voices
guest editor
Life can turn on a dime, and it can also
show you that every single coin makes a
difference. When I was 13, my father died
unexpectedly. I was the eldest of seven
kids, and during these dark days I learned
what it meant to face the unknown. My
mom, a stay-at-home seamstress, kept
our family together in East Brunswick,
N. J., with all the stability and love she
could muster. The local Knights of Columbus and other community members
pitched in with food, clothing, and toys.
For a while, food stamps and other public
assistance helped to keep us afloat.
Given the help my family got when I
was young, I needed to give something
back. In 2007, I cofounded the Center for
FaithJustice, a nonprofit that educates
students from middle school through
college about the ravages of poverty
and challenges them to do something
about it. More than 5,000 young people
have had their eyes opened to an array of
socioeconomic problems. In 2012,
REALTOR® Magazine honored me with a
Good Neighbor Award, which helped our
center through its own financial rough
patch. For this issue, featuring the newest
Good Neighbor Award winners (see page
19), I was delighted to serve as guest
editor and share ideas with the magazine
team about the real estate business and
the business of philanthropy.
Even in her bleakest days, my mom
set a strong example—her hard work
and unfailing kindness have shaped both
my volunteerism and my approach as a
team leader at Long & Foster. I lead an
eight-person team that expects to close
at least $20 million in sales this year. In
real estate, it’s all about relationships.
We like to say, “When you put others first,
relationships last.”
Unfortunately, sometimes relation-
ships are undermined by forces we can’t
control. The Internet has exploded,
seeking to satisfy a consumer appetite
for information, regardless of its accu-
racy. Third-party websites can churn
and produce data with little regard to
consequences for buyers, sellers, and
practitioners. That’s why I was so excited
to read about a new initiative, Project Up-
stream, that will allow agents and brokers
to input and update listing data using
a single entry point (see page 11). None
of us truly knows the future; I’ve known
that since I was 13. But we all experience
turning points, and the Upstream concept
feels like a turning point with great poten-
tial to boost consumer confidence in our in-
dustry and reaffirm the role of REALTORS®
at the center of the transaction.
By Rocky Balsamo
430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611–4087
500 New Jersey Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20001–2020
Phone: 800-874-6500; Fax: 312-329-5978
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Midwest & Northeast Zack Buchanan | 717-505-9701 |
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Publisher Stacey Moncrieff
Editor Wendy Cole
Creative Director Julie Fournier
Director, Multimedia Communications Robert Freedman
Managing Editor Meg White
Senior Editor Graham Wood
Writer-Producer Sam Silverstein
Writer-Content Strategist Meghan Brozanic
Copy Editor Bob Soron
Designer Isabella Mathews
Online Visual Designer Elizabeth Siuta
Contributors Erica Christoffer, Carolyn Schwaar,
Melissa Dittmann Tracey
General Manager Kathleen Marusarz
Advertising Sales Associate Jill Powers
Advertising Sales Administrator Alvin Pulley
Publications Assistant Wilma Gonzalez
Director, Communications Networks Robert Reuter
Good Neighbor Awards Sara Pullan Geimer
REALTOR® MAGAZINE, print
and online, is REALTORS®’ best
source of information on how
to achieve business success.
The magazine and Web site
advance real estate industry
best practices, bring expert
insights to significant trends,
and provide REALTORS® with
timely decision-making tools
on business purchases and
strategies.
The Impact of Turning Points
Guest Editor Rocky Balsamo came in from New Jersey to share ideas for the issue with Good Neighbor
Awards Manager Sara Geimer (far left), Editor Wendy Cole, and Creative Director Julie Fournier.
