When you hire a Realtor to help you buy a home, you’re not just hiring someone to unlock doors and draft contracts. You’re hiring a professional who invests heavily in continuing education, training and professional growth to serve clients at the highest level. Here in Virginia, real estate professionals are required to complete continuing education courses every two years to keep their license active, and if you are a real estate broker like me, you are required to earn no less than 24 hours of education every two years.
These classes cover everything from fair housing laws and ethics to contract updates and emerging market trends. It means when you sit down with a Realtor, you’re talking to someone who is required to stay current with the latest information that can protect you as a buyer. But we don’t stop there. Beyond state-mandated education, Realtors have access to a wide variety of professional development opportunities. Right now, I’m in Richmond attending the Virginia Realtors Annual Convention – a two-day event packed with intensive education led by some of the top instructors in the country. It’s a chance to sharpen skills, ask hard questions, network with peers and come home with new ideas to better serve clients.
And this November, a few thousand of us will gather in Houston for the National Association of Realtors convention. That’s where we’ll meet colleagues from across the country to brainstorm ways to serve clients more effectively, learn about cutting-edge technology and collaborate on best practices for everything from negotiation to marketing. These conventions are not vacations – they’re some of the most rigorous professional development opportunities we have.
The truth is, Realtors are lifelong learners. We’re constantly reading, attending workshops and seeking out resources to improve our craft. The real estate market is always evolving, and it’s our responsibility to keep up so our clients don’t have to navigate the complexities alone. When you work with a Realtor, you’re working with someone who has put in the hours, the training and the effort to make sure your homebuying journey is as smooth and successful as possible.
Because buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make – you deserve a professional who takes that responsibility seriously.
Billy Morris
2025 President of the Lynchburg Association of Realtors
An Associate Broker at John Stewart Walker, Inc.