It is my last chair’s column, and it seems like my year as chair of the board just started. Time truly flies when you are having fun…and this has been fun! Speaking to people across the country and representing this association has been one of the professional highlights of my life. It was my goal at the beginning of the year to improve some of the services that HAR provides to our members and to leave this place a little better than when I started. I think that has been accomplished. It was only with the help of the rest of the executive officers and staff that anything is possible though. I thank all of you for giving me this opportunity.

I encourage you to attend the upcoming REALTOR® Celebration when 2016 Chairman Mario Arriaga will be sworn into office, along with the rest of the executive committee and board members. It is a great event and you may find out more about it here. Mario is an exceptional leader and even more importantly an exceptional person. He is so level-headed and rational. He thinks through every decision he makes and then follows up on it to completion. HAR will be in very capable hands next year.

Some people think that real estate slows down in the colder months (as cold as Houston ever gets), but REALTORS® are always working. One way to help stay busy is to continue your education to make you an even better advocate and representative for your clients. You may learn more about our professional development offerings in December here.

I also want to congratulate the graduates of the Texas REALTOR® Leadership Program (TRLP). Having participated in the program in the past, I can tell you that it is one of the most valuable year-long educational opportunities you will ever have. From spokesperson training to learning more about the city around us, TRLP is an awesome adventure. Applications for next year’s program are available now, so check here for more information.

This is also the time to make sure that REALTOR® and homeowner interests are supported by voting for the HAR recommended candidates in the various runoff elections that will be taking place this month. You may find a list of recommended candidates and more information here. REALTORS’ power comes from our numbers, so we need to make sure our voices are heard.

There is also the annual HAR membership meeting that will be held in December, so you may check here for more details. If you are unable to attend, please fill out the proxy so that we can make sure your vote is counted when we consider changes to the HAR Bylaws.

I would say until next month, but this won’t be my column next month…so I will just say “Happy Trails to You, Until we meet again.”