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8757 Georgia Avenue, Suite 600 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301.590.2000 Fax: 301.590.2248 www.gcaar.com |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2005
Contact: Amy Ritsko-Warren, Director of Communications
301.590.8764
awarren@gcaar.com
As the residential market continues to boom, so does the number of real estate agents. The Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS®, the 12th largest local organization for real estate professionals, has seen its membership jump nearly 30 percent over the past year to 10,800 members, up from 8,373 members in 2004. In 2000, the group had only 4,268 members.
"The extremely active local real estate market has made the real estate profession a very attractive career choice for many," said GCAAR President Susann Haskins.
What's happening in the Washington, DC metro area is happening across the country. Membership in the National Association of REALTORS® leapt to 1.1 million in 2004, up from 977,000 in 2003, according to spokesman Walter Molony. The group has added 250,000 members in the past five years, he said.
Molony said the increase in the number of REALTORS® has mainly kept pace with the increase in sales volume for housing across the country. The organization expects housing sales to level off in 2006, so the number of new hires likely will slow as well.
GCAAR is the voice for REALTORS® in Washington, DC and Montgomery County, Maryland. Representing more than 11,000 real estate professionals in the greater capital area, GCAAR provides numerous services vital to its members' daily business needs and works with lawmakers to ensure public policy that encourages home ownership.
