Getting involved pays off

MOSES LAKE — No matter how you look at it, real estate is serious business. When you’re dealing with land, one of the most basic things a person can own, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs, you have to place a lot of trust in the person who’s putting the deal together for you. That’s why Realtors go to great lengths to make sure their profession is viewed with trust.

That word “Realtor” is capitalized for a reason. Not everybody who buys and sells land can call themselves that. In the United States, the word is trademarked by the National Association of Realtors, and that organization defines it as a “a real estate professional who is member of the National Association of Realtors and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.” That Code of Ethics is eight pages long and details a Realtor’s obligations to their clients, the general public and other Realtors. These folks take their reputation seriously.

Which is why it was such an honor for Moses Lake Realtor Kevin Burgess, of Windermere Real Estate in Moses Lake, to be named Realtor of the Year at the Washington REALTORS Spring Conference in Yakima last week. The award, according to Washington Realtors, recognizes outstanding service to the local, state and national Realtors’ associations, as well as community involvement.

“(Burgess) lives by the code of ethics in every way and is an exceptional servant leader. He is honest, honorable, and seeks to bring out the best in everyone he encounters. (Burgess) goes out of his way to make others feel appreciated, while being an unsung hero in helping many others in need with dedication of his own time, resources, and money. Much of what he has done goes unseen, and most are never aware because he doesn’t tell anyone about his good deeds. He is very active in the community, brings great ideas to improve the association, and is always available to discuss issues for the betterment of the community,” an announcement from the Washington REALTORS said.

Burgess is a lifelong resident of Moses Lake, he said, and has been selling real estate in the Basin since 1996. He’s a big proponent of involvement in Realtors organizations, he said, ever since he got his license in 1996, on the advice of the previous owners of a real estate agency he owned in Ephrata.

“They pretty much told me, the only way you're going to do any good in this business is to get involved with a local association, the state association and be involved on committees. And so that's what I did. And all the agents that work for me, that's part of the deal; go to our local meetings and get involved at the state level. So I've just always been a proponent of being involved, just because of what Washington Realtors actually do for not just the Realtors, but the public.”

Washington Realtors has a PAC, or political action committee, Burgess said, that fights for real estate professionals, and by extension other small business people as well. One example he gave was an attempt to reclassify independent contractors as employees for tax purposes. Senate Bill 5326 would have reclassified a number of workers, including real estate agents, hair stylists and others, as employees of the company whose roof they do business under. And coincidentally, Burgess said, increased tax revenue to the state.

“They always want to increase our (business and occupation) tax,” Burgess said. “They go after us almost every year for that, and we've always been able to fight them off.” The bill was eventually pulled.

Washington Realtors has also been active in fighting property tax increases, Burgess added, which benefits not only real estate agents but all property owners.

Winning Washington Realtor of the Year entitles Burgess to walk across the stage at the National Association of Realtors conference in November, according to Washington Realtors President Cheri Daniels.

“It was a really prestigious award, and he was really deserving of it,” Daniels said. “And we’re very proud of him.”

Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.