamson County. Keeping the light shining and making sure that it was bright was my motivation and inspiration to ensure that my kids would see the path forward and stay focused. Some days it was difficult to hold the flashlight alone and it was through this life experience that I truly and deeply realized that successful leaders don’t lead alone. They need the right folks around them. Leaders need others to lean on, to learn from, and to take support from. Leaders can’t do it alone — ever. I’m grateful for the leadership lessons that my children have taught me.

What I know about myself is that I’m always willing to hold the flashlight. It doesn’t matter what the job is, it doesn’t matter who is doing the job. If I can be a part of something with you and learn from you, then I know I’ll be a better person from spending time with you and learning from you.

My hope this year is to illuminate the light together. To focus on you, on Williamson County, on Central Texas, and all that we must learn along the way. By shining the light together, we can see our path forward. We can sit down and talk about what we need to learn. We can shine the light on what needs to be fixed, in the direction we need to go and on all our celebrations.

Here at the Williamson County Association, we have the most dedicated group of people sitting in our committee chair seats and volunteering. Our staff and our assocation executive dedicate so much time and energy to making each day a success. By shining our lights together, we can only expect to have a bright year ahead.