History of the Nashville Association of Real Estate Professionals

 

In January 1988, eleven African-American Brokers, representing nine minority-owned real estate companies, met on the downtown campus of Tennessee State University. Their objective was to form an organization that would adequately serve the African-American real estate professionals and their clientele.

 

The Brokers attending this meeting and the companies represented were: Don Battle, Battle Realty Company; Sonny Dixon, Capitol; Ted Ensley, Ensley Realty Company; George Leslie, Leslie & Associates; George McLaurine, McLaurine & Associates; James Sherrell, Sherrell Realty Company; Robert "Bob" Stout and Thomas Taylor, S & T Investment Properties; Eunice Vance, Vance Realty Company; and George and Norma Willis, Willis Realty Company.

 

In February 1988, the organization met a second time to decide on the name of the organization, the Registered Agent and the Article of Information. Those in attendance were George and Norma Willis, George McLaurine and Thomas Taylor (deceased).

 

Again on October 31, 1990, several black real estate professionals met at the office of McLaurine & Associates to make a realistic assessment of the Community Reinvestment Programs that were being administered by several banks and mortgage companies. The goal was to use our experience to communicate ways the programs could be more effective and ways to allow more people to be approved for housing loans. Those professionals attending this meeting were: Dede Green, Dede Green Appraisals, Thomas Taylor (Deceased), S & T Properties, Eloise Jackson, Renaissance Realty Company, George Willis, Willis Realty Company, Dan Lane, ABL Realty Services, Thomas Gray, Gray & Associates, and George McLaurine, McLaurine & Associates.

 

One of the initial purposes of the Association was to provide a uniform forum to deal with issues that were common to us (Black Real Estate Professionals) in the real estate industry as we interact with communities, banks, mortgage companies, governments, etc. Attention was directed toward the problems that we as real estate professionals were having in qualifying our customers under present criteria and guidelines, and what we needed to do to make changes in the criteria and guidelines. It was agreed to meet first with officials of First American Bank. NAREP (National Association of Real Estate Professionals) became a unified group of real estate professionals who shared common interest and were committed to the purpose of exerting a combined influence upon matters affecting real estate in our communities. It is committed to networking, sharing ideas and information, and providing professional and educational assistance to its membership and their clientele. George Willis was the first acting president. The first elected president was George McLaurine. The preceding presidents were Daniel Lane, 1993, Tuwana Bryant, 1994; George Willis, 1995; Tuwana Bryant, 1996; George Mclaurine, 1997; Cathy Logan, 1998, Frank Reed Jr., 1999, and Richard Smith, 2000.

 

In July 1997, NAREP became a chartered member of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. (NAREB). The oldest and largest minority trade association in America, NAREB was founded in 1947. It has made substantial contributions to the cause of democracy by working to provide housing for all, without limitation and restrictions.