Reflections of Dovie Morgan, 2003 HAR Chair

Q:  Describe what HAR was like organizationally during your year – board structure, membership size and any other unique features.
A:  HAR had 17,000 members in 2003. At that time, we were the largest REALTOR® association in the country. Our Board had 24 members. We also opened the new Montgomery County branch in the Portofino shopping center in Conroe.

Q:  What was the most controversial issue during your year as HAR chair?
A:  We hosted the first Mayoral Forum for all the candidates for Houston Mayor. After the forum, HAR voted to support Bill White. We took what I thought was a great photograph of Bill White and me that ran on the cover of Houston REALTOR® magazine. As it turned out, it was an extremely controversial photo for many people.

Q:  What were some of the hot issues in Houston during that time – politically, socially or otherwise?
A: Our main focus nationally and in Texas was to keep banks out of real estate. In addition, we fought for homeowners insurance reform in Texas. The MLS department of HAR required for the first time that every listing have at least one photo. We have come a long way since then with up to 32 photos today.

Q:  What do you consider the greatest accomplishment of your year?  
A:  One great success during my term was the hosting of the “Leadership Forum” Associating with Success. The event featured powerful presentations from real estate executives and strategists on the Multiple Listing Service, the brokerage community and the Internet-powered consumer.

Q:   Do you have any funny or memorable moments to share from your term?
A: The Executive Committee was in Chicago for an NAR conference The fire alarms started going crazy and we all had to walk down 12 flights of stairs in our pajamas only to find out it was, happily, a false alarm.

Q:  What would you consider the greatest innovation at HAR since the conclusion of your chairmanship?
A:  Without question, all the technology support the tools that HAR provides. The individual agent websites, Internet leads to agents, HAR.com for the consumer, agent videos, to name a few. HAR is the industry leader and the “gold standard”. We are so fortunate to live and work in Houston, Texas.

Houston REALTOR® will visit with another former HAR Chair in the August 2012 edition.